Salinta Monon ± (December 12, 1920 – June 4, 2009)
Textile Weaver: Bagobo Inabal
Bagobo Tagabawa
Bansalan, Davao del Sur
Salinta Monon was a Bagobo Tagabawa textile weaver from Davao del Sur. She fully demonstrated the creative and expressive aspects of the Bagobo abaca-ikat weaving called ‘Inabal’ at a time when the art was threatened with extinction.
“Practically, since she was born, Salinta Monon had watched her mother’s nimble hands glide over the loom, weaving traditional Bagobo textiles. At 12 she presented herself to her mother, to be taught how to weave herself. Her ardent desire to excel in the art of her ancestors enabled her to learn quickly. She developed a keen eye for traditional designs, and by the age of 65, she was able to identify the design as well as the author of a woven piece just by a glance.”
The ‘Inabal’ is the traditional cloth of the Bagobo Tagabawa. It is distinguished by the several design forms and patterns contained in a single compositional layout. Design forms include representation of crocodiles within large diamond patterns intricately lined with curvilinear frills in sleek brownish black, producing textiles imbued with quiet elegance unparalleled by neighboring cultures.
Salinta Monon built a solid reputation for the quality of her works and the intricacies of her designs. Few women in the 1990s had inclination, patience, or perseverance to undergo the strict training and discipline to become a weaver. Salinta maintained a pragmatic attitude towards the fact that she and her sister might be the only Bagobo weavers left – the last link to a colorful tradition among their ancestors that had endured throughout the Spanish and American colonization period.
Read more: https://ncca.gov.ph/about-culture-and-arts/culture-profile/gamaba/national-living-treasures-salinta-monon/
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