One of the things I like to collect from different provinces I visit are native weaves and textiles. There are many rich weaving traditions in the different parts of the Philippines and the fabrics often make more unique souvenirs compared to mass-produced ref magnets, mugs or keychains. With every distinct pattern are threads of culture and heritage from different tribes and the skillful artists who weave them. Each piece of cloth tells a different story.
In Marawi City in Lanao del Sur, we came across the langkit, a traditional Maranao weave made with a backstrap loom in the shop of Salika Maguindanao-Samad and Jardin Samad of Maranao Collectibles, who are working to creatively revive the vanishing art of weaving.
According to Salika, they started the initiative to preserve the Maranao culture. While some older members of the community still know the art, they aren’t actively weaving because there’s no demand or market for the products. Meanwhile, younger members of the community prefer to work in the private sector or go abroad rather than learn to weave. And since no one was interested in weaving anymore, many of the fabrics left behind were old.
“Ang dala ko puro antiques. Walang bagong habi. Kung walang magpapatuloy nito, walang mag-rerevive… pag naubos na ito, wala na,” said Salika.
The traditional langkit designs, which I later saw on display in the Aga Khan Museum of Islamic Arts in Mindanao State University (MSU) have subdued colors like deep purple, royal blue and maroon with touches of yellow and white for accents.
What makes the langkit stand out are the distinctive okir or geometric and flowing designs and folk motifs usually found in Maranao, Maguindanao and Muslim-influenced artwork. These decorative strips of varying width are sewn as accents into the landap or malong, a tube-like skirt worn as garment in the Southern Philippines. You can see the intricate craftsmanship in various ceremonial clothes in the whole region of Mindanao.
The newer langkit designs being developed by The Maranao Collectibles are vibrant, eye-catching pieces that immediately attract modern-day travelers like myself.
“Ang ganda!” we all exclaimed immediately when we saw the rack on display and started clicking away. Looking at the products up close, I can just imagine the possibilities for modern uses of the textile for clothing accessories, belts, bag accents, souvenirs or useful items like welcome leis in formal cultural events, conference nametags, lanyards and camera straps.
Salika told us that they had gotten a few small orders from travel agencies and are open to working with bag and clothing designers. But interestingly, their first big break came from a bulk order for medals for the first full-distance Ironman race in the Philippines held last June 2018.
READ MORE: Weaving Hope in Marawi
Finisher’s medals are popular race-day tokens of victory for athletes during sporting events. The Century Tuna Ironman 70.3 Subic Bay medal dubbed “Alab ng Puso” created by sculptor Daniel De La Cruz featured Maranao weaving on the ribbons.
I remembered coming across a photo of this online a while back while researching for an article for Multisport.PH and finding these medals particularly beautiful. The ribbon slings come in three colors with different patterns of a mountain, a frog and a diamond / head of a sarimanok to represent the disciplines of biking, swimming and running.
Photo by Javier Lobregat / Multisport
In this digital age, when most people would just toss their medals in a drawer and forget about them after posting a picture on social media after the race, this medal looks really special and worthy of displaying. Meeting the weavers behind the medals and finding out the challenges they had to overcome was truly inspiring.
Salika and Jardin are among the group of Internally Displaced People from Marawi City whose homes and livelihoods were destroyed during the Marawi siege. Most residents had to flee their homes leaving everything behind.
“Daig pa namin yung tumakbo ng triathlon sa sobrang hirap ng pinagdaanan namin. Karamihan nasa evacuation centers sa kasagsagan ng paggawa nito. Talagang purely IDPs kami ng ginawa ito, “Jardin told our group as he showed us one of the medals they made.
Their langkit was the last of 15 different shortlisted weaves selected by the Dream Project, a partner organization of the Ironman Triathlon who found the couple’s products in Iligan City and wanted a representative from the Maranao tribe. They were assured that their design was handpicked by De la Cruz, the pendant designer, because it was beautiful and unique and not because of their backstory.
Against the odds, their group managed to weave these medals while camping out in evacuation centers and tent cities.
“Pare-pareho kaming nag-start from zero. Yung ibang weavers, wala rin gamit. For more than one year ba naman na walang tao dito. Yung iba walang pambili ng thread,” Salika told us.
Salika told us that they only had four months to finish the order for 1,200 medals, but by the second month, they still had nothing to show. On the average, a weaver can weave one meter a day of the langkit or two meters if they work overtime. But the lack of production materials and the fact that women had to line up for relief goods, took time away from weaving. They had to give weavers downpayments to secure the orders on time.
Because there was nowhere to hang or nail the looms in evacuation centers, Jardin developed smaller makeshift looms by piecing together scrap wood, PVC pipes and bamboo sticks. They used barbecue sticks to weave the thread through the loom and called on contacts from other provinces to borrow the “suyud” or (weaving comb) so that weavers could have something to use.
Over a year since the siege took place, they’ve returned to Marawi City with the hope that their social enterprise can be sustainable. They’re now in the process of building 11 looms which they will be distributing to partner weavers in different communities. The Maranao Collectibles by Salika & Jardin has partnered with KulturAKO, a cooperative of weavers similarly displaced by the conflict. Aside from weaving the langkit, their shop also sells other traditional Maranao souvenirs.
KulturAKO is one of the projects of #ForMindanao, a program of Naawan HELPS Communities and the U.S Embassy in the Philippines that provides funding and technical support to locally-led projects that mobilize communities in Mindanao.
One of the aims of the program is to train a new generation of weavers — students and out-of-school youth — to learn the vanishing art of Maranao weaving and develop new and useful end-products like bags and accessories. They also want to reach a wider market by selling products online.
However, since they’ve returned to Marawi, the weak internet situation there has been a major challenge. While they have a Facebook Page, it may be easier to reach them to order through texts or calls. I can attest to the difficulty of checking Facebook in Marawi City, posting photos and responding to messages online after staying there for a few days, which required me and fellow tech-savvy companions to go on a social media detox despite the strong urge to share their story the moment we heard it.
One of their grand visions is to establish a weaving center, something that can become the First Maranao textile industry in the region.
“This fabric will tell stories to the different parts of the world that these are the products of the Maranao. Gusto namin umabot yung products namin even outside the country — na makilala yung product ng Maranao that this is different from other weaves,” said Salika.
For Jardin, it’s also about changing the negative misconceptions of the outside world about their people.
“Gusto din namin mabura sa isip ng mga tao na pag sinabi mo Maranao – sa ngayon – terrorista. Gusto namin ipakita yung Maranao — as artist. Makita ng buong mundo na meron din kaming magandang gawain.”
I left with their inspiring story, but also with one of their langkit pieces, a narrow 2-meter long strip that is adorning my plain black shoulder bag strap, an ordinary item I take for granted but use everyday. I think it gives my bag an instant customized and colorful look. But beyond that, it’s something I’ll be proud to use and promote wherever I go. It’s a beautiful piece of the Maranao culture. Their art. Their story.
The Maranao Collectibles is based in Amito-Marantao, Marawi City, Lanao del Sur, Philippines. For inquiries, get in touch with them through Facebook or through text messages.
- Facebook: Maranao Collectibles | KulturAKO
- Contact number: 0935-8399995
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Email: misissamad@gmail.com
Thank you so much. This is so beautifully narrated and truly reflects our story. Thank you from the bottom of our hearts.
-salika
I was really inspired by your amazing story of resilience and creativity! I hope more people will be encouraged to patronize and use locally made-products.