Abstract

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Symmetry: Culture and Science
Volume 35, Number 3, pages 369-372 (2024)
https://doi.org/10.26830/symmetry_2024_3_369

MATHEMATICAL SYMMETRIES OF THE BINAKUL TEXTILES

Eduard C. Taganap¹, Ma. Louise Antonette N. De Las Peñas², Analyn Salvador-Amores³

¹ Central Luzon State University, Science City of Muñoz 3120, Philippines;
Email: eduardtaganap@clsu.edu.ph

² Ateneo de Manila University, Quezon City 1108, Philippines;
Email: mdelaspenas@ateneo.edu

³ University of the Philippines - Baguio, Baguio City 2600, Philippines;
Email: avsalvadoramores@up.edu.ph

Abstract: The Cordillera region of northern Luzon in the Philippines is home to distinct ethnolinguistic groups who have a long history of producing textiles used in varied ways for clothing, rituals, and trade. One of these groups are the Itneg or Tingguian to refer to the “mountain people” found in the interiors of Abra in Cordillera, and in Ilocos Sur and Ilocos Norte, which are nearby provinces of Cordillera region. The Itneg are known for their textiles exhibiting repeating patterns and motifs. Blankets, primarily serve as ceremonial function in rituals such as weddings, funerals and wakes (Corditext Report, 2016; De Las Peñas & Salvador-Amores, 2016). This paper will focus on one of the Itneg textiles featuring the binakul pattern, where colored threads are arranged in the textile in the form of graduated rectangles emanating from a central rectangle to provide the illusion of movement.

Keywords: Binakul textiles, two-way twofold fabrics, symmetries, layer groups.

References:
Cordillera Textiles Project (CORDITEX) Final Research Report 2016-2019, UP-EIDR CO5-010. Anthropological Analysis, Mathematical Symmetry and Technical Characterization of Cordillera Textiles. University of the Philippines Baguio.

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