Filipino hunter backpack; This is probably the coolest backpack I’ve ever seen:
suh-weeeeeet! i wonder how they ride.
Cool! 
I expected to see some sort of tumpline rig.
I especially like this part:
[tt]"Finally, some tribes or families use this or similar pack designs as a ‘takba,’ a sacred object in their home. The takba represents a sort of spirit that is linked to the family. If the takba is not kept clean or safe in the home for all to see, a family member may become sick. Rice, rice wine and other preserved foods are often kept in the takba though the takba is never actually used as a backpack. It is usually stored on a shelf, or hung on a wall.
Every takba has a name and the object itself is passed down from generation to generation with any needed repairs done to the pack. Often one will ask a family about how their takba is doing. Bang, the 22-year-old son of the Inn owner I stayed with told me all this, also noting his family has had a takba for four generations."
[/tt]
Can we think of alternative materials to make something like this out of? Cattail fibers seem like a good bet for the covering. I’m not much of a basket weaver, so I wouldn’t know where to start on that.
The idea of making one of these excites me, partially because I’m hoping to start a small business making a crafts that blend traditional indigenous and punk styles, and partially because I was raised away from most of the Filipino part of my ancestry and any little chance to reconnect is always a good thing.
I was raised away from most of the Filipino part of my ancestry and any little chance to reconnect is always a good thing
Get a karaoke machine! 
(just kidding: a half Filipino friend told me that all Filipinos have karaoke machines)