Bamboo 'Kawayan' Fencing

Summertime and bamboo fencing smile emoticon 

Bamboo or locally known as 'kawayan' fencing is a great way to add privacy and security to your homes (well, temporarily hehe). 

Bamboo is a nature's gift to man - its many uses... Narurumduman ko during my younger years kan nagbabaralyo pa kami sa salog and nagtuturukad sa bukid para magkua nin 'kawayan' particularly guhi/marugi, botong or daso.

Made my day! :) Well, some neighbors helped me with this bamboo fencing task hehe.

Bamboo in the Philippines

In the Philippines, bamboo has diverse, functional and traditional uses. It underlies so much of Philippine culture that it is part of many ceremonies, traditions and beliefs. Philippine culture is also replete with myths and tales about bamboo. For example, the first Filipino man ("lalaki") and woman (babae") came from a piece of bamboo according to a Visayan myth.

Various instruments be it wind, string or percussion are made out of bamboo while split and unsplit bamboo are used in Philippine folkdances. Examples of these are "tinikling", "singkil", and "subli".

Bamboo is also part of Philippine folk games. The "palo sebo," a greased bamboo pole with a small bag of prize money or toys tied at the end is a game always played during fiesta time. "Luksong kawayan" or high jump also uses bamboo poles or sticks as hurdles.

Bamboo has likewise taken a very important role as a traditional weapon during times of war. During the Spanish era, bamboo mats were rolled to appear like cannons and were mounted on carts. On Sept. 2, 1896, a Filipino band composed of bamboo musical instruments was used to fool their enemies by attacking the Spanish garrison.

In ancient times, furniture was usually made of bamboo. These include "papag" (bed), "bangko" (bench), and "aparador" (cabinet). On the other hand, basketry is probably the oldest bamboo handicraft in the Philippines. Bamboo baskets are produced for all sorts of uses.

Bamboo is also used in many ways for food and food preparation. Bamboo containers are used to steam rice, the staple food of the Filipinos. Bamboo shoots are either cooked as food or pickled and is considered as a delicacy in many places. However, this aspect of bamboo utilization has not yet been developed as an industry. Bamboo kitchen utensils are carved from bamboo while split bamboo is woven and laminated to make plates. In rural areas, "banggerahan or paminggalan" still serve as cupboards where dishes are dried and kept. Bamboo skewers are commonly used to roast pigs while thinner sticks are used for barbeques such as pork, chicken, innards, hotdogs, bananas and sweet potatoes.

In agriculture, bamboo is used as props for banana and vegetables, baskets for packaging fruits, fish and vegetables, agricultural implements and construction of animal drawn carts for transporting farm products. Bamboo is also used as dibble sticks in planting. In early agriculture, bamboo was used for fetching water from rivers, deep wells or surface wells.

Bamboo is also used extensively as an indigenous material for soil and water conservation technologies. Check dams use woven bamboo strips between the pegs while bush or stones are placed against the dam’s upper side. In protecting river/stream banks, bamboo can be planted to stabilize water while holding the soil in place and reducing water flow.

In the 1570s, when the Spaniards arrived in the country, the typical Filipino house or "bahay kubo" was built with a framework of bamboo poles and walls of split cane woven like a mat. 

Source: anythingaboutbamboo.blogspot.com