Yakan Cloth, Now A Pride of Zamboanga

ZAMBOANGA CITY (Darwin Wee) It all started as a hobby until her enthusiasm in weaving abaca and pineapple fibers drove her to convert it into business.

"There is joy whenever I come up with unique and intricate, colorful designs of Yakan cloth, and it is also a very profitable business too," the 40-year old Angie Pichay Ilul said.

Yakan weaving in Zamboanga is also a major tourist attraction, she said.

Although Ms. Ilul is a native of Ilocos province, she was deeply motivated by the colorful and rich Yakan culture and heritage, and tradition, aside from her husband being a true-blooded Yakan man.

"The Yakan tradition is deep and weaving Yakan is just as deep as our belief in its culture and heritage. Yakan weaving is an art and each intricate design I make comes from the heart," she said.

She started her business in 1989 after working for two years in Saudi Arabia. And from her savings of about P200,000, she bought two back-strap looms, the traditional floor machine used for weaving.

In a couple of years, she added 16 more back-strap looms and an upright loom, which is used in modern weaving, in which the weaver sits on a chair.

Ms. Ilul’s shop, located at the Yakan village in Upper Calarian, about 7 km west of Zamboanga, is one of few that sell genuine Yakan cloth.

About 30 Yakan families are settled in the village after migrating Zamboanga City from Basilan province in 1970.

For the past decades, the Yakan village has been visited by Filipino and foreign tourists. Aside from Yakan cloth, the village also boasts of genuine brasswares and antiques and traditional swords used by Muslims in earlier times, and also wood carvings, pottery, ceramics and shell trinkets.

She said the Yakans are considered among the finest weavers in the country, which use fibers from pineapple and abaca to weave the cloth. They also use herbal extracts from leaves, roots and tree barks to dye the fibers and produced colorful combinations and intricate designs famous around the world.

"The Yakan weave is so fine that it takes a week or so to finish a meter of cloth and a simple square design takes at least two days to finish. Depending on the style and designs, the weaver must have tons of patience in dealing with the hundreds of strands of thread hanging in the looms."

"This is the reason why Yakan cloth commands a high price. It is because of the weaver's craftsmanship," Ms. Ilul said.

Hand-weaving skills are handed down from generation to generation, she said, noting that the Yakans can create a masterpiece of an exquisite and very colorful piece of cloth.

She said weaving has not only become part of the Yakan’s culture and heritage, but a source of pride, and livelihood too.

Ms. Ilul explained that most of the patterns they used were inspired by their surroundings such as fish, leaves and rainbows.

She said there are at least eight designs in the traditional Yakan-weaving styles and the famous and sought-after designs are the "kenna-kenna," patterned after a fish and "dawen-dawen," also pattered after the leaf of a vine.

A pattern that resembles the human eyes, called the "pene mata-mata" and the

the "kabang buddi," which has a diamond-shaped design, are also in demand in the market.

She said the "seputangan," which means good luck and prosperity, is the most difficult to weave because of its intricate design, and is usually worn by women around their waist, or as a head cloth. The "palipattang" is patterned after the colors of the rainbow, while the "bunga-sama," is designed like the appearance of the python.

Almost every Yakan fabric can be described as unique since the finished materials are not exactly identical. Differences may be seen in the pattern or in the design or in the distribution of colors, she said.

She said some of Yakan weavers have been influenced by Filipino artists and American Peace Corps volunteers, who brought about changes in the art and style of weaving. Many have since resorted to the convenience of chemical dyes.

She said she is also weaving table cloth, placemats, purses, sling bags, wallets, pillow case, carpets, and even cellular phone pouches, and even wall decors.

"We cater to the needs of our customers," she said.

To date, Ms. Ilul has at least 19 weavers and is planning to expand her trade. At present, Yakan cloth sells for about P200 per meter.

To upgrade the skills of the Yakan weavers, the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) launched a program to help them design more intricate patterns.

"We really appreciate the government for helping us upgrade our skills through the DOST program for the development of the graphic and structure design," she said.

Ms. Ilul said she attends trade fairs and other weavers expo at least 7 times a year to further promote the Yakan cloth abroad. Now, more foreign firms, mostly from the hotel industry and interior designers, are buying Yakan weaves, she said.

She also currently supplies hand-woven products to various novelty and souvenirs shops in Manila, Cebu, Davao and Gen. Santos City.