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Monday, November 28, 2005
The B'laan's tribal costume
By Edwin G. Espejo
MOVE over Patis Tesoro. Give way Pitoy Moreno. There are new award winning designers in town--er, rather old fashion weavers of elaborately handcrafted traditional costumes that, in the olden days, are traded for horses and carabaos.
They are even offered as payment for fines and penalties and are valued items for dowries.
Strange? Stranger still if your are told that one of these designers' recent masterpiece is now showcased in Paris, the haute coutre capital of the world.
Meet Elen Lumbos, a 35 year-old B'laan from Lamlifew, a remote sitio (hamlet) of Barangay Datal Tampal in Malungon, Sarangani.
Elen, together with four other weavers, beamed with pride in narrating how they have thrice won the Grand Prize Award in the design contest held in the last three Kadayawan Festivals in Davao City.
Davao City itself is home to the Bagobos and Manobos, two of the country's ornately dressed indigenous tribes. S'lahs, takmons, lutays, etc.
If Manila's elite designers have their own fashion speak, so have the B'laans, a formerly nomadic tribe that once dominated the lowlands of Central Mindanao.
Long before textiles were introduced in the country, the B'laans, as most other indigenous Filipino people, relied on plant fibers as source of clothing materials.
So if you come across a barangay named Lutay, the first thing that should come to your mind is abaca.
Lutay is the B'laan term of abaca, a sturdy and durable fiber stripped from the stalks of the banana-like plant.
They used to dye their lutays with saps of trees and plants.
But what separates the traditional B'laan costumes from most of the other indigenous tribes is their propensity in using tiny beads and sequin-like capiz shells they call "takmon" to give design and color to their clothes.
And the design could be so elaborate it would put to shame a queen's regale gown--if only one would be daring enough to wear a skirt that weighs close to four kilos.
Did I mention fashion speak?
Well, the B'laans call their blouses saul s'lah and their skirts, dafeng.
For the men's apparel, they call their shirt saul laki and their trousers salwal B'laan.
Among the women, the intricately beaded wooden comb is a must. They call it swat san salah.
Gusaben Diamod, a 75-year-old B'laan, considers her comb a priceless heirloom.
I offered to buy it from her but she vigorously, yet politely, declined the offer. She said she inherited the comb from her ancestors.
Labor of love
While slahs and takmons could be easily bought from your nearest textile stores, the time and efforts used in handcrafting the sauls for men and women are invaluable.
Nowadays, B'laan weavers prefer Indian head as textile material in lieu woven-abaca cloth.
An antique collector however once told this writer that the softer the saul fabrics made of abaca are, the older they are.
A simple-designed saul for women can be had for P1,500 but it could fetch as much as P5,000.
With horses now costing around P4,000, owning an elaborately-designed saul could only signify one's social status in the community.
Elen recalled how they were paid P10,000 for a skirt and blouse commissioned by Davao City designer Emy Ingles, which won the grand prize in last year's Kadayawan Festival.
While the concept was provided by Ingles, it was Elen and her companions who wove the tiny black and red beads using their bare hands and employing their own design.
It took a month for five of them to finish the gown.
She recalled how one of the judges tried to pull the beads to make sure they were not glued on the cloth.
This year, their masterpiece again bagged the grand prize.
Unfortunately, Elen did not have a photo of the masterpiece that is now exhibited all over Paris.
Kasfala
B'laans consider their traditional attires as priceless possessions.
"Kung moadto mi og Kasfala, kini ang amo ginahanyag," Elen said. (Whenever we go to a ceremony, we bring our handicraft).
Their sauls, dafengs and salwals are offered as dowries during weddings, with or independent of the traditional dowry items such as farm animals.
They are also used as items for settling dispute among warring clans and even as payment for crimes committed against a person or clan.
These are also offered as gifts to royalties and valued guests and visitors of the clan.
While wearing the sauls, dafengs and salwals is a matter of tribal pride, it may not be practical for the non-B'laans.
Elen says it is too hot for comfort to non-B'laans.
"But we are already accustomed to it. After all this is our traditional way of dressing," she said.
(November 28, 2005 issue)
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