UNIT 2: Weaving Threads in the Philippines

Lesson 1: Textile and Fabric Weaving

Learning Outcomes: at the end of the lesson, students should be able to,
1. Describe the different indigenous cloth weaving design in the Philippines.
2. Analyze the importance of indigenous weaving design to the social existing condition.
3. Identify the provinces in the Philippine that produces indigenous cloth.
4. Explain the manner of creations and the materials used.

Introduction

A few years back, Philippine traditional weaving practices and colorful indigenous textiles
were put into spotlight when it was put on permanent exhibition at the National Museum through
the efforts of Sen. Loren Legarda. Entitled, “Hibla ng Lahing Pilipino: The Artistry of Philippine
Textiles,” the exhibition highlighted the distinct creativity and DNA of the Filipino people among
other cultures through fabric.

Eventually, the exhibition was graced by Queen Sofia of Spain, Paolo Zegna of
Ermenegildo Zegna, and Lady Lynn Forester de Rotschild among many others and continued to
gain popularity. However, it did not only rest on the museum but was promoted further on malls
when Rustan’s chairman and CEO Nedy Tantoco partnered with the senator.

Filipino artistry and creativity are evident in various art forms but what makes the weaving
culture distinct is its power to unite people as strong, resilient communities bound by living tradition
and colorful textile patterns and motifs.

Traditional garb worn by tribes such as the Ifugao, Mandaya, Bontok, B’laan, and more are
displayed at the newly refurbished Hibla ng Lahing Filipino gallery at the Museum of the Filipino
People. Inaugurated last September, the exhibit includes tribal accessories, different kinds of
looms, various spinning and weaving implements, and historical photographs.
Taking care of the fabric is not easy.
According to Dr. Ana Maria Theresa Labrador, the assistant director of the National
Museum, the pieces are housed in microclimate cases to protect the textiles from mold. The lights
in the gallery have no ultraviolet rays which fade colors, and even the windows have been treated
with nanoceramic material which allows sunlight to stream in but filters out the ultraviolet rays.
“We collectively own it, so we should collectively take care of it,” she told Business World
shortly after the gallery opened. “Public spaces have to be respected so we can pass it on to the
next generation.”
These measures are necessary as the exhibit holds several valuable textiles.
One is the Banton cloth from Banton Islands in Romblon. A National Cultural Treasure, it
is the oldest piece of cloth in the Philippines.
Estimated to have been produced sometime in the 13th to early 14th century, it was
discovered in a coffin found in a cave in Banton. The death shroud was worn by a high ranking
member of the tribe, which makes it a very valued piece, said Dr. Labrador.
Not everything on exhibit is “tribal.” For example, Senator Loren Legarda, a strong
supporter of the exhibit, donated her mother’s (Bessie B. Legarda) baro’t saya with pañuelo for the
collection. Made of abaca cloth from Bicol, the three elegant baro’t saya feature floral prints and
embroidery.
 Another highlight of the exhibit, according to Dr. Labrador, are the blown up photographs
of 1904 St. Louis Exposition which show the traditional attire of the Bagobo, Manyan, Visayans,
Bontoc, among others. The photos of the controversial exposition come from the American
Museum of National History archives. Dr. Labrador said that one couldn’t deny how spectacular
the costumes were.
The temporary exhibit is entitled Abel Ilokana, which features woven cloth from Ilocos Sur,
La Union, Ilocos Norte, and Abra. The temporary exhibit runs until March 30.
The museum hopes to attract the younger generation through this new gallery, said Dr.
Labrador. They want to redefine leisure days and family outings as not just going to the mall but
also visiting the museum. Not only will visitors learn about history and culture, but they will also
see the talent of the Filipino people, she said.
The Museum of the Filipino People also refurbished the Baybayin exhibit, which focuses
on the ancient Filipino script. Included in the exhibit are the Laguna Copperplate, the Calatagan
Pot, the Intramuros Potsherd, and the Monreal Stones.

