Disappearing Skills and Crafts

I was bothered by an article that I read in this morning's Manila Bulletin. Gemma Cruz Araneta wrote about the dwindling interest in the continued creation of arts and crafts and the skills needed to produce them. Not that the Filipino artist no longer has the desire for things of beauty and functionality. On the contrary, the Pinoys are a creative lot... it's technology that threatens our skills and crafts.

Advanced strides in science and industry have made the process of creating items easier and less time consuming. Among the slowly vanishing trades Ms Araneta cites are the costureras. Mass production and changing trends in fashion have all but wiped them out causing them to seek other means of ekeing out a living.

Centuries ago, Spain banned the importation of Abel-Iloco cloth. The handwoven cloth was apparently so strong and durable it posed a threat to the production of textiles and fabric in Spain because Abel-Iloco could be purchased at a cheaper price and afforded the buyer many options for its use. It's said that some of the local handcrafted material found its way into the masts of galleons and used as sails. Yep... it was that strong!

When I was up in Baguio last year, I found it quite difficult to find a large pasiking. The pasiking is our version of the backpack. It's made of stripped rattan slats and woven to form a rigid, box-like bag with a separate cover and shoulder straps and carried like your average Jansport. The difference is that the huge pasiking has a rattan frame to hold its shape and while waiting for the bus, one could use it as a stool. It was sturdy enough for a grown-man to sit on. I went back home without one. It was no longer readily available in Baguio's public market.

Another vanishing group would be that of journalists. Ms Araneta writes about the proliferation of "armchair writers" who, given a PC or laptop would write stuff and post blogs on the internet thereby threatening the very livelihood of the legit writers. I feel she's right!!! Some of the blogs i've seen so far are so full of crap I wouldn't even give it a single glance. But it's surprsing just how many followers they have. On the other hand, some bloggers feel a sense of superiority over newbie bloggers like me simply because they've been blogging on the net for years even if content-wise, their blogs suck.

Thank goodness, I'm one of the few who can say : "I wear many hats!"