The Balog blanket

Our master weaver’s contemporary take on the balog ceremony, a traditional feast of merit performed by the noble class.

A balog ritual is marked by the carving of a long wooden panel with the images of the eagle (the serpent eagle is called balog among the Ifugaos), the monitor lizard, and other symbols representing the virtues and aspirations of the Ifugao. The eagle is a power symbol of strength and ambition; the lizard is a sacred totem to the Skyworld gods.

The images in the middle of the blanket are tattoo symbols inked in the skin of the Ifugao in the olden days. As traditional tattooing is no longer practiced, our elder-weavers say “If we can no longer poke it on our skins, let us remember them on our fabrics. Our ancestors would want that.”

The Balog blanket:
handdyed 100% Philippine cotton, handwoven on backstrap loom; four (4) panels of binobodan weave joined by traditional embroidery

edged on both ends with pinilli strips with traditional tassel ornament | 70x106inches | 1.6kg