Aklan Piña Handloom Weaving: Woven Light, Woven Lineage

Aklan’s Living Tradition and How Communities Keep It Alive

What Aklan Piña Is and Where It Lives

Piña is heritage you can wear. It is a handwoven cloth made from pineapple leaf fibers—light, sheer, and proudly Filipino. In Aklan, Haboe nga Piña is a living tradition: skills passed within families, taught hand-to-hand, and rooted in place. Each piece carries memory, livelihood, and cultural identity.

From Leaf to Luminous Cloth

Aklan Piña begins in the field. The process is painstaking. Farmers harvest pineapple leaves, selecting those with the right maturity and fiber length. Mature leaves are scraped to extract fine filaments, then washed and dried. Nearly invisible fibers joined to create continuous yarn.

Hours become meters; meters become heirlooms.

After careful counting and aligning, weavers set the loom’s rhythm; hours become meters, and meters become heirlooms. Finishing, embroidery, edges, and treatment; it all adds the makers’ signature of place.

UNESCO Recognition and Local Safeguarding

In 2023, Aklan Piña Handloom Weaving was inscribed on UNESCO’s Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity (18.com), an international nod to what communities have long known. Recognition brings visibility and responsibility.

In Aklan, local measures (Kalibo 2019-049; Province of Aklan 2021-010) and a community-led safeguarding plan strengthen the transmission, protection, and promotion of the craft through events and festivals.

NTFP-EP Philippines: Partner in Safeguarding

Together with Aklan local partners, NTFP-EP Philippines helps keep the thread alive. We support:

• Transmission & training: workshops, exchanges, and learning spaces;

• Livelihoods & markets: community-based enterprise development and fair market linkages;

• Cultural visibility: documentation, exhibits, and feature stories.

These efforts help ensure the next generation can learn, work with dignity, and carry the craft forward.

How to Honor the Weave

When you choose Piña, you become part of the story. Choose pieces from recognized groups and verified sellers. Credit the artisans by name wherever possible.

Support cultural education and apprenticeships. Share the story of the cloth you wear—how it was made, where it came from, and who made it. “Made in the Philippines” is more than a label, it is a lineage.