Sustainable Arts and Crafts in the Province of Guimaras, Philippines

Abstract

 Traditional crarftsmanship is perhaps the most tangiable manifestation of intangible cultural heritage. The works of arts and the crafts produced has become a significant challenge to the survival of traditional practices in the local community. This study aimed at determining surviving traditional knowledge systems and cultural practices on arts and crafts in Guimaras. Data were obtained through key informant interviews and focus group discussion with selected local arts and craft makers from the five municipalities in the province of Guimaras. There are expressions of indigenous practices that have become an industry to the local people such as: salt-making; banig and nipa making; galleon making; bagoong making; maruyog charm making; nito, barrios, pandan and buri weaving; among others. There are other simple ways of producing products out of locally grown plants and collected solid wastes, making use of local plants and chewing them for health purposes and the use of sliced stones to produce corn kernels and rice powder/granules. However, these knowledge systems are slowly disappearing due to the changing needs and interests of the young generation. Hence, government, non-government organizations, and other stakeholders need to continuously support programs to protect the aesthetic and traditional value of Guimaras arts and crafts as these make part of the traditional knowledge that will tell about what is in Guimaras, and in order to allow the creative industry to thrive, a strong policy on protecting intellectual property for creative works is necessary