The skills and artistry in both weaving and embroidery reflect the mastery and the vastness of knowledge of the different indigenous cultural communities in the country by creating weaves that sustain their lives and preserve and uphold their traditional weaving heritage.

Textiles are very important in the lives of the Indigenous Filipinos. They serve as identifiers of social rank, as bride wealth during high profile weddings of children of datus and bais, and as a special offering to the spirits to ask for rain for their crops, to heal the sick, and to bless harvest festivals. Richly decorated textiles were highly valued among the Lumad groups in Mindanao as it is believed that the qualities of the fabrics please the deities.

Aside from the textiles use in daily life, they are also used as death cloth in burials to ease their transition to the afterlife. During funeral ceremonies among many Filipino and Southeast Asian communities, textiles play a significant role, from dressing the corpse in state to displaying shrouds as status symbols that are eventually used to the wrap the dead.