Baybayin by Kristen Youngman

BAYBAYIN the ancient script of the Philippines

Published by KY Press 69 Kissling St. San Francisco, CA 94103 ÂŠ 2011 KY Press All rights reserved Printed and bound in the United States of America 11 1 First Edition No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner without written permission from the publisher, except in context of reviews. Every reasonable attempt has been made to identify owners of copyright. Errors or omissions will be corrected in subsequent editions. Library of Congress Cataloguing-In-Publication Data Baybayin: the Ancient Script of the Philippines/ edited by Jay Blasso and Kristen Youngman

p.cm. - (Design Briefs)

Includes bibliographic references and index.

ISBN 000-000-000 1. Handbooks, manuals, etc. 2. Book design, book reference.

Dedication To my family, my millions of cousins, “titos,” and “titas” spread across the United States and all the way back to the Philippines — this is for you. Salamat for always loving me, simply because we are family.

Acknowledgements A special thanks to John Stucky, MA, MLIS Museum Librarian at the C. Laan Chun Library Center, Asian Art Museum in San Francisco, for giving me access to the private stacks. My book would not be as culturally rich without that afternoon. I would also like to thank Jason Blasso for your keen editing skills, patience and lost sleep. This book would not be nearly as focused without your help.

BAYBAYIN the ancient script of the Philippines

BAYBAYIN The ancient script of the Philippines

Kristen Youngman

BAYBAYIN the ancient script of the Philippines

Chapter Divider images taken from The Boxer Codex: illustrations of Filipinos during the initial contact with the Spaniards, ranging from Tagalogs, Visayans, Zambals, Cagayanes or possibly Ibanags and Negritos of the Philippines in vibrant colors. next page: Banmboo forest. Photography from Bamboo.Mendiola, Manila, Philippines : Centro Escolar University, c2000.

Contents page chapter

1. Introduction

2. Origin

3. Inscriptions

4. Method

5. Meaning

6. Conclusion

BAYBAYIN the ancient script of the Philippines

Introduction

Introduction Many Filipinos and their descendants are quite confused these days about their roots. This makes sense—the archipelago of islands have been ruled by so many other cultures over the course of time, riddled with colonization and war, that it can be hard to distinguish what is authentically native. Little recorded history has survived the intense struggles for freedom, but what has survived is a spirituality and common thread in the people to recognize and understand where their roots lie. To shed light on this endeavor, one can look back to the ancient script of the Philippines, the Baybayin script, also known as Alibata, a Filipino approximation of the word “alphabet.” Its use and structure help define a muddled heritage. Most know of the native language, Tagalog, which is spoken by a third of the country as a first language and its standardized form, Filipino, is one of the official languages of the Philippines. What they don’t know is how deep the roots of Tagalog go. Ancient Philippine scripts are systems of writing that developed and flourished in the Philippine islands in about 300 BC. These scripts are related to other Southeast Asian systems of writing that developed from South Indian Brahmi scripts used in Asoka Inscriptions and Pallava Grantha, a type of writing used in the writing of palm leaf books called grantha during the ascendancy of the Pallava dynasty about the 5th century. This book is meant to uncover part of the past and shed light on a history many know little about. It is an overview of what has been uncovered so far by linking language to the surrounding lands and through written historical artifacts. There is still much to be revealed as the path to understanding Baybayin continues today.

Chapter 1: Origins

BAYBAYIN the ancient script of the Philippines

The south wind blows Language to and fro Around the archipelago

Sections in this text and in the Introduction are taken directly from or paraphrased from the following sources: Fox, R.B., Pre-history of the Philippines... http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ancient_Philippine_scripts#Writing_technique http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tagalog_language

Origin

A Migrating History Baybayin is the ancient script that Tagalog was derived from. Tagalog means “river dweller,” derived from tagailog, tagá meaning “native of” and ílog meaning “river”. It is part of the Austronesian language family — auster meaning “south wind” and nêsos “island” in Latin, coined by a German scholar, Wilhelm Schmid. Dating back as far as 300 BC, ancient Philippine scripts developed and prospered in the Philippine Islands. These writing systems are related to “other Southeast Asian systems that developed from South Indian Brahmi scripts used in Asoka Inscriptions and Pallava Grantha during the ascendancy of the Pallava dynasty around the 5th century. These influencing scripts were written on palm leaf books called grantha.

migration that passed through the Philippine archipelago from the Asian continent circa 200 BC” which constituted primarily the Malayans from Tamil and Dravidians, but also included adjacent territories from Indonesia and South India. Shapes of the Baybayin characters exhibit some visual resemblance to the ancient Kavo script of Java and Indonesia. In addition, Baybayin does share some important features with Southeast Asian writing systems derived from ancient scripts used in India over 2000 years ago, such as all the consonants being pronounced with a vowel and the use of special marks to change this sound, … there is no physical evidence that it is this old. Spaniard accounts in the 1400s reveal that the emergence of Baybayin in the Philippines was considered fairly recent and that its origins came from Borneo.

