Lemlunay
LEMLUNAY
LEMLUNAY
The word Lemlunay is a Tboli term for paradise. It’s also the name of the biggest fiesta at Santa Cruz Mission in Lake Sebu where Alvin and Prima Hower worked and lived for two years. As well, it is the name of a resort along Sarangani Bay located close to their favorite Tinoto Beach.
In a capsule, Lemlunay the website, is a celebration of life.
The Dreamweaver Project
Alvin and Prima Hower supports The Dreamweaver Project which empowers Tboli weavers and artisans by providing initial funding to purchase raw materials and equipment necessary to produce T’nalak and other traditional fabrics. Furthermore, the project concretely and consistently supports the community by purchasing their existing products and showcasing their masterpieces on a global scale, thus ensuring sustainability and future profitability of Tboli weaving and craftsmaking.
In his memoir, No Greater Service, Returned Peace Corps Volunteer (RPCV) and first time author Alvin Hower talks about the sheer joy of living and working with the indigenous people and soaking in their rich cultural heritage and visual arts.
After his Social Worker stint, Hower extended for another year and moved to the hinterlands of Lake Sebu, South Cotabato, to work at a Catholic Mission called Santa Cruz. The Mission served the indigenous people of South Cotabato province, particularly the Tboli whose sad plight was featured in the August 1971 issue of National Geographic Magazine.
Hower's book showcases the arts and crafts of the Tboli people – brass making and t’nalak weaving. In the early 1970s, T’nalak weaving was becoming a dying art. Hower could only remember five weavers within the service area of Santa Cruz Mission. He later collaborated with the Mission in their efforts of preserving the arts and crafts of the Tboli by documenting in slides the tie-dye process, which took three months to complete.
These memories are deeply ingrained in Hower's psyche, along with the wonderful moments he shared with his wife Prima in the paradise atop the majestic mountains. The pair were married on a hill overlooking Lake Seluton- an unforgettable venue! For these and many other reasons, Al and Prima will always hold Lake Sebu and its people dear to their hearts.