Up Dharma Down
DARHATA SAWABI
A Virtual Museum
Welcome
Welcome visitors! We are Group Up Dharma Down and we're here to showcase our chosen Gamaba artist, Darhata Sawabi.
WHAT IS GAMABA?
Gamaba Award according to the NCCA government site: “As envisioned under R.A. 7355, “Manlilikha ng Bayan” shall mean a citizen engaged in any traditional art uniquely Filipino whose distinctive skills have reached such a high level of technical and artistic excellence and have been passed on to and widely practiced by the present generation in his/her community with the same degree of technical and artistic competence.”
Darhata Sawabi is an exceptional woman and artist whose artworks have reached a high level of technical and artistic excellence. Her Art brings life and more attention to the culture of the Philippines which reflects the diverse heritage we have. Because of this, it is no surprise that she is a recipient of the Gamaba Award alongside other Filipinos who have brought substantial recognition to the Artworks of Filipinos.
WHAT IS
WEAVING?
Weaving is the production of fabric which involves interlacing two sets of yarns or threads at right angles.
Those two threads are called warp and weft, which is usually woven on a loom which is a device that holds the warp in place while the weft is being woven through them.
Weaving spread across the world through trade, migration, and conquest, influencing and being influenced by local traditions and materials. Weaving is still a vibrant and diverse craft today, with many techniques, innovations, and applications, from fashion to art to technology.
history of weaving
Some theories state that the observation of bird nests suggested the idea of interlacing and consequently the invention of weaving. It is impossible to tell with certainty when weaving started, mostly because it is fragile, and it easily deteriorates. However, it is said that humans have known about weaving since the Paleolithic era when they wove baskets from grasses and plants. The Bible refers to loom and weaving in many places.
5000 BC
Early looms need one or two people to work on them. Ancient Egypt mastered flax weaving around 5000 BC
2000 BC
The first popular fiber in ancient Egypt was flax, replaced by wool around 2000 BC.
700 AD
Horizontal and vertical looms could be found in Asia, Africa, and Europe. At that time, the pit-treadle loom with pedals for operating heddles also appeared.
1177
The loom was improved in Moorish Spain rising higher above the ground on a stronger frame. The Industrial Revolution switched weaving from hand to machine.
1733
John Kay invented the flying shuttle in 1733, which enabled the weaving of wider fabric and made the whole process faster. The first factories for weaving were built in 1785.
1803
Jacquard loom was invented in about 1803. It could be programmed with punch cards, enabling faster weaving of more complicated patterns. White fabrics were printed mechanically with natural dyes at first with synthetic dyes coming in the second half of the 19th century.
In addition to having a practical utility, weaving has represented a means of artistic expression for all civilizations.
In ancient times, fabrics were used to share symbols and pictures, almost like a language. Over time, they began to show the unique traits of different people, cultures, and social groups.
Get to Know The Artist
In the Philippines, we cannot talk about weaving without including Darhata Sawabi.
Darhata sawabi
Who exactly is Darhata Sawabi?
Darhata Sawabi is a Filipina Textile Weaver born on March 4, 1943. Born on the island of Jolo in the Sulu province, many women are weaving as their primary work, particularly weaving the pis syabit. Pis Syabit is a traditional cloth tapestry worn as a head covering by the Tausug of Jolo.
MORE INFORMATION ABOUT DARHATA
Darhata has never married. Thus, weaving is her only possible source of income. The money she earns from making colorful squares of cloth has enabled her to become self-sufficient and less dependent on her nephews and nieces. A hand-woven square measuring 39 by 40 inches, which takes her some three months to weave, brings her about P2,000. These squares are purchased by Tausug for headpieces, as well as to adorn native attire, bags, and other accessories. Her remarkable proficiency with the art and the intricacy of her designs allows her to price her creations a little higher than others. Her community of weavers recognizes her expertise in the craft, her bold contrasting colors, the evenness of her weave, and her faithfulness to traditional designs.
