The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of September 10, 2026

A vertically long woven hemp textile features three columns of tan motifs against a deep maroon ground. A wide central band displays repeating anthropomorphic figures with bent limbs and intricate diamond patterns. Two narrower flanking bands mirror these stylized designs at a smaller scale. Thin tan stripes partition the decorative sections, while fine vertical lines border the outer edges. A short, dark fringe finishes the bottom edge.

Mandaya ikat textile (dagmay)

c. early 1900s

Philippines, Mindanao

hemp: plain weave, 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 produce 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=Mandaya ikat textile (dagmay)|url=false|author=|year=c. early 1900s|access-date=10 September 2026|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

Source URL:

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