Tinali: The Kalinga Handstitched Beaded Bracelet Cuff

I was recently commissioned to create a Kalinga version of a bridal  trousseau. A trousseau can include any number of things that a bride needs in the early part of her marriage so it can include the clothes and jewelry. This post is about the  Kalinga "Tinali" or what I would call the Kalinga beaded bracelet cuff. 

The "tinali" used to be multiple individual strings of seed beads tied around the arms of Kalinga women from the wrist to close to the elbow.  Each string was individually tied to the arms. If you look at the picture below, you will understand how painstaking this process can take to put on and to take off.

Photo courtesy of Naty Sugguiyao, National Commission on Indigenous Peoples - Kalinga Philippines. Modeled by Saling Goyao Cawitan.

Over time, the process was streamlined and an ingenious method was used by the women to be able to keep the seed bead bracelets together (some strings broke and got lost in the fields). The women used thread, a piece of cloth, some buttons to create a stunning bracelet cuff that you see in the pictures above and below. A long piece of thread is then used to thread around the many buttons that line the cloth base as you can see in the picture below.
 

Photo courtesy of Naty Sugguiyao, National Commission on Indigenous Peoples - Kalinga Philippines.
Modeled by Saling Goyao Cawitan.

Fast forward to modern times, I wanted to keep the traditional look but use more convenient methods to use the bracelet cuff. My first attempt can be seen in the picture below where I used leather and metal eyelets. I thought that this would be a durable and convenient method of putting the bracelet on and off. 

For my client's trousseau, I chose to use soft suede leather as the "cuff" or base and started stitching the seed beads (mostly sourced from an African trade beads vendors and antique sales). The fine seed beads used int the Kalinga tinali are difficult to find. I would say the upper half is mostly a size 15 seed bead and the lower half of the beads increase to size E seed beads.  I have not seen a "tinali" with all the same size seed beads from top to bottom. One of my favorite online shop has a comparison chart here.

For those of you attempting to do so, it would be a challenge to find size 15 trade bead seed beads (the brown and the white seed beads).  The colors usually on the top half - yellow, blue and black, are easier to find in size 15 to size 8 seed bead size. I am purposely being technical for DIY people who are interested to find out materials used (see the end of the post for a complete list). I estimate using about 70 strands of seed beads for the project (each strand on raffia is about 23-26 inches in length). I also added some focal beads halfway thru each beaded line - for this project, I used the 5-6 mm trade bead carnelians for the top-half and red Size E trade bead seed beads on the bottom half.


The picture below shows how I stitched the beads into the suede leather. I used top-of-the-line Fireline thread (yes, the same company that makes the fishing lines) and used up more than 125 yards of it to finish two cuffs.

I then folded the flaps and hand stitched the two sides together ( I thank my high school home economics teachers despite the uncharitable thoughts I harbored while I was enrolled in their classes). I also decided to use special shell buttons to try to give a traditional look despite the use of all "modern" materials.

All in all, the project took more than 8 weeks but the end product is a beautiful bracelet cuff for a beautiful bride.

Materials used:

(Approx. 70) trade bead seed bead strands (ranging from size 15 to size E. Traditional colors are yellow, blue, black, brown and some white).
(30-35) 5-6 mm size trade bead carnelians 
1 strand trade bead pure brass seed beads 
2 strands red trade bead seed beads (size E)
(2) 8x8 soft suede leather 
(2) 125 yds smoke color Fireline beading thread(6 lb strength) 

(2) Wide-eye beading needle - one of the needles did not survive the ordeal :)
(35) Shell buttons 
corded leather string (to string around the buttons)

If you are interested to have one custom-made for you, please contact me at  www.facebook.com/kalingabeads or my etsy shop - www.etsy.com/shop/kalingabeads. I have not posted new items recently but I expect to add new ones soon!


   

A sophisticated take on an ethnic bead - the Tibetan silver-capped bead

I was drawn to a beautiful display of beads by a Tibetan vendor during a recent gem faire. While they did not sell  antique beads at their booth,  a unique find were several pieces of handcrafted Tibetan Silver-capped beads. There were several semi-precious gemstones and I chose Helenite (green)and Copal (red). For those of you who have never heard of Copal, here's a good link that describes the gem as "tree blood of the Gods."   

The beads by themselves were gorgeous and I wanted to create a design that would highlight the beads. I settled on a design called the Web of Silver by Maria Gulotta. After attempting several combinations, I settled with a combination of 4mm fire-polished light green crystals with the Helenite bead and 3mm coral beads with the Copal bead. I finished the arrangement with a super strong hard-to-find magnetic clasp and half-round 18 mm gauge silver wire. The finished product has a very delicate and elegant look to it - I'd like to call it a sophisticated ethnic bracelet.

To buy the bracelets, you can visit my etsy listing for Tibetan Silver-Capped Copal Bead Bracelet  or visit my Kalingabeads facebook page.
  

A Global Perspective on the Beads of Kalinga Peoples, Philippines

The Kalinga peoples is one of the five ethno-linguistic ethnic groups living within the Cordillera Administrative Region of the Philippines.  While contact with foreign entities started as early as 1660s, it was only during Lt. Governor Walter Hale’s term in 1907 when a formal local government was instituted in the province.  This “delay” in the assimilation of the Kalinga peoples in mainstream society allowed for the continued preservation of the tribal customs and traditions. Of this rich heritage, the practice of bead collection continues.

Kalinga peoples are curators of beads. This means that the beads are passed down as whole assembled multi-strand necklaces. They do not dissemble necklaces and split the beads. Mothers pass down their beads to the first daughter. Because of this practice, the bead collections found in Kalinga are not open to the addition of “unknown” beads. And in this sense, we can say that Kalingas maintain a closed collection of beads.

Stone and glass beads can be found in the bead collections. The earliest materials used for beads were found in nature like seeds, berries, shells and stones. Glass beads are made by melting and shaping silica. Bead makers also use silica to imitate stone beads. Check out the comparison of stone and glass beads shown below:

Glass Banded Agates

Banded Stone Agates

 

The necklaces can be short necklaces like the 'dalisdis' - a multistrand necklace approximately 16-18 inches in length where beads as small as 5mm is used. The 'winayway'  is a bead arrangement where large beads as long as 3 inches are displayed in a long strand that can be worn across the body from shoulder to hip.  

The beads found in the Kalinga collection can be traced back to the global trade of beads to the Philippines. Peter Francis Jr. writes that Chinese interisland trade was considerable and mentions that 14th Century Han Chinese brought unspecified beads to Northern Luzon (p. 68). Ferdinand Magellan is documented to have given the king of Butuan "Beades of Crystall" (Pigafetta, p. 97).

The earliest carnelian beads were found in the ancient civilizations of Western Asia (4000-2000 BC). The carnelian stone beads found in Kalinga most probably were mined and polished at historic Indian bead making centers.

If only beads can talk!

References:
Francis Jr. , Peter (2002) Asia's Maritime Bead Trade 300 BC to the Present.
Pigafetta, Antonio (1905) Of Fernandus Magalianes: the Occasion of His Voyate, and the Particulars of the Same, In Purchas, Vol. 2 - 84.199.

www.facebook.com/kalingabeads
www.etsy.com/kalingabeads - Carnelian Trade Bead Necklace