kBiography

 Early life

Lang Dulay was born on August 3, 1928. She came from a

prominent line of rulers in her tribe as she was known to be a
T’boli princess. Her location and pride hails from Sitio
Tukolefa, Lamdalag, Lake Sebu, South Cotabato. During
those times, T’nalak was considered a valuable commodity
since it enabled the people to barter it with water buffalos or
horses. The T’nalak fabric is considered as an exemplary
form of dowry that can be used as dresses for women.

 Interest on weaving Lang Dulay designing her T’nalak

Based on reports described that Lang Dulay’s mother,

Luan Senig, influenced her to weave at the age of 12. In her humble workshop at the
Manlilikha ng Bayan Center in Sitio Tukolefa, Lamdalag, Lake Sebu, South Cotabato,
she sits at the center of the second floor of a traditional T’boli house. In there, she
makes her masterpieces with two bamboo contraptions, and train her granddaughters to
art of T’nalak weaving.

 Later life

In 2011, Lang Dulay retired because of her advancing age. Her achievements comprised
of over 100 designs that symbolizes the culture and tradition of the T’boli people. Her
works have a designated signature that details ‘Lang Dulay’ at the very end of the
T’nalak fabric. Surprisingly, the last design she created was bought by the NCCA before
she passed away.

 Personal Life

Surprisingly, her crusade of preserving this heirloom to the future generation of girls was
fruitful, however, she only bore two sons. One of them is Florencio, and the other is
Minggod, who is already dead. Lang Dulay was the 3rd of her husband’s six wives since
the T’boli culture is known to practice
polygamy.

 Death

Her death was remembered and mourned by

her community. It was known that she
suffered from a massive stroke and fell into
coma. The 40-day stay in the hospital was
unsustainable and expensive. Therefore, her
family decided to take her home and tend to
her needs. Her granddaughters took care of
her for the next two months until her 91-year-
old body gave way. It took 4 weeks for the
A soldier on the funeral of Lang Dulay
 T’boli community to mourn for her death, and a state funeral was organized. As her
casket was lowered in a shrine perched on a hill just above the weaving house,
everyone in the village was in tears including his then and only living son.

Journey as an artist

 Significant works

Her product recognizes the stories and struggles of her people. She was deemed by the
elders as ‘dreamweaver’ because she first made T’nalak cloth after she dreamed it from
their goddess, Fa Dula. From these envisions, she made about 100 designs.
Incorporating her grace, whereas, her textiles reflect wisdom and the visions of the T’boli
people.

The NCCA declared her art as magnificent because of the fine and even quality of the
yarn. The close interweaving patterns the chromatic integrity of the dye, and the
consistency of the finish made it prominent.

 Struggles

The establishment of the Sta. Cruz mission

enable the weavers to market their
produce. Making the T’nalak designs
popular and the demands soared high.
The outcome of this situation resulted to
the commercialization of the T’nalak
industry. Providing outsiders to impose
their designs on the sacred art. Ironically,
these manufactured form of T’nalak are
more expensive than the traditional
processes of it. Although faced with this
dilemma, Lang persists to preserve the T’boli women on Sta. Cruz mission High School
art of making T’nalak.

Another struggle that Lang Dulay faced, was the extinction of the traditional process of
T’nalak. The tedious and backbreaking method made it not feasible to the younger
generation to create. Lang Dulay added that T’boli girls nowadays are busy with their
studies, and have a little time to perfect the art of T’nalak.

 Contribution to the Philippine contemporary art

In 1998, Lang Dulay and fellow awardee Salinta Monon were invited to present their
works at the Smithsonian institution in Washington D.C. in United states as part of the
 Philippine Independence Centennial celebration. Their works received recognition from
critics and tourists, and making their textiles significant.
 GAMABA

She was in her late 70s when she was recognized by the National Commission for
Culture and the Arts (NCCA) as Living treasure (manlilikha ng Bayan) for her
contribution on the indigenous arts. The former president Fidel V. Ramos bestowed her
the ‘Gawad Manlilikha Award ng Bayan’ because of her amazing craftsmanship and
particular artistic skills. On the website of the NCCA, Maricris Jan Tobias wrote that
Dulay shed tears of joy upon hearing the news of her recognition.

 Process of T’nalak
The fibres are harvested from the abaca
tree and prepared in a process called
‘kedungon’. The two metal blades are used
to remove the pulp, thereby, exposing the
filaments which are manually worked into
fine threads. In the process known as
‘tembong’, the artisan will connect the
threads from end to end making a spool of
yarn. ‘Temogo’, or commonly known as
dyeing, could be done in ikat-style where
the fibres are boiled using natural pigments.
In the process of weaving, known as
‘mewel’, is done on a backstrap loom with
the bamboo contraption. Weaving one
piece of cloth could take up to one month of
u
n A weaver tying the abaca to form a yarn.
i
interrupted work. Surprisingly, the weavers could only weave in the morning and
afternoon because abaca fibres are sensitive to high temperature. The final stage,
known as ‘semaki’, involves burnishing the fabric with a cowrie shell. Nut oil is added to
condition the fabric and add sheen.

