May 15, 2024
WEAVING THE BANGSAMORO IDENTITY: Tepo OF tawi-tawi
โ๐๐๐๐ฏ๐ข๐ง๐ ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐๐๐ง๐ ๐ฌ๐๐ฆ๐จ๐ซ๐จ ๐๐๐๐ง๐ญ๐ข๐ญ๐ฒ: ๐ ๐๐๐ฅ๐๐๐ซ๐๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง ๐จ๐ ๐๐ฎ๐ฅ๐ญ๐ฎ๐ซ๐ ๐๐ง๐ ๐๐๐๐๐โ
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In a historic event, the Bangsamoro Commission for the Preservation of Cultural Heritage (BCPCH-BARMM) proudly presents the Bangsamoro Cultural Heritage Exhibit, taking the center stage at the Open Gallery of the National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA) from May 7 to May 31, 2024.ย
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Featuring the indigenous textiles of the BARMM Regionโs Sama people of Tawi-Tawi, Tepo mat weaving is not only a functional and economic enterprise but also a means of creative self-expression and a source of great pride for the Sama Badjao and Jama Mapun women who traditionally engage in this task. These mats, also known as baluy in some regions, are both durable and decorative, featuring a double-layered structure.ย
The bottom layer, or lapis, is a simple, coarser mat made of thick, uncolored straw, providing sturdiness. The top layer is more intricate, woven from brilliantly colored straws, which display the vibrant patterns and designs characteristic of these mats. Motifs woven into the tepo can include various geometric patterns and colors, such asย balintungย (a combination of zigzag and diamonds),ย pinalekoย (an intricate zigzag pattern),ย palang burasย (broad interlocking rectangles in rainbow colors), andย basniganย (a bold pattern representing a vinta with outriggers), among others.ย
Such was the fame of the expertly plaited pandan (Pandanus tectorius or screw pine) transformed into complex geometric patterns of vibrant colors by the maga-aniam tepo (mat weaver) that these mats became a prized item in the Sulu archipelagoโs barter trade for centuries.
Everyone is invited to experience the colorful works of the Bangsamoro living cultural masters at the cultural exhibit, which will run from May 7 to May 31, 2024, at the Open Gallery of the National Commissions for Culture and the Arts (NCCA) in Intramuros, Manila.