Piña

{{Short description|Philippine fiber made from the pineapple plant}}

{{Infobox textile

| name = Piña

| image = Barong Up Close.jpg

| caption = Close-up view of the embroidery on a barong tagalog made with piña fiber

| type = Fiber

| material = Pineapple leaf

| method =

| process = Craft production

| location = Philippines

| introduced = 17th century

}}

{{Infobox intangible heritage

| ICH = Aklan piña handloom weaving

| State Party = Philippines

| ID = 01564

| Region = APA

| Year = 2023

| Session = 18th

| List = Representative

}}

Piña ({{IPA|tl|pɪˈnja}} {{respell|pi|NYAH}}) is a traditional Philippine fiber made from the leaves of the pineapple plant. Pineapples are indigenous to South America but have been widely cultivated in the Philippines since the 17th century, and used for weaving lustrous lace-like luxury textiles known as nipis fabric. The name is derived from Spanish piña, meaning "pineapple".

History

Pineapples were introduced by the Spanish to the Philippines during the Spanish colonial era. The cultivar now known as {{ill|'Red Spanish'|es|Piña Española Roja}} began to be cultivated for the textile industry as early as the 17th century. The extraction and weaving techniques were direct adaptations of the native weaving traditions using abacá fiber, which has a similar texture. Piña were woven into lustrous lace-like nipis fabrics usually decorated with intricate floral embroidery known as calado and sombrado.

File:Tampuhan by Juan Luna.jpg of a Filipina in traditional traje de mestiza dress, which was largely made from piña]]

File:Kerchief MET 25.132.8.jpg in the Metropolitan Museum of Art made from piña and linen]]

Piña fabric was a luxury export from the Philippines during the Spanish colonial period and gained favor among European aristocracy in the 18th and 19th centuries. Nipis fabrics were esteemed as exotic and sumptuous. Notable uses by royalty include the baptismal gown of King Alfonso XIII presented as a gift by Pope Pius X (now in the Museo del Traje); a piña handkerchief given as a wedding gift to Princess Alexandra of Denmark on her marriage to King Edward VII; as well as a petticoat and undergarment for Queen Victoria. An unfinished Maria Clara gown was also commissioned by the Marquis of Yriarte (then Governor of Laguna) intended for Queen Isabella II, who abdicated in 1870.{{cite thesis |type=PhD |last=Coo|first=Stéphanie Marie R.|date=2014|url=https://tel.archives-ouvertes.fr/tel-01126974/document |title=Clothing and the colonial culture of appearances in nineteenth century Spanish Philippines (1820–1896)|publisher=Université Nice Sophia Antipolis}} Numerous examples of 19th century embroidered piña textiles are in the collections of various museums around the world, although their history remains understudied in academic literature.{{cite thesis |type=MA |last= Ramos|first=Marlene Flores|date=2016|url=https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/4fda/da033e330b2bafcbe40f40dae90084c2d512.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200212094914/https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/4fda/da033e330b2bafcbe40f40dae90084c2d512.pdf |url-status=dead |archive-date=12 February 2020 |title=The Filipina Bordadoras and the Emergence of Fine European-style Embroidery Tradition in Colonial Philippines, 19th to early-20th Centuries|publisher=Mount Saint Vincent University|s2cid= 194439772}}

Domestically, they were used to make the traditional barong tagalog, baro't saya, and traje de mestiza clothing of the Filipino upper class, as well as women's pañuelos. They were favored for their light and breezy quality, which was ideal in the hot tropical climate of the islands. The industry was largely destroyed as a result of the Japanese occupation in the Second World War, and has been the subject of revival efforts since the 1960s.{{cite web|url=https://philippinefolklifemuseum.org/portfolio-items/history-and-origin-of-pina/|title=History & Origin of Piña|website=Philippine Folklife Museum Foundation|access-date=13 December 2018}}{{cite web|url=http://filipinoyum.blogspot.com/2011/10/history-of-pineapple-in-philippines.html|title=The History of Pineapple in the Philippines|website=Filipino Yum!|access-date=13 December 2018}}{{cite web|url=https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/cloth-made-from-pineapples|title=This Prized Filipino Fabric Is Made From Pineapple Leaves|last1=Ewbank|first1=Anne|date=6 September 2018|website=Gastro Obscura|access-date=13 December 2018}}

Numerous pineapple-based dishes were also developed in the Philippines as a result of the pineapple textile industry. These include traditional ingredients and dishes like pineapple vinegar, hamonado, afritada, and pininyahang manok. Another notable by-product is a traditional jelly-like dessert called nata de piña, which has been produced in the Philippines since the 18th century.{{cite book |last1=Vergara |first1=Benito S. |last2=Idowu |first2=Panna Melizah H. |last3=Sumangil |first3=Julia H. |title=Nata de Coco: A Filipino Delicacy |date=1999 |publisher=National Academy of Sciences and Technology, Philippines |isbn=9718538615 |url=http://scinet.dost.gov.ph/union/Downloads/nast_Vergara%20BS%20Nata%20De%20Coco_422.pdf}}

Production methods

Since piña is from a leaf, the leaf has to be cut first from the plant. Then the fiber is pulled or split away from the leaf. Most leaf fibers are long and somewhat stiff. Each strand of the piña fiber is hand scraped and is knotted one by one to form a continuous filament to be handwoven and then made into a piña cloth.