 Symbols

The T’nalak fabrics hold prominence to the T’boli people and culture. It is present in a
person’s birth, marriage, and death. It is their true medium which sanctifies these rites.
Originally, the T’boli did not have a form of writing, the T’nalak functions as their their
literature and art. It is through the fabric that their dream, belief, and hopes are detailed.

Through her 100 designs, Lang Dulay describe some of it as the following:
doun basag (palm leaf)
taywan (shell)
 logi (male)
libun (female)
subo bun (small frog)
klumbow (carabao)
seyufon (scorpion)

Existing interviews

 Her advocacy
Lang Dulay wishes younger girls would be interested in weaving because it is only the
women in their 30s who have remained interested in weaving. “The children are busy
with their studies,” she says.

 Preserving the culture

"My aim is to strengthen our tradition as T'boli, so my students can pass their knowledge
to the next generation"

 On receiving GAMABA and recognition oversees.

" My Life before the award was different. Now I am fully relieved because I am able to
fulfill my wish. To see my grandchildren finish school and become teachers. It is my
dream. My wish, I am blessed. I recall when I visited America (the Smithsonian event
where she is one of the delegates). I realized how important knowledge was. I told
myself if anybody would
sell knowledge, I would
buy it no matter how
many water buffaloes it
would cost. I realized
the value and
importance of
education. I won’t waste
my money but use it to
send my grandchildren
to school”

Lang Dulay in her weaving center


M’ BAGA DUN
IT CAPTURES THE RHYTHM AND CALM OF A
MOTHER SINGING LULLABY TO HER CHILD
BED BWENGKEL
IT BWENGKEL MEANS “CROCODILE”, AND
THIS T’NALAK PATTERN RECALLS THE
STORY OF HOW ONE OF THE SMALLER
LAKES CAME TO BE
BED SOBO
A TRADITIONAL PATTER THAT
FEATURES A SMALL FROG THAT IS
COMMON IN THE COUNTRYSIDE
BED BWENGKEL
IT BWENGKEL MEANS “CROCODILE”, AND
THIS T’NALAK PATTERN RECALLS THE
STORY OF HOW ONE OF THE SMALLER
LAKES CAME TO BE
SENKULU (HEAD TO HEAD) DUDUM LUBON BORDER WITH
BETEK KEFUNG (GATHERING OF
THE CLOUDS/PATTERNS OF THE
DUST)

BANGGALA DUDUM LUBON BORDER

WITH BASAG
 GEMAYAW LEL ALAH (STREAM OR FLOW
OF THE ALAH RIVER)

GEMEWET
MEBAGA KLAGAN (KLAGAN
(INTERCONNECTEDNESS OR
TEMPLATE)
CONNECTIONS)
Subject
Lang Dulay's tnalak is a work of art that gives an abstraction of the tradition, vision and wisdom
of the people in T'boli. Her designs include bulingalangit(clouds), the bang kding (hair bangs),
and the kabangi (butterfly), the bangala (man in house), klung (shield), sawo (python), nipa,
g’mayaw (mytical bird) and the tofi (frog) which all can be seen in lake sebu where she and her
ancestors were born. The patterns of her work is in a zigzag arrangement of triangles or
rhombus. It has also the reflection of symmetries in repeating patterns. The colors she use are
red, black and natural or almost white colors. Black is dominant for it serves as the overall
background of the clothes. Red accentuate the
patterns of t'nalak such as diamonds, triangle,
rhombus. White gives different motifs such as frog,
human, flower, clouds.

Theme
Lang Dulay's t'nalak also shows spiritualism because
the patterns and designs of her fabrics is inspired from
her dreams that is handed down by her mother, and
bestowed by Fu Dalu, the guardian spirit of abaca.
Thus, making t'nalak hold in the highest regard.

Lang Dulay’s weaving center

References
https://rappler.com/nation/lang-dulay-national-treasure
https://ncca.gov.ph/about-culture-and-arts/culture-profile/gamaba/national-living-treasures-lang-
dulay/
https://cnnphilippines.com/regional/2015/04/30/Tboli-princess-in-a-coma.html
https://www.rappler.com/nation/lang-dulay-national-treasure
https://r3.rappler.com/life-and-style/arts-and-culture/94745-lang-dulay-death-funeral
https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/688757/tnalak-weaving-master-lang-dulay-91
https://thehappytrip.com/2016/12/tnalak-tboli-dreamweavers-lake-sebu/
https://lifestyle.inquirer.net/212579/what-will-happen-to-the-dreamweavers-now-that-lang-dulay-is-
gone/
https://r3.rappler.com/life-and-style/arts-and-culture/94745-lang-dulay-death-funeral
https://r3.rappler.com/life-and-style/arts-and-culture/94745-lang-dulay-death-funeral

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