User:Selena AHIS320/Women in the Philippines

Babaylan
The babaylan held positions of authority as religious leaders, community doctors and healers in some pre-colonial Philippine societies. The vital functions of the babaylan were highly recognized and embodied in the traditional role of women in a barangay. Cross-dressing males sometimes took on the role of the female babaylan.

The babaylan, also called katalonan, bayoguin, bayok, agi-ngin, asog, bido and binabae depending on the ethnic group of the region, held important positions in the community. They were the spiritual leaders of the Filipino communities, tasked with responsibilities pertaining to rituals, agriculture, science, medicine, literature and other forms of knowledge that the community needed.

In a barangay, the babaylan worked alongside with the datu on important social activities. In the absence of a datu, the babaylan could take charge of the whole community.

The role of the babaylan was mostly associated to females, but male babaylans also existed. Early historical accounts record the existence of male babaylans who wore female clothes and took the demeanor of a woman. Anatomy was not the only basis for gender. Gender was based primarily on occupation, appearance, actions and sexuality.

Colonization of Women's Body
(Draft notes:)


 * the status of babaylan drastically changed with the arrival of spaniards
 * their philosophy and beliefs were eradicated for the sake of Christian faith
 * they were demonized by the Spanish friars
 * they policed the spiritual and religious belief of women
 * they took control of their bodies - sexuality was suppressed through practices like confession
 * labeled sexual activities as sinful and unclean thus the need for confession
 * the woman's body was one of the most vulnerable targets in the context of patriarchal Spanish Catholic Church

Babaylan in 21st century
The Babaylan figure has resurfaced in Filipino diasporic communities as the indigenous Filipino concept is borrowed as a tool for decolonization practices and post-colonial discourse today. The Babaylan tradition and Babaylan-inspired practices are seen as an indigenous spiritual path among Filipinos in the Philippines and in the diaspora as a means to remembering relations to their homeland and healing.

"Coming Full Circle introduced a decolonization framework to theorize about the intersections between Catholicism, Filipino American cultural identity, and social justice. Artists and cultural activists also reference to the Babaylan in creating counternarratives via art and rituals." (39)


 * Babaylan: An Anthology of Filipina and Filipina American Literature published by Aunt Lute (2001)
 * Babaylan conference in Germany organized by women advocating for the rights of Overseas Filipino Workers
 * Filipino American journal - Pusod:Call of Nature (2001)
 * Art exhibit at San Francisco State University - Sino Ka? Ano Ka? Babaylan featuring Babaylan-inspired art by Filipino American Artists
 * Filipina American Women's Network conference in New York (2005)
 * Babaylan conference held at St. Scholastica's College (2006) - celebration of the Feminist movement in the Philippines
 * International Babaylan Conference at Sonoma State University (2010)
 * Coming Full Circle: The Process of Decolonization Among Post 1965 Filipino Americans (2001)
 * Between the Homeland and the Diaspora (2002)
 * Pinay Power (2005)
 * Sikolohiyang Pilipino/Filipino Indigenous Psychology

(could consider moving this section to "Overseas Filipinos", perhaps a section about Filipinos specifically in North America... or a create a new page called "Babaylan in 21st century"?)

List of Sources

 * Kapwa: the Self in the Other
 * Back from the Crocodile's Belly
 * Babaylan: Filipinos and the call of the indigenous
 * History of Feminism and the Women’s Movement in the Philippines
 * Babaylan Women as Guide to a Life of Justice and Peace