Kaiw. Cordillera Crafts

Panagbenga 2012

2012-02-06T19:56:00.000-08:00

It's been a long time since our last post! Our apologies for the lack of updates on the site, we'll get it up and running again soon. Perhaps a facelift? We don't know yet. Haha

Anyway, it's that time of the year when the flowers are in bloom, and when the city of Baguio celebrates for a whole month! We missed the Session Road in Bloom twice now, and we know you kinda missed the unique and engaging products (may I add, the sales persons and their stories too!)

We have now closed our shop in Baguio's CBD. Our partner's main shop remains in Banaue, Ifugao, so do drop by them if ever you are in the area.

If you do want to order or have questions, please do flick me an email, just click here. I am currently out of the country, and I try my best to respond to your emails asap.

Happy Panagbenga 2012!

Cheers to all,

Jeremiah

Kaiw Update

2011-02-28T12:19:00.000-08:00

Hi everyone, my apologies for the non-update of this blog. I had to deal with changes in my life first, before I could really focus on Kaiw. Cordillera Crafts. At the moment, this blog will remain, but Kaiw's activities will be reduced to minimum.

However, if you are still interested to know more about the products and skills of the Igorot people of the Philippines, please don't hesitate to contact me.

Biz card

2010-11-17T23:33:00.000-08:00

Here's my biz card, designed by a good friend. Oh, by the way, Christmas is just around the corner, better get your orders placed so that we can make them just in time.

Mobile Phone Holders

2010-08-11T18:13:00.000-07:00

Mobile Phone Holders by Kaiw. Quality wood with rattan knitting and gloss finish. PHP 95 each. We also accept bulk and customized orders.

Let your mobile phone "sit" on a truly unique blend of form, function and culture. Made exclusively in Banaue, Ifugao, Philippines.

The Native House

2010-06-15T10:41:00.000-07:00

Kaiw's Native House.

A cultural heritage of the Cordilleras, the Native House is a rarity in the face of modernization. The native house now becomes genuinely scaled down and designed to be part of your living and social spaces, exclusively from Kaiw. Cordillera Crafts

Add that cultural heritage and preserve it for future generations.

The Native House functions as a storage for jewelry, small valuables and/or other trinkets.

*The native house design is a true model of the Ifugao Native House. Note four posts that have a jagged-round attachment just below the floor of the house. It was designed that way to make it impossible for rats to enter the house, the jagged-round attachments blocks the path of the rats.The true native house is built without the use of nails and / or iron bolts.

Kaiw on Entrepreneur Magazine June 2010 issue

2010-05-31T07:38:00.000-07:00

Kaiw is featured on Entrepreneur Magazine's June 2010 issue, now out in the market!

Here's some tidbits on page 64 of the magazine.

"The men and women of Ifugao are skilled woodcarvers, and Anos was attracted to their output. "It started as a hobby of collecting wood carvings that had form, function and a cultural facet. Then, my friends and colleagues started asking about it and soon they were buying it from me." Anos noticed that people were interested in the story of each piece."

Our much thanks to the Magazine's team, and to Mari-Ann Santos for the superb write-up! Thank you to our valued clients who continue to take home a part of Kaiw.

Yey to Entrepreneur Magazine for picking Kaiw as one of your features for the month of June 2010.

So, please grab a copy from your nearest / favorite newsstand and get to know Kaiw. ^_^

----

Image source: http://www.entrepreneur.com.ph/features/article/Make-Money-from-Home

Wood & Weaving - Bags

2010-03-05T09:20:00.000-08:00

Hand-woven bags

A shoulder bag that that mixes form, function and culture...

The rattan base is woven in Kalinga, then brought to Asin, Baguio City for the weavers to attach the textile part of the bag. The textile part of the bag is made with the laborious crochet-style. Guaranteed hand-made and with excellent quality.

Not just display your ethnicity and cultural taste... use it!

Panagbenga 2010

2010-02-12T02:37:00.000-08:00

Kaiw is part of the Panagbenga 2010!

Visit the Kaiw Pavilion during the Session Road in Bloom from March 01 to March 07, 2010 and check out our products. Exclusive and unique products to go on display!

See you there and get ready to take home truly Cordillera crafts!

