ABOUT TEXTILE WEAVER
Ambalang Ausalin
AMBALANG AUSALIN
Textile Weaver, 2016
March 4, 1943 - February 18, 2022
The NCCA conferred Apuh Ambalang Ausalin as a Manlilikha ng Bayan in 2016. An important figure in Yakan textile weaving, the master weaver was a pride of her community in Parangbasak in Lamitan City, Basilan.
Apuh Ambalang, as she is called by her community of weavers, is highly esteemed in all of Lamitan. Her skill is deemed incomparable: she is able to bring forth all designs and actualize all textile categories typical to the Yakan. She can execute the suwah bekkat (cross-stitch-like embellishment) and suwah pendan (embroidery-like embellishment) techniques of the bunga sama category. She possesses the complex knowledge of the entire weaving process, aware at the same time of the cultural significance of each textile design or category.
CONDOLENCES
Vice President Leni Robredo mourned “the loss of a national treasure.”
“I had the honor of meeting her in 2018. She was the inspiration for the OVP’s (Office of the Vice President) efforts to help link Yakan weavers directly to the market instead of going through intermediaries, and the construction of the Angat Buhay Weaving Center in Lamitan,” Robredo recalled in a statement on Friday.
“Through these projects, we hope that Apuh Ambalang’s craft will continue to be practiced by her community, preserving one of the finest weaving traditions in the world,” she added.
Basilan Rep. Mujiv Hataman lamented that “one pillar of culture, tradition and arts left us, [had] left the Filipinos.”
Isabela City tourism officer Claudio Ramos II said Ausalin “has joined the roster of great Filipinos who left a torch of legacy on our heritage, which we hope we can continue in the years to come.”
Basilan Gov. Jim Salliman said Apuh Ambalang “will be greatly remembered for your extraordinary life.”
AMBALANG AUSALIN
A National Living Treasure Awardee from Lamitan City, Basilan
Ambalang Ausalin is one of the three Mindanaoans who were proclaimed as "Manlilikha ng Bayan" or National Living Treasures by President Rodrigo Duterte in January 2017.
She is respected for her commitment in safeguarding and promoting of weaving the traditional Yakan textiles, especially the colorful tennun or tapestry weave. Coming from a family of weavers in Parangbasak, Lamitan City, Apuh Ambalang, as she is called by other weavers, has learned the craft at a young age and is able to execute the most intricate designs.
HOW DOES ONE BECOME A MANLILIKHANG BAYAN?
To become a Manlilikha ng Bayan, an individual or group candidate must:
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Master the tools and materials required for traditional, folk art, and create works of exceptional technical quality.
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Have consistently produced high-quality work over a long period of time;
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Have participated in a traditional or folk art that has been practiced and documented for at least fifty (50) years;
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With his character and honesty, he commands respect and inspires adoration for the country.
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Must have transferred and/or be willing to impart talents in traditional and folk arts for which the community has become nationally known to other members of the community.
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However, a candidate who is unable to teach further his/her/their craft owing to age or disability may still be recognized as long as he/she/they meets the conditions outlined above.
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