RESEARCH DATA:

Hu-op is either a square-shaped or rectangular basket of Ifugao that is commonly used as a serving container for cooked rice in households (Hamilton, 1998). It is also used during communal eating because of its large size. It is the larger counterpart of the tupil as it is also used to carry food in the field but with a larger serving. Hu-op is also being utilised during special ceremonial events in Ifugao, in which it is used to hold foods such as cooked rice and meat (Hamilton, 1998).

Another special role of this container basket is for use during an Ifugao couple’s engagement process. During the engagement ceremony, different goods, such as areca nuts, betel leaves, cooked chicken, and cooked rice, are put inside a hu-op and presented by the prospective groom’s family to the prospective wife’s family (Hamilton, 1998). In many cases, cash is also included in the basket. Hu-op then becomes the new couple’s property, wherein it will be used as the household’s basket for serving cooked rice (Hamilton, 1998).

This particular basket from the collection is a miniature version of hu-op and is used as a jewellery box for pang-ao (bead necklaces) and other bead jewellery.

REFERENCES:

Bacdayan, A. S. (1998). Baskets among the Tanulong and Fidelisan Peoples of Northern Sagada. In Basketry of the Luzon Cordillera. Los Angeles: UCLA Fowler Museum of Cultural History.

Hamilton, R. W. (1998). Catalog of the Exhibition. In Basketry of the Luzon Cordillera. Los Angeles: UCLA Fowler Museum of Cultural History.