Igorot Cultural Artifact

2009-07-11T07:50:00.000-07:00

Pictured above is an Antique Igorot Cultural Artifact that has been in an Igorot's family for decades. Now, for a very limited time, the artifact is in the market for private collectors.

For those interested to acquire the antique necklaces please send us an email at kaiwcrafts@gmail.com.

More information on Igorot Necklaces head on to the following link:
Igorot Heirloom Necklaces

Baguio City Centennial

2009-06-14T19:17:00.000-07:00

We have given a name to our Tissue Girl, Tissue Boy and Tissue Head. We now call them BUGAN (aka Tissue Girl), WIGAN(aka Tissue Boy), and ehrm for a lack of a better term, ULO (aka Tissue Head).

And we would like to thank the Baguio City Centennial Commission through Sir Jojie for making Bugan, Wigan and Ulo official Baguio City Centennial Souvenirs! Yey for us.

*logo from baguiocentennial.com

Kaiw Joins Sabsabong ti Mayo

2009-05-20T20:17:00.000-07:00

We join the Sabsabong ti Mayo from May 25 to May 31 at the Baguio Convention Center.

We hope you could join us in promoting Cordillera products. See you there!

To find out more about the Sabsabong ti Mayo click here.

2009-05-10T00:06:00.000-07:00

Kaiw blogsite is undergoing a face-lift of some sort. We hope to be "botoxified" in a few hours, if not days. Thanks for visiting, come back soon!

ONE-DAY Sale

2009-05-01T07:48:00.000-07:00

Kaiw. Cordillera Crafts ONE-DAY Sale!

It's a long week-end started by the Labor Day Holiday, and spending time with family and friends in the Summer Capital is definitely a nice way to cool off. But when it's time to get back to work, make sure you've got the perfect bragging rights to your weekend break. Take home a unique functional woodcarving like the "Tissue Girl" - a sure conversation piece.

And for a very limited time the Kaiw Functional Woodcarvings are on Sale!

May 02, 2009 at Cordillera Coffee SM City Baguio.

New Stocks. List of Available Products

2009-04-28T04:45:00.000-07:00

Arrived April 29, 2009. All made in Banaue, Ifugao. Check out our list of available products. If you find something interesting, do not hesitate to contact us for more information. Scroll down, then.

TISSUE HOLDERS
* Tissue Girl and Boy. Our best seller.
* Tissue Head (classic design). Hang-on-the-wall design.
* Tissue Head (new design). This new design allows this tissue holder to either be on a counter/table-top or be hanging on the wall.
* Tissue Sunflower Head. Perfect to be hung on the wall.
* Tissue Man and Tissue Woman. The bigger version of the Tissue girl and boy. 24 inches in height.
* Stick Bulol (aka Stick Man) Tissue/Towel Holder. A thin version of the Ifugao Bulol, with its body wrapped in Rattan knitting. Available in three different sizes: 3 feet, 4 feet and 5 feet.

FURNITURE
* Acacia Benches and Table Set
* Acacia Table and Alder or "Alnus" table-base and seats Set (unique design)
* Alder tree or "Alnus" Trunk carved out to be a utility rack. It has a unique design integrating wine holders, a magazine rack, a tissue holder and spaces for item storage.

OTHER FUNCTIONAL ITEMS
* Wood Salad Bowls. Made from Narra and "Chalacan" wood.
* Fruit Bowls with or without Rattan Knitting. Made from "Chalacan" wood.
* Magazine Racks. Two designs are available, and both have Rattan knitting on the edges.
* Umbrella Rack made from Alder or "Alnus" tree trunks
* Book-ends. 10-12 inches in height. Three available designs: native hut, American Indian and horse.

The TISSUE GIRL

2009-04-23T20:51:00.000-07:00

The "Tissue Girl" is a functional woodcarving that continuously smiles and, amusingly, "tongues-out" tissue! Handcarved out of durable wood, and with Rattan knitting, it is a unique piece that would be a talk of the town. This unique rolled-tissue holder is made in the cultural highlands of the Philippines.

Let the "Tissue Girl" bring form, function and culture to your living and working spaces.

Dimensions
Height: 37.5 cm
Width (head): 18.5 cm

Dimensions

2009-04-17T05:30:00.000-07:00

The dimensions of the boy and girl Tissue Holders. ^_^

Kaiw's Line of Tissue Holders

2009-03-31T06:37:00.001-07:00

Interested to Order? Contact us now.

