The Story of the Babaylan | Mystic Healers and Community Leaders in Pre-colonial Philippines

Summary

This video explores the significant role of 'babaylan' in pre-colonial Philippine society, who were spiritual leaders with the ability to heal, divine, and communicate with spirits. Both women and feminized men, they held influential positions in indigenous communities, consulted by leaders on various matters. The Spanish colonization, however, led to the suppression of the babaylan, labeling them as witches and disrupting their revered status. Today, their practices have become more covert, with their roles largely assumed by 'katoleros', predominantly men.

Takeaways

• 🏰 The script discusses the significant role of the babaylan in pre-colonial Filipino society, who were spiritual leaders with the ability to communicate with spirits and nature.
• 🌿 Babaylan were influential in various aspects of community life, including leadership, warfare, agriculture, and healing, often consulted by local chiefs or datus.
• 🔮 The term 'babaylan' is used across different ethnic groups in the Philippines, with regional variations such as bailan, ligainon, or karaya.
• 🧙‍♂️ Becoming a babaylan could be through inheritance or after experiencing a shamanic crisis, which involves serious illness, near-death experiences, and visions.
• 🌱 Initiation into the role of a babaylan involved rituals that could be extreme, such as being buried alive or immersed in water, followed by training in rituals, chants, and local histories.
• 👤 Babaylan could be either women or feminized men, known as 'soul' in the Visayas, who adopted female mannerisms, dress, and were treated as women in the community.
• 🌈 The feminized babaylan, or 'soul', could gain full status through marriage and were considered equal members of the community, serving as heads in the absence of a female babaylan.
• 🌪️ The Spanish colonization of the Philippines led to the persecution of babaylan, who were seen as a threat to their efforts to Christianize and colonize the region.
• 🔥 Spanish propaganda labeled babaylan as witches and devil-worshippers, leading to their subjugation and the decline of their status in society.
• 🌑 The practice of babaylan became clandestine due to harsh punishments, and their roles have been largely taken over by male 'four killers' in modern times.
• 📚 The video encourages viewers to learn more about Philippine history and culture through the presenter's YouTube channel.

Q & A

Who were the babaylan in pre-colonial Filipino society?

The babaylan were spiritual leaders in indigenous communities, often women or men dressed as women, who held powerful positions and were influential in matters of leadership, warfare, agriculture, and spiritual affairs.

What abilities were attributed to the babaylan?

Babaylan were believed to have the power to contact and interact with spirits, appease or harness the spirits of the dead and nature, and specialize in healing, herbalism, divination, and sorcery.

How did the local chieftains, or datu, interact with the babaylan?

The datu would consult the babaylan on various matters, including leadership, warfare, and agriculture, recognizing their influence and spiritual power.

What are some of the different names for the babaylan across various ethnic groups in the Philippines?

Different ethnic groups have their own names for the babaylan, such as 'ligainon' or 'karaya' in some regions, 'bailan' in Bukidnon, and 'bailand' in the Bonobo.

How does one become a babaylan?

A person could become a babaylan by inheriting the status from an older babaylan whom they served as an apprentice, or by experiencing a shamanic initiatory crisis, which is a serious illness or a series of spiritual encounters that leads to the person being chosen by the spirits.

What is the shamanic illness, and how is it related to becoming a babaylan?

The shamanic illness is a serious condition that includes symptoms like near-death experiences, seizures, depression, or unexplainable behavior, and is considered an encounter with spirits. It often stops once the person agrees to become a babaylan and undergoes initiation rites.

What are the initiation rites for a new babaylan?

Initiation rites for a new babaylan could involve the use of herbs or alcohol to induce a trance, and in extreme cases, practices such as being buried alive or immersed in water overnight.

What kind of training does an apprentice babaylan receive after initiation?

After initiation, an apprentice babaylan is trained by an elderly babaylan in rituals, chanting, singing, sacrificing, and learning about local histories, healing practices, and magic spells.

What was the role of feminized men, or bakla, in the babaylan tradition?

Feminized men, known as bakla, could also serve as babaylan and would adopt the voice, mannerisms, hairstyle, and dress of females. They were treated as biological women in the community and could gain full status through marriage.

How did the arrival of the Spanish colonizers impact the babaylan and their status in society?

The Spanish colonizers saw the babaylan as a threat to their efforts to christianize and colonize the Philippines. They waged propaganda campaigns against the babaylan, labeling them as witches and devil worshippers, which led to a decline in their status and the persecution of feminized men.

What is the current state of the babaylan tradition in the Philippines?

The practice of babaylan has become clandestine due to historical persecution, and their roles have largely been taken over by faith healers who are predominantly men.