COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING AND ARCHITECTURE

Indigenous Creative Crafts

Haute Culture Fashion (2016) Textile Tribes of the Phils. Yakan Weaving
(Group 3)

Prepared By:

Galinato, Cyrus
De Paz, Alexander Mike
Duran, Cristine
Cuizon, Jie Ann

Submitted To:

Dr. Leonida Bernadit

Instructor
 Haute Culture Fashion (2016) Textile Tribes of the Phils. Yakan Weaving

INTRODUCTION

The Yakan are a indigenous Muslim tribe native to the tropical island of Basilian.
Located in the Sulu Archipelago in the most southern region of the Philippines, Yakan
people are recognised for their remarkable technicolor geometric weaves and the
distinctive face decorations used in their traditional ceremonies.

The Yakan are kind and loving people that embody a non-materialistic culture
and live in close-knit communities. Back in the day Yakan women traditionally made
textiles for their cultural dress (know as the Semmek), accessories and interiors from
abaca, pineapple and bamboo fibers grown on the island. But in the 1970s Yakan
people relocated from Basilian to Mindanao Island after political unrest and armed
conflicts drove them away from their homeland.

Since moving to Mindanao the natural textile designs have been replaced with
vivid colored cottons resulting in a much more audacious aesthetic. Today Yakan
people live peacefully in settlements predominately in Zamboanga City and earn
their living from fishing, farming coconut and rubber, weaving and carpentry.

The Yakans mainly reside in Basilan but are also in Zamboanga City. They speak a
language known as Bissa Yakan, which has characteristics of both Sama-Bajau
Sinama and Tausug. It is written in the Malayan Arabic script, with adaptations to
sounds not present in Arabic.

The Yakan have a traditional horse culture. They are renowned for their
weaving traditions. Culturally, they are Sama people who eventually led a life on land,
mostly in Basilan and Zamboanga city. They are included as part of the Sama ethnic
group, which includes the Bajau, Dilaut, Kalibugan, and other Sama groups.

The Yakan are kind and loving people that embody a non-materialistic culture
and live in close-knit communities.
 Face decoration

Tanyak Tanyak is a face painting custom is unique to Yakan tribal culture. Worn
only for wedding ceremonies; circles, spots and diamond patterns are printed on the
skin using bamboo implements and a thick mixture of white flour and water. The
patterns are said to have no symbolic meaning but have been used for centuries as a
form of cosmetic decoration long before commercial products were accessible.

Yakan Wedding

In February 2016 I had the great honor of being invited to a Yakan village in
Zamboagna city to watch a reenactment of a tribal wedding ceremony. Here you can
see the traditional Semmek worn by both the bride and groom, live music, tribal war
dance and the humorous customs of the Yakan people.

Yakan Weaving

Yakan weaving uses bright, bold and often contrasting colours in big
symmetrical patterns. Inspiration for designs comes from island living and Islamic
sacred geometry.

History

Weaving is an extremely important craft in the Yakan community. All Yakan

women in the past were trained in weaving. Long ago, a common practice among
the Yakan was that, when a female was born, the pandey, traditional midwife, would
cut the umbilical cord using a wooden bar called bayre (other Yakan pronounce this
as beyde). That bar was used for ‘beating-in’ the weft of the loom. By thus severing
of the umbilical cord, it was believed that the infant would grow up to become an
accomplished weaver.

This, and all other aspects of the Yakan weaving tradition, is best personified by a
seventy-three-year-old virtuoso from the weaving domicile of the Yakan in
Parangbasak, Lamitan City: Ambalang Ausalin. (Pasilan, 2016a)

Ambalang Ausalin, a Manlilikha ng Bayan from Parangbasak, Lamitan City, was

born on March 4, 1943. She is known among the weavers as “Apuh Ambalang.“ She
is knowledgeable of the entire weaving process, from the meghani (warping), nuwah
(filling-in the comb), meneh (creating the design), and nennun (the actual weaving).
Aside from this, she could clearly define and express the cultural significance of each
textile design or category. When she was a young girl, her mother, who was the best
weaver during her time, tutored her.

The young Ambalang would use strips of coconut leaves (used in mat-making) as
practice material, and having taught by her mother – Apuh Bariya, she started to
weave using the back strap loom. From the “bunga- sama teed peneh pitumpuh,” to
trying the “sineluan” and then, the “seputangan.” These are three of most intricate
textiles in Yakan weaving, as these would require the filling of miniscule details of
geometric designs on the warp.
REFERENCE

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=knYvMRwS0U8&t=5s
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ujGvDbf7pVM&t=1s
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WPi2zQHgxUk&t=7s
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bf3A0ZJBqZw&t=162s

https://www.tumblr.com/hauteculturefashion/140318734793/the-yakan-are-a-
indigenous-muslim-tribe-native-
to?fbclid=IwAR14E5Jb5SK79YWestaHLn2EEuWM8xvucLlT_bCJrMpk_y6sMAUnQbB
cn14

https://travelauthenticphilippines.com/textile-tribes-of-the-philippines-the-yakan-
weaving-weddings-and-
wears/?fbclid=IwAR08lacsvz34qRGtjekuji_9uDospKA287lvdiU5Dgg-
D_WjLXizkq9_loM

https://www.nationalmuseum.gov.ph/2022/04/01/apuh-ambalang-and-the-
yakan-weaving-tradition/?fbclid=IwAR2AUt4aeWpmrLWk-
RlpyjmbuQNc4zRWMY1HKIOEEsqhCvaVW3_2Uq_ppkM