Meranao Artisans of Tugaya

A young lady, her head bundled in a hijab, pounded gently on a minute shard of shell, hammering the fragment into place on the surface of a wooden chest. Too much force, and the chip would shatter into even smaller bits. Too light and the piece would be easily dislodged. But the weight of her touch was enough.

The chip joined an assortment of other splinters, introduced bit by bit and lined up carefully to form part of a deliberate arrangement, highlighted by the twirling okir, a unique, traditional Meranao motif. The required effort was painstaking, yet the artist worked patiently, installing pieces into the mosaic until the pattern emerged. Once completed, the wooden chest became fully adorned with intricate in-lay designs and carvings.

The pre-work was similarly tedious. Shells and mother of pearl fragments were fashioned into different shapes—squares, triangles and diamonds—individually cut and formed, requiring deft hands. It was a task suited for womenfolk, with their gentle yet firm temperament. The more brutish masculine treatment would probably not have yielded the same results. Women seemed born with the right touch.

This young lady was not alone. Her mother, sisters, and aunts were all equally adept at this enterprise. This was a family pre-occupation, with craftsmanship and skills passed on from one generation to another. But this activity was not exclusive to her household. Other families indulged in the same profession of embellishing wooden chests in their own versions and particular ornamentations, guarding their designs from being copied or replicated.

As it was in the whole town of Tugaya, guilds and artisans were commonplace.