T’nalak Weavers

of Lake Sebu

GROUP 5
 Learning Outcomes

• To gain knowledge about the culture of

T’boli indigenous poeoples.

To know about T’nalak and its weaving

process.

To appreciate T’nalak Festival.

T’boli Tribe

Image Source: https://tribesinthephilippines.wordpress.com/2018/03/24/tboli/

T’boli Tribe
The T'boli (Tagabili to lowlanders) are an animist ethnic group
inhabiting highland areas in southwestern Mindanao, centering on
Lake Sebu (TauSebu is another of the people's names). Their
immediate neighbors are the Manobo and B’laan, other animist
upland peoples (with whom they are often in conflict). The T'boli rely
on Muslim traders for contacts with the lowlands and maritime trade.
T’boli Tribe
The name T’boli is a combination of tau, meaning “people,”
and bilil or “hill” or “slope,” thus meaning “people living in the hills.”
However, not all T’boli live upland: those inhabiting the shores of the
Celebes Sea, in the municipalities of Maitum, Kiamba, and Maasim, are
called the T’boli Mohin; those in the municipalities of Lake Sebu and
T’Boli are the T’boli Sebu; and those on the western mountains near the
Manobo are the Tao B’lai.
History of the T’boli Tribe
Anthropologists say that the T’boli could be of Austronesian
stock. It is believed that they were already, to some degree, agricultural
and used to range the coasts up to the mountains. With the arrival of
later groups, however, these people were gradually pushed to the
uplands.
History of the T’boli Tribe
There is reasonable speculation that the T’boli, along with the
other upland groups, used to inhabit parts of the fertile Cotabato Valley
until the advent of Islam in the region, starting in the 14th century. The
T’boli and their Ubu (or Manobo) and B’laan neighbors resisted the
aggressive proselytizing of a succession of Muslim warrior-priests, the
best known being Sharif Muhammad Kabungsuan from Johore in
present-day Malaysia, who established the sultanate of Maguindanao
during the late 15th and early 19th centuries.
Location and Homeland
The T'boli inhabit a 1,940-sq-km (750-sq-mi) territory in
southwestern Mindanao, where the coastal mountain range joins the
Cotobato and Cordillera at an elevation of 915 m or 3,000 ft above sea
level. The region has three major lakes, Sebu, Lahit, and Siluton, which
drain off through large waterfalls.
Language
Like the other indigenous languages of Mindanao (such as
Maguindanaon and Maranao), the T'boli language is a language of the
Southern Philippine sub-branch of the Western Malayo-Polynesian
branch of the Austronesian family.

It is taboo to call parents, grandparents, and parents-in-law by their

name instead of the kin term; it is also improper to address uncles,
aunts, or children-in-law by their name.
Clothing
The female traditional clothes of
the T’boli tribe is called “Kegal
T’boli”. The blouse is called “Kegal
Bentilas” and the skirt is
called “Lewek tedeyung”. The
beaded belts are called “hilet
lemimet”, the necklace is called
“bekelew” and the headdress is
called “sewat”.
Arts and Crafts
Clothing
T’boli T’nalak Weaving
One of the recognizably different and interesting elements
of T’boli culture is their Abaca fabric known as T’nalak woven by
their Dreamweavers. T’nalak is a sacred cloth woven by the T'boli
people in communities around Lake Sebu, Mindanao island.
Traditionally made by women of royal blood, thousands of patterns
that reference folklore and stories are known to the T’boli women
by memory. Fu Dalu, a spiritual guardian, guides t’nalak weaving, a
process that is enriched with taboo and ritual.
T’nalak Weaving
T’nalak is used for ritual purposes, as an offering to the
spirits and during festival celebrations. It is also exchanged between
families for food and supplies in the T'bolis’ barter economy, which
endures to this day. Many communities rely on the commercial sale
of t’nalak to earn a living.
T’nalak Weaving

Lake Sebu has Schools of Living Traditions dedicated to the preservation

of the ancient art of T’nalak weaving. The center which was managed by the late
Lang Dulay is located at Sitio Tukolefa, Lamdalag, Lake Sebu, South Cotabato. The
center serves as the training venue to ensure the transfer and continuity of this
unique living tradition.
T’nalak Weaving
Interestingly, T’boli women do the t’nalak without the
usage of tracing patterns or guides, preferably, they rely on a mental
image of the figures. Dubbed as the “dream weavers” the T’boli
women believe that the patterns are gifts on them through their
own dreams by “Fu Dalu,” the spirit of the abaca. The designs they
had from their dreams are handed down for generations to
generations. However, not every t’nalak weaver knows every
design. Some of the designs are kept within the family of those who
originated.
T’nalak Weaving Process

▪ To produce a Tnalak fiber, abaca trunks (Abaca is one of the species of

banana native to the Philippines) are stripped into strands pulling the
stem from the stripper, separating the flesh from the abaca fiber. After
which, the fibers are combed to remove the sap to avoid the darkening
of the strands.

