Part 4 (2/2)

Decorations are often employed in round mats. (See Plates XXII and XXIII.) The most usual are concentric or radiating colored bands of either simple or sawali weaves.

Hexagonal Weave.

Step 1. In Plate XXIV, place straws 1 and 2 parallel; then put 3 under 2 and over 1; put 4 under 1 and over 2.

Step 2. Put 5 over 1 and 4 and under 2 and 3; put 6 under 1 and 4 and over 2 and 3.

Step 3. Put a over 5 and 6 and under 1 and 2. Put b over 1, 2 and a, and under 3 and 4. Put c under a, over 4, 3, b, and under 6, 5.

Step 4. Put d under b, over 6, 5, c, and under 2, 1, e. Put e under c, over 2, 1, d, under 3, 4, and over a. Put f under d, over 3, 4, e, under 5, 6, a, and over b.

Step 5 is made open so as to show the triple over and under weave. Further weaving is merely a repet.i.tion of this process, as shown in step 6.

Step 7 shows the turning of the straws on finis.h.i.+ng the edge of the mat.

Step 8. Many designs can be made by inserting colored straws into the natural weave. Step 8 ill.u.s.trates three of these embroidered designs--the star, the bar, and the diamond.

Embroidered Mats.

The embroidering of mats is easily done and the method is shown in Plate XXVI. Mats in over and under weave, of solid color (either natural or dyed), are used, and the embroidery is done with colored straws. Plate XXVII ill.u.s.trates an embroidered color panel. Floral, geometrical, and conventionalized designs are discussed under the headings ”Samar mats” and ”Special designs.”

MAT MATERIALS.

Many Philippine mat materials have been described in a former publication on hats. [6] Only additional and new information is written here and such data from Bulletin 33 as are necessary to make a connected article. [7]

Buri Straw.

The Buri Palm.

There are about six species of the genus Corypha in tropical Asia, but only one of these is found in the Philippines; this is Corypha elata, the buri palm. [8] It is widely distributed throughout the Philippines but is most abundant in the central part of the Pampanga valley and in southern Tayabas.

Mr. C. W. Franks, formerly Division Superintendent of Schools for Mindoro Province, had a careful estimate made by his teaching force of the stands of buri palms on the Island of Mindoro. It was found that 5,000 hectares of land on this island are covered by 2,000,000 buri palms, of which 225,000, or about 12 per cent, are mature trees.

The Island of Burias, the Isla Verde, and other small islands are fairly covered with the palm. The Province of Sorsogon, including the Island of Masbate, is also well supplied. In the Visayas there are districts in Panay, Negros, Cebu, and Bohol, where many buri trees are found.

The buri is the largest palm that grows in the Philippines, attaining a height of 20 meters. Its trunk is very erect, spirally ridged and up to 0.7 meter in diameter. Its wood is of no commercial value.

The full-grown leaves may be three meters long. They are spherical in outline and the lower one-third or one-half is entire, like the palm of the hand. The upper part is divided into from 80 to 100 segments each from 1.5 to 6 cm. wide and appearing like fingers spread apart. The petioles supporting the leaves are about 3 meters long and 20 cm. thick, and are provided with long, stout, curved spines. Both margins and spines are black in color. At flowering time all the leaves are shed. The young leaf grows out from the top of the palm with the segments pressed together in the form of a lance.

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