PINILIAN
Community: Ilocano
Origin: Ilocos Region

The Ilocano of northwestern Philippines is well-known for their hand weaving, a tradition
with ancient roots, with the kapas or cotton as the main material.

They use the pedal loom, locally called pangablan; employ several weaving techniques;
and have numerous designs/patterns. Different weaving techniques include the basic plain weave,
the double-toned basket weave or binakul, and the multi-heddle weave
(binetwagan or tinumballitan), among others. Among the complicated one is the brocade weave
or pinilian, which uses sticks inserted on selected warp threads to create designs that float on the
threads.

There are two kinds of pinilian: scattered and continuous supplementary weft techniques.
The weavers of Pinili, Ilocos Norte, are said to be adept in the simultaneous warp and weft-float
type of pinilian called the impalagto, a technique unique in the town.
BONTOC WEAVE
Community: Bontoc
Origin: Mountain Province

The Bontoc textile revolves around the idea of centeredness, which symbolizes
permanence, order, and balance, key factors in the life of the Bontoc people. Weavers
demonstrate this idea through the direction of their weave, from the edge to the middle, to the
symmetry of the cloth construction and the repeated warp-striped design.

Bontoc weavers learn the craft through various stages. Young Bontoc girls usually start
their training with the simplest part of the cloth, the langkit or edging. Next, they move on to pa-
ikid (side panels), learning simple designs such as fatawil (warp-bands) and shukyong(arrows).
After mastering this level, they move on to the most challenging part, the sinangad-am design
which represents the Sinamaki weaving. Here, they incorporate designs on the bands such
as tinagtakho (human figure), minatmata (diamond), and tinitiko (zigzag). The pa-khawa (the
center panel) is the next thing they have to master. The center panel features a band in the middle
and a kan-ay (supplementary weft) at its end.

Because of the complex process of adding the kan-ay, the center panel would be woven
last. When all the parts are ready, they would be sewn together in the reverse order of their
creation, ending with the langkit.

KALINGA TEXTILES
Community: Kalinga
Origin: Province of Kalinga

The Kalinga textiles exhibit motifs executed as though they are embedded in the geometry
of weaving itself. It has a distinct dialogue between red and blue, expressing itself in broad red and
blue bands of plain or twill weave, and creating densely-composed groups of tight stripes.
The Kalinga weavers, particularly in the upper Kalinga area, put textures on the striped bands
using twill-weave technique. Tiny motifs, patterns, and embellishments have characterized Kalinga
textile, including miniature lattice, continuous lozenge pattern locally called inata-ata,
and pawekan or mother-of-pearl platelets, among others.
PIÑA
Community: Aklanon
Origin: Aklan

Considered the finest of Philippine textiles, the piña fabric is made from the fibers of the
leaves of the red Bisaya pineapple through an arduous process. The extraction of the fibers is a
most delicate and tedious process.

The leaves provide two kinds of fibers—the bastos or the rough fiber, and the liniwan or
the fine fiber. Using a shard of Chinese porcelain, the stripper removes the epidermis of the leaf,
exposing the lustrous bastos fiber. After stripping the leaves of the rough fibers, the stripper then
run a coconut shell on the inner layer of the leaf to expose the liniwan.

The degumming process entails repeated rinsing, beating, and air-drying of the fibers.
When the fibers are completely dried, the weaver connects each strand through knotting to
produce long continuous strands before the weaving process, which uses the pedal loom.

The Aklanons of western Panay Island are known for the piña with inlaid supplementary
weft designs or more often embroidered with floral or vegetal designs on the lattice ground.
Lumban in Laguna and Taal in Batangas are known embroidery centers. The piña is the preferred
material for the barong Tagalog.

History and Origin of Piña

“Piña” fiber is extracted from the leaves of a pineapple plant. Its scientific name is ananas
comosus. The fibers are ivory-white in color and naturally glossy. The cloth is translucent, soft
and fine with high luster. Piña fiber is often blended with cotton, abaca, silk, or polyester to
create wonderful light, breezy fabrics. Since piña fabric is hand loomed by only a few weavers,
it is very precious and scarce, which also makes it expensive.

