Lang Dulay

An Artist. An Icon. A Treasure.

Such were the representation of the people who knew the history and significant
contributions of the Gawad sa Manlilikha ng Bayan Awardee,  Lang Dulay, specifically to her
tribe, the T’boli. Lang Dulay, who was given the prestigious award in 1998, was described as
such due to her invaluable effort of preserving the famous traditional T’nalak weaving of their
tribe. Through her art of weaving, she described the distant memories of the T’bolis and the
culture nurtured and pioneered by her elders. With the use of her skillful hands, she utilized their
prized abaca fibers into recreating designs depicting the scenes of her and her tribe’s native
home, Lake Sebu of South Cotabato.  

At a very young age of 12, she was taught by her mother to weave and it was done
using the traditional means. That’s why, even with the modernization that is trying to permeate
into their art, she insisted on sticking with the conventional way of T’nalak weaving. This was
despite the tedious process as it initially starts with the obtaining of the abaca fibers from the
stem of the plant up to the process of dyeing,  of which can already take up to months just to
produce a single piece.   And to make sure that it will happen, eve after she quitted weaving in
2011 due to old age, she started a workshop specifically for women of her tribe for them to be
able to learn, preserve and protect the traditional way of T’nalak weaving, that she herself had
made it known throughout the country and to the world.  

With her passing last 2015, the country, especially the T'bolis, truly mourned the death of
their artist, their icon and their treasure. However, even with that, her memories will still live on
and will be reflected on the textile designs that she preserved and the tradition that she poured
her life on to protect.