South Cotabato Overseas Workers Association
T’boli national costume
In the mountain of Cotabato lives a colorful ethnic group known as Tboli.
The T'Boli national costume is an important part of their cultural identity and is worn during special occasions such as weddings, festivals, and traditional ceremonies. It represents pride and identity for the T'Boli people and is a symbol of their connection to their ancestors. Efforts are being made to conserve and preserve the T'Boli national costume to promote cultural heritage and pass it down to future generations.
T'nalak is a traditional hand-woven cloth indigenous to the T'boli people from the Cotabato region. It is woven in order to celebrate and pay tribute to major life events such as birth, life, marriage, or death within the community.
The T’boli national costume typically consists of:
- T'nalak fabric – a fabric made from abaca (a type of plant fiber) and is woven into a unique pattern. The fabric is dyed using natural pigments, such as orchre (darker shade of orange) and ecru (the colored of undyed abaca), black, brown and red.
- Skirt or wrap - a long tube skirt or wrap called Tabih made from abaca (Ikat weaving), which can be wrapped around the waist or worn as a flowing skirt. Alternatively, they can substitute the skirt with malong or gintlo.
- Blouse - The women wear a blouse called Kegal T’boli often adorned with intricate embroidery and beading.
- Accessories - brass belts called gat awek; earrings or ulel; necklace or slah; leg rings tikas; comb or swat, and anklets called babat.