SAYMAN, Freddie

Freddie Sayman was born in Baculin, Banganga, Davao Oriental in 1969.  He came to Manila in 1990 to apprentice under his maternal first cousin, William Yu. He received added art instruction under painter Roger Gutierez in 1994. His paternal grandmother, Sipa, was a pure Mandaya maiden. As a child, he lived with them with the Mandaya tribe in San Luis, Caraga, Davao Oriental, and is fluent in the Mandaya dialect. Because of this exposure to the culture, he is good at doing Mandaya baskets and hammocks, and tries to integrate Mandaya patterns into his designs.