She started weaving at the age of 14. It was then, she created two of her masterpieces of “tabih” (handwoven dyed abaka). Her masterpieces were now displayed at the National Museum or kept in her possession. She learned weaving from her mother who inherited the weaving craft from the masters weaver on their maternal line.
Yabing Masalon Dulo is a Filipino Blaan Ikat weaver and dyer. She was born on the fourteenth of August year 1914 and raised in Landan in Polomok, South Cotabato.
Yabing Dulo’s masterpiece has been featured in events such as the 2004 WOW Mindanao Tourism Expo held at Davao City and the 2nd ASEAN Traditional Textile Symposium held in Manila last February 1-2, 2009.
Yabing Dulo was recognized for her efforts of preserving and promoting the Blaan mabal tabih (ikat weaving) tradition. She is elected as the Kanfulung Bai (Master) for traditional crafts by the Ramon Magsaysay Memorial Colleges Blaan Studies Center as an academic recognition for her works and efforts of preserving the rich cultural heritage of Blaan. Last October 24, 2018, Yabing Dulo became one of the new awardees of the Gawad sa Manlilikha ng Bayan or National Living Treasures Award through the National Commission for Culture and the Arts.
Impact on the heritage of Blaan
Yabing Masalon Dulo is the first Cultural Master for the Blaan Weaving School of Living Tradition Project at Sitio Lamlifew, Datal Tampal, Malungon, Sarangani Province. This said project was funded by the National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA).
Ikat Weaving
Ikat comes from the Malay word in which meaning can be: cord, thread, knot, or bundle if noun, then “to tie” or “to bind” if it's a verb. Ikat refers to the dying technique that is used to create pattern and design unto the textile or fabric. So, ikat weaving is the process of resist dyeing, where individual or bundles of yarn are tightly wrapped together and then dyed multiple times to produce the desired pattern. Unlike other dyeing processes, the Ikat weaving technique dyed the yarn first before it is woven into cloth. Ikat weaving has three different types of techniques. These are warp ikat, weft ikat, and double ikat.
Even though Ikat weaving is a complex technique, it is still widely developed in different parts of the world. Wherein, the textile production of Ikat is produced in some places such as in India, Indonesia, Japan, South-East Asia, Latin America, Central America, and South America.
Fu Yabing Dulo commonly uses the Warp Ikat technique for the Blaan Tabih, the reserve-dyed plain woven abaca.
Fu Yabing Masalon Dulo was given a community celebration in her hometown for achieving a feat of becoming one of the country’s living treasure.
President Rodrigo Roa Duterte receives a token from Gawad sa Manlilikha ng Bayan (GAMABA) Awardee for Master of Mabal Tabih Yabing Masalon Dulo during the awarding ceremony at the Malacañan Palace on October 24, 2018.