Lang Dulay
Museum
Discover more about GAMABA recipient Lang Dulay
Biography
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. She resides in Sitio Tukolela, Lamdalag, Lake Sebu, South Cotabato. Her mother, Luan Senig, influenced her to weave at the age of 12 in a humble workshop at the Manlilikha ng Bayan Center. In there, she makes her masterpieces with two bamboo contraptions and trains her granddaughters in the art of T’nalak weaving.
In 2011, Lang Dulay retired because of her advancing age. Her achievements comprised over 100 designs that symbolize 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. It was known that she suffered from a massive stroke and had fallen into a coma. 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 T’boli community to mourn her death, and a state funeral was organized
.png)
Contribution to the Philippine Contemporary Art
In 1998, Lang Dulay was invited to present her works at the Smithsonian Institution in Washington D.C. in the United States as part of the Philippine Independence Centennial celebration. Her works received recognition from critics and tourists and making their textiles significant.
She was in her late 70s when she was recognized by the National Commission for Culture and the Arts for her contribution to 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.
Process of T’nalak
The fibers 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 fibers are boiled using natural pigments. The process of weaving, known as 'mewel', is done on a backstrap loom with a bamboo contraption. 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. Weaving one piece of cloth could take up to one month of interrupted work.
All Videos
ANALYSIS OF LANG DULAY’S
T’NALAK WEAVING
SUBJECT
Lang Dulay's T’nalak is a work of art that gives an abstraction of the tradition, vision, and wisdom of the people in Tboli. The patterns of her work are in a zigzag arrangement of triangles or rhombi, it has also a reflection of symmetries in repeating patterns. The colors she uses are red, black, and natural or almost white colors. Black is dominant because it serves as the overall background of the clothes. Red accentuates the patterns of shapes such as diamonds, triangles, and rhombi. White gives different motifs such as frogs. human, flower, clouds
THEME
Lang Dulay's T’nalak also shows spiritualism because the patterns and designs of her fabrics are inspired by her dreams that are handed down by her mother, and bestowed by Fu Dau, the guardian spirit of abaca. Thus, making t’nalak hold in the highest regard.
SYMBOLS
The T’nalak fabrics hold prominence to the Tboli people and culture. It is present in a person's bin marriage, and death. It is their true medium that sanctifies these rites. Originally, the T’boli did not have a form of writing, the Tnalak functions as their literature and art. It is through the fabric that their dream, belief, and hopes are detailed.
"My aim is to strengthen our tradition as T’boli, so my students can pass their knowledge to the next generation"