ALL ABOUT BAYBAYIN - Episode 2: The History of Baybayin
Summary
TLDRThis video delves into the history and origins of Baybayin, the ancient Philippine script. Originating from the Tagalog 'bye-bye', it's believed to have Indian roots but also shares similarities with Javanese and Cham scripts. Evidence suggests a sophisticated writing system existed in the Philippines as early as 900 A.D., with widespread literacy among Filipinos, including women, before Spanish colonization. The Spanish used Baybayin to spread Christianity, introducing the 'kuruskal' to adapt the script to Spanish phonetics. Despite theories of decline due to Spanish suppression, Baybayin persists in modern Philippine culture, from currency to national symbols, and was officially recognized as the national writing system in 2018.
Takeaways
- đ The video discusses the history of Baybayin, a pre-Hispanic Philippine writing system.
- đ Baybayin is believed to have originated from the Tagalog word 'bye-bye', and might have been influenced by Indian scripts during the Indianization of Southeast Asia.
- đ The script was used to write on palm leaves and bamboo, which explains its characteristic curved lines.
- đ Spanish explorers were surprised to find an existing writing system in the Philippines, contrary to their expectations of 'savages' and 'barbarians'.
- đ Literacy in Baybayin was widespread, even among women, who were noted to be more adept at reading and writing than men.
- đ The Spanish used Baybayin to spread Christianity, translating catechism into the script in 1620, which introduced the 'kruskudlit' to represent consonants without vowels.
- đ„ The decline of Baybayin is attributed to Spanish colonization, with theories suggesting the burning of documents and the fading use as the Latin alphabet was adopted.
- đ Despite its decline, Baybayin has not completely disappeared, with modern uses in logos, passports, currency, and official documents.
- đ The Cultural Center of the Philippines, the Armed Forces of the Philippines, and the National Museum all incorporate Baybayin in their logos.
- đș Baybayin is also featured on the Philippine passport and currency, symbolizing national identity and heritage.
- đ In 2018, Baybayin was officially recognized as the national writing system of the Philippines, with efforts to preserve and promote it as part of the country's cultural heritage.
Q & A
What is the main purpose of the video series 'All About Baybayin'?
-The main purpose of the 'All About Baybayin' series is to answer commonly asked questions about Baybayin, focusing on its history, significance, and how it has been used in the Philippines.
What is the most popular theory regarding the origin of Baybayin?
-The most popular theory is that Baybayin originated from India during the Indianization of Southeast Asia, and it is considered part of the family of Brahminic scripts.
What evidence supports the existence of a writing system in the Philippines before the arrival of the Spanish?
-A copper plate bearing the Kaobi script, believed to be from 900 A.D., was found in Laguna, proving that a writing system was already present in the Philippines before the Spanish era.
How did the Spanish friars Pedro Cerino and Antonio de Maga describe the literacy rate in the Philippines upon their arrival?
-They noted that it was harder to find someone who couldn't read and write, indicating a high literacy rate in the Philippines at that time.
Why did the Spanish introduce the 'kuruskal' in Baybayin?
-The Spanish introduced the 'kuruskal' to represent a consonant sound without a vowel in Baybayin, which was necessary for translating certain Spanish words into the script.
What is the significance of the book of catechism published in 1620 in the Philippines?
-The book of catechism published in 1620 was significant because it was the first time that the Baybayin script was used alongside the Latin alphabet, and it introduced the 'kuruskal' for consonant-only representation.
What is the most commonly accepted theory regarding the decline of Baybayin?
-The most commonly accepted theory is that Baybayin simply faded out of use as the Spanish colonization progressed and people transitioned to the Latin alphabet.
Why do some scholars believe that the Spanish may have burned Baybayin documents?
-Some scholars suggest that the Spanish may have burned Baybayin documents that contained spells or curses, as these would go against the Christianity they were trying to spread.
How is Baybayin still present in modern-day Philippines?
-Baybayin is still present in logos of institutions like the Cultural Center of the Philippines, the Armed Forces of the Philippines, and the National Museum, as well as in the design of the Philippine passport and currency.