Piña Fiber Extraction Tools

 The piña fiber is used mainly for the Barong Tagalog, also for wedding dresses and
other traditional Philippine formal dress. It is also used for table linens, mats, bags and other
clothing items. Because it is lightweight but stiff, this sheer fabric can be used in any creative
design. Noted couturiers in the local fashion scene are now using the fabric in their creations
for haute couture shows worldwide.

Piña’s name comes from the Spanish word “piña” which literally means pineapple.
Spanish Red or Native Philippine Red pineapple variety takes about 18 months to reach
maturity. They thrive best in open fields with sandy clay soil. The pineapple plant grows spiny
leaves up to two meters in length. It is said that the leaves of these varieties yield excellent
fibers for hand weaving. After about a year from planting, three to five leaves are cut from each
plant.

Processes ……

Piña is from a leaf, the leaf has to be cut first from the plant. Then the fiber is pulled or
split away from the leaf. Each strand of the piña fiber is hand scraped and is knotted one by
one to form a continuous filament to be handwoven and then made into a piña cloth. The green
epidermal layer is scraped off the leaf with tools made from coconut shells, coconut husks or
pottery shards. Extraction from the long, stiff leaves is time consuming and labor intensive.
These fibers are then spun into soft, shimmering fabrics by hand. Because the fiber is fine and
breaks easily, working with it is slow and tedious. Workers are constantly knotting broken
threads. The result is a lightweight, transparent fabric that is positively beautiful.
Piña Visayan Weavers

The liniwan, is the finest fiber, used for weaving the piña cloth. The second layer,
bastos, is a coarse fiber used in making strings or twine. The finer fiber is called pinukpok. All
these fibers are combed to clean them further (usually by the river since it is believed that its
water makes the strands whiter) and render them easy for hand knotting into continuous
strands. Since the individual stripped fiber is no longer than 30 inches, the fibers have to be
knotted. This process is known in the dialect as pag-panug-ot, an utterly delicate and laborious
task. A piece of bamboo is fashioned into a blade to cut off the end of each knot.

The manner of extracting pineapple fibers …

The next step is warping. This is done on pegs struck in a board. Another laborious
step, it usually takes 15 to 20 days to warp enough yarns to complete a “sucod” of 18 to 20
“bucos” or 54 to 60 meters of cloth.
Pag-talinyas or spinning is likewise executed with a crude hand-operated bobbin
winder which is turned by the right hand while the left hand drills the strand into a tiny mold
made of reed or tabun-ak. This process makes the material ready for the loom. The loom
has foot-operated treadle with an extended overhead warp beam with two harnesses and
two treadles. The warp is wound into the warp beam. Then it is treaded into the boddle
(benting) reed or sucod. The benting allows the warp to open when the treadle is stepped on
the feet. The sucod is used to press the weft to thicken the cloth.

The thickness and width of the cloth is determined by the sucod. There are the 65, 70
and 80 types of winder. For instance, the 65 sucod produces a cloth of about 24 inches in
width; 70 sucod, 29 inches, and the 80 sucod, 31 to 32 inches. Dyeing the fiber to any desired
color may be executed at this point. Normally piña is beige or dirty white or ecru but dyed piña
produces blue or black piña cloth. These hand woven fabrics are colored with vegetable dyes
originating from leaves, and bark of different trees. The result is equally dramatic and
charming.

