GAMABA Awardees

 When a tradition becomes so ingrained to a society that it remains relevant up to the present, it becomes contemporary. Hence, anything traditional can become contemporary just by preserving the tradition itself and/or interpreting its function, use, ethics, and morality.

In the Philippines, certain artists get nominated with the Gawad sa Manlilikha ng Bayan or GAMABA award. It is an award conferred to give honor and pride to those traditional folk artists for their contributions to the country's intangible cultural heritage and to preserve their works, crafts, and skills.

•Apuh Ambalang Ausalin is a master weaver from the city of Lamitan, Basilan. She is known for her mastery of the sinaluan and sputangan, an intricately designed textile of the Yakan community.

•Haja Amina Appi is recognized as the master mat weaver of Tandubas, Tawi-Tawi. Her  sense of design, symmetry, and proportion were exhibited through her unique, multi-colored mats with complex geometric patterns.

•Darhata Sawabi is a weaver from Parang, Sulu. She is known for "Pis Syabit" which is a traditional Tausūg cloth tapestry worn by the people of Jolo, to serve as a head covering.

•Samaon Sulaiman is a musician known for his mastery of the indigenous kutyapi instrument. He is credited for his influence among other local experts in his area.

•Uwang Ahadas is a folk musician of the Yakan people. He went on to promote their tradition of playing the Yakan traditional instruments outside his native town of Basilan.

•Magdalena Gamayo is a master textile weaver of Pinili, Ilocos Norte. Her unique products are a testament of how machines can never hope to equal the human art.

•Lang Dulay is a traditional weaver from South Cotabato. She is known for maintaining the use of traditional motifs in T'nalak weaving, which resulted to the introduction of more modern designs by non-T'bolis.

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