T’nalak is the unique black and red-dyed cloth inspired by Fu Dalu. It is made up of abaca fibers connected together by miniscule knots, and can take as long as seven years to weave. Making it is a labor-intensive and time-consuming process, and not surprisingly, t’nalak is a valuable commodity to the T’boli tribe. In olden times, the fabric was used as a dowry or bride price, or as currency to barter for goods and farm animals.
Today, the t’nalak cloth is a fitting metaphor for the unique people of Mindanao. As a diverse group that struggled against one another before finally integrating into a cohesive whole, their saga is both fierce and stirring. The peace and prosperity achieved in Mindanao today was preceded by a long history of discord, mistrust and rivalry.
It should be recalled that some decades ago, Mindanao was the virgin frontier of the Philippines, with rich yet sparsely populated land. To encourage settlers in the area, the government gave homesteaders from Luzon and Visayas property on which they could start a new life. Thus, many families flocked to Mindanao to seek the proverbial greener pastures. Understandably, this move threatened the indigenous natives of Mindanao who resented the infringement on their land. And thus began a prolonged process of assimilation and integration.
Happily, the various factions have learned acceptance and tolerance. Today, Mindanao’s multi-faceted cultural fabric is richer because of the difficulties its people went through. As they learned to respect each other’s customs and appreciate their diversity, the importance of unity was realized. Currently, there is a concerted effort by Mindanaons to propel their common homeland towards prosperity. A group visited the area recently to see what the region had to offer and the first stop was General Santos City.
The passenger building of the General Santos Airport is small when compared to the usual standards, but the efficiency and congeniality of airport personnel was a pleasant welcome. Air links to Kota Kinabalu, Brunei Darussalam, Manado and Sandakan are expected soon, presaging more tourist arrivals from Brunei, Indonesia and Malaysia. New airline companies like Mosphil Aero Incorporated are expected to serve the area regularly as well. However, we took a Philippine Airlines flight from Manila and were quickly on our way to the city on wide, well-paved roads.
Yellow flowers that grew close to the ground liberally pepper the fields and empty spaces of General Santos. Visitors delighted at the sight. "What are those flowers?" they asked the driver who scratched his head in puzzlement before tentatively venturing: "Damo? (Grass?)" He was visibly amused that such an everyday sight would earn enthusiastic raves. As a proud native of the boxing capital, he was more interested in showing the spanking new house of boxing champion and local hero Manny Pacquiao to guests, thus proving that "modern" design thrives in Mindanao.
A fashion show at the Phela Grande Convention center demonstrated that Mindanao weaves can be used to make mainstream clothing. By using traditionally woven fabrics, young designers based in Mindanao like Emi-Alexander Englis, Wilfred Yee, Jared Servanio, Erwin Tan and Albert Lim not only construct fashionable and contemporary clothing. More importantly, they contribute greatly to the preservation of traditional tribal skills by increasing the demand for indigenous fabrics.
The food served in Mindanao is clear proof of the richness of the land and the waters surrounding it. Instead of lechon, which is the usual party fare in Luzon, slivers of red tuna sashimi were expertly carved from freshly caught giant fish by Mindanao chefs. A visit to Durian Garden in Polomolok is the perfect excuse to indulge in the fresh fruit or its milder variant, durian ice cream. On the way to Koronadal, one can stop at a roadside fruit stand for sweet yellow pineapples that are sold alongside fat spears of asparagus that sell for P50 for three big bundles. The prices are so delightfully low that one can easily fall into an excited buying spree without considering the reper-cussions of overweight luggage.
The best resource of Mindanao, though, is still its people. Tourism Regional Director Sohura Dimaampao, who hails from Lanao, is hospitality and graciousness personified. However, even businessmen, local officials and the man on the street go out of their way to make guests feel welcome. They proudly tell the visitors that their roots are Ilocano, Ilonngo, Cebuano, Batangeuño, T’boli, Maranao, B’laan – a mixture of ethnic groups whose diverse customs are intricately woven together to make Mindanao’s unique cultural fabric. They are Mindanaon now, ready for progress as a cohesive group and firmly convinced that infighting is too taxing.
Now, if only we – as a nation – could adopt that positive mindset and agree that we can work together for progress.