Mindanao
is just an airplane ride away from Manila, and there lies the place where I
live: Zamboanga City. Our place is known for a number of titles like the “City
of Flowers”, the “Sardines Capital” and “Asia’s Latin City”. In whichever way
they try to label the place, I believe that Zamboanga is still beyond what
those titles would even try to imply. It is truly the place where the remnants
of the Spanish influences are still present, from the spicy dishes, Spanish
derived dialect and the features of the appearances of the people.
The
City of Zamboanga is the center of trade and other economic activities in
Mindanao, also cradling different kinds of people with different walks of life
and religion. It is also the city where our Moslem brothers and sisters already
considered living in like the Tausug, Yakan, Subanen, Samal, Badjao and
Maranao. These people are not entirely different from us only that they belong
to these certain tribes where their customs and traditions may vary, and they
follow the Islamic religion. They also have their own native dialect. Nevertheless
we are still one with them as Filipinos. Like any other social groups, these
tribes also have a rich and diverse culture, patterned with their values and
beliefs that were already passed from generation to generation.
An
example of a material culture coming from the Southern Philippines and the Sulu Archipelago is
the Malong. It is a large, colorful
woven cotton or silk cloth in royal colors with a variety of geometric or Okir
designs, fine decorations and creative patterns, with a length of approximately
166
centimeters and 170 centimeters wide. It is the most prominent
traditional wear and is normally wrapped around the body. Women typically wear
it is around the waist with its folds draped over the left arm, while men wrap
it around their waist like a skirt.
Filipinos usually wear this kind of clothing for warmth, comfort, fashion,
or traditional celebrations. It is similar to the sarong worn by peoples in
Malaysia, Brunei and Indonesia.
The Malong can function as a skirt for men and women, a dress, a blanket, a cover-up, a towel, a sunshade, a bed sheet, a "dressing room", a hammock, a prayer mat, a picnic mat and many other ways. It could also be used as curtains and dividers in a usual Maranao native house.
The Malong can function as a skirt for men and women, a dress, a blanket, a cover-up, a towel, a sunshade, a bed sheet, a "dressing room", a hammock, a prayer mat, a picnic mat and many other ways. It could also be used as curtains and dividers in a usual Maranao native house.
While it serves its purposes in replacement of other things like
tables and clothing, it could also be useful in securing and keeping a baby to
its comfort. A newborn is wrapped in a Malong,
and as he grows this piece of cloth becomes a part of his daily life. He is
again wrapped in it the moment he dies. Among these traditional tribal peoples,
the Malong is very useful in their
daily life. Even in areas where people wear Western-style clothing during the
day, it is commonly used as sleepwear for its soft and relaxing sensation.
The purposes of the
Malong do not stop from here. It
can also be used as a cape, coat, or umbrella. Maranao or Maguindanao women
wear it over a blouse called arbita. Also, they wear this with their other
traditional clothes like with their turban called kombong made of
muslin fabric. White is used as kombong when the wearer has been to
Mecca.
All
these and more, only from the place where I belong.
References:
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