Rosie Sula introduces this report with a beautiful chant about the legends of Lake Sebu, an important feature within the traditional territory of the T'boli people of the Philippines.
Just as Lake Sebu represents an important feature of cultural preservation for the T'boli people, so does the advancement of traditional weaving techniques known as Tnalak weaving. When the T'boli community learned that their distinctive Tnalak-style garments were being produced under false pretenses by non-T'boli manufacturers, they organized into a group called Tnalak Tau Sebu Inc. Through this group, T'boli women were able to secure collective intellectual property trademark rights to Tnalak weaving that are specific to their geographical location, which was an important victory for their community of women weavers.
INTERVIEWEES
Rosie Sula, T'boli Indigenous Women Rights Activist
Jennifer Tauli Corpuz, Legal advisor on Intellectual Property Rights
MUSIC
A chant sung by Rosie Sula, T'boli Indigenous Women Rights Activist and Lunington Chanter. Used with permission.
Indigenous Rights Radio Intro track features "Burn your Village to the Ground" by @a-tribe-called-red. Used with permission.
RESOURCES
Tnalak Tau Sebu Inc.'s website: tnalak.org/
PRODUCTION
Dev Kumar Sunuwar (Kumar/Sunuwar)
This is a production of Indigenous Rights Radio. All of our programs are free to download and broadcast.