It is strikingly akin to most basic female garments in the Southeast Asian world, and seems somewhere related to the Indian sari. The Filipino wrap-around skirt called tapis or patadyong may have emerged from environmental conditions and technical repertoires similar to those that produced the sarong and the sari.
As the female counterpart to the loincloth, the tapis covered the genital area. Again, fertility may have been a associated value – but in what precise ways? One can only guess.
The tapis was wrapped around the lower half of the woman’s body and tied at the waist or below the breasts. It was secured in place by the knotted ends or by a length of braided material. In some societies, belt-like pieces were used.
Short bark cloth wrap-around skirts would almost completely disappear with the advent of woven materials. These were at first plain-woven, then patterned and ornamented as design techniques developed. To this day, the tapis is worn by older women in barrios all over the Philippines. With the bahag, it is the oldest surviving genre of native costuming.