National Living Treasures: Ambalang Ausalin

AMBALANG AUSALIN

Textile Weaver, 2016

(born on March 4, 1943)

The Yakan of Basilan are celebrated as some of the finest weavers in the Southern Philippines, renowned for their vibrant and intricate textiles adorned with tiny motifs. Weaving holds immense cultural significance in the Yakan community, with all women traditionally trained in the craft. A unique practice among the Yakan involved cutting a newborn girl’s umbilical cord with a wooden bar called bayre (or beyde), used in weaving to beat in the weft. This ritual symbolized the child’s future as a skilled weaver. This tradition, along with the artistry of Yakan weaving, is embodied by Ambalang Ausalin, a 73-year-old master weaver from Parangbasak, Lamitan City.

Known as Apuh Ambalang in her community, she is highly respected for her unparalleled skill in creating all traditional Yakan textile designs and categories. She excels in techniques like suwah bekkat (cross-stitch-like embellishment) and suwah pendan (embroidery-like embellishment) within the bunga sama category. Ambalang learned weaving from her mother, a renowned weaver, practicing with strips of lugus and coconut leaves before mastering the backstrap loom. She weaves intricate designs like sinalu’an and seputangan, which are among the most complex Yakan textiles due to their detailed diamond and geometric patterns.

Symbolism in Yakan Weaving

Yakan textiles are rich in symbolism. Diamonds (mata-mata or dinglu) represent rice grains and wealth, while X’s symbolize rice mortars, together signifying abundance. Floral motifs and snake patterns (mailikidjabaniya) denote power and authority, reserved for high-status individuals. The intricate designs reflect the Yakan’s connection to nature and agriculture, with motifs symbolizing harmony and community.

Legacy and Training

Ambalang is passing on her craft to her daughter Vilma and nieces, ensuring the continuity of Yakan weaving. She believes that weaving requires harmony with one’s soul, ancestors, environment, tools, and Creator. Her work not only preserves Yakan culture but also serves as a cultural treasure for future generations, affirming the Yakan identity as people deeply connected to their heritage and the earth.

Through her mastery, Ambalang Ausalin exemplifies the artistry and cultural significance of Yakan weaving, weaving together the past, present, and future of her people.

The Weaving Process

Yakan weavers use a backstrap tension loom, which is portable and adjustable based on the cloth or design. The weaver sits with a belt (awit) around her waist, bracing her feet against a wooden piece (tindakan) to maintain tension on the warp threads. The warp, wound eight to ten meters long, is threaded through a bamboo comb (sud) to ensure even spacing. The comb’s density determines the intricacy of the design, with tighter combs producing more embossed patterns. The design is pre-programmed by counting and bundling threads (pagpeneh), a method used for most designs except the seputangan. The weft thread (sellag) is wound on a shuttle (tulak), and supplementary weft threads (sulip) are added to create patterns. Ambalang expertly handles the entire process, from warping (maghani) to designing (magpeneh) and weaving (magtennun).

Categories of Yakan Weaving

Ambalang has mastered all Yakan weaving categories, with her artistry shining in bunga sama, sinalu’an, and seputangan:

Bunga Sama: Features bold floral designs, traditionally used for high-status clothing but now also for table runners and decor. Ambalang’s work includes motifs like peneh kenna-kenna (fish-like), peneh sawe-sawe (snake-like), and peneh dawen-dawen (folial).
Sinalu’an: Characterized by diamond twill stripes, traditionally sewn into trousers and upper wear. Ambalang’s sinalu’an teed is particularly intricate, with tiny diamonds, zigzags (kalis-kalis), and crab-like motifs (kaka-kaka).
Seputangan: A square cloth with geometric designs, used as a head covering or waistband. It is the most expensive part of the Yakan female ensemble, often worn by brides and grooms. Ambalang’s seputangan features designs like pussuk labung (sawtooth) and dinglu (diamond/eye).