In the olden days, the weavers decided on their own design. The designs usually took
the form of flowers, fruits, coconut trees, nipa huts or other designs concocted by the weaver’s
imagination. The designs may have been copied from cloths, which have already been
designed or inlaid into the fabric with the aid of a graphing paper. In the case of the latter, the
design is made on the warp. The traditional decoration for this fabric is a style of hand
embroidery called calado. An embroidered piña garment is called piña calado. It takes 8 hours
to finish one meter of plain weave cloth, and only one-half to three quarters of a meter may be
finished if the cloth has a design. The amount of time spent on the cloth depends on the
intricacy of the design. Piña cloth weaving reached its peak of perfection in the late 18th
century and in the first half of the 19th century. The decree of the Franciscan chapter of 1580,
which urged the teaching of the crafts and trades, has further helped promote piña cloth
weaving. The Spanish missionary nuns taught the young girls not only religion, but also other
crafts like embroidery that honed the natives’ skills and talents.

Aklanon Woman Winding Piña Fiber

The piña fiber and cloth industry is centered in Aklan. Aklan is the main and the oldest
manufacturer/weaver of piña cloth in the Philippines. But in recent years, Negros Oriental and
Palawan started its own cultivation of pineapple plant of the Red Spanish variety from Aklan
aside from conducting skills training program on fiber extraction and weaving. The Aklan piña
cloth is woven from the finest mature leaves of native pineapples. Pineapple silk is considered
the queen of Philippine fabrics and is considered the fabric of choice of the Philippine elite.
Today, piña cloth is being exported to various parts of the world most particularly North
America and Europe.

HABLON
Communities: Kiniray-a and Hiligaynon
Origin: Panay Island

Hablon is Hiligaynon for “something woven,” from the root word habol, “to weave”. It refers
to the hand-woven textiles by Kiniray-a and Hiligaynon weavers.

In a Panayanon legend, ten datus from Borneo landed on Panay Island, established
settlements and ushered in an era of development. One of the legendary datus was Datu Lubay,
who is said to introduce the art of weaving textiles.
 Weaving using the pedal loom had been common in the provinces of Iloilo and Antique
until the arrival of mechanised weaving. Now, there are very few places where traditional weaving
is practiced, notable of these are Miag-ao in Iloilo and Bagtasan, Bugasong in Antique.

The hablon is usually a plain weave and has plaid and striped designs. It is usually used
for the patadyong, the Visayan wraparound skirt, and panuelo.

SAPUTANGAN TAPESTRY WEAVE

Community: Yakan
Origin: Basilan

Known for being highly-skilled, with impressive weaving repertoires, Yakan weavers
produce textile with five different kinds of weaving, often differentiated by technique, pattern, and
function.

The bunga-sama is a supplementary weft weave, made by using pattern sticks or heddles
in the loom to produce the pattern. The colourful striped siniluan is characterised by warp-floating
pattern. Saputangan is a square cloth best known for its intricate and rich design, involving optical
illusion to create depth in the patterns. The inalaman is made using an elaborate supplementary-
weft technique, and often used for women’s wraparound skirt. The pinantupan, which is also used
for the wraparound skirt, utilises simple weft pattern arranged in the bands.

The saputangan is an example of a tapestry weave, considered the oldest and most
traditional technique in producing ornamented woven textiles, aside from the plain weave
technique wherein stripes and plaids are formed.

The saputangan is worn by Yakan women in different ways depending on the occasion
such as elen-elen (for everyday wear), hap tabuan (for going to market) and ginuna
sipagkawin (worn like a veil when attending a wedding).

MABAL TABIH
Community: Blaan
Origin: Sarangani and South Cotabato

Tabih, in Blaan, refers to the native tubular skirt, and also to the textile, while mabal means
“woven” or “to weave”. The Blaan weave the tabih using abaca fibers and the back-strap loom
The fibers are dyed using the warp tie-dye resist ikat technique and natural dyes from native plants.
Designs usually depict crocodiles and tiny curls. The Blaan are also known to be accomplished
embroiderers and the tabih is often meticulously embellished with embroidery. A practice
traditionally reserved to women of high status, weaving has a strong spiritual context in Blaan
society, believed to be the gift from Furalo, the goddess of weaving. Aside from the tubular skirts,
the abaca textile is used for making garment for men, as well as covering for important materials
such as knives.

