LIFE EVENTS:
The families in her native Parang
In Barangay Parang, in the island
of Jolo, Sulu province, women
weavers are hard at work weaving
the pis syabit, the traditional
cloth tapestry worn as a head
covering by the Tausug of Jolo.
“This is what we’ve grown up
with,” say the weavers. “It is
something we’ve learned from our
mothers.” Darhata Sawabi is one
of those who took the art of pis
syabit making to heart.
still depend on subsistence farming as
their main source of income. But
farming does not bring in enough money
to support a family, and is not even
an option for someone like Darhata
Sawabi who was raised from birth to do
only household chores. She has never
married. Thus, weaving is her only
possible source of income. The money
she earns from making the colorful
squares of cloth has enabled her to
become self-sufficient and less
dependent on her nephews and nieces.

Her remarkable proficiency with
the art and the intricacy of her
designs allows her to price her
creations a little higher than
others. Her own community of
weavers recognizes her expertise
in the craft, her bold
contrasting colors, evenness of
her weave and her faithfulness to
traditional designs.
Sawabi and her family were often forced
to abandon their home in search of
safer habitats. The first time she was
forced to abandon her weaving was very
painful experience as it was impossible
for her to bring the loom along with
her to the forest where they sought
refuge. They returned to their home to
see the pis she had been working on for
nearly a month destroyed by the
fighting. There was nothing for her to
do except pick up the pieces of her
loom and start again. Because of the
conflict, she and her family had been
forced to relocate twice finally
establishing their residence in Parang.
She recognizes the need for her to remain in the
community and continue with her mission to teach
the art of pis syabit weaving. She had, after all,
already been teaching the young women of Parang
how to make a living from their woven fabrics.
Some of her students are already teachers
themselves. She looks forward to sharing the
tradition of pis syabit weaving to the younger
generations.

Darhata Sawabi was awarded for remaining

faithful to the art of pis syabit.
- Pis refers to the geometric pattern that is said to
be derived from the Indic mandala, and siyabit
stands for the hook and technique.

- Pis syabit is a traditional cloth tapestry usually

worn as a headgear by the Tausugs. However, it
may also be worn on the shoulder, knotted
around the hilt of the sword or kris or tied around
the head among the Tausug men in Sulu
Archipelago, Philippines.
-It is made from cotton or silk and provided with geometric
patterns.
-Sawabi's art was distinguished for its bold, contrasting colors,
the evenness of the weave and faithfulness to traditional designs.
-Because of her dedication to her art, generations of traditional
Tausug designs have been preserved and are available for
contemporary appreciation and future study.
 LIFE EVENTS:

Estelita by a nickname, Princess - The term of endearment is spoken with

the lightness of heart, also with genuine respect, especially from the other
mat weavers of Upper Lasang.

Labnai  Tumandan - It was a recognizable name in the language, Blaan,

spoken in the montane hamlet of  Mlasang. The child  Labnai, already
precocious in mat weaving, took on the name Estelita in the 1950s.
Protestant pastors had installed themselves among her people, had
commenced fundamental social change.  When Estelita married, becoming
Mrs. Bantilan, she raised a family in the foreign faith.

She kept to her mat weaving. She persisted where other women could not
because her husband Tuwada was atypically supportive.
Estelita also carried on because mats were her gifts of
choice to people she cherished. She carved out
considerable time from domestic and farming
responsibilities to accomplish some of the biggest, most
subtly beautiful mats to be seen anywhere in Southeast
Asia today. And, from the evidence of the mats she
makes today, Estelita has continued to cultivate a
personal aesthetic through half a century.

Estelita’s entire body is her “loom.” The thin strips of the

pandanus romblon (Pandanus copelandii merr. Bariu) emerge
matrixed through deft fingers performing a personal rhythm,
the beat seemingly guided by her eyes. The unwoven strips
are held taut at the other end of her body, as toes curl and
close around, not only these strips but, as it were, the
abstraction that other people call design. The arc of her torso
determines the dexterity of feet and toes. Hand/eye
coordination transpires within a frame of milliseconds.
Mat weavers necessarily maintain a profound
poise. In Estelita’s case, however, the serenity
and poise clearly  show  in her person as
fundamental to the artistry she exercises. She
maintains the clarity in her eyes, the stillness of
her mien, and her precise physical movements
whether weaving, or discussing, or just listening.
One takes in Estelita’s presence as
a  demonstration  of the inextricability of serenity
from the art of the mat.
What made her exceptional is her interest in weaving
“igem,” a Blaan term for mats and she has been creating
exceptional mats using naturally dyed romblon leaves. The
awardee kept to her mat weaving and she also carried on
because mats were her gifts of choice to people she
cherished. Her beautiful mats can also be seen anywhere in
Southeast Asia today. And, from the evidence of the mats
she makes recently, Estelita has continued to cultivate a
personal aesthetic through half a century.
Estelita’s demeanor — characterized by alertness, focus,
and a calm that appears to permeate her entire body — is
key to understanding mat weaving itself, among the
Sarangani Blaan and the rest of the Filipinos who still know
the art. It is an exercise of imagination within the parameters
of a technology of making.
GROUP MEMBERS:

MANZANILLO, JUSTINE

MARABUT, ANGELICA JIANA F.

MESSAKARAENG, RENEE DWI PERMATA L.

PACUNAYEN, EDLYN

PANCHO, ELIJAH KIM Q.