▪ The fibers then are hung from a house beam and combed with the
fingers where the weaver selects and classify the fibers according to
their thickness. During the selection of the fibers, the whiter and finer
threads found in the inner stalks are separated from the coarser ones.
 T’nalak Weaving Process
The traditional colors found in
T’nalak fiber are the black, red
and natural color of the abaca
which is almost white. To color
the abaca strands, natural dyes
produced by the vegetation
around the area
used by the T’boli women. No
This local plant is used to color the abaca fiber artificial or chemicals are being
for the T’nalak
used to color the fiber.
T’nalak Weaving Process
▪ To make the fibers soft and manageable for weaving, the
abaca strands are squeezed, using a motion like washing
clothes. The fibers then are spread on a beam and air dried
inside the house.

▪ Once dried, the fibers are painstakingly connected from

end to end by tying tiny knots. The fibers then are bundled
together by winding the threads around a bamboo warp
frame. It can take two weeks for a weaver to be able to
complete the standard length needed for the T’nalak.
T’nalak Weaving
The backstrap loom is used to
weave the dried abaca fiber. The
backstrap loom is a form of
horizontal two-bar or two- beamed
loom where one bar is attached to
the bamboo beam of the T’boli
longhouse and the second beam,
or the backstrap, is attached to the
weaver’s lower back.
T’nalak Weaving Process
▪ After the t’nalak has been fully woven, the fabric is thoroughly
washed in a river so that the entire piece can be stretched
following the river flow. After washing and air drying, the
t’nalak is then beaten repeatedly with a hard and round
wooden stick in order to flatten and smoothen the knots.
T’nalak Weaving Process
▪ The final phase of producing the t’nalak
involves shining the surface with a cowrie
shell. This shell is attached to one end of a
bamboo stick with the other end attached to
a hole in the ceiling of the longhouse to help
apply additional pressure to the procedure.
This task involves a strong body, which is why
it is done mostly by men. The cowrie shell is
firmly rubbed repeatedly on the t’nalak in
order to flatten and produce a nice gloss.
T’nalak Weaving
The weaving center is the structure of the house which is in
rectangular shape specifically built for the production of the t’nalak.
Because the length of the t’nalak can exceed over 10–meters, a long
horizontal structure is needed. In addition, the t’nalak must be
woven in a cool area or the fibers will snap. This is one of the
reasons why most T’nalak weavers are found on the mountain side
of the area where the climate is much cooler. The weaving process
can take around 2 to six weeks depending on the complexity of the
design.
T’nalak Weaving
T’nalak Weaving
T’nalak Weaving
T’nalak Festival
The festival gets its name from “t’nalak,” a colorful abaca cloth,
created and woven by the women of the T’boli tribe of South Cotabato. The
design of the cloth is unique and “dreamed up” by the person who creates it.
That’s why the province is known as “The Land of the Dreamweavers.” The
T’nalak fabric serves as the festival icon because it symbolizes the blending
of the culture, strength, and unity of the various ethnic groups living in the
province.

The T’nalak Festival also commemorates the works of Lang Dulay, a T’boli
princess from Lake Sebu who was the best weaver of her time.
T’nalak Festival
Awesome words
Conclusion
The T'boli tribe is an indigenous community in the Philippines known
for their rich cultural heritage and unique way of life. They inhabit the highlands
of South Cotabato, Mindanao, and are renowned for their intricate traditional
crafts, vibrant music and dance, and colorful festivals. The T'boli tribe's
importance lies in preserving their age-old customs, which not only showcase
the diversity of Filipino culture but also serve as a reminder of the country's
deep-rooted indigenous traditions and the need to protect and respect their
ancestral lands and practices.
Thank You!
References
T’boli | Encyclopedia.com. (n.d.). Www.encyclopedia.com. Retrieved July 26, 2023, from
https://www.encyclopedia.com/humanities/encyclopedias-almanacs-transcripts-and-
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T’NALAK | T’BOLI DREAMWEAVERS | LAKE SEBU. (n.d.). Thehappytrip.com. Retrieved July 26, 2023, from
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Students, R. B. and U. A. 360 2019. (2020). T’Nalak: The Land of the Dreamweavers. Uw.pressbooks.pub.
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