Banig “Mahusay” place mat, Philippines

Place mat from Philippines, hand-embroidered with Tikog Gras, each 30 x 45 cm

The art and tradition of weaving mats called Rara in the Philippines. One of the end-products of Rara is Banig, literally means mat in English. The handwoven mats made from dried seagrass leaves and used primarily as a sleeping mat or floor mat.
The working process is very time consuming. After harvesting the Tikog Grass, the leaves are dried for a couple of days, then they get dyed and cut into strips. The mats are woven by hand and the patterns are embroidered, even by hand, on the finished woven mat.
These place mats are coming from Basey, since 2020 the city is considered as the capital of Banig. Banig is primarily produced by women who have mostly learned this art in their childhood. The town’s mat weaver, called Paraglara, are famous for producing high quality, colorful and intricately designed tikog mats. Most of the weavers working in cooperatives founded in Basey after the devastation of Super Typhoon Yolanda to supporting the livelyhoods of rural women.