BAGOBO INABAL
Community: Bagobo Manobo
Origin: Davao del Sur

The Bagobo, a subgroup of the Manobo, are expert in extracting the fibers of the abaca
from the leaf sheaths and selecting the very fine ones for weaving their textiles.

They use the back-strap loom for weaving inabal abaca fiber textiles with ikat-or tie-dyed
resist designs forming mother-and-baby crocodile figures in geometricised abstracted forms. The
dyestuffs are all extracted from plants in their surroundings. The finished abaca fibers undergo a
polishing process, using a smooth shell.

Beeswax, which is applied to the beater during the weaving process, adds to the sheen
during the finishing process. The Bagobo textile is usually used for making the native tubular skirt,
of which there are two types, sinukla and the bandira.

DAGMAY
Community: Mandaya
Origin: Eastern Mindanao

The Mandaya, which can be found in the provinces of Davao Oriental, Davao del Norte,
Compostella Valley, Surigao del Sur, and Agusan del Sur, have a strong weaving tradition as seen
in their coarsely textured dagmay, hand-woven using a special kind of back-strap loom, made from
abaca fibers, and following intricate designs revolving around man and nature, specially the
crocodile.
 They use a mud dyeing technique. Used to obtain black, the technique is based on the
reaction between the tannins applied on the yarn before treatment, and the iron found on the mud.
The bark of the tree, which contains tanninsm is pounded to a pulp and boiled together with the
abaca yarn. The mud is then added to the mixture. The yarn is steeped for one to several hours
for the best results.

Dagmay designs usually tell the story about the weaver and her community, as well as the
spirits that live on Earth. The dagmay is usually used for women’s skirt, but it is also used as
blankets or wraps for the dead.

MARANAW TEXTILE
Community: Maranaw
Origin: Lanao del Norte and Lanao del Sur

The Maranaw of Lanao del Norte and Lanao del Sur know a wide range of weaving
techniques including the weft and warp ikat tie-dye resist and continuous and discontinuous
supplementary weft design.

They are known for the malong, a tubular lower garment. Among its several types,
the malong a andon is the most highly valued. This is followed by the malong a landap, which is
known for its tapestry bands called langkit, often used to join the broad panels of silk together.
Another kind is the malong a bagadat, made from similar wide bands in contrasting colours and
separated by narrow bands of warp ikat.

Made using a narrow, specialised kind of tapestry loom, langkit, usually comes in two
kinds: tabrian or the narrow panel, and lakban or the wider panel. Beautifully designed,
the langkithas distinct Maranao okir designs
including potiok (bud), dapal or raon (leaf), pako (fern), pako rabong (growing fern)
and katorai (flower). These intricate designs are made using discontinuous weft.

PIS SYABIT WEAVE

Community: Tausug
Origin: Sulu Archipelago
 The Tausug women are experts in tapestry weaving and embroidery, while men do the
large hanings in appliqué. They specialise in the production of pis syabit (head scarf)
and kambot/kandit.

The pis syabit is traditionally worn by men and warriors. A most complicated design
technique, the pis syabit tapestry weaving of Tausug has no preset pattern sticks or pre-designed
warp yarns into which the weaver inserts the desert yarn.

The weaver has to clearly imagine the pattern in her mind as she inserts one coloured weft
yarn one at a time to fill up the space in the warp, in a sequence her mind only knows. The weaver
creates a perfectly symmetrical composition of squares and Xs with hooks, and in seven to eight
colours.

T’NALAK
Community: Tboli
Origin: South Cotabato

The traditional textile woven by the Tboli women, t’nalak represents birth, life, union in
marriage and death, and shows the uniqueness and identity of the indigenous group. It is often
utilised as blankets and clothing, and used in royal wedding ceremonies on rare occasions.

The Tboli weavers are often called “dream weavers” but this applies only to a few dedicated
weavers. It is believed that the designs and patterns are bestowed on them by Fu Dalu, the spirit
of abaca, through their dreams.

