Philippine dancers perform in Koronadal City on Friday, July 18, 2008 during the 9th T'nalak Festival, an annual celebration showcasing South Cotabato's ethnic and cultural tradition. At least 18 groups of dancers joined this year's weeklong celebration that drew thousands of people to South Cotabato in Mindanao. (Mindanao Examiner Photo / Mark Navales)
SOUTH COTABATO, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / July 18, 2008) - The celebration demonstrates the importance and significance of the T'nalak cloth as part of the cultural image of South Cotabato, according to the travel site hoparound.net.
It said the T'nalak cloth traditionally woven by the T'boli has become the symbol for South Cotabato as a province where there is “unity in diversity”, the area being home to several indigenous groupings among who are the B'laans, Maguindanaoans or Ikat, and the T'boli.
Weaving one T'nalak cloth by hand is a long process and can take several months, starting with the weaver's self-evaluation and critical analysis of her life followed by a "dreaming" of the design of the fabric. Each piece of cloth is therefore a personal journey documented.
Only natural vegetable dyes are used and each color has a meaning - red for bravery, commitment and love, black for strength of character and endurance through struggle and hardship. The cloth is then subjected to heat and a beating process also significant of the personal journey of the indomitable South Cotabatenos. (Mark Navales)
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