T'nalak

Tnalak (also spelled tenalak), is a weaving tradition of the Tboli people of South Cotabato, Philippines. T'nalak cloth is woven exclusively by women who have received the designs for the weave in their dreams, which they believe are a gift from Fu Dalu, the T'boli Goddess of abacá.

The rest of the community, including the men, are able to participate in the production of T'nalak by carefully selecting, stripping, and sun-drying the abacá fibers to be used. Once the fibers have been prepared, they are dyed using the dye-resist technique called "ikat", based on the pattern dreamt by the weaver; the woman gifted by Fu Dalu with the design then weaves the cloth using a backstrap loom.

The fact that the designs are derived from the dreams of the weavers means that traditional t'nalak patterns cannot be mass-produced. Because the patterns are based on dreams, the weavers of t'nalak are popularly referred to as dreamweavers.