The tedious creation of the t’nalak starts with extracting the abaca fibers, which are them
combed to remove the sap. They are connected from end to end, and knotted and prepared for
design prior to resist-dyeing, known as the ikat method.

A t’nalak traditionally has three colors: black, red, and white. The fibers are then woven
using the backstrap loom. The textile is then washed in the river, beaten with a wooden stick to
flatten the knots, and burnishing the surface with a cowrie shell.

The late Lang Dulay was widely regarded as one of the best weavers and was bestowed
the Gawad sa Manlilikha ng Bayan in 1998. Pictured here is one of her creations.
 “As an outstanding expression of communal creativity, Filipinos can take great pride in the
amazing diversity and beauty of their textile arts, which can match or even surpass other weaving
traditions in the world,” said Felipe De Leon Jnr, former chairman of the National Commission for
Culture and the Arts. “We should not allow the wealth and exuberance of this cultural heritage to
succumb to the homogenizing monoculture of global consumerism and the monotony of mass
production,” said De Leon.
One of the recognizably different and interesting elements of T’boli culture is their Abaca
fabric known as T’nalak woven by their Dreamweavers.

In my recent visit to Lake Sebu, we were made to visit one of the 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.

the beautiful pattern found in any T’nalak fiber were created consciously by the weaver without
using any printed design or pattern relying solely on the mental image
The visit to the center allowed me to listen to the history of T’nalak weaving. Roy Ungkal,
a Tboli guide lead us to appreciate the intricacy of this ancient craft.

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 it.
Tboli woman tying the abaca fiber before the dyeing process
Being into a handicraft business, I was fascinated by the very complicated process
employed in producing the fiber.

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.

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.

this local plant is used to color the abaca fiber for the T’nalak
The traditional colors found in a Tnalak 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 Tboli women. No artificial or chemicals are being used to color the
fiber.

To dye the abaca, the tied fibers are cooked for an average of three weeks to achieve the
desired hue of color. After which the tied fibers are removed and rinsed in running water through
a stream until the water runs clear.

Web Source:
https://ph.asiatatler.com/life/weaving-the-threads-of-filipino-heritage
 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.

the traditional colors found in any T’nalak cloth include black red and white
One observation I made during our visit at 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.

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.
the cowrie shell with a hole brought about by continuous rubbing on the T’nalak fiber is
testimonof hard work employed in each piece of Tnalak sold in the market
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.

Yakan Weaving in Lamitan, the Yakan Homeland

Yakan hand loomed fabrics are known for their use of bold colors and geometric patterns. The
traditional Yakan art of weaving originated from the island of Basilan, and there is no better place to
witness this living art than in the Yakan Homeland of Lamitan, Basilan.

The armed conflicts in Basilan from the 70's to the 90's pushed the Yakan tribes to flee to
Zamboanga City where the Yakan art of weaving took temporary refuge. For a while, Yakan fabrics
have become synonymous with Zamboanga City through the Yakan settlement in Upper Calarian.
 With the renewed peace and progress in Lamitan, the art of Yakan weaving is once again
thriving in its native land. Through the support of the local government of Lamitan, the industry of
weaving has created jobs to many Yakan women. Some of the Yakan fabrics made in Lamitan are
currently being shipped to Zamboanga City to be sold at the Yakan Weaving Village.

Yakan fabrics are traditionally used as garments. The Seputangan is a square cloth used by
the Yakan women as a head cover or as belt. The Badju Lapi is a tight blouse with long sleeves and
ornamented with gold, silver or bronze buttons. The Sawal is the traditional tight-fitting trousers made
of a Yakan fabric characterized by its vertical stripes design. The trousers are then covered by
the Pinalantupan skirt.

Due to its increasing popularity, Yakan fabrics are now also being used in making bags, coin
purses, table runners and other household ornaments. In recognition of the economic and tourism
potentials of the industry of Yakan weaving, the city government of Lamitan has established the Datu
Dizal Cultural Center which will house Yakan weaving industry and identified the Yakan fabric as its
One Town One Product (OTOP).