Weaving the past into the future

MANILA, Philippines - The streets of Koronadal City were abuzz with excitement as locals and visitors alike celebrated the T’nalak festival. Held from July 11-19, the festival showcased the culture, art, music, and products of the municipalities of South Cotabato – centering, of course, around the traditional t’nalak weaving of the T’boli.

The T’nalak festival boasted the usual pageantry and parades inherent in any local fiesta, coupled with nightly street dancing and concerts to set the mood.

Along the main street, elaborately decorated huts were set up, offering food and souvenirs from different municipalities including Tupi, Banga, T’boli, Polomolok, and the breathtaking Lake Sebu.

The bright lights and lively noise of the festival are a stark contrast to the Manlilikha ng Bayan Center tucked away in Tukolefa, Lamdalag, Lake Sebu, South Cotabato. The finest t’nalak fabrics are woven here, under the supervision and guidance of master dreamweaver Be Lang Dulay.

The making of t’nalak begins with a ritual offered to Fu Dalu, the god of abaca, explains our guide, Roy. According to T’boli beliefs, it is the god of abaca that sends dreams to the dreamweaver and the t’nalak is infused with its spirit.

The laborious process of making t’nalak takes more than four months and involves the whole village. Different families are in charge of each part of the process, Roy says.

When the abaca tree is 10 to 12 months old, it is ready for harvest. The trunk is then cut into 1-inch wide strips and soaked, squeezed, and air dried to make the material soft and workable.

The strips are then spun into fine abaca threads, ready to be strung onto the loom. The T’bolis use a backstrap loom, meaning the weaver uses her own back to pull the strings taut. Thus the weaver’s body becomes part of the loom.

When the loom is ready, the fantastical aspect of t’nalak begins – dreamweaving. The dreamweaver, if blessed by the god of abaca, turns images and symbols from her dreams into patterns in the traditional black, red, and light brown colors of the t’nalak.

The dreamweaver must then tie the threads to create the design using a color-resist or tie-dye method.

In the first dyeing, the exposed threads will be dyed black. Once the black color has dried, threads are untied, then the textile is dipped in red, coloring the exposed fibers and hung to dry. Finally, the last ties are removed, revealing the natural light brown color of the abaca.

Roy explains that each color has a symbolic meaning for the T’boli – black is a nod to the soil from which life springs; red stands for the bravery of the T’boli warriors; and the unblemished light brown abaca that is left stands for purity and a strong belief in the spirit of abaca.

Under the skilled hands and vivid visualization of the dreamweaver, the t’nalak takes on patterns of waves, eagle’s wings, clouds, arrowheads, mountains, pineapple leaves, and sand dunes.

Finally, the strands are woven together to form the cloth. The t’nalak is then shined by repeatedly rubbing a large cowrie shell over its surface.

Any young woman can be taught the weaving techniques, but few are gifted by the god of abaca with dreams. Lang Dulay, called Be or grandmother, is one of the favored who has been blessed with dreams.

She started weaving at the age of 12, learning the traditional meticulous process of making t’nalak from her mother. In 1998, Be Lang Dulay received the Gawad Manlilikha ng Bayan, or National Living Treasure Award. She used her grant as an awardee to establish her own school, the Manlilikha ng Bayan Center, to be able to pass on the T’boli traditions to the next generation of weavers.

More than 40 students have already completed their mentorship with the master dreamweaver, while 16 are currently in training; the youngest, a 26-year-old, is Be Lang Dulay’s granddaughter.

In the olden times, t’nalak was used for barter. Because of its value, the cloth was also used for royal dowries. T’nalak was also used in rituals and as offerings to the gods.

Now, t’nalak is a source of livelihood for the T’boli women. The cloths cost from P600 to P1,200 per meter, depending on the design, the most expensive being the t’nalak with Be Lang Dulay’s signature. They are usually sold at minimum of two meters, so as not to cut the design.

But the t’nalak is much more than an expensive, finely made souvenir. The artistry that goes into it, the culture that has been passed down from generations, all of these elevate t’nalak to an important legacy and tradition that shapes the identity of the T’boli.

It is therefore fitting that South Cotabato puts on a huge celebration every year to keep t’nalak alive. Not all of the events – dog shows, motocross, street parties, bands, pageants, and more – are directly related to the t’nalak tradition, but the festival’s main event, the grand parade, showcases the t’nalak, as well as the legends and beliefs of the people of South Cotabato. The parade also celebrates the three main groups that populate South Cotabato – T’boli, Maguindanaon and Christian.

Lemsnolon Elementary School of T’boli, the champion for the Madal Be’lan (T’boli Street Dance) category, wove the legend of the Desawo into their performance. In the story, the women of the village mysteriously disappear near a spring, but the villagers just assume that they have eloped. One day, as the villagers wash themselves in the spring after doing their farm work, they find various malongs floating in the water. They recognize them as the malongs of the women who disappeared.

Suddenly, they hear a scream and see a giant snake in a nearby cave. The village warriors come to the rescue and hunt down the snake. When the snake is finally killed, the whole village celebrates.

The restaging of the legend was made more vibrant by the costumes, sets and props used. Appropriately, the skin of the great snake was made out of a length of t’nalak fabric, the pattern mimicking its smooth, shiny scales. It was impressively performed by the young students of the school.

San Vicente National High School of Banga was declared champion of the Kasadyahan sa Kapatagan, or the Christian Street Dancing category. To highlight the Christian aspect of the category, they featured a lively kasalang bayan. Edwards National High School T’boli won over the crowd and the top prize in the Kadsagayan A Lalan (Maguindanaoan Street Dance) category with a Maguindanaon tradition – a courtship dance between a prince and a princess.

The parade of young performers that joined the grand celebration displayed a myriad of colors, shiny props, and bright smiles, dancing energetically through the streets. Thousands of onlookers braved the heat, cheering along the young participants.

Their enthusiasm will give Be Lang Dulay joy and hope as darkness settles upon her hut at the Gawad Malilikha ng Bayan School. At 89, Be Lang Dulay is still visited by Fu Dalu in her dreams. Though she is not able to weave anymore, she dictates the designs to her apprentices and continues to pass on the tradition of t’nalak weaving to generations of T’boli women.

The master dreamweaver not only dreams of patterns now, but she also shares her aspirations for the future of T’boli women: “I hope that the women of Lake Sebu will not lose hope and must not get tired of weaving t’nalak, because the t’nalak is what gives us pride,” she says in her native tongue. “Though they may not be able to travel to different places, the t’nalak weaving will bring the dreams of the T’boli women to countries all over the world.”