My houseboy , Joven, fixing up the first of my Buri Buri blindsMaybe like me you had never heard of a Buri Blind. Let me enlighten you:
"Native Roll up BURI BLINDS will provide a wonderful effect of sunshade to your home, that can give you options of controlling the amount of light and exposure from the harmful heat of the powerful sun. This are nice specially for window, garage, terrace, ceiling(sunshade), office, resort, restaurant and condominium."
Source: https://dapitanarcade.com/product/buri-blinds/#:~:text=Native%20Roll%20up%20BURI%20BLINDS,%2C%20resort%2C%20restaurant%20and%20condominium. ( accessed 2.3.23)
How did I discover them? Two Indigenous kids were walking down the street selling them door to door and carrying these heavy blinds ( 6 ft x 6 ft). I did a quick measurement of the windows at the front of my house and decided I needed 3. They only had 2. But they came back later with a third ( and in case I liked them a few more for my other windows and on another day a hammock! I think I finally got rid of them by drawing the blinds and hiding when I saw them approach!
The 18 ft of glass at the front of my house makes the room very hot when the sun shines
The next question was how to hang them up- so I allocated the task to my Mechanical Engineering student who works for me on a Saturday and being Matalino ( smart) he looked on YouTube!
How to install Buri Buri Blinds
Then he told me what we needed - wood, rope, drill, screws and hooks.
I contacted my Landlord, Mickey, who was in USA, but has a large supply of wood, electric circular saw etc next door to my house and he arranged for the wood to be cut for me . There was a bit of confusion over what size Joven needed so we started with 3 pieces 6 ft x 2 inches x 2 inches then cut these in half to 6ft x 2 inch x 1 inch and finally 6 ft x 1 inch by one inch. Then we went to two hardware stores to but the drill, bits, crews, rope and raw plugs ( I have a lot of rope left over- suggestions please!) . Then , on his day with no classes at Uni I collected Joven and he set off up the ladder drill in hand to fix the blinds.
Having fixed the blind behind the CD racks he moved to the other end of the room where my desk is. This gets very hot when the sun shines through the big glass windows in the afternoon. Mick suggested an AC unit which we jointly purchased and which I paid to have installed but as the room is so large it takes a while to cool it down.
Joven fitting the second blind
In researching this blog I discovered you can buy these blinds on line and even an article suggesting the pros and cons of installing such blinds:
"Because of the way a bamboo roller blind is constructed there are some pros and cons.
The pros:
Bamboo blinds are generally purchased off the shelf in stock sizes making them very affordable.
The cons:
Because of the way the bamboo shade operates it is difficult to use, especially if you want to raise and lower it daily. The shade really functions best if left tied up for more of a decorative look.
The cords are a hazard. Normally sized for doors or large windows, bamboo roller shades have a long cord that is designed to tie up the shade. The length of this cord poses a hazard to children and pets.
Another con of bamboo roller blinds is their loose weave and that they come unlined. The lack of lining and the looseness of the constructed material provide very little if any privacy. This becomes a problem especially if blinds are in a bedroom."
The finished blinds- down
I also discovered , like so much else in the Philippines, you can buy the blinds on line through websites like Lazada or Shopee. Echoes of a conversation I had with Beth when I finally moved here when we discussed how hard it was to get certain items and how one day I would become addicted to online shopping!
The Finished blinds - up
After Joven fitted the left and right blinds, and we took a break for dinner when Noel and Frythy arrived after school to clean, he measured up for the third blind. Shock horror, my estimate was wrong and the gap was less than 6 foot! Joven took it in his stride and cut the blind to size and the wood but then realised we had run out of the plastic ties we use to secure the blind to the wood. By then it was 7 pm so I took him home and we agreed to finish the job on Saturday afternoon when I return from Port Barton.
Meanwhile as summer approaches in the Philippines the heat continues to rise and it looks like I got my Buri Buri blinds just in time!
In case you are wondering what the blinds are made of Buri is a Palm tree and the material lasts for 10 years.
What else did I buy from the IP boys?
My first Wallis Tamboo that I bought here in Palawan was wearing out- let me show you:
My old Wallis Tamboo
I already got through several in Bahrain where my OFW houseboys preferred them to a British Brush!
A British Brush and the green implement is for polishing wooden floors
So I bought a new one!
My new Wallis from the IP boys
The Wallis is for indoor use and I learnt in Palawan that one also needed a Wallis Tin Tin for Outdoor use .
