How a Benguet weaver stitched a legacy of preserving cultural heritage

BAGUIO, Philippines – The July 16, 1990, earthquake severed the Cordillera from Luzon, cutting off access roads and crippling infrastructure. In the town of Kabayan, Benguet province, Maxencia Pili, alongside a few women, took to crocheting blankets to supplement their incomes. They walked some 75 kilometers via the Atok Trail to Baguio, selling what they had crafted along the way.

What started as a modest initiative grew. By 1993, Pili had expanded beyond crochet into weaving, joined by Saturnina Atinan and Fe Paday. Together, they established Kabayan Weaving Arts and Crafts, turning a necessity into a business and, later, a cultural cornerstone.

Cultural master

By November 2023, or three decades later, Maxencia Pili, now 72, was honored as one of Benguet’s Outstanding iBenguet, recognized for her preservation of local culture through weaving. The citation praised her for creating employment, inspiring a new generation to invest in the craft, and being a living repository of traditional knowledge.

She has been recognized, too, as “Living Cultural Master” by the National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA), and serves as a trainer for its Enhanced School of Living Traditions program.

Her journey had humble beginnings. Pili learned to weave in 6th grade, but it wasn’t until adulthood, when she began crocheting clothes for her children, that neighbors took notice.

Orders followed, and Pili began selling homemade snacks to schools, driven by a determination to support her family and town.

Community lifeline

Kabayan Weaving eventually offered more than just jobs; it became a community lifeline. 

“The weavers would tend to their vegetable gardens in the morning and afternoon, but would be home at midday. During that time, when it was too hot to be outside, they would weave,” Maxencia’s daughter Mary Jude said.  

With support from government agencies like the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) and the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA), Pili equipped them with looms and training, turning weaving into a sustainable livelihood.

The business grew, gaining traction in trade fairs and providing products to government agencies and overseas Cordillerans. Still, the business faced challenges. Orders would sometimes exceed their capabilities, but the weavers pressed on, driven by the sense of purpose that Pili instilled in them.

The enterprise became a family affair. By 1998, Pili’s daughter, Mary Jude, was hauling products from Benguet to Manila for trade fairs. As she juggled college in Baguio, she managed orders, sourced supplies, and helped maintain the business. The legacy was set.

Transition time

But in 2020, as the COVID-19 pandemic shut down global borders, Mary Jude returned to the Philippines after 20 years in Japan. Reality struck. Her mother was aging, and the future of Kabayan Weaving needed reassessment. After a family meeting, the responsibility fell on Mary Jude to transition the business into its next chapter.

Now, she manages Kabayan Weaving with her mother, seeking ways to professionalize operations. The weavers, many of whom have been with the company since its inception, remain at its core. But streamlining processes, managing inventory, and ensuring profitability have become new challenges.

During the pandemic, even when orders dried up, work continued. 

“There were no orders at all, but my mother wanted the weavers to continue to work and earn,” Mary Jude recalled. “Since the basic product lineup was well-defined: traditional Ibaloi dress for men and women, they just kept weaving. And the women managed to earn during that period.”

They stayed productive, crafting traditional Ibaloi garments even as uncertainty loomed. 

Continuing the legacy

By 2022, business resumed with a major order for 120 sets of traditional attire, although the production strain revealed the business’s financial limits. Still, the Pili family rallied, pooling resources to meet the demand.

They have adhered to traditional colors and the same designs. The designs that do not sell well, they discontinue.

All of the weavers that Pili trained and hired all those years ago still work for her now, including Atinan and Paday. 

Looking forward, the Pili family remains determined. Government agencies now seek out Pili for her expertise in training a new generation of weavers, turning full circle from the days when she first sought assistance. 

At 72, Pili still weaves the fabric of her culture, threading the past into the present and ensuring a future for her craft.

“I want to share my skills so that the younger generation can continue weaving,” she said. – Rappler.com