The conflict in Marawi City barely left its residents with anything apart from collapsed structures, bullet-ridden walls, and a pile of debris.

When the siege broke, hundreds of thousands were forced to abandon their homes empty-handed. Months after, the residents remain displaced as they come back only to see their house in ruins.

Among those displaced residents are Sainuddin Malawani Moti and his group of Maranao doll makers.

"Before the Marawi siege, we used to have a thriving business called Darangen Doll Shop," Moti recalled.

The famous Darangen Doll store was one of the many structures in Marawi that suffered extensive damage during the conflict.

"Everything was gone. My shop and collections included," the craftsman said.

Moti first created the unique dolls clad in traditional Maranao garments in 2011. At their peak, there were six pairs of hands working on the craft.

Today, only his sister remains.

The siege forced the group of Maranao dollmakers to seek refuge at the homes of their respective relatives. "They are in Lanao del Sur while we are currently staying at Iligan City in Lanao Norte," Moti explained.

"Although they no longer work for the shop, they still sometimes come by to visit and try to help," he added.

INSPIRED BY UKAY-UKAY

The Darangen Dolls' fame and success is attributed to their colorful garments, which have become the most widely known representation of customary Maranao attire.

According to Moti, each doll is crafted to inspire young Maranaos to embrance their rich and unique heritage.

"I created the dolls in our traditional attire to preserve our very own cultural royal regalia and to encourage our youth to be proud of our very elegant [attire]," he said.

In contrast to the class that Marawi's famous doll exudes, the idea was birthed from Moti's frequent trips to ukay-ukay shops.

"I always noticed files of flashy, glittering clothes from Malaysia and Brunei in volumes at ukay-ukays, so I thought of doing something to recycle it," Moti said.

"After several days of brainstorming, I came up to the idea of making dolls of our own traditional wear. Then it happened."

The Darangen Dolls are dressed in a colorful malong, known as landap, a distinctive Maranao clothing. The blouse is a long-sleeved pull-over bejeweled with glittering buttons.

The doll also sports a pinalot hairstyle, adorned by a headpiece called combong, giving the doll an elegant and regal look from head to toe.

Each Darangen Doll is patiently stitched and glued by hand. Moti believes his creations pay homage to the Maranao's rich culture, something the creator wishes to share with everyone, including those outside the Muslim community.

STARTING OVER

Moti has brought his dolls to many exhibits locally and abroad. In 2011, the Darangen Dolls won the Children's Choice Award, besting 75 other countries at the Prague Quadrennial Biennial Stage and Theatre Space Design Competition in Czech Republic.

However, the wrath of the conflict the Maute brought to Marawi paid no care to the Darangen Dolls' initiative and reduced the Maranao craftsmen's hard work to rubble.

"It was the unimaginable experience of a lifetime," Moti recalled, saying their escape from Marawi City in May last year felt like an apocalyptic movie scene.

"I felt fear. Fear of the Maute-ISIS presence in the street declaring war, fear of our male family members to be taken as new recruits, fear of the silence in the street of what used to be a busy avenue, and fear of the start of air strikes," he added.

Despite his worries, Moti made an effort to remain composed, saying he knew he had to take charge. He and his family hurriedly fled from their residence empty-handed, and came back home months later without a single thing to salvage.

This, however, did not stop Moti from continuing his mission to share Maranao's rich culture.

Thankfully, the business is picking up. While the shop is gone, the rare dolls can be purchased online.

"For a new start, it's survival. I trust the Almighty Allah for all the blessings," Moti declared.