Travel Photography > Photos tagged as tboli
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 CHARMS.T’boli women learn to adorn themselves from early childhood. They apply cosmetics and arrange their hair, adorning it with traditional combs which have dangling strings of colored beads. For them, “more is better” when it comes to accessories; they do not wear just one of each type of accessory, but put on all that they can accommodate. Combs aside, they also adorn themselves with earrings, necklaces, girdle (hilot), bracelets, anklets, rings, and of course colourful costumes.
AGE-OLD PRACTICE. Tboli women of Lake Sebu, South Cotabato in Mindanao, are not satisfied with one earring in each ear. The more earrings, the better. Thus their ears are pierced not only on the lobes but also along the outer rim. The women, young or old, have a choice of earrings: kawat (simple brass rings);bketot (round mirror surrounded by colored beads);nomong (chandelier type earrings made of brass links and beads);bkoku (made of triangular shells); and kowol or beklaw (combination of earring and necklace).
THE FACE OF T’BOLI BEAUTY…The T’boli women of South Cotabato’s Lake Sebu in Philippines’ Mindanao island, stand out for their marked and characteristics penchant for personal adornment, bearing brass jewelry, beads and shells, in their tribal attire.. Among the most well-known of the 18 tribal groups on the island of Mindanao, the T’boli tribe believe that the gods created man and woman to look attractive so that they would be drawn to each other and procreate. Tboli women learn the skills of looking beautiful from an early age. The women weave much of their own cloth, produce many ornaments in brass by the lost-wax technique.
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!