What does the Baybayin character 'Ka' represent in the logos of the Cultural Center of the Philippines and the Armed Forces of the Philippines?
-In the Cultural Center of the Philippines, 'Ka' represents 'katotohanan, kagandahan,' or truth and beauty, while in the Armed Forces of the Philippines, it represents 'kalayaan,' or freedom.
What was the significance of Baybayin being approved as the national writing system of the Philippines in 2018?
-The approval of Baybayin as the national writing system in 2018 signifies the government's commitment to preserve and promote Baybayin as part of the cultural and national heritage of the Philippines.
Outlines
đ The Origins and History of Baybayin Script
This paragraph delves into the origins of Baybayin, a pre-Hispanic Philippine writing system. It discusses various theories about its roots, including the possibility that it was derived from the Tagalog word 'bye-bye' or influenced by Indian scripts during the Indianization of Southeast Asia. The paragraph also mentions the discovery of a copper plate with the Kaobi script dating back to 900 A.D., indicating an existing writing system in the Philippines prior to Spanish colonization. The script was traditionally written on palm leaves and bamboo, which explains its characteristic curved lines. The Spanish friars' observations on the prevalence of literacy among Filipinos, including women, are highlighted, along with the Spanish attempts to impose their ideals on local society.
đ The Evolution and Decline of Baybayin
This section explores the evolution of Baybayin, particularly the introduction of the 'kuruskal' or 'cruz' symbol, which allowed for the representation of consonants without vowels, facilitating the translation of Spanish words into Baybayin. The paragraph discusses the significance of the first catechism book published in the Philippines in 1620, which used both Latin and Baybayin scripts. The decline of Baybayin is attributed to various theories, including the unverified claim of Spanish friars burning Baybayin documents and the gradual fading of the script as the Spanish colonization progressed and the Latin alphabet became more prevalent. The paragraph also notes the perishable nature of the materials used for writing Baybayin, which contributed to its decline.
đ”đ The Resurgence and Modern Usage of Baybayin
The final paragraph highlights the resurgence and modern usage of Baybayin in the Philippines. It mentions the script's presence in various national symbols and institutions, such as the Cultural Center of the Philippines, the Armed Forces of the Philippines, and the National Museum. Baybayin is also found on the Philippine passport and currency, showcasing its significance in the country's cultural heritage. The paragraph concludes with the official recognition of Baybayin as the national writing system of the Philippines in 2018, emphasizing the efforts to preserve and promote this historical script as part of the national identity.
Mindmap
Keywords
đĄBaybayin
đĄIndianization of Southeast Asia
đĄKaobi script
đĄMiguel LĂłpez de Legazpi
đĄSpanish colonization
đĄCruz Quedada
đĄCatechism
đĄLiteracy
đĄKatipunan
đĄCultural Center of the Philippines
đĄNational Museum
đĄPhilippine currency
Highlights
Introduction to the series 'All About Baybayin' aimed at answering common questions about the script.
Exploration of the history of Baybayin, the ancient Philippine script.
Theories on the origin of Baybayin, including its possible Indian roots and the Indianization of Southeast Asia.
The discovery of the Laguna Copperplate Inscription, dating back to 900 A.D., as evidence of an early writing system in the Philippines.
Miguel LĂłpez de Legazpi's surprise at the existence of a writing system in the Philippines upon his arrival in 1571.
Baybayin's traditional medium of palm leaves and bamboo, which influenced its characteristic curved lines.
The widespread literacy in Baybayin among Filipinos, including women, noted by Spanish friars Pedro Cerino and Antonio de Morga.
Francisco de Santa Inés' explanation for women's proficiency in Baybayin, suggesting their use of it in devotion and other activities.
The Spanish conquest of the Philippines using both military force and religious conversion, impacting the use of Baybayin.
The 1620 publication of a catechism in both Latin and Baybayin, marking the first use of the Kruskal (consonant-only symbol) in the script.
