Tboli Costume Description
Tboli wiseman in Tnalak costume. Photo by IPDP, 2008.
“Kegal
Bensewit (decorated with shell discs) is the most expensive Tboli blouse. Kegal
Lemimet is a blouse with white beads and originally used when you play musical
instruments. The white beads sparks once under sunlight that is believed to
interact with the spirit of nature. Kegal Bentilas, blouse decorated with
sequins that is also seen among Blaan women in Sarangani Province. Kegal Kenibang, a blouse decorated with
applique’. Kegal Nesif is a cross-stitched/embroidered blouse composed of
geometrical designs inspired from the nature like flowers, sun, leaf, human and
crucifix. It takes at least 2months to finish this by hand embroidery. Kegal Betaku
is a plain black blouse with red line of the shoulder and elbow for a boundary
between the witch and the goddess to protect human baby. Kegal Tnalak is the cloth made of hand-woven
abaca cloth. It depends on the kind of Tnalak design you choose to wear.
Luwek (long malong) is divided into two types: 1. Luwek tedeyung composed of 8 white vertical lines showing at the back; 2. Fandi nedol with the colors of red, little green, white with yellow (red for bravery, green for life in nature, white for purity of woman, and yellow for wisdom)
Comb or Swat koyu with 8 pieces of mirror that shines at the back. The mirror’s purpose is to defray and get away from unforeseen spirit while we walk on the rugged roads. The mirrors are tagged with colorful beads like red, black and white for a smart lady/wise woman.
S'loung Kenibang is the sun hat for Tboli women with applique’ decoration, added beadwork and horse hair ornaments. It is wide circle with designed cloth to cover the entire face.
Earrings are called Nomong in orignal Tboli term to those who used earing from horse hair. Bekelew is the choker made of beads of horse hair. Necklaces can be of many kinds. Li-eg is made of beads into 2-24 thread with bells. The Li-eg Bosok is the necklace with seeds of wild plant that looks like a sugar cane. There is also Li-eg made of bamboo trunks cut into half inch long.
Hilet Tahu is the bronze brass belt which is heavy one and is difficult to produce. It came from the melting bronze from guns, rifle, and the gong. Hilet Tahu is protecting us from bad spirit. GOD is powerful to send us the TAU FUN or goddess. Hilet Lemimet is the name for the beaded belt. It is lighter and 52-54 threads to form straight and cross insert to beads to make the right design. The common design is the triangle for the royalty of a family.
Singkil is the name for anklets that can reach until 10 pieces for each leg. This is one way to call an attention of every person or man to be respectful in very angles of LIBUN BOI or BOI HENWU as she is the most and foremost wealthy and powerful in good faith of LEADERSHIP.”
The descriptions are sacred and highly spiritual shared by Ms. Dolores Agor, a Tboli woman leader in Kiamba, Sarangani Province. It is an indigenous intellectual property and No part of these notes will be used for commercial purposes.
Male Head Cover - Ulew; Earrings - also known as Beketut (from Lyn Buti Lambago of Lemuhen Cultural Dance Troupe)
Notes from Roy W. Hamilton (From Rainbows Varied Hue: Textiles of the Southern Philippines)
“When Casal conducted his research in the 1960s, he recorded that the traditional cloth for men made from tailored abaca ikat suit consisting of a jacket (kegal saro) and long pants (sawal taho). The pants had a high, tubular top, which was allowed to fall like a skirt.
The most valued type of Tboli women’s skirt is the teduyung, a blue or black tube with fine white stripes in the weft, which is said to be appropriate only for women of high social standing. Casal reported that these skirts were rare heirlooms made of black imported Chinese “linen”. A more recent version woven locally from medium or dark blue commercial yarns is relatively common and is worn by women on their way to work in the fields, as well as on market days and at special events. It is interesting these rather plain skirts are considered the most valued types, while there is no clear documentation of the use of elaborate ikat skirts as among the Bagobo, Blaan and other groups. Today, the teduyung is a conservative to a more colorful Maguindanao-made fandi nedol.
Kegal Kenibang – Tboli woman’s applique blouse. In recent decades, blouses were typically made of medium or dark blue fabric, but today Tboli women work with black cloth.
The Tboli usage of the ikat cloth contrasts with that of the other groups in south central Mindanao because it has focused primarily on the making of the kumo and secondarily, at least for part of the historical period, on the making of tailored men’s suits. Kumo is the Tboli ceremonial cloth. The largest ikat cloths of Mindanao. Kumo, are made from three separately woven panels of abaca sewn together edge-to-edge.
Tboli informants say that the abaca ikat cloth was used only for men’s clothing while women skirts were once made of plain abaca without ikat decoration. These skirts were called lewek hnetim when dyed black or lewek hnulo when red. The abaca skirts disappeared about thirty years ago when Maguindanaoan traders began trading Maguindanao tube skirts to the Tboli. The Maguindanaoan skirts which the Tboli women call fandi nedol, are predominantly red with a variety of decorative styles typical of Maguindanaon weaving. Tboli women also use commercial printed fabric to make tube skirts called kumu benetik. Whil most Tboli women now wear Western dress in daily basis, the Maguindanao tube skirts and those made of commercial prints are still seen as well. Tboli women say that they gave up their abaca skirts because of the imported cotton or synthetic fabrics are more comfortable and can be washed.
