Inventory no.: 4535

Gaddang Man’s Clothing Set, Luzon, Philippines

SOLD

Complete Five-Piece Gaddang Man’s Clothing Set

Gaddang People, Northern Luzon, Philippines

circa 1920

This complete, five-piece set of clothing for a Gaddang man was collected in the Philippines in the 1920s and brought back to the UK where it has been since with an English family.

Gaddang costumes are typically well-woven and colourful. The Gaddang people were involved in headhunting at least until the 1940s. The Gaddang population today is around 30,000-40,000.

The set comprises:

– an upper body jacket or blouse known as a lan-ma. This is beautifully edged with white beads and has beaded tassels.

– a cape or tapet. This is edged with small pom-poms and has a neck tie with beaded tassels.

– a narrow loincloth or dinega or abag. The ends are heavy with beading – they are profusely decorated with yellow, white and black glass beads.

– a neck tie – this has beaded fringes and chased brass weights.

– a bark cloth fibre head wrap

According to Moltzau Anderson (2014), ‘textiles from northern Luzon can almost be said to be a well-guarded secret. Only a select few textile collectors have, through their eclectic interest in fascinating cultural aspects of Philippine minority ethnic groups, attended seriously to this treasure of utilitarian status markers….However while recognition of the textiles has been slow, this has been balanced by the relative rarity of the textiles, so that over the past decade only committed collectors have had the will to acquire finer quality examples.’

See Afable (2013, p. 212-13) for very similar examples.

Each piece is either in perfect condition or is almost perfect. There are no holes, repairs, or insect damage to any of the pieces. There are minor bead losses to loin cloth only.

An early photograph of a Gaddang tribesman in similar costume is included.

References

Afable, P., et al, Philippines: an Archipelago of Exchange, ACTES SUD/ Musee du Quai Branly, 2013.

Moltzau Anderson, E., ‘Cordillera draping: Textiles of Northern Luzon, The Philippines’, in

Arts of Asia, January-February 2014.

Provenance

private collection, London, UK.

Inventory no.: 4535

SOLD