The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of December 20, 2025

Moro Cloth

c. early 1900s

Philippines

plain weave hemp, dyed
Overall: 157.8 x 78.7 cm (62 1/8 x 31 in.)
Gift of Mrs. G. Field Adams 1917.748.a
Location: Not on view

Did You Know?

After weaving, abacá ikat cloths were soaked in iron-rich river mud, which deepens the browns and blacks, strengthens the fiber, and sets the dyes.

Description

This textile is a Mandaya abacá ikat cloth woven in southeastern Mindanao. It is made from hand-stripped abacá fibers that are resist-dyed using the Mandaya ikat technique, in which selected warp threads are tightly bound before dyeing to produced patterned sections during weaving. The designs embody Mandaya cosmology and are traditionally associated with protection, fertility, and the presence of umagad (ancestral spirits).
  • ?–1917
    Mrs. G. Field Adams, Cleveland, OH, given to the Cleveland Museum of Art
    1917–
    The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH
  • {{cite web|title=Moro Cloth|url=false|author=|year=c. early 1900s|access-date=20 December 2025|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

Source URL:

https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1917.748.a