Jenny started her training as a dancer at the age of six and her first exposure was attending a peace-pact celebration, in which two tribes were brought together to settle their differences after a contentious past. Jenny is also well versed in the traditional Kalinga dance of Lubuagan, learning dances such as the Banga dance from her father Cirilio “Sapi” Bawer a cultural bearer and co-founder of KAYAW (to “head hunt”) Cultural Group of Lubuagan. Of her knowledge of laga weaving, Jenny says, “…If asked about what makes me Kalinga, it is my weaving. The dances capture the beliefs, celebration, and movement of everyday life of the Kalinga people. The dance movements were taken from the environment and earthly surroundings and carry different meanings and histories. The woven skirts, belts and other articles are especially utilized in the presentation of the dances that may occur to celebrate the harvest, weddings, war and peace pacts. Today, tribal members often wear Western clothing, but traditional clothing is still highly valued and worn during community celebrations, family celebrations, festivals, and rituals. Laga is used to create blankets and traditional regalia, including be-e (men’s g-string), tapis (women’s skirt), and belts. Kalinga weaving, or laga, is traditionally done by women using five sticks on a backstrap loom. Kalinga is a province of the Philippines and home to an indigenous people of the same name. Jenny is the only Kalinga weaver to have immigrated to California, and perhaps the entire United States. Jenny began weaving as a child, creating her first belt at the age of 10. Jenny Bawer Young learned Kalinga weaving from her maternal grandmother, Mambot Cusay, and her aunt, Alice Dumatog, in her native barangay, or neighborhood, of Mabilong, Lubuagen, in the Kalinga province. Jenny Bawer Young in traditional Kalinga regalia, posing with her arms spread upward to the side and her palms facing outward.
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