In summary, the Tboli usage of ikat cloth contrasts with that of the other groups in south central Mindanao because it has focused primarily on the making of the kumo and secondarily, at least for part of the historical period, on the making of tailored men’s suits.”
Luwek (long malong) is divided into two types: 1. Luwek tedeyung composed of 8 white vertical lines showing at the back; 2. Fandi nedol with the colors of red, little green, white with yellow (red for bravery, green for life in nature, white for purity of woman, and yellow for wisdom)
Comb or Swat koyu with 8 pieces of mirror that shines at the back. The mirror’s purpose is to defray and get away from unforeseen spirit while we walk on the rugged roads. The mirrors are tagged with colorful beads like red, black and white for a smart lady/wise woman.
S'loung Kenibang is the sun hat for Tboli women with applique’ decoration, added beadwork and horse hair ornaments. It is wide circle with designed cloth to cover the entire face.
Earrings are called Nomong in orignal Tboli term to those who used earing from horse hair. Bekelew is the choker made of beads of horse hair. Necklaces can be of many kinds. Li-eg is made of beads into 2-24 thread with bells. The Li-eg Bosok is the necklace with seeds of wild plant that looks like a sugar cane. There is also Li-eg made of bamboo trunks cut into half inch long.
Hilet Tahu is the bronze brass belt which is heavy one and is difficult to produce. It came from the melting bronze from guns, rifle, and the gong. Hilet Tahu is protecting us from bad spirit. GOD is powerful to send us the TAU FUN or goddess. Hilet Lemimet is the name for the beaded belt. It is lighter and 52-54 threads to form straight and cross insert to beads to make the right design. The common design is the triangle for the royalty of a family.
Singkil is the name for anklets that can reach until 10 pieces for each leg. This is one way to call an attention of every person or man to be respectful in very angles of LIBUN BOI or BOI HENWU as she is the most and foremost wealthy and powerful in good faith of LEADERSHIP.”
The descriptions are sacred and highly spiritual shared by Ms. Dolores Agor, a Tboli woman leader in Kiamba, Sarangani Province. It is an indigenous intellectual property and No part of these notes will be used for commercial purposes.
Male Head Cover - Ulew; Earrings - also known as Beketut (from Lyn Buti Lambago of Lemuhen Cultural Dance Troupe)
Notes from Roy W. Hamilton (From Rainbows Varied Hue: Textiles of the Southern Philippines)
“When Casal conducted his research in the 1960s, he recorded that the traditional cloth for men made from tailored abaca ikat suit consisting of a jacket (kegal saro) and long pants (sawal taho). The pants had a high, tubular top, which was allowed to fall like a skirt.
The most valued type of Tboli women’s skirt is the teduyung, a blue or black tube with fine white stripes in the weft, which is said to be appropriate only for women of high social standing. Casal reported that these skirts were rare heirlooms made of black imported Chinese “linen”. A more recent version woven locally from medium or dark blue commercial yarns is relatively common and is worn by women on their way to work in the fields, as well as on market days and at special events. It is interesting these rather plain skirts are considered the most valued types, while there is no clear documentation of the use of elaborate ikat skirts as among the Bagobo, Blaan and other groups. Today, the teduyung is a conservative to a more colorful Maguindanao-made fandi nedol.
Kegal Kenibang – Tboli woman’s applique blouse. In recent decades, blouses were typically made of medium or dark blue fabric, but today Tboli women work with black cloth.
The Tboli usage of the ikat cloth contrasts with that of the other groups in south central Mindanao because it has focused primarily on the making of the kumo and secondarily, at least for part of the historical period, on the making of tailored men’s suits. Kumo is the Tboli ceremonial cloth. The largest ikat cloths of Mindanao. Kumo, are made from three separately woven panels of abaca sewn together edge-to-edge.
Tboli informants say that the abaca ikat cloth was used only for men’s clothing while women skirts were once made of plain abaca without ikat decoration. These skirts were called lewek hnetim when dyed black or lewek hnulo when red. The abaca skirts disappeared about thirty years ago when Maguindanaoan traders began trading Maguindanao tube skirts to the Tboli. The Maguindanaoan skirts which the Tboli women call fandi nedol, are predominantly red with a variety of decorative styles typical of Maguindanaon weaving. Tboli women also use commercial printed fabric to make tube skirts called kumu benetik. Whil most Tboli women now wear Western dress in daily basis, the Maguindanao tube skirts and those made of commercial prints are still seen as well. Tboli women say that they gave up their abaca skirts because of the imported cotton or synthetic fabrics are more comfortable and can be washed.
In summary, the Tboli usage of ikat cloth contrasts with that of the other groups in south central Mindanao because it has focused primarily on the making of the kumo and secondarily, at least for part of the historical period, on the making of tailored men’s suits.”
