GAMABA - Magdalena Gamayo

Nestled in the town of Pinili, Ilocos Norte, the skilled hands of Magdalena Gamayo have woven countless stories and rich cultural heritage into her intricate inabel cloth. At 98 years old, she stands as a master weaver whose talent and passion have been honed through more than eight decades of practice. A GAMABA awardee, her work holds great significance as inabel cloth was once considered a valuable commodity and even mentioned in the renowned Ilocano epic, Biag ni Lam-ang. Born in 1924 amidst the tumultuous Second World War, she learned the trade from her aunts at the tender age of 15 and has since dedicated her life to the craft.

Magdalena Gamayo's skill in weaving has been honed for over 80 years, ever since she learned the craft from her aunt as a teenager

during the Second World War. She relied on her innate talent and intuition to create her stunning designs since she never received formal instruction. In her community, weaving was a common skill, and Magdalena's relatives and friends often competed informally to create the most exquisite weaves.

When she was 19, her father purchased her first loom made of hardwood and hired a craftsman to complete the job. This loom served her well for over 30 years while she raised her family, and she considers herself fortunate to have acquired a used one when her original loom was no longer usable. However, assembling a loom like Magdalena's is a dying art, with few people today possessing the knowledge to construct a sturdy wooden frame with three-foot pedals, large horizontal beams, and an extended longitudinal frame to hold the threads in place. The backstrap loom, commonly used in the Cordillera region, is attached to a fixed object on one end and to the weaver's body on the other to create the intricate designs of the inabel cloth.

Magdalena Gamayo was bestowed the prestigious Gawad sa Manlilikha ng Bayan, or National Living Treasure, in 2012 for her exceptional weaving skills, making her the most eminent weaver in the

present time. Her unique weavings feature the inubon a sabong design, which resembles a string of beautiful flowers. The National Council on Culture and the Arts recognized her dedication to craftsmanship and outstanding performance, which serves as an inspiration to many. Despite being in her 90s, Lola Magdalena still manages to set up the threads on the loom, a challenging task that even younger weavers find difficult. She teaches young weavers and believes that the younger generation must be involved in this activity since she is aging and they must take over. A small misjudgment can result in an improperly aligned design that may only become apparent once it's too late.

Inabel is any woven fabric that came originally from Ilocano. Magdalena’s work is finer than most. According to NCCA, “the beauty of her designs lies in how delicate the patterns are, and yet how uniform the weave.” Her blankets are said to have high thread count and have intricate patterns. Some of her famous patterns are Inuritan (geometric design), Kusikos (spiral forms), and Sinan-sabong (flowers) which happens to be the most challenging among the three.

MORE ABOUT MAGDALENA...

Magdalena Gamayo.mp4