{{Short description|Philippine woven split-bamboo mats}} [[File:Amakan walls (Philippines) 1.jpg|thumb|A typical amakan wall in a beach hut in Misamis Oriental]] [[File:Amakan (woven split bamboo panels) from the Philippines 06.jpg|thumb|Amakan walls in diamond and cross patterns in Bukidnon]]
'''Amakan''', also known as '''sawali''' in the northern Philippines, is a type of traditional woven split-bamboo mats used as walls, paneling, or wall cladding in the Philippines.<ref name="dswd">{{cite web |title=Batuan SLPA produces amakan for local and national trades |url=https://fo7.dswd.gov.ph/batuan-slpa-produces-amakan-for-local-and-national-trades/ |website=GOVPH |publisher=Department of Social Welfare and Development, Republic of the Philippines |access-date=23 April 2021}}</ref> They are woven into various intricate traditional patterns, often resulting in repeating diagonal, zigzag, or diamond-like shapes. The term "sawali" is more properly defined as twilled weaving patterns. The term can also be applied to baskets and banig (soft woven mats made from pandan leaves, buri palm straw, abaca, or sedges), which also use the same weaving patterns.<ref name="Miller">{{cite book |last1=Miller |first1=Hugo H. |last2=Minier |first2=John F. |last3=Andes |first3=U.S. |last4=Muller |first4=Theodore |last5=Brezina |first5=Alice |title=Philippine Mats |date=1913 |publisher=Bureau of Printing|series= Philippine Craftsman Vol. I, No. 1|location=Manila}}</ref><ref name="Parker">{{cite book |last1=Parker |first1=Luther |title=Some Common Baskets of the Philippines |date=1914 |series= Philippine Craftsman Vol. III, No. 1|publisher=Bureau of Printing |location=Manila |url=https://quod.lib.umich.edu/p/philamer/acw9599.0003.001/5?rgn=full+text;view=image}}</ref> Amakan panels are commonly confused with ''pawid'' (nipa panels), which are made from thatched leaves.
Amakan are used as walls in the traditional nipa huts (''bahay kubo'') of the Philippines. They are lightweight and porous, allowing air circulation to keep buildings cool in the hot tropical climate. The porosity also balances pressure inside the house during strong winds, minimizing roof damage.<ref name="Buensalido">{{cite web |title=Use of Indigenous Filipino Materials and Methods in Building Green Homes |url=https://www.buensalidoarchitects.com/2015/10/use-of-indigenous-filipino-materials-and-methods-in-building-green-homes/ |website=Buensalido Architects |access-date=23 April 2021}}</ref> Amakan needs to be treated before installation. They are soaked in seawater, dried, and then usually (but not always) varnished. They are usually affixed to a wooden framework, then battened with bamboo or coco lumber.<ref name="Plywood">{{cite book |title=Plywood |date=October 2014 |publisher=Global Shelter Cluster |url=https://www.sheltercluster.org/sites/default/files/docs/Key%20Messages%20Plywood%20V1.1.pdf}}</ref>
Amakan is associated with lower income rural housing because it is inexpensive and easy to replace. It is not uncommon for amakan to also be used as a design element (usually as cladding or paneling) in modern Filipino architecture to portray a rustic, traditional and tropical aesthetic.<ref name="Buensalido"/><ref name="gma">{{cite news |title=Can't get enough of the 'tiny house' bahay kubo? Check out this modern amakan house |url=https://www.gmanetwork.com/news/lifestyle/hobbiesandactivities/752824/can-t-get-enough-of-the-tiny-house-bahay-kubo-check-out-this-modern-amakan-house/story/ |access-date=23 April 2021 |work=GMA News Online |date=25 August 2020}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=An Old Fashioned Pinoy Bahay Kubo In Palawan |url=https://www.realliving.com.ph/home-tours/houses/an-old-fashioned-pinoy-bahay-kubo-in-palawan-a00043-20170902 |access-date=23 April 2021 |work=RealLiving |date=7 September 2017}}</ref> It also ecologically sustainable because it is made with bamboo.<ref name="Plywood"/>
