Darhata sawabi
A WEAVER'S TALE
A Tausug of Parang, Jolo, Sulu. Darhata Sawabi was awarded for remaining faithful to the art of pis syabit weaving. Her strokes are firm and sure, her color sensitivity is acute, and her dedication to the quality of her pis syabit is unwavering. Because of her dedication to her art, generations of traditional Tausug designs have been preserved and are available for contemporary appreciation and future study.
Darhata Sawabi is a Filipino weaver from Parang, Sulu, known for pis syabit, a traditional Tausūg cloth tapestry worn as a head covering by the people of Jolo. She is a recipient of the National Living Treasures Award, having received the distinction in 2004. Pis refers to the geometric pattern that is said to be derived from the Indic mandala, and siyabit stands for the hook and technique.
Unmarried, Sawabi does weaving as a means of livelihood since farming, a common source of income for Parang families, is not sustainable for herself. Pis syabit weaving is tedious work. It is performed by placing black and red thread on a frame made of banana and bamboo. Besides red and black, Sawabi also used other colors, according to the needs of the chosen design. Weaving colorful squares of cloth used for the Pis Syabit for adornment of the native attire, bags, and accessories as well, it takes three days for the warp alone to be made. By age 48, she employs the help of apprentice weavers and children in her work, teaching the art to the younger generations. In the 1970s, she had to move residence at least twice due to the Moro conflict. Sawabi died on March 12, 2005, about a year after she was given the National Living Treasures Award.
THE REMARKABLE JOURNEY
The money she earns from making the colorful squares of cloth has enabled her to become self-sufficient and less dependent on her nephews and nieces.
At 48, and burdened by years of hard work, Sawabi no longer has the strength or the stamina for this. Instead, she hires one of the neighboring children or apprentice weavers to do it at the cost of P300.
In the 1970s, when Jolo was torn apart by armed struggle, Sawabi and her family were often forced to abandon their home in search of safer habitats
They returned to their home to see the pis she had been working on for nearly a month destroyed by the fighting.
Sawabi supported her family by weaving and selling her pieces to the participants in the conflict who passed through her village.
She continues to weave at home, while teaching the other women of her community
She taught young women of Parang and how to do pis sayabit
FACTS ABOUT DARHATA SAWABI
Darhata Sawabi was raised from birth to do only household
chores.
She never married
Weaving is her only possible source of income.
Her pis syabit are consist of bold contrasting color, evenness of weave, and she is faithful to the traditional designs of pis syabit, the reason why her community recognizes her well