Walis (Whisk Broom), 6056

Walis (Whisk Broom) | 6056 | Pangasinan

Kiara Joy Dela Cruz

This whisk broom, often known as "walis tingting" in the Philippines, is from the province of Pangasinan. Fronds from the area’s vast amount of coconut trees are collected and stripped down to reveal the midribs, or tingting. The midribs are cleaned, dried, and bundled tightly together to form a stiff sweeping tool. Its primary purpose is to maintain the cleanliness of outside areas, such as your yard or driveway. The sturdiness of the midribs easily gathers any large debris, dirt, or leaves.

I chose the walis because when I was younger, I would always wake up to the sound of my mom using it to sweep the fallen leaves in our backyard. The scraping sound has been engraved in my mind at this point. I always wondered how these sticks withstood continuous use and why it was effective in cleaning. Since I'm in college now I haven't heard that sound in a while, so familiarity also drew me to this item.

Courtesy of the Burke Museum of Natural History and Culture. To search the Arts & Cultures collections, please visit our online database here.