Lang Dulay (August 3, 1928 - April 30, 2015) was a

Filipino Filipino may refer to: * Something from or related to the Philippines ** Filipino language, standardized variety of 'Tagalog', the national language and one of the official languages of the Philippines. ** Filipinos, people who are citizens of th ...

traditional weaver who was a recipient of the National Living Treasures Award. She is credited with preserving her people's tradition of weaving ''

T'nalak ''T'nalak'' (also spelled ''tinalak''), is a weaving tradition of the T'boli people of South Cotabato, Philippines. T'nalak cloth is woven exclusively by women who have received the designs for the weave in their dreams, which they believe are a ...

'', a dyed fabric made from refined abaca fibre.

Biography

Born on August 3, 1928, Lang Dulay was a

T'boli The Tboli people () are one of the Indigenous peoples of the Philippines, indigenous peoples of South Cotabato in southern Mindanao. In the body of ethnographic and linguistic literature on Mindanao, their name is variously spelt Tboli, T'boli, ...

princess from the

Lake Sebu Lake Sebu ( Tboli: ''Lanaw Sbù'', ; Hiligaynon: ''Linaw sg Sëbu'', ; Filipino: ''Lawa ng Sëbu'') is a natural lake located in the municipality of Lake Sebu, South Cotabato within the Alah Valley region. The Philippine government has recogn ...

region in

South Cotabato South Cotabato ( hil, Bagatnan Cotabato; ceb, Habagatang Cotabato; Maguindanaon: ''Pagabagatan Kutawatu'', Jawi: ڤاڬابڬتن كوتاواتو; tl, Timog Cotabato), officially the Province of South Cotabato, is a province in the Philippine ...

. She first learnt weaving at the age of 12 from her mother, Luan Senig. She is known for maintaining the use of traditional motifs in T'nalak weaving amidst commercialization of the craft which saw the introduction of more modern designs by non-T'bolis. She notably had a mental repertoire of around 100 patterns and designs: some of these were based on her dreams, hence her description as a "dreamweaver". Lang Dulay set up the Manlilikha ng Bayan Center workshop in her hometown to promote the traditional art of T'nalak weaving and by 2014, five of her grandchildren had become weavers. Lang Dulay fell into a coma in early 2015 and died on April 30 of the same year.

Recognition

She was conferred the National Living Treasures Award in 1998. That same year, her works were featured in an exhibit at the

Smithsonian Institution The Smithsonian Institution ( ), or simply the Smithsonian, is a group of museums and education and research centers, the largest such complex in the world, created by the U.S. government "for the increase and diffusion of knowledge". Founded ...

Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...

in the United States as part of the Philippine Independence Centennial celebrations.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Dulay, Lang Filipino weavers National Living Treasures of the Philippines People from South Cotabato 1928 births 2015 deaths 20th-century Filipino artists 21st-century Filipino artists