LESSON: THE EXUBERANT ARTISTRY OF THE MARANAO PEOPLE

The Maranao people are known for their sophisticated art forms, principally

their weaving, fabric design, woodworks, and metalcraft. Their decora-

tive art possess graceful, rhythmic lines, uniquely their own. Indeed, the

Maranao people boasts of the widest material culture, perhaps the richest

pre-colonial art in the Philippines, rivalled only by the Ifugao people in

the Northern Philippines.

The Okir

A distinctive, recurring motif in its different art forms is the okir design.

The design consists of an entire repertoire of folk themes that appear in

Maranao art, serving as important cultural symbols.

The okir a datu (gentleman's design) refers to the scroll, a dominant

feature in men's work which features various leaf-like, spiral designs. This

is in contrast to the ladies' design called okir a bay, which is dominated by

geometric shapes.

The okir can be found in nearly all Maranao art. Even the traditional

home of the Datu called torogan, bear intricate woodworks with the okir

design. Maranao women also incorporate the design on their malong, a

wrap-around tube garment in gold and purple. Even weapons like the kris

or sword and other brassware bear the okir desgin.

Sarimanok

There is another design that depicts an open-winged legendary bird clutching

a fish on its claws. This design called Sarimanok can be found mounted on

bamboo poles at the center of Muslim villages, especially during weddings

and other special occasions.

Naga

Another design popularly used by the Maranao in many of their arts

and crafts is an abstract form of a mythical dragon or serpent. It is called

naga, which means "dragon" in Sanskrit. The name reveals the design's
Hindu-Malay origin. Like the Sarimanok, naga is used as architectural

ornamentation.

LESSON: THE UNIQUE AND COLORFUL T'BOLI PEOPLE

The T'boli are an indigenous people who live in the highlands of South

Cotabato. At the center of their settlement lies the serene, placid waters

of Lake Sebu, source of sustenance for this gentle, peaceful, proud people.

Majority of the estimated nearly 100,000 T'boli remain animistic,

and have shunned any outside influence for centuries. Only a few have

converted to Christianity and Islam. It is for this reason, perhaps, that the

group, has preserved many of its customs and traditions. Like other people

from the highlands, the T'boli depend on hunting, fishing, and farming

as their main source of livelihood. The people source their food from the

lake-their main lifeline--where mudfish, catfish, fresh water shrimp, and

snails abound. Fowls like ducks are raised by the lake's shores.

Metalcraft

The T'boli people have also preserved many of there traditional arts and

crafts. Among these is its metalcraft tradition for which they look up to

Glinton, the god of metalwork, an important figure in the T’boli pantheon.

Adept in the use of small-scale, hand-fired furnaces, T'boli produce metal

castings that are used both for traditional and decorative purposes. They

produce a variety of small and medium-sized items such as jewellery boxes,

frames, table decors, and wall decors--all of which are made individually,

using only hand tools.

Other T'boli metalwork include brass bracelet and solid anklets with

simple or highly ornate designs used extensively for personal adornment.

T'boli women wear as many of these as would fit their arms and ankles

since they are believed to make the wearer more attractive.

T'nalak and the Dream Weavers

Tºboli's best-preserved tradition is the dream-inspired T'nalak weaving-

an art form passed on from generation to generation, and mastered only

through decades of painstaking practice and experience. It is, afterall a

meticulous labor-intensive process it usually takes a month to complete and

produce a single, unique woven fabric. It begins with the gathering of abaca

fiber from the abaca tree. Then, the arduous process of carefully selecting

the strands begins, after which they are hand tied and rolled into balls.

The handspan fibers are then stained with shades of red, brown, and black

using natural vegetable dye. Then, the weaving begins using the backlog

technique. Designs are said to come to the weavers in dreams, which is why

each now is unique. Many designs have existed within one family, passed

only by one's ancestors from generation to generation, or offered as a gift

when a person marries into the family.