Information about Binuatan Creations Weaving Center

Binuatan Weaving Creations Center

Binuatan Weaving Creations Center, also known as Binuatan Creations Handloom Weaving, is a handicraft production site and pasalubong (Filipino term for souvenirs) center in Puerto Princesa City, Palawan that features the centuries-old traditional art and craft of hand-loom weaving by local craftsmen using locally-produced and indigenous fibers. “Binuatan” is a local word from a native Palawan dialect that means “creation” in English or “pagawaan” in Filipino.

Traditional and Local Culture Alive

Weaving is a traditional method used to create fabric by intertwining separate threads or yarns, which started by only using bare hands. As this required a lot of time and manual effort, a manually-operated apparatus called the loom was created to aid in the weaving process. However, as technology and industrialization grew leaps and bounds, this traditional way of weaving was replaced by machines or power looms, and the former slowly lessened in popularity. However, Binuatan Weaving Creations Center is keeping this tradition and craftsmanship alive. Local craftsmen still utilize the same weaving device and techniques that have been passed on to generations after generation.

Binuatan Weaving Creations Center also pays homage to the bountiful natural resources of the Palawan region by championing fibers from local and indigenous field grasses and trees such as abaca, buri, pandan, tikog, and vetiver in creating their masterpieces that range from household products to personal accessories.

Hands-On Experience

Apart from watching the craftsmen do the weaving, visitors are also allowed to experience first-hand the process of how the products are made using the foot-treadle floor loom device. It is an exhausting process that requires intense eye, hand, and foot coordination as well as keeping in mind the combination of threads to produce the overall design. The local weavers are more than happy to guide and engage guests throughout the process.

Souvenir Shopping

The site has an adjoining souvenir shop where all their creations are available for purchase. Products range from bags, key chains, trinkets, coin purses, hats, baskets, slippers, and even household items like curtains, blinds, sleeping mats, coasters, and table runners. All products are carefully crafted with generations worth of techniques and cratsmanship, that is why some have been successfully exported to other countries.