Cleveland Museum of Art

Backpack (Bagobo people)

Date

early 1900s

Medium

Handwoven abacá cloth, printed cotton cloth, abacá fiber (braided/plaited cordage), glass beads, metal sequins, metal rings, fiber tassels

Culture

Philippines

Department

Textiles

Institution

Cleveland Museum of Art

This backpack for men is constructed from a single length of handwoven abacá cloth, woven in a warp-faced plain weave with supplementary weft patterning. The beadwork uses glass beads of various colors arranged in geometric bands and diamond motifs characteristic of the Bagobo people. Two shoulder straps, constructed from braided abacá fibers overlaid with cotton cloth and embellished with beads and metal sequins, are attached through metal rings. Ethnographic photographs document backpacks like this one being worn by Bagobo men in ceremonial or formal contexts.

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