Ang Pamana is the Tagalog noun for the heritage, the legacy, or the inheritance.

Chiara Cox's contemporary Filipino Textile exhibit serves to link Filipinos in the USA and Filipinos in the Philippines by showcasing their shared culture and heritage through a visual display of a variety of fabrics and a discussion of weaving traditions still found in Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao today. By exhibiting different Philippine weaves, this collection aims to preserve Filipino cultural heritage, keep the legacy of traditional Filipino weavers alive, and educate the diaspora of Filipinos about their cultural inheritance.

The Collection

As the Music and Art Ambassador of her Filipino American community in South Carolina, Chiara Cox's goal is to promote and educate Filipino culture within and without her Fil-Am community. The purpose of this collection is to do just that. With the help of HABI The Philippine Textile Council, Chiara was able to acquire museum quality pieces produced by different tribes and weavers to reflect the unique heritage, customs, and beliefs of the many people of the Philippines. Through a visual display of a variety of threaded traditions, the collection aims to connect Filipino to Filipino American, bridge the gap between Filipino and American, connect past to present by supporting the preservation of traditional weaving techniques, and empower Filipino weavers economically to adapt to contemporary markets and trends by promoting their work and thereby sustaining their communities.

The collection includes weaves of cotton, piña (pineapple fibers), bridal satin, and abaca (banana fibers) representing traditions from the Cordillera Mountains of Luzon in northern Philippines all the way to the Sulu Islands of Mindanao in the southern islands of the archipelago. The exhibit also comes with three Threaded Traditions documentaries by HABI The Philippine Textile Council that are crucial to understanding the craftsmanship of the artisans and how traditions are being preserved today. These include Ikat of Cordillera, Textiles of Panay Island, and Memoirs of a Textile: Inabal of the Bagobo-Tagabawa.

Through a relatable product such as cloth, people of all ages and from all walks of life can easily connect to a textile exhibit while being educated about natural fibers new to them and a visual aesthetic of patterns never before seen. Such a cultural exposure can spark curiosity and entice new ideas; it can encourage open mindedness and inspire wider perspectives. It is a hope that this collection of textiles is an impetus to create more Filipino American educational outreach programming to continue to promote Filipino heritage and to bridge the gap between different cultural groups.

LUZON

From Luzon, the collection includes textiles from the west coast around Vigan (Ilocos), the mountains around Baguio (Bontoc, Gaddang, Ifugao).

VISAYAS

From the Panay Islands in the Visayas, we have piña textiles from Aklan used for the Philippine national dress and textiles from the western province of Iloilo.

MINDANAO

From the south in Mindanao, we have Abaca Ikat from the Bagobo, B'laan, and T'boli, and other textiles from the Tausug and Yakan).

Past Exhibitions

Exhibit, May to July 2024 - Threaded Traditions, Charlotte Museum of History, Charlotte, NC

Exhibit, October to November 2023 - Weaving Communities and Cultures through Cloth, Richland Library Main Gallery, Columbia, SC

Press Coverage

Charlotte Museum of History showcases diversity of the Philippines through textiles - WFAE 90.7, May 2024.

Filipino-American History Month lecturer Marian Roces uncovers unknown historical origins of Philippine culture - WLTX19, October 2023.

Celebrating Filipino American History month - WIS10, September 2023.

Interested in exhibiting this textile collection? You can find the proposal here and contact Chiara Cox directly.

Interested in purchasing textiles? Please click here.