Fiber Ikat Panel

A ceremonial cloth hanging made of abaca fiber. Traditionally made by the Tboli people of the island of Mindanao, southern Philippines, these cloths were especially prominent at betrothal and marriage ceremonies. They are called tnalaks and within the narrow range of materials, colors and designs they display an amazing variety. The colors were derived from elements in nature and the material used was fiber from abaca bark. The designs supposedly came to the weavers in their dreams and that was why they were called dream weavers. The ikat technique used is a method of tie- dyeing threads before they get woven, thus producing easily identifiable fuzzy borders between colors.