File:Pineapple-fiber-extraction.jpg|Scraping a pineapple leaf to reveal the fibers

File:Piña-Seda- Pineapple and Silk Cloths from the Philippines 10.jpg|Preparing fibres for weaving

File:Piña-Seda- Pineapple and Silk Cloths from the Philippines 13.jpg|Traditional piña weaving

File:Piña-Seda- Pineapple and Silk Cloths from the Philippines 12.jpg|Traditional piña weaving

Producers

Kalibo, Aklan, is the main and the oldest manufacturer/weaver of piña cloth in the Philippines which are being exported to various parts of the world most particularly North America and Europe.{{cite web |url= http://www.asianjournal.com/aj-magazine/red-carpet/5608-aklans-pina-looms-start-weaving-again-.html |title= Aklan's piña looms start weaving again |author= Nestor Burgos |date= 28 May 2010 |work= Inquirer.net |publisher= Asian Journal |access-date= 3 December 2011 |url-status= dead |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20120609193110/http://www.asianjournal.com/aj-magazine/red-carpet/5608-aklans-pina-looms-start-weaving-again-.html |archive-date= 9 June 2012 }} Piña weaving is an age-old tradition which was recently revived in the past 20 years.

Pineapple silk was considered the queen of Philippine fabrics and is considered the fabric of choice of the Philippine elite. During the 1996 APEC summit held in the Philippines, world leaders donned barong tagalog made of piña sourced from Kalibo during the group photo.

Producers include La Herminia Piña Weaving Industry,{{cite web|url=http://www.laherminiaweaving.com.ph/|title=La Herminia – Piña Weaving Industry|access-date=3 October 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161030130359/http://laherminiaweaving.com.ph/|archive-date=30 October 2016|url-status=dead}} Malabon Pina Producers and Weavers Association, Reycon's Piña Cloth and Industry, and Rurungan sa Tubod Foundation.{{Cite web |title=UNESCO - Aklan piña handloom weaving |url=https://ich.unesco.org/en/RL/aklan-pina-handloom-weaving-01564 |access-date=2024-01-06 |website=ich.unesco.org |language=en}}

Uses

Piña fabric is characterized by being lightweight but stiff, with a sheer appearance and a smooth silk-like texture. In modern times, it is predominantly used in the making of barong tagalog, baro't saya, and other traditional formal wear in the Philippines. It is also used for table linens, bags, mats and other clothing items.

UNESCO recognition

Piña handloom weaving was nominated to UNESCO's Intangible Cultural Heritage List in 2023. The decision was made at the 18th Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage meeting held in Kasane, Botswana, on 5–8 December 2023.{{Cite web |title=UNESCO - Eighteenth session of the Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage |url=https://ich.unesco.org/en/18com |access-date=2024-01-06 |website=ich.unesco.org |language=en}}

Gallery

File:Kerchief (Pañuelo) MET 115249a.jpg|Early 19th century pañuelo in the Metropolitan Museum of Art made from piña and linen

File:Textile (Philippines), 19th century (CH 18348723).jpg|19th century cotton and piña textile in the Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum

File:Handkerchief (Philippines), 19th century (CH 18386747).jpg|19th century handkerchief made from piña with cotton embroidery

File:Man's Shirt (Philippines), 1890–1900 (CH 18571417).jpg|19th century barong tagalog made from piña and cotton

File:Shirt MET 83.50.1 CP4.jpg|Early 19th century striped barong tagalog made from piña

File:Blouse MET 37.109.1.jpg|Early 19th century camisa (women's blouse) made from piña and cotton

File:Panel (Philippines), early 19th century (CH 18386599).jpg|19th century pañuelo with silk and silver thread embroidery

File:Shirt MET 83.50.1 detail CP4.jpg|Mid-19th century piña barong tagalog with patterns

File:Piña_fibre_Balete_Aklan_Raquel_Eliserio_violetH.jpg|Heritage $1,160 Raquel Eliserio natural Aklan Piña fibre{{cite news |last1= Abanes|first1=Mariel|title=Award-Winning, Internationally Recognized Piña Weaver Raquel Eliserio|url= https://metro.style/people/inspiring-stories/fascinating-women-pina-weaver-raquel-eliserio/29678|accessdate=November 6, 2024 |work=Metro Channel |date=March 31, 2021}}