Nurayja Arabain poses inside her store in Lamitan City, Basilan, offering a collection of ready-made garments crafted from tennun cloth. (Majid Nur/BIO)
Tennun weaving in Basilan is a traditional craft deeply ingrained in the culture of the region, which originated from the intricate techniques passed down through generations.
It involves weaving intricate patterns using locally sourced materials including cotton, abaca, and silk, to produce the fabric. This age-old tradition holds significant cultural value for the Yakan people of Basilan, preserving and innovating upon its legacy.
Today, Tennun is not only a source of pride for the Yakan people but also an important part of their livelihood.
One of guardians of this tradition is Nurayja Arabain, 49, from Danit Puntukan, an interior barangay in Lamitan City.
Her journey from a young weaver in Lamitan City to a mentor and entrepreneur is inspiring. Her dedication to tennun weaving, despite facing financial hardships, led her to become a role model in her community.
She was orphaned at an early age and lived with her grandmother, whose passion for tennun weaving was primarily for personal use at the time when tennun was not yet marketable in the late ’70s.
“At the age of 12, I started weaving when my grandmother took a break. I used to take over until she appreciated my work and encouraged me to weave for clothes,” Nurayja recalled her early experiences.
Driven by the desire to go to school, Nurayja sold her weavings for P50, which, unfortunately, was not enough to sustain her education beyond the first year of college due to financial constraints.
However, her skills eventually caught the attention of the city tourism industry in 2010, propelling her into a new role as a mentor for various tennun weaving organizations in Lamitan.
With the coming in of the Bangsamoro Government, Nurayja’s cooperative has seen remarkable growth in production through the intervention of the Ministry of Science and Technology (MOST), Ministry of Trade Industry and Tourism (MTIT), and Bangsamoro Commission for the Preservation of Cultural Heritage (BCPCH).
She acknowledged the impact that these ministries and offices had on their cooperative.
“If I sewed manually, it was too slow. I was earning about P20 a month. After receiving 3-unit sewing machines and a production area, my monthly income tripled to roughly P60,000 to P100,000, especially during festival activities with many orders,ā she said.
Recently, she was awarded cash worth P60,000 and a plaque of recognition by BCPCH for mentoring their people’s association in Basilan during National Heritage Month at Intramuros, Manila on May 7, 2024.
“Alhamdulillah, I received a lot of blessings from BARMM. Apart from improving my income, my daughter is applying for a scholarship program from MOST as well. Thank you very much, Bangsamoro Government.”
For Nurayja, the pattern of success is āhard work while nurturing your own culture and tradition.ā
Her story exemplifies the transformative impact of government support on grassroots enterprises.
Nurayja’s success is not only a testament to her hard work but also to the collaborative efforts of the Bangsamoro Government in empowering local entrepreneurs and preserving cultural heritage. (Majid Nur/BIO)
