Woman's blouse

Before the adoption of Western-style clothing, many of the women of the southern Philippines wore T-shaped blouses like this one. These blouses were often decorated with multicolored embroidery in a combination of zig-zags, X shapes, and stylized human forms. The color scheme of this blouse—with bright blue, green, and yellow cotton threads—indicates it was probably made during the second half of the 1900s.

Blaan women were renowned in the southern part of the island of Mindanao for their skill at embroidery. The protectress of weaving, the female spirit Baitpandi, was thought to come to weavers in their dreams and show them patterns to embroider.