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ABOUT THE ARTIST

In Pinili, Ilocos Norte resides one of the National Living treasures of the Philippines, Magdalena Gamayo. Born in 1924, Magdalena Gamayo is known as a Master weaver of the Inabel cloth which was a weaving tradition at the time in Ilocos. The Inabel or “abel” in Ilocano was usually made with cotton giving it its soft and strong quality. At the early age of 16, Gamayo was able to study and do the tradition of inabel weaving by watching her aunts work during the Second World War. With over 80 years of Inabel weaving, she has perfected her skills and done more intricate designs such as binakol (whirlwinds), inuritan (geometric design), kusikos (spiral forms), and sinan-sabong (flowers). Even with her old age, Gamayo still continues with her inabel weaving which shows her passionate and hard work she possesses in this art. She now has a number of apprentices where she can teach her work and pass on her art and skills to the present generation.

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ABOUT THE ARTIST

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About Her Weaving


Aired: (August 12, 2018): In his visit in Ifugao, Doc Ferds Recio met Lola Magdalena Gamay, a 94-year-old Inabel cloth weaver who is considered a national living treasure of the country.

Being an Awardee

The Gawad sa Manlilikha ng Bayan or the National Living Treasures Award gives recognition to Filipino traditional craftsmen or artisans whose skills have reached a high level of technical and artistic excellence and who are tasked to pass on to the present generation knowledge threatened with extinction.

Interview with the Artist


Full Interview with Madalena Gamayo (as part of the Great Ilocanos Interview Series conducted by the Province of Ilocos Norte)

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According to Philippine textile expert Dr. Norma Respicio, in her book Journey of a Thousand Shuttles: The Philippine Weave, she wrote:

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“In the Colonial period, the Spaniards considered the textiles to be of such excellent quality that they were allowed to count as taxes. Known for its strength and solidity, the Abel Iloko were also used as sail cloths in the Spanish galleons. It is assumed that the Abel was considered as a prevalent product that it became an immense opponent of the Spanish weaving industry, daunting its very existence. The Abel Iloko is undoubtedly a depiction of the well-elegant and sophisticated history of Ilocos.”

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            Up to this day, this specific culture of weaving is still very well known in our country, especially to Ilocos. And with the generations that passed, more designs of Abel weaving are well known. Artists of this art were also commended, especially for their work of upbringing the culture of Filipinos through these simple designs.

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