Going back to the Pis siyabit, weaving it is a difficult art. Preparing the warp alone already takes three days. It is a very mechanical task, consisting of stringing black and red threads across a banana and bamboo frame to form the base of the tapestry. At 48, and burdened by years of hard work, Sawabi no longer has the strength or the stamina for this. Instead, she hires one of the neighboring children or apprentice weavers to do it at the cost of P300. It is a substantial amount because she still has to spend for the thread. Sawabi’s typical creations feature several colors, including the basic black and red that form the warp, and a particular color can require up to eight cones, depending on the role it plays in the design. All in all, it comes up to considerable capital which she can only recover after much time and effort.
Darhata Sawabi's Life Challenges
Sawabi faces other challenges in her art as well. In the 1970s, when Jolo was torn apart by armed struggle, Sawabi and her family were often forced to abandon their home in search of safer habitats. The first time she was forced to abandon her weaving was a very painful experience as she couldn't bring the loom along with her to the forest where they sought refuge. They returned to their home to see the pis she had been working on for nearly a month destroyed by the fighting. There was nothing for her to do except pick up the pieces of her loom and start again. Because of the conflict, she and her family had been forced to relocate twice finally establishing their residence in Parang. During this time, Sawabi supported her family by weaving and selling her pieces to the participants in the conflict who passed through her village. Because of her dedication to her art, generations of traditional Tausug designs have been preserved and are available for contemporary appreciation and future study. She continues to weave at home while teaching the other women of her community. In recent years, she has had several apprentices, and more and more people have bought her work.
“This is what we’ve grown up with,” said the weavers. “It is something we’ve learned from our mothers.”
The lessons learned from their mothers have earned the women in Sulu the recognition they do in their work. Although historically, women have always had issues with being allowed to work, the women in Sulu alongside Darhata Sawabi were able to prove themselves worthy of the recognition they do with their art. They as women weren’t just workers who weave, but women who inspire many people to today that Art is for everyone to create, regardless of where we’re from and what our sexuality is.
About The Artists Artwork
Being one of the largest ethnic groups, the Tausugs reside in the southern part of the Philippines, in the Sulu Archipelago. Their culture is recognized for its crafts and intricate and rich traditions; the artistry of textiles is distinct and holds great significance, as is their association with different traditional accessories and clothing within our country.
Pis Siyabit
Connecting this with the gamaba artist Darhata Sawabi, her expertise, commitment in weaving, and the art of Pis syabit play integral parts within their cultural heritage, bringing pride and preservation to the tradition of tausugs as she teaches the younger generations of this art and its appreciation within our country.
Pis Siyabit weaving is said to have originated in Parang, Sulu. The Tausugs of Sulu value their handwoven cloth known as Pis syabit, which is allegedly derived from the Indic mandala. This squared fabric is distinguished for its various geometric patterns, making it easy to identify. For Tausug men, it is worn over the shoulder and knotted around the sword hilt. With this being said, its features are evident in the textile that the ethnic tribe crafted- the fabric that the male Tausugs wear as headcloths which is called Pis. Pis is used within occasions or their festivals of significance, the headcloth symbolizing status and history that is made out of cotton or silk. Meanwhile, syabit in Sulu, is defined as “to hook” and technique. It is the process of creating an angular pattern or pattern through weaving. To form a tapestry-like silk weaving, the pis syabit warp is marked as it serves as a guide, and the borders of the fabric are then decorated with different patterns composed of zig zags, crosses, or others. With the fabric being covered and filled with design elements, the principle of horror vacui is then expressed in the pit syabit, described as the fear of empty spaces.
The pis siyabit has features with four identical squares within its inner corners that symbolize the four elements: water, earth, fire, and air. The central motif is linked with the four corners and forms imaginary axes, creating a design of Tawhid, or unity, an Islamic concept. It is also a multicolored handwoven cloth with bright colors. Traditionally, the colors used on the headdresses were monochromatic, with red and purple hues. The cloth is made of cotton or silk, and occasionally includes metallic gold threads.
In modern times, pis siyabit is primarily used as a material for fashion apparel and accessories. Apart from that, a college in Jolo, Sulu, Philippines, namely “Notre Dame of Jolo College's Cottage Industry," showcases remarkable Tausug weaving and also helps the Tausugs sell their products.
