TAGUM CITY–Ethnic groups from different regions in Mindanao proudly exhibited their home-grown products at the recently concluded 12th Musikahan sa Tagum festival.
Among the tribes that participated in were the T’bolis of Lake Sebu in South Cotabato Province and the Maguindanaons of Zamboanga del Sur.
Myrna Pula, 57, is a member of the T’boli tribe. She said the products of their tribes and the other indigenous peoples in Mindanao are one of the many reasons why they are proud as Filipinos.
“We weave fabrics using our bare hands. We design them with passion and love, and this is something that Mindanaons and Filipinos as a whole must be proud of,” said Pula.
T’nalak, a deep brown abaca-based cloth tie-dyed with intricate design is the best known cultural product of South Cotabato.
According to Pula, weaving a T’nalak requires not only skills and knowledge but also heart.
“Weaving is not a simple job. A weaver needs to be creative and most importantly passionate. A T’boli weaves her mind and heart. She weaves her dreams too,” said Pula.
Abul Dacula, the cultural master of the Maguindanaon tribe from Kulamarang in Zamboanga del Sur said their ekams (mats) are also their source of pride.
“We are here to tell our fellow Filipinos that our ekams (mat) and other native products are truly world class,” said Dacula.
“We’ve been exporting ekams for two years in California. It only shows that we have a place in the international market,” said Dacula.
The communities of Pula and Dacula are using raw materials that are abundantly growing in the forests.
“We are thankful because the resources in sustaining our livelihood can only be found in close to our communities,” Pula said.
Threatened resources
However, the source of the raw materials are under threat. Pula said that the misuse of the nature will greatly impact not only their source of livelihood but also their culture and tradition.
“Our forest in South Cotabato is the source of materials for us to make T’nalak. The green environment also serves as our inspiration,” said Pula.
“The locals in South Cotabato are alarmed on the future mining operations in Tampakan. We only wish to live a life that is one with nature, we don’t want to ruin it because it is a gift from God,” she added.
More dreams
Unlike Dacula’s tribe, where their local government gives full support in exposing the product to the global market, the T’bolis according to Pula receive lesser support.
“Filipinos sometimes do not understand why we sell T’nalak and other adornments at a higher price,” said Pula.
“T’nalaks are not like any other fabrics in the market which are made by machines. We laboured hard to give life to the T’nalaks,” she said.
“We dream to be well supported by the local government. We dream to be appreciated and patronized by the local market for them to understand us,” she added.
As for Dacula, the Maguidanaon tribe trains their children to create mats, fabrics and baskets to continue their ancestor’s legacy.
“Our dreams are similar to the dreams of other tribes in Mindanao and that is for the youth to carry on and live out our ancestors’ legacy,” he said.
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