Fu Yabing Masalon Dulo (8 August 1914 – 26 January 2021), commonly referred to as Fu Yabing, was a Filipino textile master weaver and dyer, credited with preserving the Blaan traditional ''mabal tabih'' art of ''

ikat ''Ikat'' (in Indonesian languages means "bind") is a dyeing technique originating from Indonesia used to pattern textiles that employs resist dyeing on the yarns prior to dyeing and weaving the fabric. In ''ikat'', the resist is formed by bi ...

'' weaving and dyeing. At the time of her death, she was one of only two surviving master designers of the mabal tabih art of the indigenous

Blaan people The Blaan people, are one of the indigenous peoples of Southern Mindanao in the Philippines. Their name could have derived from "bla" meaning "opponent" and the suffix "an" meaning "people". According to a 2021 genetic study, the Blaan people als ...

of southern

Mindanao Mindanao ( ) ( Jawi: مينداناو) is the second-largest island in the Philippines, after Luzon, and seventh-most populous island in the world. Located in the southern region of the archipelago, the island is part of an island group of ...

in the

Philippines The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no), * bik, Republika kan Filipinas * ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas * cbk, República de Filipinas * hil, Republ ...

. She was given the National Living Treasures Award by the Philippines through the

National Commission for Culture and the Arts The National Commission for Culture and the Arts of the Philippines ( fil, Pambansang Komisyon para sa Kultura at mga Sining, ceb, Nasodnong Komisyon alang sa Budaya ug mga Arte) is the official government agency for culture in the Philippines. ...

Biography

Fu Yabing was born on 8 August 1914, in modern-day

Polomolok Polomolok, officially the Municipality of Polomolok ( hil, Banwa sang Polomolok; ceb, Lungsod sa Polomolok; tl, Bayan ng Polomolok; mdh, Inged nu Pulumuluk, Jawi: ايڠايد نو ڤولومولوق), is a 1st class municipality in the provin ...

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 resided on

Mount Matutum Mount Matutum is an active stratovolcano, is the highest point in the province of South Cotabato in the Philippines, with an elevation of 7,500 feet (2,286 metres) above sea level, approximately from Acmonan, Tupi, South Cotabato. Matutum and ...

. Fu Yabing began weaving at age 14. Two of her tabih are considered masterpieces. One of these is displayed in the Philippine

National Museum A national museum is a museum maintained and funded by a national government. In many countries it denotes a museum run by the central government, while other museums are run by regional or local governments. In other countries a much greater numb ...

. To preserve the Blaan weaving tradition, Fu Yabing taught the craft of tabih to her only daughter Lamina Dulo Gulili and women in her community. She was also given the honorific "Fu," as a Blaan elder. She retired from weaving in 2018 after a motorcycle accident. Fu Yabing died in her sleep on 26 January 2021 at the age of 106.

References

1914 births 2021 deaths Filipino centenarians Filipino weavers Indigenous peoples of the Philippines National Living Treasures of the Philippines People from South Cotabato 20th-century Filipino artists 21st-century Filipino artists Women centenarians {{textile-arts-stub