Babaylan (Filipino Shaman)
Origin of the Term
The word babaylan is said to have come from Classical Malay words such as belian, balian, or waylan, which mean "spirit medium." In Kinaray-a, spoken in Antique and some towns in Iloilo, the terms bayi and baylan are used. The word bayi commonly refers to an elder woman.
The Role of the Babaylan in Society
The babaylan is known as a mediator between humans and the spirits, a healer of the body and soul, and an adviser to the datu on matters of religion, medicine, and natural phenomena.
According to ancient belief, it was the spirits who chose a person to become a babaylan. This calling often appeared through dreams, visions, or mysterious illnesses.
One of their rituals was the batak dungan. In this ritual, they communed with ancestors and nature spirits to restore the dungan—a person’s soul—which could be stolen or toyed with by malevolent spirits. When the dungan was lost, the person became weak or sickly.
They also performed the maganito, a ceremony that included prayers, songs, dances, and a feast for the anitos. A pig was usually offered. According to Pigafetta, he witnessed people dancing around a pig while the ritual was being performed. The anitos—spirits of their ancestors, diwata, and nature spirits—served as intermediaries to bring petitions and prayers to Bathala. These could be for a bountiful harvest, healing from illness, marriage, childbirth, or even a girl’s first menstruation.
Although most babaylans were women, some men also took on the role by becoming asog—men who dressed and acted like women in order to perform rituals. Eventually, male babaylans appeared who were no longer called asog but still wore women’s garments whenever they performed rituals.
In the 19th century, Estrella Bangotbanwa became well-known and was called Tagsagod kang Kalibutan or Caretaker of the World. She was believed to have ended a three-year drought in Miag-ao and San Joaquin, Iloilo through a rain-calling ritual. To this day, her name is still invoked in ceremonies.
The Babaylan Against Colonization
From the 16th century to the early 20th century, Panay was shaken by uprisings led by the babaylans against Spanish missionaries. Some friars were poisoned or speared to death, while the towns of Lambunao and Tubungan in Iloilo, as well as Antique, became strongholds of their movement.
Alongside the spread of Catholicism came the harsh persecution of babaylans and their followers. The Spaniards confiscated and burned their idols in an attempt to erase native beliefs. Nevertheless, traces of the old religion remained and continued to trouble the colonizers.
The Spaniards tarnished the image of the babaylans. They called them witches and servants of the devil. Their rituals were portrayed as deceit, and they were branded as enemies of the Church.
The Babaylan in Modern Times
In the past, spirits chose a babaylan through mysterious illnesses, visions, or dreams as signs of a calling. Today, the process is no longer the same. If you feel called to become a babaylan, you can seek out one who is willing to perform a tupad or initiation. In my own experience, I underwent such a ritual where animals were offered, and it was through this that my abyan, or spiritual guides, were bound to me.
It is also no longer the same as before, when men were required to dress as women during rituals. In my experience, I did not encounter this, though it might still be practiced in other places.
This shows that the tradition continues to live on. The role and purpose remain the same; only the methods change, depending on the guidance of the spirits and the personal connection of babaylan with them.
References- Maria Milagros Geremia-Lachica — Panay's Babaylan: The Male Takeover
- James Loreto C. Piscos — Demonization and Sanctification of Indigenous Feminine Roles in the 16th Century Philippines
- Z.A. Salazar — Ang Babaylan Sa Kasaysayan ng Pilipinas
