Beaded hemp carrying bag with bell decoration
first quarter 20th century
"They dress luxuriantly" is a comment made by a 19th-century observer who witnessed the full effect of Bagabo people dressed for ceremonies. In this bag, their investment in fine adornment is evident. Its base fabric is made from the strong fibers of the abaca plant which became known internationally as Manila hemp, and was widely exported from 1910-40 until nylon became substituted for rope making. Abaca fibers are pounded, knotted, ikat-dyed with natural dyes, woven in a warp float pattern on a back strap loom, and polished to create the subtle background cloth for this bag.
An intricate composition of beads takes over the back of the bag. No reading of the design is known. Around the edges are brass bells that were made by Bagabo metalsmiths using a lost wax process.
One account that exemplifies Bagabo attachment to fine cloth is derived from an American ethnologist, Laura Watson Benedict, who studied among them in 1906 and 1907. When trying to buy a cloth from a weaver, the weaver was hesitant because she felt selling it might be offensive to the "soul" of the cloth. Only after conducting a ritual to transfer the soul to another cloth could the weaver relax and allow the original to be sold. She said she would not fall ill as long as she retained the second cloth, which now housed the essence of the first.
Dyed hemp fiber, glass beads, metal, and cotton cloth
20 × 24 in. (50.8 × 61 cm)
Gift of an anonymous donor
74.38
