Geolette Marie Esguerra

Reviving Tradition: The Masda Aw Project and the Future of Kalinga Weaving

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<p>In the heart of Kalinga province, a pioneering cultural initiative is bridging centuries-old weaving traditions with contemporary design innovation. <strong>Masda Aw</strong>, which translates to ‘Curiosity’ in Kalinga, brings together indigenous artisans and urban creatives in a bold experiment to ensure that traditional crafts thrive in the modern world.</p><p>At the helm of this project are siblings <strong>Nina Tesoro-Poblador</strong> and <strong>Raffy Tesoro</strong>, whose lifelong immersion in Philippine handicrafts has prepared them uniquely for this undertaking. Their journey to Kalinga was a homecoming of sorts, a return to the values and landscapes that shaped their childhood.</p><div><br/></div><div><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1770262931394DSC_4837 copy 2 Medium.jpeg" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" width="960"/></div><div><br/></div><p>&quot;As the progeny of heritage brands <strong>Tesoro&#x27;s Philippine Handicrafts </strong>and <strong>Patis Pamintuan Tesoro</strong>, my brother Raffy and I were lucky to be exposed to the multitude of highly skilled handicraft artisans across the nation,&quot; Nina shares. &quot;As children, we were repeatedly brought around the Cordilleras by our parents, which fueled our passion for the cultivation of local art and craft through product innovation.&quot;</p><div><br/></div><p>The siblings absorbed lessons about materiality, technique, and the connection between cultural identity and creative expression. Those childhood journeys through mountain communities would later become the foundation for their adult mission, instilling in them an appreciation for traditional crafts.</p><div><br/></div><div><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1770262970023DSC_4921 copy 2 Medium.jpeg" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" width="960"/></div><div><br/></div><p>The catalyst for Masda Aw came in 2023, when <strong>Pasil Councilor Arnel Banasan</strong> observed something that alarmed him. The younger generation of Kalinga was becoming increasingly disconnected from their indigenous heritage. During one cultural performance, Banasan witnessed the careless disposal of bamboo instruments, sacred objects that carry generations of tradition and craftsmanship. It was part of a troubling pattern, a growing indifference that threatened the preservation of tangible artifacts and the transmission of traditional practices.</p><p>Banasan knew he needed to act, and he knew whom to call. &quot;In 2023, Pasil Councilor Arnel Banasan invited us to engage with Kalinga artisans as he noticed that the younger generation was becoming increasingly indifferent to their indigenous heritage,&quot; Nina recalls. &quot;He then introduced me to <strong>Manang Florence Ao-wat</strong>, founder of the <strong>Kalinga Indigenous Weavers Association (KINWA)</strong>, as my brother and I primarily work with weavers. We could build the community engagement art project around weaving local cotton colored with Philippine natural dyes.&quot;</p><div><br/></div><div><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1770262986554DSC_4916 copy 2 Medium.jpeg" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" width="960"/></div><div><br/></div><p>The connection to Florence Ao-wat proved pivotal. As founder of KINWA and a community elder deeply invested in preserving Kalinga&#x27;s weaving traditions, Ao-wat understood both the urgency of the situation and the potential of the collaboration Nina and Raffy proposed.</p><p>With support from the <strong>Direct Aid Program of the Australian Embassy</strong> in the Philippines and <strong>Mercedes Zobel</strong>, Nina and Raffy assembled a team. They brought together urban creatives, namely, photographer <strong>MJ Suayan,</strong> artist <strong>Paul Mondok</strong>, Venezuelan model V<strong>anessa Tedesco</strong>, cameraman <strong>Arnold Amores</strong>, sound artist <strong>Tad Ermintaño</strong>, writer <strong>Yvette Tan</strong>, natural dye expert <strong>Diana Katigbak,</strong> and actor <strong>Shamaine Buencamino,</strong> to collaborate with Kalinga weavers, basketry and bamboo instrument artisans, local models, designers, and regional media outlets.</p><div><br/></div><div><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1770262998219DSC_4911 copy 2 Medium.jpeg" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" width="960"/></div><div><br/></div><p>The diverse collective would work together on Masda Aw&#x27;s first two major activities: the two-week Weavinnovation training and Community Craft Day at Tabuk District Jail. The mix of disciplines of photography, art, performance, writing, and technical expertise reflected the project&#x27;s vision of cultural exchange.</p><p>The siblings have distinct but complementary roles in the project. &quot;I am the creative director of the project,&quot; Raffy explains. &quot;I was in charge of interpreting the traditional and innovative output for the weavers and teaching them how to self-design using their heritage as a foundation for expression.&quot; Raffy serves as a bridge between ancestral techniques and contemporary design thinking, helping weavers see their traditional patterns as launching points for creative exploration and giving artisans permission and tools to be designers in their own right.</p><div><br/></div><div><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1770263008032DSC_4870 copy 2 Medium.jpeg" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" width="960"/></div><div><br/></div><p>Nina&#x27;s role encompasses the broader operational picture. &quot;I am the project manager of Masda Aw (Curiosity): <strong>Kalinga X Manila - Cultural evolution</strong> through creative confluence,&quot; she states. &quot;I oversee the whole program from planning to implementation so that objectives are met, and promises are delivered to our primary beneficiaries, and outcomes and outputs from which are then reported back to our patrons and partners.&quot;</p><div><br/></div><p>Her work ensures that the creative vision translates into tangible outcomes for the artisans, turning inspiration into impact, managing the complex logistics that allow creative collaboration to flourish.