MIMAROPA

ARTS and CRAFTS and FESTIVALS

Parts of the Southern Tagalog; designated as Region
IV-B
The acronym is a combination of the names of its
constituent provinces: Mindoro, Marinduque, Romblon
and Palawan.
Arts and crafts depict the different aspects of their
culture.
 MINDORO
There are seven (7) ethnolinguistic groups living in Mindoro,
collectively they called themselves MANGYANS.
Hanunuo mangyans, which means “truly/real/genuine,” live in
the Southern part of Mindoro, while Iraya Mangyans are from
Occidental Mindoro.
These groups are distinguished from each other based on their
language, customs, and their way of living.
The arts and crafts of the Mangyans display their very rich,
artistic heritage.
 AMBAHAN
The ambahan is a rhythmic, poetic expression with a meter of
seven syllables.
It is presented through recitation and chanting without a
determined musical pitch or accompaniment.
It is performed to express in a symbolic way a situation or
certain characteristics to by the one reciting the poem.
Urukay, is a variation of the ambahan that uses eight syllables
instead of seven.
Basket of the Mangyans

Has intricate patterns and

designs of humans, animals,
trees and other objects.
Made of dried nito grass and
forest vines, which are
meticulously and patiently
woven to create these unique
baskets.
The Moriones Festival in Marinduque is a much-awaited
Lenten tradition, which is celebrated every Holy Week.
Morion refers to the masks that are made of wood or
papier mache, adorned with colorful shells, animal hairs,
tassels and crepe papers.
People who act as Roman soldiers during the festival wear
these masks together with the vest, capes and wooden
shield.
Buri (buli palm) and raffia weaving
also became staple materials in the
crafts of Marinduque because of their
abundance. This weaving tradition has
been passed on from generation to
generation.
Romblon is known for its fine marble
products.
They also produce beautifully woven mats
and bags made from romblon plants.
Palawan is know as the country’s last frontier because
it is rich in cultural and natural diversity.
The Tagbanuas are the first inhabitants of Palawan.
They have a writing system that they use to
communicate with each other and write their own
history.
The Tagbanua men are skillful wood carvers while
children and women are proficient weavers.
The Tingkop is a cone-shaped colander
harvest basket made of blackened and natural
bamboo. It displays their craftsmanship in
weaving.
Uses extremely subtle changing of the
under-over pattern of the bamboo strips that
makes the design stand out.
The Tagbanuas carve different animal forms
from soft wood. The carving is backened with
soot and then etched with simple patterns or
incised features exposing the original white
grain of the wood.
These are used in rituals or as toys for
children.
The Manunggul jar dates back to the 8th Century
BCE and was excavated in the early 1960’s inside
the Manunggul cave at Lipuun Point, Palawan.
Considered as one of the most important
artifacts in the Philippines.
A container for secondary burial of the deceased.
The upper portion of the jar, as well as the cover,
is incised with curvilinear scroll designs and
painted with natural iron or hematite. On top of
the jar lid is a boat with two human figures
representing two souls on a voyage to the
afterlife.