THE ANCIENT CULTURE OF THE TIBOLI TRIBE WORKS IN HARMONY WITH THE LAKE’S BEAUTY. MARY JOY ROSETE EXPLORES THE NATURAL PROTECTORSHIP. PHOTOGRAPHY BY WALTER C VILLA
A faint melody of pipes and the jingling of bells sounds in the background as I face an acquaintance I have not seen in a decade. Her face mirrors my excitement and enthusiasm as she spreads colorful beads and rolls of t’nalak, an abaca handwoven textile, before me.
I am at Maria Todi’s residence, near the community-owned School of Indigenous Knowledge and Tradition (SIKAT), where students are practising a dance for visitors.
As the students rehearse, Maria, wearing the traditional kimu t’boli (dress) of a T’boli tribeswoman, is a consummate storyteller recounting entrancing legends of Lake Sebu: the spirits of trees and lakes and the related customs and beliefs that have passed through generations.
Lake Sebu is home to the T’boli, one of the indigenous peoples of the Southern Philippines. Before World War II, the T’bolis lived in the plains of Southern Cotobato, but when mass migration to Mindanao begun in the early 20th century, settlers pushed the indigenous tribe to the mountains and hills of Lake Sebu, where they settled. It’s hard to imagine a more picturesque spot, with mountains, rolling hills, stretches of grassland with wild horses reminiscent of Mongolia and, of course, the beautiful lake.
The majority of the T’bolis are farmers and fishermen. Their culture is richly interspersed with nature, their dances mimicking the action of animals such as monkeys (madal iwas) or birds (madal tahaw). Rituals with exotic sounding names wield magical powers. Temfu stops the coming of heavy rains.
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Maria Todi , with some of the students of Sikat, is one of the members of the T’boli tribe who live at Lake Sebu. The traditions of their everyday life date back to the early 20th century and serve to preserve the beauty of the spectacular environment |
Demsu is a peace offering to the spirits, performed when new land is cleared. The sighting of a particular bird is an omen to signal that the spirit gives approval before a farmer begins planting.
Believing in the Spirits
The spread of Christianity and Islam has not impeded the T’boli’s practice of animistic beliefs:
“Hanggang ngayon naniniwala pa rin kami na mayroong isang Diyos, D’wata na nananatili sa kalikasan, at may espiritu ang bawat puno, lupa at tubig” (until today, we believe in the existence of one God, D’wata, who dwells in our environment), Maria Todi explains.
“Tulus funen na, nagmamayari at nakatira sa puno” (we respect and believe in the existence of spirits). “Fu el na nakatira at may-ari ng tubig, at ang espiritu ng tinalak na si Fudalu” (Tulus funen, who owns and dwells among the trees, Fu el the spirit of water and Fudalu, female spirit of the t’nalak).
Of course it’s these beliefs that have preserved the natural environment. “You can only make a hegulung (t’boli guitar) from a specific tree, and before you do, there is a demsu (ritual) where you have to offer something to the spirit. You have to ask Tulus funen to bless the instrument to give good tunes. Even before cutting the tree, I ask permission from Tulus funen.”
A weaver of dreams
Lang Dulay, 90 years old, is a renowned t’nalak weaver and designer. She does not weave anymore, but is still active in teaching her designs. She talks animatedly as her grandchildren translate. Awarded the Gawad sa Manlilikha ng Bayan by the National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA) in 1998, she is a National Living Treasure.
She learned to weave the t’nalak when she was only 12 years old.Her designs were passed on from her ancestors and some of them she dreamed up herself. Her knowledge of kabangi (butterfly) and the bulinglangit (clouds) among hundreds of other designs, showcase the complexity, refinement and quality of her creation.
Having only two sons, she passes on the knowledge to her students, whom she calls daughters. She’s built three longhouses in Sito Tobong, Bo Lamdalag, where she trains her students and after three or four years of study, pupils can be called weavers and designers. Since the creation of her school, 15 weavers, all girls, have graduated, and these former students now pass on their knowledge and skill to other T’boli women. I watch two of her great grandchildren unravel a bundle of abaca, patiently separating each strand for weaving.
Unraveling the t’nalak
The abaca textile is known as t’nalak to the T’boli and its design expresses dreams and demonstrates the weavers’ reverence for nature. As I touch the t’nalak and marvel at the intricacy of patterns and rows of tiny diamonds, I can see how the environment is evident in its design. Objects that play an important part in agriculture are subtly illustrated within the patterns, demonstrating the people’s harmonious relations towards their environment. One popular t’nalak design, Mabaga Mogal, is a spirit which protects harvest. Maria Todi explains that the weaver had a dream in which Fudalu appeared to the woman bearing that particular design.
Each t’nalak takes from three to four months to complete. Out of hundreds of weavers, only a few can produce designs of excellence. And the price is correspondingly high: each bundle of abaca costs around 10 pesos, it takes 30 bundles to create a t’nalak eight to 10 meters long, so each meter costs from PHP600-800 (USD14-20) to PHP4000 (USD95), and will be sold around the world.
Passing on the torch
Lake Sebu is secure, thanks to visionary women like Maria and Lang Dulay, who continue to ensure that the tribal beliefs, customs and traditions are preserved and their ancestral domain protected.
In the community-owned local school, T’boli teachers have taken on the role of teaching their own culture and tradition to the next generation. Organizations such as the Helubong Dance Troupe and Kesetifun Cultural Care Foundation include the preservation of the T’boli culture and protection of their ancestral domain in their mission. As I leave, I hear the onset of modernity as videoke music spills from the roadside, but the strain of traditional pipes and rhythmic drumming resounds just as loudly from the hills of Lake Sebu.
EXPERIENCE LAKE SEBU
■ COLORFUL FESTIVALS There are two festivals that will be celebrated this year. Come in the last week of September to see Kmini, a ritual and celebration of bountiful harvest. Hear the playing of T’boli musical instruments and witness the planting of traditional rice. Contact Maria Todi, director of Kesetifun Cultural Care Foundation and consultant to the Helubong cultural dance troupe, tel: 0918 767 1063, for more information. Helubong is a T’boli word for never-ending joy and bountiful harvest. The festival takes place from 9-11 November where you can expect to see horse fights, traditional dance competitions and experience first hand T’boli music, chants and dances. This is also the best time to see the locals dress up in traditional kimu t’boli and ngom.
■ NATURE’S WONDER Watch magnificent sunrises and sunsets over the three lakes: Sebu, Siloton and Lahit. For the adventure lover, hike the seven falls of Lake Sebu. Don’t miss a taste of fresh water tilapia (fish) at the Lakeside resorts.
■ ALTERNATIVE HOLIDAY Experience something different: stay with a T’boli family, watch the preparation of their traditional food, and observe t’nalak weaving and brass-casting. Contact Cesar S Sulit Jr, Arts, Culture, Tourism and Sports Promotion Council, telefax: 083 228 3447, or Joselito Sanchez, Lake Sebu Eco-Tourism Council, tel: 0926 629 5640. Support Sikat, the school of living tradition, and ensure that T’boli culture and tradition is passed on to the next generation. Log on to www.sikat-tboli.com for more details.
■ WHERE TO STAY
•Punta Isla Lake Resort, tel: 083 238 8503 / 0919 485 2910.
•Tonex Farm Resort, Sito Tabeti Barangay, Siloton, tel: 0927 882 9461.
•Estares Lake Resort, tel:0915 9885175
•Mountain Log Resort, Purok Pag-asa, tel: 045 963 9680/0926 629 5640.
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