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:
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| Glass Banded Agates |
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| 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).
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| 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
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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." .JPG)
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. 