Theories surrounding the decline of Baybayin, including the possibility of Spanish destruction of documents.
Hector Santos' suggestion that Baybayin may have been used for spells or curses, potentially leading to its decline.
The gradual fading of Baybayin as the Spanish colonization progressed and the Latin alphabet became more prevalent.
The preservation of Baybayin on perishable materials like palm leaves and bamboo, which have since decayed.
Contemporary uses of Baybayin in logos and emblems, such as the Cultural Center of the Philippines and the Armed Forces of the Philippines.
Inclusion of Baybayin in the Philippine passport and currency, showcasing its continued relevance in national identity.
Jose Rizal's use of Baybayin in his works, highlighting its historical significance in Philippine literature.
The University of Santo Tomas' collection of Baybayin scripts, representing the largest collection in the world.
The official recognition of Baybayin as the national writing system of the Philippines in 2018, under House Bill 1022.
Transcripts
[Music]
hey guys
welcome back to my channel and welcome
to episode
two of all about by buying
the series that seeks to answer some of
your most commonly asked questions
about by buying so today's video is
going to focus on the
history of my buying now originally
for this video i was actually
torn between jumping straight into the
tutorial or going into the history of
librarian
but i decided that maybe it's better for
us to first tackle
the history of by buying so we would
have a deeper understanding and a more
solid grasp of what it is
which would lead to a better and deeper
appreciation of the art
[Music]
there are many theories as to where by
buying came from
by buying came from the tagalog word bye
bye
meaning to write or to spell the most
popular theory regarding the origin of
my body is that it came from india
during what is known as the
indianization of southeast asia
if you look closely you'll see a lot of
similarities between
baibain and the writings of india in
fact
by buying is considered to be part of
the family of brahminic scripts
other theories state that it may have
come from java or the champa kingdom
in what is now vietnam in 1989
a sheet of copper was found in laguna
bearing the kaobi script
this copper plate is believed to have
come from all the way
since 900 a.d proving that there was
already a writing system present in the
philippines
way before the coming of the spanish
regardless of where by buying came from
what we
do know is that when miguel lopez de la
gaspi
first arrived in cebu in 1571
he was astonished to find out that the
filipinos were apparently not the
savages that he thought that they were
expecting savages and barbarians in cebu
he was surprised to find out that there
was a writing system in place already
by buying was mostly written on palm
leaves
and pieces of bamboo using sharp knives
and
other tools this choice of material
explains why
by buying mostly has curved lines
i mean
then
the spanish friars pedro cerino and
antonio de maga
noted that it was actually harder
to find someone in the philippines who
didn't know how to read and write
as opposed to finding someone who knew
how to read and write
so you could probably imagine that the
spanish were all
mind blown from this but wait
there's more not only was reading and
writing
available to anyone of all social
classes it was also available
for the women in fact they noticed that
the women
were even better than the men in 1676
a spanish friar named francisco de santa
ines
tried to explain this disparity do you
know what he said
he said that because they do not have
any other way to while away the time for
it is not customary for little girls to
go to school as boys do
they make better use of their characters
than men
and they use them in things of devotion
and in other things that are not of
devotion
however we know now that that may have
just been the spanish
trying to impose their ideals on us
because
in pre-colonial philippines men and
women were practically
equals
now if you study philippine history in a
philippine school
for sure you've heard the saying that
goes
the spanish conquered the philippines
with the sword
and the cross and that's what they did
with by buying
they took by buying the writing system
uniquely
ours and they used it to spread
christianity
and conquer us with the cross in 1620
the spanish
published and released a book of
catechism in the philippines
that for the first time ever was written
in both the latin alphabet
and in by bayen the usage of baibain
allowed the filipinos to further
understand what they were trying to
teach them
now this book is extremely important
to the study of by buying why is this so
it's because this is the first time that
the kruskudli
was used in baibain if you saw my
previous video
i explained that by buying is an alpha
syllabary
meaning that each character in the
baribaian alphabet
represents a consonant sound followed by
a vowel sound
