Dreams

For more than 300 years, women residing around a turquoise lake have woven textiles from visions they say were bestowed to them by a goddess in their ...

But for those aware of how centuries of T'boli women have sought to record their most fleeting visions, these time-honoured textiles stand as an enduring testament to a culture and people who see our world and the spirit world differently. In addition to the weaving taught by another master weaver, she teaches T'boli music and dance to local children. In a lakeside shop selling T'nalak to tourists, a local woman couldn't name any of the patterns she sold. While the design process is full of mystery, the weaving process is easier to apprehend. As Sebulan worked, a teenage girl combed through the tangled bundles of abacá fibre to enhance their softness and durability and prepare them for weaving. The centre's name honours the late master weaver [Lang Dulay](https://ncca.gov.ph/about-culture-and-arts/culture-profile/gamaba/national-living-treasures-lang-dulay/), the princess of T'boli and one of the most renowned dream-weavers. [Lang Dulay T'nalak Weaving Centre](https://www.facebook.com/Lang-Dulay-Tnalak-Weaving-Center-229820187563674/), situated in a wooden T'boli longhouse (Gono Bong) 3km east of the lake in T'Bong village, is one of the main hubs of T'nalak. According to the Museum of Philippine Economic History, dream-weaving used to be widespread around Lake Sebu. It featured a white bird (called the Hafak Bull Blila) encased in a red diamond-shaped border, with two symmetrical rectangular heads and a pair of outstretched wings, as if it were flying. But since the end of martial law in 2020, the island has cautiously opened its doors, allowing tourists willing to brave [government warnings](https://www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/philippines) to come face to face with one of Asia's most beguiling traditions: dream-weaving. The process is done entirely by hand with all-natural ingredients, and while it's led by the master weaver, it is a collective effort by the community that is considered a sacred tribute to the goddess. Villagers believe that the goddess, Fu Dalu (the spirit of abacá), communicates with women by appearing in their dreams as an animal or human figure.