the stories

Our Guest Blogger Series with Kristen Jordan continues as she discusses an often overlooked topic: lost cultural identities, uncovering the dark histories of our ancestors, and the painful process of facing these truths.

We’re proud to introduce a MAAARI Blog Series entitled: Being Whole, a collection of inspired works by guest blogger, Kristen Jordan, a Filipinx-Canadian educator, artist, and choreographer who will give us a glimpse into her experience as a young creative in the Filipino Diaspora. We’ll explore concepts of identity, foreignness, connectivity, cultural preservation, and the manifestation of filipino art + culture overseas.

There are over 40 ethnic groups in the Philippines, and the T’boli community is one of the largest in the  country. They’re a colorful group that is distinguished by their vibrant traditional attire, masterly brass adornments, and intricate music. Though the T’boli are widely known for their idyllic music and Dream Weaver textiles (whose patterns come to them in their dreams and are passed down generations), they’re also distinguished by their metal crafts. T’boli tradition links this craft to Glinton, the god of metalwork, who occupies a stellar space on the T’boli folklore pantheon.

BANGA: A BALANCING ACT The history of the Banga Dance tells us a story of Filipino women’s strength, resilience and grace. Banga (pronounced ba-nga), meaning “pot”, is an earthen container originated by the northern Cordillera region of the Philippines. Traditionally, they’re made of local clay found only in the Kalinga villages, an area rich with rice terraces and lush mountainsides. The Kalinga people are highlanders and rice farmers of the Cordillera peoples, having been blessed with some of best land for rice farming. They are also skilled craftspeople who are well-versed in basketry, loom weaving, metalsmithing, and pottery; and despite centuries of occupation by the Spaniards, Americans and Japanese, the Kalinga people have been able to preserve their vast, rich...

Kristine Peñafiel Salviejo brings psychedelic, nostalgic vibes to modern, artisan-made objects, giving life to a new wave of Filipino-American design that appreciates consciousness, history, and experimentation.

LA ROCA: THE HANDS THAT CARVE MAAARI'S MARBLE La Roca is committed to bringing economic opportunities back to the Romblon province of the Philippines through the revitalization of its marble manufacturing sector. Though once a booming industry, the marble market suffered a sharp decline when the world trade market saw an influx of cheap, synthetic marble products from Europe and China in the early 1990's. Several years ago, La Roca founder, Regina Escolin, discovered dozens of de-commissioned marble factories on the island, and has since worked with her partner Giovanni to re-open small hand-carving factories in the area. Marble is a natural, non-toxic stone, is 100% recyclable, and can stand the test of weathering and time. La Roca uses responsibly mined...

    THE STORY BEHIND OUR MAAARIxANTHILL TEXTILES A Personal Account by Samantha Roxas, Co-Founder Passports… bug spray… meticulously color-coded itinerary… cameras… matching ponchos… We were packing for our first trip to the Philippines as newly founded MAAARI to meet the indigenous community that weaves our textiles—the Daraghuyan Bukidnon Tribe. The co-founders of MAAARI and I live in different cities, so it was also the first time we’d get to work with with one another in person. It was a big deal to us. We had been wanting a deeper connection to our roots and culture, and rather than learning about it in books and pictures, we wanted to live it and experience it. It’s one thing to say that...

This is a higher quality bag; when Filipino artisans are able to practice and sell their higher levels of craftsmanship, they work harder to show pride in their work and country. This is the mastered craftsmanship we all want to preserve.  

       Born and raised in the Philippines, our mothers left the lives they knew and journeyed to the United States.  They had bigger dreams of freedom and opportunity—the dream of a better life. With little to no money and poor english, they braved their new chapter with big hearts and warrior-like strength. They made it happen.  MAAARI in tagalog means "what's possible" or "can be done". MAAARI honors that dream. We are connecting with our roots to give meaning, life, and value to our Filipino culture and identity. In many ways, it's our way of saying thank you.  Mothers shape our world. Let's celebrate these queens. SHOP OUR MOMS' MAAARI FAVES    RISE PILLOWsee details » LUNAR CRESTsee details » PINANGABOL BUCKETsee...

Based in Manila, Bea de Jesus designs quality handmade items and curates thoughtfully found objects. With a belief that every place has a story to tell and every culture has something to offer, Abaca aims to support culturally rich communities and preserve traditional craft.