Travel Photography > Photos tagged as lake_sebu
T’BOLI DREAMWEAVERS. A T'boli weaver works on her Tinalak cloth in Lake Sebu, South Cotabato in Mindanao, Philippines. The Tinalak ‘sacred cloth’ is the T’boli tribe’s most fame product. Each single pattern, according to T’bolis, is dreamed by the weaver, and it comes in three ways: from the ancestors, from one's mother, and from one's own dream. A ceremonial clothing of both men and women, the Tinalak is a deep brown abaca cloth tie-dyed with intricate red and beige designs. Natural vegetable dyes are used to stain the fibres before the cloth is woven.It is exchanged at the time of marriage and is used as a covering during birth to ensure a safe delivery. The T'Boli believe that cutting the cloth will cause serious illness or death. If it is sold, a brass ring is often attached to appease the spirits. The Tinalak Festival, named after a woven cloth popularized by the T'boli tribe, is celebrated in the second week of July.
T’BOLI OF LAKE SEBU. An elderly T’boli woman, scooping water hyacinth from her owong, the traditional canoe used by the lake dwelling T’boli tribe of Lake Sebu, South Cotabato, Mindanao, the Philippines. Made from a carved out tree trunk, the canoe gives a more unique charm to the scenic lake which the T’boli tribe considers as not only a God-given food basket but also a miraculous body of water that never dries up. The lake which irrigates the fertile Allah Valley, is recognized as one of the most important watershed areas in the Philippines and is proclaimed as a Protected Landscape. Sadly, denudatation of the surrounding forests seems to have claimed much of the beauty of Lake Sebu, described as the ‘Summer Capital of South Cotabato’ and a premier ecotourism destination.
Horses mean a lot to the Tboli tribe of Lake Sebu, Cotabato, and so they are given all the respect and decorations! A man's wealth is judged by the number and quality of his horses and he has to pay for his wives in horses! While horses are quiet a mode of transportation in this mountainous region, they are also trained for horse fights – an essential part of the Tboli culture!
FACE OF A T’BOLI DANCER.Maria Wanan, T'boli teacher and head of Helobung, the internationally known T'boli cultural troupe, is a T’boli dancer extraordinaire, who has spent her life keeping the Tboli culture, music and dance alive. She also manages the SIKAT School of Living Traditions and the Tasaday development project etc.