READINGS IN PHILIPPINE HISTORY
1st Quarter o Mambunong
Unit 8: Women in Philippine History
Babaylan Festival
What is Babaylan?
- Alfred McCoy, a distinguished historian in
Southeast Asia, claims it was derived from
the Malay words "belian," "balian" or
"waylan" from Java, Bali and Borneo.
- Healers in our Country
1. Healing (healers or naturalist)
2. rituals helped to aid their
community to be cohesive
3. ensure their harvests are plentiful
4. epidemics are repelled.
- A Babaylan
o Mediate with the spirit world, has
her own spirit guides, and is given
gifts of healing, foretelling, and
insight.
o Have knowledge of healing
therapies such as hilot and
arbularyo.
o Almost always women or
feminized men (asog or bayoc)
- Mural “History of Philippine Medicine” by
Carlos “Botong” Francisco
o First show of what a babaylan is
o Middle person in the mortal and
spirit world
o Knowledgeable in terms of
medicinal herbs and plants
o Albularyo
o During the Pre-colonial period,
there were male babaylan who
dressed like a woman, acted like a
woman and married a woman
- Local Names
o Mombaki
o Dawac
o Baylan or Balian
o Katalonan
o Ma-Aram
o Mangangallag
o Mumbaki
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o Patutunong
o Mandadawak
Importance of Babaylan
1. As the spiritual leader of the pre-colonial
tribes.
2. As the warrior-priest/priestess class who
presided over the religious rites
3. As the mediator between gods and men.
4. As personal adviser to the Datu in almost all
matters concerning religion, medicine,
natural phenomena and others.
o Adviser to the Leader
- valued so much, held in high esteem and
deference, even feared. Their word was
greatly respected, and capabilities held with
awe.
- Center for Babaylan Studies, Center of
Women Studies
- Covers what a woman can do
1. Healers, seers and clairvoyants,
exorcists, artists, teachers,
agriculturists, philosophers,
consultants, miracle-workers,
keepers of culture and tradition or a
combination of any of those
2. Institutionalized the traditional
roles for stability and endurance of
the social structures.
In Contemporary Context
- Babaylan name is used to carry out:
1. the spirit of revolution against
colonization,
2. their belief in Sacred Wholeness,
3. their love of mother country,
4. to serve their communities in
achieving justice and peace.
Babaylan Tradition and the Filipino Wisdom and
Power within us.
- Empowering leaders to strengthen, evolve
and uphold this intensifying, re-emerging
respect for indigenous traditions and
identity, and can in turn empower
communities they serve.
Babaylanism Answer a calling of leadership
- advocacy
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- activism
- teaching
- increasing awareness
- Healing
- spirituality and vision,
- struggling and working for justice—actions
and motivation deeply connected to the
context of being Filipino