==Similar traditions== ===Pawid=== [[File:Pulong Kabyawan Agricultural Farm 31.jpg|thumb|Interior view of a traditional roof made from thatched nipa leaves (''pawid'') in Pulilan, Bulacan]] A simpler method of making panels from leaves is called ''pawid'', which is simply thatching. It predominantly uses nipa palm leaves, and is the origin of the name of the nipa hut. But it can also use other materials like coconut leaves, anahaw leaves, and even cogon grass. They are made by simply folding the leaves once around a split bamboo stick and then sewing them together near the base. They are most commonly used as roofing, with the panels layered over each other so the water runs down the leaves and away from the inner roof. They are constantly replaced as the panels get damaged.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Alarcon · |first1=Norma |title=Philippine Architecture During the Pre-Spanish and Spanish Periods |date=1991 |publisher=Santo Tomas University Press |isbn=9789715060400 |page=30}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last1=Nazarea-Sandoval |first1=Virginia D. |title=Philippine Rural Cultivators in Transition Operational Reality and Cognized Models in Agricultural Decision Making |date=1989 |publisher=University Press of Kentucky |page=89}}</ref>
===Sulirap=== A similar weaving tradition is called ''sulirap'', ''surilap'', or ''salirap'' among Visayans;<ref>{{cite book |last1=Tantuico |first1=Francisco Sypaco |title=Leyte: The Historic Islands |date=1964 |publisher=Leyte Publishing Corporation |page=65}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last1=Hamilton-Peterson |first1=James |title=Playing with Water Passion and Solitude on a Philippine Island |date=1987 |publisher=New Amsterdam Books |isbn=9780941533829 |page=271}}</ref> and ''sulirap'', ''selirap'', or ''sayrap'' among the Tausug, Yakan, and Sama-Bajau people. It uses an entire coconut palm leaf split lengthwise along the midrib (rachis). Then both halves are positioned with the leaflets in between them. The leaflets are then intricately woven into various patterns and designs to join the two split parts together. This results in a lengthwise woven panel with the split midrib providing the upper and lower border. It is used similarly as amakan and sawali: as cheap walls, roofs, awnings, or temporary shade. This method, modified slightly, can also be used to make traditional baskets.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Mua |first1=Moneia M. |title=Cultural Diversity Among the Bangsamoro in Mindanao: A Survey of their Traditional Arts |url=https://budayaw.com/cultural-diversity-among-the-bangsamoro-in-mindanao-a-survey-of-their-traditional-arts/ |website=Budayaw |access-date=8 December 2023}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last1=Sakili |first1=Abraham P. |title=Space and Identity Expressions in the Culture, Arts and Society of the Muslims in the Philippines |date=2003 |publisher=University of the Philippines |isbn=9789718992135 |page=266}}</ref>
==Gallery== <gallery mode=packed> File:Stilt house at Kalibo, Aklan, Philippines.jpg|A rural house in Aklan with plain amakan walls File:FIlipino amakan house.jpg|A rural house in Leyte with amakan sidings woven into diamond patterns File:Susing's Guitar gift shop.jpg|A gift shop in Bohol with amakan walls File:Sangat Resort in Busuanga.jpg|A modern resort guesthouse in Busuanga, Palawan with plain diagonally-woven sawali walls File:Traditional house with amakan walls (9278032260).jpg|A traditional Filipino house with amakan walls in Bohol File:Apolinario Mabini House 8.jpg|Sawali interior paneling in the Mabini Shrine, a traditional Filipino house (''bahay kubo'') File:Amakan open-type weaving style used as grilles in Bukidnon, Philippines.jpg|Amakan open-type weaving style (''solihiya'') used as grilles File:Lucio Quezons house at Baler, Aurora.jpg|Preserved traditional house of President Manuel L. Quezon's parents in Baler, Aurora. It uses ''pawid'' (nipa thatch) as both roofing and walls. File:Pawid panels (nipa palm leaf thatching) from the Philippines 04.jpg|Thatched nipa palm leaf panels (''pawid'') </gallery>
==References== {{reflist|30em}}
==External links== * {{Commons category inline}}
Category:Vernacular architecture Category:Philippine handicrafts