T’NALAK

Introduction
The T’nalak Festival is celebrated in Koronadal, South Cotabato every year to
commemorate the province’s foundation and to foster diversity and unification of the
variety of ethnicities and cultures in Mindanao.

The festival also honors the rich cultural heritage of the T’boli. T’nalak is a weaving
tradition of the T'bolis of South Cotabato. The T'nalak cloth is woven exclusively by women
who have received the designs for the weave in their dreams, which they believe are a gift
from Fu Dalu, the T'boli Goddess of abacá and guardian of the T’nalak. Because the patterns
are based on dreams, the weavers of T’nalak are popularly referred to as dreamweavers.
The fact that the designs are derived from the dreams of the weavers means that
traditional T'nalak patterns cannot be mass-produced.

War
The cloth also conveys class and individual status, often signifying the warriors within a
community.

Death
According to T’boli tradition, the colors of the T’nalak represent the resting places of souls
after death. Red symbolizes the souls who died violently by bullet or blade; white is for
those who perished an untimely death or by their own hands; and black is reserved for
souls who passed away peacefully of natural causes. Designs depicting humans, frogs or
lizards tattooed on hands and feet provide light in the total darkness of death.

Victory
The T’nalak, as a sacred cloth is always part of the T’boli ritual dance which is often
performed to celebrate victories.

Harvest
The ritual dance also reflects the T’boli’s affinity with nature and is also used to seek
deliverance from pestilence and to solicit good harvest.

Appeasing the Gods

T'nalak is used for ritual purposes, as an offering to the spirits and during festival
celebrations. The presence of the cloth during certain feast gives it a sacred value. T’bolis
consider it taboo to cut the cloth because they believe that act will cause sickness or death,
unless done according to traditions. Tribe members who sell the fabric often attach bells to
appease the spirits said to have guided the weavers, for the T’nalak involves not only the
soul and spirit of the weaver, but her ancestors as well.