Manang Mary: Paving the way

 

Her serendipitous involvement with the natural dye intervention in Banaue started with an ikat blanket bought from her during the term of then Assemblyman Gualberto Lumauig. That blanket caught the attention of natural dye enthusiasts in Manila which pa ved the way for her attendance in the Manlilikha ng Bayan exhibit organized in Malacañang sometime in the 1980s. She represented Region II (Ifugao then was still a component province of Cagayan Valley). In one of the presentations where she demonstrated the Ifugao art of natural dyeing, she was able to catch the attention of Patis Tesoro, a renowned fashion designer. This started her linkage with Tesoro that would soon bring her to the pipeline of the crusade for the revival of the art of natural dyeing. Mary Pindug, or Manang Mary, was able to sell some of her products there and it, indeed, has gone a long long way. More invitations came like the one they had just after the 1990 earthquake. Since roads in Ifugao then were not passable, they were even brought by plane from Cauayan, Isabela, to Manila through the efforts of Tesoro.  Manang Mary was also accommodated in the house of Tesoro in San Juan and they, together with the elderly Ifugao woman who taught her how to dye and weave, were provided with clothes to wear as well as their other needs. Manang Mary felt that something great was about to happen.

 

Manang Mary is a high school graduate and a businesswoman engaged in the wholesale and retail of Ifugao woodcarvings, woven products, and novelty items. Some of her woven products are blankets, tablerunners, and place mats. What set some of her products to stand out from the rest of the Cordilleran textile weave is the ikat design, the insignia of Ifugao weaves, and the use of natural dyes. Although she was not really involved in the production, Manang Mary maintained a circle of women from Amganad who were engaged in natural dyeing. Manang Mary commissioned these women for the orders she had from her clients.

As Manang Mary penetrated the realm, which seems to have been blinded by the vibrant colors of synthetic dyes, the naturally dyed weaves from Ifugao slowly gained a niche in both the artistic and cultural spheres in Manila. More linkages and referrals delighted Manang Mary. The once dragging turnover of her naturally dyed products accelerated.

Back in Banaue, the women dyers and weavers faced the emergence of a potential market armed with their homegrown and traditional art of natural dyeing. As these women only dyed and wove in their spare time, they lacked the capacity to accommodate a larger volume required of them. Manang Mary doubted they would ever cope with the volume that they would have. Moreover, they rarely obtained dyed yarns of the same color. Manang Mary vividly recalled how her clients rejected her products owing to uneven dyeing and different shades even if it came from the same dye source. “It was a waste of resources,” she lamented.

 

In the early 1990s, Ifugao was singled out together with Abra as the beneficiary of the Katutubong Filipino Foundation’s (KFF) Katutubong Kulay Project (KKP). Manang Mary and her dyers and weavers from Amganad became its focal point in Ifugao. This project was equipped with the PTRI technologies on natural dye extraction and textile application, which sought to upgrade and enhance the existing practice of natural dyeing in Banaue.

 

Manang Mary was initially granted P50,000 for the construction of a small dyeing and weaving center. She told KFF that she was willing to shell out some amount to be able to construct a larger structure in order to maximize space. Thus, came the Alma Joe’s Handicraft Center, which later also became an exhibit area and a one-stop shop for Manang Mary’s products.

 

Alma Joe’s Handicraft Center was the venue of the seminar on the PTRI technology on natural dye extraction and textile application. The dyers from Amganad participated actively in the workshops. Manang Mary was both enthusiastic and optimistic and that the technology has prepared her dyers for bulk orders.

 

From then on, every time there was work to do, the dyers would go on a 20-minute walk from the foot of the terraces up to the highway where the center is located. Manang Mary wanted them to work there in order for her to facilitate and monitor the actual dyeing. This ensured the proper application of the skills learned and honed them to a scientifically upgraded approach.

 

Their blankets priced at P3,500 each in contrast to the commercially dyed ones sold at P1,000 each, has encouraged them to produce with vigor. This time Manang Mary was able to reproduce colors for her place mats and did not suffer rejection from her client in Manila. The technology has not affected the price that much but more on the productivity and capability of the dyers.

 

These undertakings preoccupied the mothers and daughters of Amganad. When there was no work in the rice fields, they would dye the yarns in the center and would bring them home for weaving using the backstrap. Manang Mary bought the yarns from them and sold them in the center or in Manila. The endeavor maximized the time of women without necessarily taking them out from their homes. They were still able to attend to their chores and take care of their growing children. Manang Mary served as the core, providing an avenue to consolidate these women and become productive as well. After all, the compensation was better off than being idle.

 

However, it was short-lived. When the remaining chemicals after the seminar started to run out and discomfort regarding the measurements and calculations involved using the PTRI technology crept in, the dyers reverted to what they were comfortable with. The practice/adoption of the improved technology was too short before the socioeconomic benefits were felt.