Form. Function. Culture

2009-03-16T20:43:00.000-07:00

Woodcarvings need not just be woodcarvings, when they can be more than just decorative expressions of culture. They can be functional.

Why worry on practicality of woodcarvings when you can have form, function and culture in one? Kaiw has the line of functional woodcraft products - from Tissue Holders, to Pen Holders, to Hat Racks, to Magazine Racks, to Bookends and to small furniture items.

Let the Highland culture make your living, working and leisure spaces be expressions of form, function and culture.

Kaiw's Functional Woodcraft Items are on display at Locus Cafe and Bar Nevada Square, Baguio City.

Ifugao Humor

2009-03-14T21:26:00.000-07:00

Ifugaos are not just known for the Rice Terraces, the Woodcraft products, the momma, the melodic intonation of their language... they are also known for their brand of humor.

IFUGAO JOKES. Some i have experienced, most I have heard. Get a taste of the Ifugao Humor. Practical. Deadpan. Matter-of-fact. If you have one, add it and let's get ROFLOL! ^_^

An Ifugao man hitchhiked on a truck. The driver, noticing that the man was a former highschool classmate, sparked a conversation. "Ni, kumusta ka ngay?" "Mayat Met," replied the man. The driver asked, "Manu ngay ti anak mu?"... and in a deadpan manner, with the Ifugao intonation, the man replied, "apay, haan ku met nga ilak-laku." --- (ni Manong talaga, apay gatengem met gayam)

A young man asks an old Ifugao lady, "Apo, apay mainum daytoy danum yu?" The old lady answers, "ay, ay, sika ah apo.. nu kayat mu nga ngar-ngaren." --- (mabalin met nga ngar-ngaren, apay?!?)

In Banaue, a group of tourists bought a lot of woodcarvings. One tourist teased the shop owner, "hala manang kasatnu ngayen nga makaawadik ak, ingatang ko amin nga kwartak." The shop owner, busy packing all the carvings, stated as a matter-of-factly, "ay ket ada pay met sakam." --- (oo nga naman, sige lakad!)

An Ifugao man and his son deal with school assignments.
Son: Apay anya ti English ti kayiw?
Father: Ti English na ket Narra
Son: Apay ngay kunan ni teacher ket Tree?
Father: Ay wen ah, nu tal-lu nga Narra
--- (eto panalo!)

The Ifugao man and his son again deal with school assignments.
Son: Anya ti english ti lapis?
Father: Monggol, anak.
Son: Ni, apay ngay kuna ni teacher ket Pencil
Father: Wen ah, nu na taharan!
--- (ay... ganun ba yun?)

A policeman apprehends a drunk Ifugao spitting near Maharlika. Ifugao covers his spit with his right boot.
Police: Sika, nakitak nga nagtupra ka dita.
Ifugao: Awan met sir.
Police: Ingatum dayta maysa nga sakam.
* Ifugao Raises left foot.
Ifugao: Oh kitam sir, awan.
Police: Dayta maysa ngay.
Ifugao: Ay. ay, aguray sir... nu ingatuk ah ket matumba-ak!
--- (*&#%!$!!!)

An Ifugao lady rides a jeep to Asin. She pays the driver, but lacks a few pesos for the fare.
Driver: Manang, kurang ti bayad yu
Lady: Ay ket ibatug mu nu ayna patenggana dayta bayad ko.
--- (uy, practical nga naman...)

I was sniffing a bottle of Baya (Ifugao wine) in Lagawe. I asked, "Manong, apay napigsa daytoy?." The shop owner looks at me, unsmiling, he said "apay nu haan ah ket kasla danum lang nga in-inumen dayta."
--- (sometimes, i realize, i should not just ask questions! hahaha)

Gratitude

2009-03-08T23:57:00.000-07:00

We thank you all who passed by, stopped, looked, laughed, smiled, scoffed, got curious, got tissue, smiled some more, bought, ordered, got our card, haggled, came back, sat down with us, talked to us, did not sell the same items, and got some more tissue during the Session Road in Bloom 2009.

