Licup, Isabel S.

STUDIO2
DFA1B

Inalaman

In the weaving culture of the Yakan of Basilan, the inalaman is a pattern which
consists of squares made up of four triangles with bold stripes of the background color
between each square. A floral motif is one of the most popular contrivances seen on the
bunga–sama (another culture indigenous to the Yakan people) or on the border of an
inalaman. The design, made using an elaborate supplementary-weft technique, combines
square and rectangular grids, and also introduces a diagonal design. Traditionally, the
inalaman pattern is used to create a high-status overskirt or wraparound skirt. The word
“inalaman” itself is also used to refer to a diamond-shaped pattern.

According to an interview with one of the weavers from the Yakan tribe herself,
there is no known reference for the inalaman pattern. She says that the pattern was more
difficult to execute in cloth because “there is no existing pattern. There is no diamond
shape in the mountains of Basilan. It only exists in our memory. Basta tinuro na lang
sa’kin. Hindi ko [kahit kailan] nakita ang diamond sa kalikasan.” She references the fact
that the other designs native to the Yakan tribe – like the leaf designs, mata kabew
(carabao eyes), guava leaves, and the sumping (flower) – all exist in nature, unlike the
diamonds of the inalaman.

However, further studies show that the diamond patterns of the inalaman are
actually very simplified versions of flower shapes. The original shape of a flower with all
its petals may be more complex to weave, and thus was reduced to the simple geometric
shapes of diamonds and crosses.