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Life

Salinta Monon also known as the "last Bagobo weaver" was born on December 12, 1920 in Bitaug, Bansalan, Davao del Sur. She is married to Agton Monon, a farmer. During their courtship stage Agton were had to pay her father Datu Bansalan Barra a significant bride price in order for him to be permitted to marry her because of her repute as a weaver. On July 4, 1946, the two were united in marriage and The couple was blessed with five children: daughter Roda and sons Sayko, Elias, Marciano, and Danilo. After her husband died in the early 1970s, Salinta tended the farm, took care of her children, and continued weaving as a source of extra income.

Salinta died peacefully  On June 4, 2009, at the age of 88.

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Salinta was born and raise in in Bitaug, a place inhabited by the Bagobos. She was still a little girl when she watched her mother weave inabal (ikat-dyed woven abaca (Musa textilis) cloth) , a cloth made from abaca fibers. At 12, Salinta asked her mother if she could teach her how to work the loom. Her mother did. In just a matter of a few months of constant practice, she quickly excelled in the craft. “You are good,” her mother told her. In the Bagobo society, the inabal (ikat-dyed woven abaca (Musa textilis) cloth) are considered as symbols of wealth, offerings to deities, and gifts to those who officiate rituals. These finely woven fabrics become ikut or sacred objects when inherited and used as protective charms that guarantee completion of houses. 

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 Watch the full documentary about her:

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