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ABOUT THE WORK

Mark Justiniani pays homage to the historical legacy of the precolonial babaylan. There were various nomenclatures for these shamans: babaylan in the Visayas, catalonan for the Tagalogs, baylan in pre-colonial Caraga region, baliyan (female shamans), or asog (a male cross-dresser) for the Bicolanos, and bayok for the Zambals, among others. These shamans were held in high regard and respect due to their supernatural ability to communicate with and appease the gods and spirits of the land. Generally, the babaylan and other equally related positions were either female or male, the latter transcending contemporary notions surrounding sexual orientations and gender identities. But what remains clear is the reverence held for these people, which translates to the significantly high degree of gender egalitarianism in Philippine pre-colonial societies. In particular, Justiniani depicts in this piece the regenerative powers of the babaylan. Foremost historian on Philippine precolonial societies, William Henry Scott, writes in his landmark work, Barangay: Sixteenth-Century Philippine Culture and Society: “The babaylan’s healing prowess was described in dramatic terms: agaw, to carry off by force, was to snatch a pain from the sufferer; tawag, to call someone out, was to summon the spirit that had kidnapped the soul; and baud, to rescue, was to free the invalid from the grip of the afflicting spirit." Thus, the babaylan, the healer of the land and the supreme mediator between the sacred and the profane. (Adrian Maranan)