This primer introduces the prescribed Ivatan cultural attire for social events at the present time. The new cultural attire is a composite of various elements of dress and adornment worn by the Ivatans throughout their history. It is designed in such a way that it conforms to contemporary preference while also reflecting their rich history and cultural heritage. It should, in no way, be construed as a representation of their “precolonial” manner of dressing although it is generally inspired by it.
The idea to come up with a contemporary cultural attire stems from the general interest among the Ivatans today to have a common cultural attire which they can use to represent themselves as Indigenous Peoples (IPs) or as a member of an Indigenous Cultural Community (ICCs) in official functions and social gatherings within and outside Batanes. At present, they wore differing cultural attires based on personal preference and interpretation of their culture and history. Some of these self-stylized cultural attires have elements borrowed from other cultural
communities in northern Luzon.
With the above dilemma, the Department of Trade and Industry, the Batanes Heritage Foundation, and the Provincial Government of Batanes started collaborating to revive the lost craftsmanship of kapaynanamet (beadwork) and kapaninon (loom weaving). During the height of Covid19 pandemic, tourism displaced workers were provided with trainings and kits with the objective of increasing the pool of artisans working on the project. The weaving and beadwork industry is expected to grow into a viable thriving industry in Batanes contributing to the economic growth of the province while at the same time strengthening the Ivatan identity through wearables.