A life dedicated to the Inabal Textile, a Bagobo weaving heritage transcends to more than receiving the GAMABA award. Salinta Monon, a respected Bagobo weaver who dedicated her existence to the preservation of the heritage craft. The commercialization and urbanization with rapid effects of Digital and Social Media have pushed back every tedious and laborious heritage industry and jeopardized their existence by having the new generation enjoy fast-paced and connected living. What could be the future of the Inabal Weaving Heritage?
Having seen face-to-face Ms. Salinta Monon through her Golden Centenary Bust during the Domestic Tourism Invitational Program of the Tourism Promotions Board, I cannot help but feel her spirit in their community. Coming from a sleepless flight and hours over the roads of Barangay Upper Bitaog of Bansalan municipality in Davao del Sur, I still have my head felt quite floating in space as we ascended the footpath towards their humble abode and community center. My drowsy consciousness then woke up as soon as I saw the intricate Inabal textile for the first time. Then, questions and interests began to flood my thoughts.
GOING BACK
Salinta Monon was born in the 1920s back when days were indeed slow-paced, peaceful, and meek. I could imagine her living the ways of their tribe – the Bagobo Tagabawa. Being surrounded by matriarchs weaving the Inabal, she expressed her interest and got her formal learning of the traditional weaving process at the age of 12. I can only imagine the tedious hours of her learning. From setting up the weaving loom, and producing the fibers for the thread to the application of designs – one must have tremendous amounts of patience and desire to truly master the craft. Her keen desire has led Ms. Monon to excel quickly in their craft.
During our visit, we have a glimpse into how Bagobo weavers prepare the threads, feed the loom, and the actual weaving process. Imagine the efforts made just by harvesting the Abaca fibers from their mountainous origins, repeated extractions, drying, grading, and baling before they knot the individual fiber to create an endless thread.
From there, they begin the painstaking setup of the weaving loom and the application of their secret algorithms to produce the desired design. They call this process “Sa-e” – forming the textile base before actual weaving. It takes weeks or months to finish about 2-3 meters in length of the Inabal depending on the degree of complicatedness of the design. Can you imagine or feel the weavers’ determination and motivation to produce such?
EXPERTISE THROUGH THE YEARS
Beyond weaving, her life is dedicated also to her family. She was married to a Bagobo farmer but died during the 1970s. She had to survive five children, tend the farm for sustenance, and still do weaving in between for an added income stream. Through the years of her weaving experience and love of the craft, Mrs. Monon certainly mastered different techniques and styles such as the Binuwaya or crocodile, which showed as one of the most intricate and difficult forms.
With years of experience with the loom, she built a keen eye for identifying patterns and designs. Such skill and attitude would make her a great mentor of the craft. This led to when we got a visit by her first-ever student – Ms. Estella Barra.
NATIONAL AND LOCAL RECOGNITION
In 1998, Salinta Monon received the GAMABA Award or the National Living Treasures Award. It is an award conferred to a person for their contributions to the nation’s cultural heritage by the Philippine National Government. This cultural award was institutionalized through the Republic Act 7355 otherwise known as Manlilikha ng Bayan Act in 1992.
Apart from the national accolade, her town mayor in 2007 awarded separate recognition in her honor. The year 2009 was when Salinta Monon peacefully met her creator. The news of her death sent back many tributes coming from their town executive, Bansalan natives, and people from around the world who had met and learned her craft.
THE LEGACY
It is truly an honor to meet in person, the living Ms. Estella Barra bearing their tribe’s traditional clothing. In their native tongue, she briefly brought the visiting group into quick storytelling of her experience under the care and training of her mentor.
Through the GAMABA Award, Ms. Salinta Monon gained support for their craft. They were able to put up the School of Living Tradition in Bansalan where she taught Inabal weaving to the interested younger generations.
The promise of the Inabal’s continuity is through her grandchildren and we are blessed to meet Ms. Lovelove Monon. She was able to show us the actual weaving process during our visit. A busy loom meant continued production of Inabal. Apart from seeing the very masterpiece of Salinta Monon herself, it is enigmatic to see new textiles forming these days – a guarantee that it would exist still for years. The question now is, who will inherit next after Ms. Lovelove Monon?
BAGOBO TRIBE CULTURAL APPROPRIATION
Apart from the Inabal textile, the Bagobo Tagabawa people have their unique traditional attire expressions. Like the male’s Tangkulo – a triangular headpiece that is worn by tribe warriors in honor of their success in warfare. Some use and don this scarf piece inappropriately. During our visit, the Bagobo tribe stressed their message to appropriately represent their cultural identity – if you want to wear it, wear it properly and appropriately.
WHAT YOU CAN DO
It is recommended to schedule a visit to their community in Upper Bitaog. Apart from the cultural experience, get to enjoy the cool and relaxing mountain scenery as you tread the rocky road to their humble abode. Cultivate a culture of deeper appreciation and respect for different heritage craftsmanship.
You can contact the Davao del Sur Tourism Office to coordinate your visit through mobile number +63 910 096 7239, email davsurtourism2020@gmail.com, or their official Facebook Page: Davao Del Sur Tourism Development and Promotions Office and Instagram Account @DavSurTourism to arrange on your tour.