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 In
the Philippines, the skilled basket-maker well
understands the properties of the materials at hand and
always makes the fine distinction necessary between the
skin a of the bamboo or rattan as opposed to the
interior flesh. What
is to be scrutinized always is a sensible and sensitive
use of a material that relates its inherent qualities to
a particular design or structure.
Because
the Philippines basket-maker uses only the simplest of
tools – basic bolo or farm knife for cutting or
gathering materials, a smaller hand knife with a blade
from ten to fifteen or eighteen centimeters in length,
and at times a small awl or punch for making holes –
it is assumed that the process of basketry is primitive.
On the contrary, the simple technology is more
than outbalanced by the sophisticated planning and
calculation that must be employed by the craftsman in
the preparation of his materials.
This is particularly evident in the gauge and
treatment of the materials and the consistency with
which they are blended together.
Because
of the broad range of sizes available in Philippine
basket, the gauge of materials ranges from less than one
millimeter to eight to ten centimeters in width.
While it is reported that there are mechanical
devices for splitting bamboo to about one to two
millimeters in size, these are generally not available
to the majority of basket-makers, so they achieve the
fine preparation of materials with their own hands.
Both patience and sensitivity are necessary when
drawing a large succession of fibers over a knife to
attain evenness of size and suppleness.
While the natural material may have an eloquence
that speaks for itself because of its color or form, the
basket-maker gives it a new life by virtue of his
mastery over its gauge and its manipulation into a
finished form.
Basket-making
is essentially a hand process in which the will and
spirit of the maker inform the various elements bringing
them into a satisfying relationship of structure.
If perhaps at times a foot is used to hold
heavier materials or even a mould or form is followed to
produce an exact size, it does not appreciably alter the
essential transition of the maker’s conceived form
from his perception through his hands to final
accomplishment. He
has pursued an idea to its embodiment in a finished
form.
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