EIGHTY-two-year old Ines Pandian was 17 when she learned to
make a living out of weaving from her mother who inherited the Bagobo craft
that was handed down through generations.
I happened to meet her during “The Senator Loren Legarda
Lecture “series on Philippine Traditional Textiles and Indigenous
Knowledge at
the National Museum
in Manila
As she can’t understand either the Tagalog or English
language, I looked for somebody who could speak her dialect. Too
good, Brenda, who hails from Davao del Sur, was around. She patiently
translated our conversations so we could understand each other.
During our conversation, I learned that Aling Ines has six
children, but only two of them opted to do abaca clothes and make ends meet
with what their husbands earn from farming which showed the chances of passing
on the skill were far from encouraging.
“It’s hard for us to sell our ‘inabal’,” said Manang
Ines as interpreted by Brenda.
Inabal is the abaca textile used for blouses, capri pants,
tube skirts, sling bands and blankets.
“It’s difficult to make money from this business,” said
Manang Ines, who still possessed a keen eye for detail in working out designs
representing crocodiles, human figures, birds, plants and stars along with
geometric patterns used also by Manobo weavers.
Her niece, Limlim Antala, 54, a native of Tudaya, Sta. Cruz,
Davao del Sur, took after her own mother to help add to the family coffers.
She remembers how to do the warp and weft in turning out
traditional abaca cloth that was being pushed to near extinction by nylon and
other synthetic fibers.
“Noong una, uso. Ngayon, din na uso. (Before, it was in
fashion. Now, it’s no longer trendy),” Manang Limlim told me, adding that three
decades of weaving have destined her to a life at the loom.
Manang Ines and Manang Limlim are among
the few remaining members of the Bogobo-Tagabawas tribe at their ancestral
domain near Mt. Apo
in the town of Sta. Cruz
“I’m lucky and my fellow Bagobos are lucky, too, if there
are festivals in the province,” Antala said. “There are many visitors who buy
our products.”
The Kadayawan Festival this August is providential.
Proud of her native craft, Manang Limlim described kadayawan
as a tapestry that brought together thanksgiving for the gifts of nature, the
wealth of culture, the bounties of harvest and serenity of living.
She said weavers like her get to earn just enough to tide
them over until another festival comes around.
An abaca-woven blouse goes for P300 to P700 while a matching
lower garment fetches from P600 to P2,500, according to Anatala, who has turned
her nipa hut into a workplace and display area rolled into one.
In an interview, Senator Loren Legarda, chairman on cultural
communities, said native weavers formed part of our nationhood.
“The Tudaya School of Living Tradition of the Bagobo Tagawa
Community, along with other (similar) schools link us to many of the forgotten
facets of our identity,” she said, noting the need to teach traditional arts,
crafts, music and practices to young generations.
Legarda said about 15 million indigenous people belonging to
110 ethnic groups deserved to be protected along with their unique skills.
“Their fabrics are beautiful weaves, but we should go
beyond. Each strand and bead painstakingly put together speak of their culture
and heritage,” she said. (end)
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