Just as the Greeks ( and their English staff) paint white lines on their courtyards so the Filipinos use a Wallis Tin Tin daily to sweep up the leaves which they then burn to keep the Mosquitoes away ( I learnt that when I stayed at LVF- Thanks Beth!) . I have a front courtyard onto the road ( where the Buri Buri blinds are) and the younger members of the local population who go past every day constantly leave cigarette stubs, bottle tops, plastic and the like on my front drive. Eventually it gets blown ( or washed if we have rain) into the open drain that runs down our road between the houses and the road to take away the excess rain. This gets blocked and then floods, or dries up as no water can get past the rubbish and smells. Joven cleans it every Saturday with the Wallis Tin Tin and a pole that he put some nails in the top of! I am so glad I employed a Mechanical Engineering student as houseboy!
The Pinoys are very resourceful and as well as being used for cleaning the Wallis is also used for disciplining their children. I have been doing a survey of my friends here as to what was used to give them Palo sa pwet ( spanked bottom) as they grew up. The top five implements are:
- Kamay- hand
- Tsinellas - sandal , flip flop, slipper
- Sinturon- Belt
- Kawayan- Cane
- Wallis- the handle of the brush
If you do not believe me check out this blog:
I mentioned at the start of this blog that I bought my blinds from two Indigenous kids selling door to door- a common occurrence here in Palawan. We have people walking up and down all day selling fresh fish, Ice cream, Ballot, Pandesal and Tahô (Tahô is a Philippine snack food made of fresh soft/silken tofu, arnibal, and sago pearl. This staple comfort food is a signature sweet and tahô peddlers can be found all over the country ) .
In addition to the food people sell loudspeakers, karaoke machines, mattresses Blinds, matting, hammocks, and Wallis tamboo. Each has their different shout to alert people to their presence and some have loudspeakers and music or a bell!
So that begs the question, who are the IP?
According to Wikipedia:
"The Philippines consist of numerous upland and lowland indigenous ethnolinguistic groups living in the country, with Austronesians making up the overwhelming majority, while full or partial Negritos scattered throughout the archipelago. The highland Austronesians and Negrito have co-existed with their lowland Austronesian kin and neighbor groups for thousands of years in the Philippine archipelago. The primary difference[citation needed] is that they were not absorbed by centuries of Spanish and United States colonization of the Philippines, and in the process have retained their customs and traditions. This is mainly due[citation needed] to the rugged inaccessibility of the mountains and established headhunting and warrior cultures, which discouraged Spanish and American colonizers from coming into contact with the highlanders. In the interest of clarity, the term indigenous as used in the Philippines refers to ethnolinguistic groups or subgroups that maintain lt of partial isolation, or independence, throughout the colonial era. The term indigenous when applied to the Philippine population can be a deceptive misnomer, connoting alien migrant populations who have over time become the majority ethnolinguistic and cultural group in the land and thereby pushing indigens to the fringes of socio-cultural inclusion, such as in the Americas, Middle East, Australia, or New Zealand. Contrarily, the vast majority of people in the Philippines descend from the same Austronesian ancestral populations indigenous to the archipelago, regardless of cultural, religious, ethnolinguistic or tribal affiliations. (Ethnic groups in the Philippines). In the context of Philippine population, the term is used to refer to a group of people who have retained their culture away from the Christianized lowland culture of Filipinos whose population, though, overwhelmingly Austronesian, had partial mestizos, Insulares and Chinese population, and is characterized by a hybrid of east and west culture.
Culturally-indigenous peoples of northern Philippine highlands can be grouped into the Igorot (comprising many different groups) and singular Bugkalot groups, while the non-Muslim culturally-indigenous groups of mainland Mindanao are collectively called Lumad. Australo-Melanesian groups throughout the archipelago are termed Aeta, Ita, Ati, Dumagat, among others. Numerous culturally-indigenous groups also live outside these two indigenous corridors.[1]
According to the Komisyon sa Wikang Filipino, there are 135 recognized local indigenous Austronesian languages in the Philippines, of which one (Tagalog) is vehicular and each of the remaining 134 is vernacular.[citation needed] There are 134 ethnic groups in the Philippines, the majority of which are indigenous, though much of the overall Philippine population is constituted by only 8-10 lowland ethnic groups"
( accessed 2.3.23)
I also heard the term Badjao used to describe IP
According to my research they mainly come from Surigao and :
"The Badjao are an indigenous group in the Philippines, known as sea nomads. According to a study[1], they have been in the country since 500AD; described as endemic fisherfolks who have been using sustainable fishing methods for over 1,500 years"
I hope that helps with a better understanding of life here in the Philippines- which is all part of the purpose of The British Kabayan.
So here is how my windows look now with two blinds fitted:
There are so many combinations you can have with the blinds, one up, one down and one half way!
Great job Joven- thank you!
Hello, I am The British Kabayan! Feel free to read my stories.
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