That was our first major selling venture. I didn't know what I was going into, until I saw the response to our carrier item - the tissue holders. As to how the response calculated to money... er, that I have to leave to the audit. Hahahaha

They say that firsts are always memorable. Definitely. Our booth was the "bituing walang ningning at bukas luluhod ang mga tala" booth. We were right next to the utterly extravagant Philip Morris booth (correction: lounge!). A booth so high, so supported by steel we thought they will construct a second floor (hey, it's never been done for Session Road in Bloom). Actually we even tied our two thin-measly poles to their steel beams.

Anyway, our products will be on display in Locus Cafe and Bar located at Nevada Square, Baguio City. For any orders, just contact me and let's talk, email, text, whichever you prefer. ^_^

The first time was definitely a tumultuos rush. A good one.

Bagbagaw-wa

2009-02-24T02:22:00.000-08:00

My grandmother, Mon-nik, said that Ifugao wood carvings are known by many Igorots as "Bagbagaw-wa" (a kankanaey term for craft items: e.g, wood carvings, sculptures, figurines, etc).

Ifugaos are particularly known for creating "bagbagaw-wa" as it is an integral part of the upland culture. Aside from becoming a pride-bringer to the skill of the Ifugaos, their woodcraft has also spawned a thriving source of livelihood that distinctly strengthens the highland culture.

The "bagbagaw-wa," or statues in general, have always stood for the vision, the skill and the story of its makers.

As with every story, there are worrying parts.

There are some criticisms to the woodcraft industry in the highlands, particularly on maintaining an ecological balance with a thriving demand for wood works. But, the people of Ifugao have always ensured the continued availability of raw materials through cultural practices.

One practice is called "muyong" or private woodlots.

The "muyong"cultural practice has received recognition in the international scene as a forest management strategy. The lots have different species of flora and fauna that are cultivated for use as raw materials for different cultural/everyday need. Maintaining, sustaining and developing the woodlot is a deeply ingrained practice of the Ifugaos.

"Muyong" security means forest protection and it is a common concern among Ifugaos. Unauthorized entry into a "muyong" has severe consequences. If one is caught cutting trees without permission, one is immediately given traditional punishment equivalent to the cut-tree's value. Usually, a fine is imposed. The fine is paid not through money, but rather, through the "local currency" - chickens and pigs.

The "men-paut " (said as muhn-pah-ut), or woodcarvers, sustain their supply of raw materials via woodlots, particularly with planting tree seedlings to replace trees cut for woodcraft.

Ifugaos are known to be a culture of people with very green thumbs. They strike at opportunities to grow plants that can be used for one's particular cultural practice.

These cultural means ensures that the ecological balance is maintained. It also creates a balance between the growing demand of the wood works and that of maintaining the cultural identity.

The criticisms are probably founded on worries of insensitivity to ensure a sustainable forest reserve. However, Culture allays these worries.

Rest assured that the "bagbagaw-wa" will continue to exist in material culture, as different traditional practices ensure that the wood that has to be hewn remains available.

The Carrier Item. Tissue Girls

2009-02-07T16:39:00.000-08:00

Kaiw. Tissue Girl *

A unique (some say amusing) blend of art and functionality. This woodcarving serves both as a decor and as a rolled-tissue dispenser. Made only in Ifugao, Philippines
Dimensions: 15 in x 6 in x 7 in
*subject to availability

About Kaiw

2009-02-06T18:48:00.000-08:00

Welcome to the web-home of Kaiw. Kaiw is an Igorot/Cordilleran/Highlander-owned small firm driving Cultural Awareness through the works of Igorot artisans.

It is through the results of the Igorot expressions of creativity and practicality that we strive to empower people to better understand the highland culture. We also aim for empowerment for a better appreciation of not just the highland culture, but culture in general.

The woodcarvings, weaving products, and the material culture featured here are available for orders. Please do take your time to take a look at what the Igorot artisans have come to create - the material culture of the north.

Contact Us

2009-02-06T17:57:00.000-08:00

The Igorot artisans throughout the years have maintained a unique material culture. They have distinctly combined form, function and culture in their expressions of creativity.

Now, we bring to you the different products handmade by the Igorot Artisans. Through these products we aim for a better Igorot cultural awareness, and to empower people to better appreciate culture in general.

It's more than just a display. It's a conversation piece.

To order and/or for more information, contact us:

Kaiw. Cordillera Craftworks
Form. Function. Culture
email: kaiwcrafts@gmail.com
facebook: search for Kaiw. Cordillera Crafts

*behind Mcdonald's Session Road