if you missed my previous video talking
about this i'm linking it down
in the description below now the problem
is
what if you want to use just a consonant
no vowel sound they didn't really have a
problem with this before the coming of
the spanish
but when the spanish arrived and they
wanted to translate
their ideas into baibain spanish had a
problem because there were some words
where they needed to drop the vowel
sound
they introduced the cruz could leave the
kruskal delete is a small symbol
that you can put underneath any
character symbolizing
a consonant sound in the by buying
alphabet
and what it will do is that it will drop
the vowel sound
found at the end of the consonant sound
for example
ba will simply become b and the
kruskal-lit was first used
in that book
[Music]
just like by buying's origins there are
many theories surrounding the decline
of by buying the most popularly believed
theory
as to why by buying fell out of use is
that the spanish
burned everything on nast according to
the historian h oddly bayer
a spanish friar in south luzon even
posted about burning over
300 documents containing the by buying
script
however when they looked into this claim
again
they couldn't find anything behind it
specifically they couldn't find the name
of the priest
who supposedly boasted about burning all
those documents
so while we can't say with certainty
that the spanish
did burn documents of baby
we also can't say with 100
certainty that the spanish didn't
burn documents another scholar hector
santos
suggested that maybe the spanish did
burn some things
it is very possible that they may have
burned down any documents written in by
buying
that had spells or curses why
because this would go against the very
christianity that they were trying to
spread
thus the most commonly accepted theory
regarding the decline of bibayan is that
it just faded you know as the spanish
came and colonized us further
the need to use by buying just became
less and less and less as people
transitioned to the latin alphabet
people just stopped using it it just
became outdated
kinda like blockbuster or video city
on top of that by buying was mostly
written on perishable materials
such as palm leaves and bamboo and with
these materials they
just rotted away and that's why they're
lost to us now
however baibain has not yet fully died
in the philippines in fact by buying may
be used
more often and closer to you than you
may think
some examples are the logo of the
cultural center of the philippines
have you ever wondered why the logo of
the cultural center of the philippines
looks like that why does it consist
of three h's what does h
have to do with the cultural center of
the philippines
well that isn't actually an h
that's actually the baibayan character
ka
and they use three kaas to represent
katotohanan kagandahan
or truth beauty and goodness
the armed forces of the philippines also
uses by buying
in its coat of arms just like the
cultural center of the philippines
the armed forces of the philippines also
makes use
of the baibain character ka
in this case however the ka
represents the katipunan and what they
fought for
kalayaan or freedom
the national museum or pampansang museo
also utilizes baibain in its logo
in this case it utilizes the baibain
character
[Music]
representing pamana or heritage
if you like to travel take a look at
your passport
do you see any bye bye in there look
closely
passports issued after august 2016
utilized by
bayen it quotes from the book of
proverbs
chapter 14 verse 34.
and it says
[Music]
or righteousness exalts a nation
for those of you who may not travel a
lot baibain is still closer to you in
your everyday life
than you may think take a look at your
money
here let's take for example the 100 peso
bill
do you see any by buying on the bill
[Music]
yes the new generation of bills in the
philippines contains the word
filipino written in by bayeen
it extends to the coins too do you see
it
it's clearer when we look at the design
do you see it there is a small p
i on the coins meaning
filipino our national hero
jose rizal even used by baiyin
in his obra maestra nolimetangere
part of its sequel el filibusterismo
were also written in by buying
on bamboo strips and these strips can
now be found
in paris you can find the world's
largest collection
of barbarian scripts in the university
of santo tomas
the oldest university in asia and the
philippines
in 2018 by buying was approved as the
national writing system of the
philippines
in accordance with house bill 1022 which
seeks to preserve and promote by buying
as part of our cultural and national
heritage
and that wraps up by buying story for us
up to today i hope you guys enjoyed this
video and you
all learned something if you like this
video don't forget to hit that like
button
subscribe and hit that notification bell
to be the first to receive any updates
on any new videos
and i'll see you all in the next video
bye
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