Women in the islands of northeast Tawi-Tawi and southwest Sulu make mats out of tepo, or pandanus leaves. Tepo is made by first harvesting pandan leaves, then drying, dying and finally weaving them into elaborate, vibrant designs. A Gawad Manlilikha ng Bayan (GAMABA) from Tandubas in Tawi-Tawi, the late Haja Amina Appi was the most well-known tepo weaver. She was renowned for her skillful execution and precise symmetric and asymmetric designs. In Siasi, Sulu, tepo weaving is similarly well-entrenched, and a young Sama on the island of Laminusa is inseparable from her mat.

(Excerpt from Passages: Muslim Mindanao)

#ProjectLarawan. Profiles of the Filipino. One portrait at a time.

Project Larawan is an initiative of Gabriel “Gabby” Malvar, a documentary filmmaker, writer and photographer, whose narratives are nuanced with unique, inventive perspectives to provoke an inquisitive look at his favorite subject, the Philippines. Become a part of Filipino identity every other Saturday on the DAILY TRIBUNE.