User:Miktupaz/Malong

Dancers performing the kapa malong malong, a traditional Maguindanao dance featuring the uses of the malong

The malong is a traditional Filipino-Bangsamoro rectangular or tube-like wraparound skirt bearing a variety of geometric or okir designs. The malong is traditionally used as a unisex garment by the numerous ethnic groups on mainland Mindanao and in parts of the Sulu Archipelago. They are wrapped around at waist or chest-height and secured by tucked ends, with belts of braided material or other pieces of cloth, or are knotted over one shoulder. They are traditionally hand-woven, with patterns usually distinctive to a particular ethnic group. However, modern malong are usually machine-made or imported, with patterns that mimic the traditional local designs.

Etymology

The Maranao-Maguindanao term malong is linguistically related to the Tausug-Samal term tajong and the Luzon-Visayan term patajong. This garment may also reflect connections with other Asian countries that utilize similar clothing, such as Indonesia and Malaysia's sarong, Thailand's ponong, Myanmar's longyi, and Laos' sinh.

Description

Mid-20th century malong made from rayon

Handwoven malongs are produced by Maranao, Maguindanaon, and T'boli weavers using a backstrap loom. The patterns and styles of these malongs often reflect the weaver's tribal origin, such as the Maranao malong landap. Some rare designs and styles can indicate the specific village where the malong was made. For instance, the intricate malong rawatan is crafted by a few Maranao weavers in Lanao del Sur, Mindanao, while the brightly patterned inaul fabric is woven by Maguindanaon weavers in Maguindanao province, Mindanao. Due to their high cost, handwoven malongs are typically reserved for social functions, where they serve as a symbol of the wearer's social and economic status.

Modern malongs are often made of cotton and Lurex threads, though some contemporary handwoven malongs use less expensive rayon thread to reduce production costs. The price of a malong can also be lowered by using lower-grade cotton threads or by creating a looser, coarser weave.

Machine-made printed cotton malongs, commonly referred to as "batik," are manufactured in Indonesia for export to the Philippines. These inexpensive malongs are typically used for everyday purposes. Traditional handwoven designs are also replicated on machine-printed cotton imported from Thailand, allowing consumers to purchase malongs that resemble more expensive handwoven versions when viewed from a distance.

Malong worn secured at the shoulder

Malong worn around the waist

Uses

The malong can function as a skirt for both men and women, a turban, Niqab, Hijab, a dress, a blanket, a sunshade, a bedsheet, a "dressing room", a hammock, a prayer mat, and other purposes. The three main pruposes include daily use, ceremonial or formal attire, and for prayer. A newborn is wrapped in a malong, and as they grow this piece of cloth becomes a part of their daily life. When they die, they are once again wrapped in a malong.

Among traditional tribal peoples, the malong is used in everyday life. Even in areas where people wear Western-style clothing during the day, the malong is commonly used as home clothing. The malong is also used during significant cultural festivities as formal attire. Two are represented in the Ayala Museum Collection: The "malong a andon" and the "malong a landap".

Cultural Significance

Music and Dance

The significance of the malong can be observed in folksongs and traditional dances.

Malong being worn as a part of the Kadal Tahaw dance.

One folksong from the Maranao, a lullaby specifically, is of a mother assuring her child that their malong will protect them from lightning. In this example, the malong is not simply a garment that one wears, but a symbol of comfort, protection, and community.

The malong's cultural significance can also be observed in the dances that don it, including, but not limited to:

• Singkil: a dance with bamboo sticks, roughly based on the Marano epic, Darangen
• Kappa Malong-Malong: a dance that demonstrates the numerous ways that a malong can be worn
• Pagapir: a courtship dance symbolizing grace and nobility, performed by women with malongs and fans
• Sagayan: a war dance about Prince Batungen's battle and subsequent victory
• Kadal Tahaw: a dance that mimics the movements of birds

These dances continue to be performed in these indigenous communities as well as in American universities' Pilipino Culture Nights (PCN), a cultural showcase of Filipino dance, music, and spoken word.

Filipino-American Spaces

A Singkil performance at Stanford University's Pilipino Culture Night in 2022.

In Filipino-American spaces, the malong symbolizes a reconnection and rediscovery of one's culture after 300 years of colonization. Many young Filipino-Americans are typically raised to assimilate into American culture, their parents discouraging them from speaking their families' native language. Consequently, upon entering college, there is a surge in searching for belonging, giving rise to Filipino student organizations. In these spaces, there are dialogues surrounding Filipino-American identity and activism, Philippine history, language, and culture, and rediscovering precolonial philosophies and identities. This manifests itself in the Filipino-American practice of Pilipino Culture Night (PCN), a cultural showcase of Filipino dance, music, and spoken word, where malong are worn during dance performances to represent the southern regions and predominantly Islamic indigenous communities of the Philippines.

In these spaces, kulintang music, a genre of music that emerged from the southern Philippines, has become a means of heritagization and identity for Filipino-Americans. When performing kulintang, participants typically wear the malong. Many see it as a surviving precolonial Filipino artifact that is imbued with layers of self and group-affirming meanings and diversity of uses. Thus, through the heritagization of kulintang and malong, Filipino-Americans are able to continuously create a reconstruction of a Filipino identity that acknowledges a precolonial past, even if they themselves are not from Mindanao or do not have any connection to its ethnic groups. As one kulintang performer notes:

"The sound of the gong tones, the visceral sensation of rhythms beating in the body, the familiar melodies -- this all has a very profound effect on my emotions and memory... I also hold a special place in my heart for Mindanao. Its green is somehow greener than other islads, its soil richer, and people incredibly resilient. My grandmother, though Christian, was always a diplomat, traveling outside of her city and making connections with Muslim and other non-Christian indigenous groups. She collected kulintang instruments and malong weavings, and gave many gifts in return. She encouraged her children and grandchildren to connect to all people in meaningful ways."

Islamic Artistic Influences

Kirim, the Maranao language written in Arabic, on a malong on the left hand side.

The okir patterns on the malong frequently incorporate geometric shapes such as spirals, triangles, and flowing curves, highlighting principles of harmony, unity, and balance reflective of Islamic art. Additionally, nature-inspired motifs like leaves and vines evoke themes of growth, renewal, and life's interconnectedness, aligning with the Islamic tradition of using abstraction and symmetry to convey divine order and beauty.

Some malong also feature kirim inscriptions—Arabic script adapted for the Maranao language. This practice resonates with the Islamic artistic tradition of elevating Arabic calligraphy as a form of visual art.

Similar clothing

Similar wraparound skirts were also worn by other Filipino ethnic groups in the pre-colonial period, like the identical Visayan and Tausug patadyong and the shorter Tagalog tapis. However, most of these later evolved into a component of the baro't saya worn over a longer skirt (the saya or falda) due to Spanish influence. Some of them survive among more isolated highlander groups like among the Ifugao people.

The malong and other Philippine wraparound skirts are related to the sarong worn by peoples in other parts of Maritime Southeast Asia (Malaysia, Brunei, East Timor, and Indonesia), as well as the barkcloth skirts worn by other Austronesian peoples like the direct Polynesian cognate malo or lavalava.

References