DAVAO CITY—Two tribal women septuagenarians wowed visitors at a tribal village in Malapatan town, Sarangani province, as the newest government-supported school of living tradition took pride in having two national cultural awardees coming from its place.
Bai Estelita Tumandan Bantilan, 75, and B’laan mat weaver Fu Nena T. Talino, 75, last week showed special visitors, on mat weaving, the special tribal skill preserved and handed down to students in the area.
A communication dispatch from Sarangani Information Office narrated of Bantilan showing her skill to tribal children Lorie Jane Manggay, 16, and Keziah Jane Tablo, 9, at the School of Living Tradition (SLT) in Sitio Upper Lasang, Sapu Masla in Malapatan.
Bantilan was conferred the Gawad sa Manlilikha ng Bayan or the National Living Treasures Award on mat weaving by President Duterte.
Talino, from Upper Lasang, meanwhile, “showed her beautiful sigo-sigo [elbow] mat design, which took her one month to finish the one whole piece of mat”.
The provincial government emphasized the importance of the tribal school as “vital in preserving the skills of the elderly and to be passed on to the next generations”.
“The gradual vanishing of the cultural tradition of Blaan mat weaving led the National Commission for Culture and the Arts [NCCA] to be alarmed that such indigenous skills and treasure would be lost,” the information office said.
It added the school of living tradition in Malapatan “is supervised under Sulong Tribu program of Gov. Steve Chiongbian Solon in partnership with the NCCA, ABS-CBN Lingkod Kapamilya Foundation and Filipina/NGAs.”
The sponsorship of the organizations was vital, “especially in the provision of infrastructure and logistic support for sustainability in order to preserve the cultural heritage of the indigenous peoples in Sarangani”.
Between 2011 and 2013, the NCCA acknowledged the establishment of 55 such schools in 11 provinces in Mindanao. Its Internet posting about the school of living tradition defined it as “one where a living master/culture bearer or culture specialist teaches skills and techniques of doing a traditional art or craft”.
“The mode of teaching is usually nonformal, oral and with practical demonstrations. The site may be the house of the living master, a community social hall, or a center constructed for the purpose,” it said.
The schools feature specific schools that needed preservation and handed down to generations and includes rattan-mat weaving, traditional dances and playing of musical instruments, bead making, clothing and embroidery, kulintang playing, music dance and oral tradition.
Image credits: Photo Courtesy Of Sarangani Information Office