T’nalak Weaving 

Post 500 CE

T’nalak weaving is an artform perfected over decades of practice by T’boli women, and only a handful of master weavers can be considered true ‘dream weavers’, the works of whom are highly valued. The T’nalak Dream Weavers website seeks to promote the fair trade of traditional arts of the T’boli Tribe, located in Lake Sebu, in the Mindanao region of the Philippines. 

T’nalak has great significance for the T’Boli. According to T’boli tradition, the T’nalak designs have been passed down through generations and come to the best weavers in dreams, brought to them by their ancestors. T’nalak weavings are one of the traditional properties exchanged at the time of marriage and is used as a covering during birth to ensure a safe delivery. The T’Boli believe that the T’nalak is infused with spiritual meaning, and as such there are a variety of traditions surrounding its production and use.  One should not step over a weaving in progress, and doing so is to risk illness. Cutting the cloth will cause sickness or death, unless done according to traditions. If a weaving is sold, a brass ring is often attached to appease the spirits. And while weaving a T’nalak, T’boli women practice abstinence in order to maintain the purity of their art.