Teofilo Garcia
Born(1941-03-27)March 27, 1941
NationalityFilipino
Occupation(s)Farmer, hatter
Known forTabunggaw (gourd) hat
AwardsNational Living Treasure Award
2012

Teofilo Garcia (born March 27, 1941)[1] is a Filipino hatter who is regarded as a National Living Treasure in the Philippines for making tabungaw hats, a type of Ilocano headwear.

Background

Garcia is known for crafting tabungaw hat, a type of Ilocano hat made from a variety of gourd (Cucurbitaceae) known locally as tabungaw.[2][3][4]

Garcia, who has five children, primarily works as a farmer. He primarily cultivates rice and tobacco and tends to a herd of cows. During the period when he does neither of these, Garcia grows tabungaw.[5] He is a native of the town of San Quintin in Abra.[6]

Garcia learned how to create tabungaw hats and weave basket from his grandfather when he was 15 years old.[5] He eventually became known for producing tabungaw hats – his hats were reputed to be the most sturdy and smooth in his community.[2] Garcia himself would wear tabungaw hat in his daily life and he could create 100 headwear in a year if the gourd harvest is good.[5]

He would also innovate on the creation of tabungaw hats experimenting on using nito and bamboo fibers as decor. The interior of Garcia's hats would also vary in decoration.[2]

On November 8, 2012, he was conferred the National Living Treasure Award.[2]

References

  1. "Official Calendar". Official Gazette of the Republic of the Philippines. Retrieved September 14, 2021.
  2. 1 2 3 4 "Sagisag Kultura: Teofilo Garcia". CultureEd Philippines (in Tagalog). Philippine Cultural Education Program (PCEP), National Commission for Culture and the Arts. Retrieved September 14, 2021.
  3. D’Bayan, Igan (March 1, 2021). "Loren Legarda weaves her tapestry of culture". The Philippine Star. Retrieved September 14, 2021.
  4. "Documentary series 'Dayaw' enters 10th season with stories of Filipino culture bearers". ABS-CBN News. March 12, 2021. Retrieved September 14, 2021.
  5. 1 2 3 Tobias, Maricris Jan. "GAMABA: Teofilo Garcia". National Commission for Culture and the Arts. Retrieved September 14, 2021.
  6. Estrella, Fiel (October 10, 2017). "13 indigenous artists who have kept Filipino creativity alive". CNN Philippines. Retrieved September 14, 2021.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.