</p><div><br/></div><div><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1770263028587DSC_4866 copy 2 Medium.jpeg" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" width="960"/></div><div><br/></div><p>When asked what they hope to achieve, both siblings articulated visions that challenge conventional notions of cultural preservation. For Raffy, the goal is to ensure that Kalinga traditions remain living, breathing practices. “I would like to see more innovation amongst our traditional culture bearers,&quot; he emphasizes. &quot;While preserving traditional techniques is of utmost importance, there must also be some exploration towards the new. Tradition needs to keep evolving alongside modern influences. Learning from the past and the present is what creates the future.&quot;</p><p>Nina&#x27;s vision extends beyond Kalinga to broader questions of how we organize economic life. &quot;I hope that the practice of sustainability will be the norm rather than the exception,&quot; she says. &quot;Though these kinds of community engagement initiatives and social enterprise start-ups are becoming more mainstream, the transition from the shareholder to stakeholder model is not fast enough to compensate for current levels of environmental and social degradation. People have to come together in a bigger way to practice reciprocity and community, preferably through these handicraft livelihood initiatives as at the end of the day, home economics will save the world!&quot; Nina declares.  By &quot;home economics,&quot; she doesn&#x27;t mean those old home-ec classes but the economics of households and communities: production organized around human needs and relationships.</p><div><br/></div><div><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1770263048253DSC_4827 copy 2 Medium.jpeg" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" width="960"/></div><div><br/></div><p>Masda Aw manifests through several integrated programs. <strong>Weavinnovation</strong>, the flagship initiative, builds on the legacy of Patis Tesoro&#x27;s 1992 <strong>Katutubong Kulay</strong> project, which illuminated the connection between indigenous textile practices and cultural preservation. Over two intensive weeks, Kalinga artisans collaborated with Manila&#x27;s fashion professionals, learning natural dyeing techniques from <strong>Diana Katigbak</strong> and design innovation approaches from Raffy. The program documents the entire process and culminates in a fashion shoot featuring the new textile creations: handwoven local cotton dyed in hues of Philippine indigo, atsuete, mahogany, mango, and talisay.</p><p>The <strong>Outsider Craft Community Day</strong> at <strong>Tabuk District Jail</strong> represents another dimension of the project, using art-making as a path to rehabilitation and personal growth. Paul Mondok conducted watercolor workshops while master basket weavers shared traditional craft techniques. Councilor Banasan and Mingor Chi Kultura performed compositions in Tagalog, Kalinga, and Ilocano, celebrating indigenous heritage through music. The day-long event demonstrated how creative expression can serve as a tool for rehabilitation and economic empowerment, resulting in beautiful basketry, including traditional pasiking backpacks made by the inmates.</p><div><br/></div><div><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1770263060413DSC_4832 copy 2 Medium.jpeg" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" width="960"/></div><div><br/></div><p>Finally, the <strong>Masda Aw Case Study </strong>will be published and launched at the <strong>College of Saint Benilde</strong> in <strong>August 2026</strong>, providing an educational blueprint for future cultural entrepreneurs seeking to honor heritage while meeting contemporary standards for sustainable textile and fashion production.</p><p>Both siblings have clear ideas about where to take Masda Aw next. &quot;We’d like to see a progression in traditional expression beyond just safeguarding and gatekeeping past ok designs,&quot; Raffy envisions. &quot;We would love to work with more communities and allow them to create new designs and explore their creative process while keeping their past and their identity in mind,&quot; Raffy suggests that overly rigid preservation can become its own obstacle. The goal is to empower communities to evolve their traditions on their own terms.</p><div><br/></div><div><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1770263087214DSC_4764 copy 2 Medium.jpeg" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" width="960"/></div><div><br/></div><p>Nina&#x27;s aspirations center on changing how creatives engage with indigenous communities. &quot;We hope to develop a collective consciousness of creative and cultural authenticity in handicraft product innovation through in-depth appreciation and understanding of this domain,&quot; she explains. &quot;If more creatives realize that extensive research and immersion are necessary in producing cultural products with local indigenous artisans, there will be less blatant knocking off of designs and more respect for each other&#x27;s original ideas and hard-earned intellectual property.&quot;</p><div><br/></div><div><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1770263099635DSC_4792 copy 2 Medium.jpeg" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" width="960"/></div><div><br/></div><p>Each community&#x27;s textile traditions are identity markers, proprietary knowledge systems, and brands in the truest sense. The distinctive patterns that differentiate Kalinga textiles from those of other Cordillera groups served the same function as modern trademarks: identifying origin and guaranteeing authenticity. </p><p>Masda Aw represents a new paradigm for cultural preservation. By bringing together indigenous wisdom and contemporary creativity, the project honors heritage while embracing innovation. </p>

<p>How siblings Nina and Raffy Tesoro are revitalizing Kalinga's indigenous textile traditions through creative collaboration and innovation</p>

How siblings Nina and Raffy Tesoro are revitalizing Kalinga's indigenous textile traditions through creative collaboration and innovation

Reviving Tradition: The Masda Aw Project and the Future of Kalinga Weaving

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Reviving Tradition: The Masda Aw Project and the Future of Kalinga Weaving

Ria de Borja

Published Jan 12, 2026 06:00 PM PHT

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Updated Feb 05, 2026 11:46 AM PHT

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Masda Aw

Kalinga

Weaving

Tesoro

Indigenous Heritage

Weavinnovation

Natural Dyes

Cultural Preservation

Social Enterprise

Philippine Handicrafts

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