Several historical writers have made strong evidence for this. Isaac Taylor believed that it was some time before the 8th century that Baybayin Miguel López de Legazpi reported that Baybayin script was introduced via the Coast of Bengal. had already arrived by 1567 with this account, He draws this conclusion by comparing graphic “They [the Visayans] have their letters and representations of Kistna and Assam letters such as characters like those of the Malays, from whom g, k, ng, t, m, h and u to the same letters in Baybayin. they learned them.” Another account written Several historical writers, including Fletcher by Francisco Alcina a century later states, Gardner, T. H. Pardo de Tavera saw a “very great “The characters of these natives, or, better said, similarity” with the Asoka alphabets. David those that have been in use for a few years in these Diringer built off the belief in the origins of India parts, an art which was communicated to them and observed that Asokan inscriptions, particufrom the Tagalogs, and the latter learned it from larly the Ci-Aruton inscriptions of the West Javan the Borneans who came from the great island rajah, King Purnavarman, established the earliest of Borneo to Manila, with whom they have types of Philippine syllabic writing, brought to the considerable traffic... islands by the Buginese characters in Celebes in From these Borneans the Tagalogs learned their the 5th century. characters, and from them the Visayans, so they An opposing theory by V.A. Makarenko proposes call them Moro characters or letters because the that because of the Dravidian influence on the Moros taught them... [the Visayans] learned [the ancient Filipino scripts, their origins are from Moros’] letters, which many use today, and the Tamil, in Indonesia. He based his work off H. women much more than the men, which they Otley Beyer to theorize that these scripts reached write and read more readily than the latter.” the Philippines during the last of the “six waves of

BAYBAYIN the ancient script of the Philippines

To support this theory, the Baybayin script could not show syllable final consonants, which are common in most Philippine languages. This could be read as an indication that the script was recently acquired and had not been adapted to fit the needs of its new users. This same deficiency was also common in the script and language of the Bugis people in Sulawesi. Sulawesi is directly south of the Philippines and directly east of Borneo, so most scholars now accept that Baybayin descended from the Buginese script or a related lost script from the Sulawesi island, arriving in Luzon circa the 13th century. More accounts show how widespread Baybayin had flourished throughout the society. In 1690 Dr. Antonio de Morga, a Spanish magistrate in

t he Philippi ne s de s cr ib ed t he li ng ui stic landscape as such, â&#x20AC;&#x153;Throughout the islands t he n ative s w r ite ver y well u si ng [t hei r letters]... All the natives, women as well as men, write in this language, and there are very few who do not write well and correctly.â&#x20AC;? His enthusiasm is often regarded as exaggerations since the historian William H. Scott did find some examples in the 1620s of datus, tribal chiefs in various regions, who could not sign affidavits or oaths and witnesses who could not sig n la nd deed s. Despite t hese few examples, it was clear that wherever Baybayin was available, literacy was found among all levels of society, not just the elite.

TAIWAN

Origin

PHILIPPINES VIETNAM

BRUNEI

MALAYSIA

SULAWESI

BORNEO

INDONESIA JAVA

Map of the Philippines and the surrounding countries that have influenced the language.

Chapter 3: Inscriptions

BAYBAYIN the ancient script of the Philippines

“The Laguna Copperplate, The Boxer Codex and the Doctrina Christiana are our eyes into this ancient script.”

Images and text in this section are taken directly from or paraphrased from the following sources: http://www.gutenberg.org/files/16119/16119-h/16119-h.htm http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laguna_Copperplate_Inscription http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tagalog_language Roces, Alfredo R., ed. (1977), “Boxer Codex”, Filipino Heritage: the Making of a Nation, IV, Philippines: Lahing Pilipino Publishing, Inc.

Inscriptions

The Laguna Copperplate Inscription The oldest known written document in the Philippine language is the Laguna Copperplate Inscription (LCI), found by Alfredo E. Evangelista in 1989 in Laguna de Bay. The date inscribed on it of Saka era 822 corresponds to April 21, 900 AD. Written in the Kawi script in a variety of Old Malay meant it contained numerous loanwords from Sanskrit as well as some vocabulary who’s origin is ambiguous between Old Javanese and Old Tagalog (Baybayin). “The document releases its bearer, Namwaran, from a debt in gold amounting to 1 kati and 8 suwarnas (865 grams). The document mentions the places of Tondo, Pila and Pulilan in the area around Manila Bay and Mdan (or rather, the Javanese Kingdom of Medang), Indonesia.” It’s existence is proof of cultural links between the Tagalog-speaking people and various sur rounding Asian civilizations such as the Javanese Medang Kingdom, the Srivijaya empire, and the Middle kingdoms of India.” Before this discovery it was believed that the Philippines were mostly culturally isolated until the Spaniards arrived.

century, when Roman Catholicism was introduced to later become the dominant religion of the Filipino people.” Made of thin copper, the plate measures less than 8 x12 inches in size and has been hammered with small writing on its surface. It marks the beginning of written history of the Philippines with its creation date in the year 900. Outside of writing, archeological findings and records of contact through other civilizations like the Song Dynasty China are relied on to unveil the story of the Philippines. It uses fragments of the language along with Sanskrit, Malay, and Javanese.

The transliteration of the LCI shows heavy Sanskrit, Old Javanese and Malay linguistic influence. Among the observances made by Pigafetta in the 16th century Boxer Codex, Old Malay was spoken among pre-colonized Filipinos as a lingua franca. “The use of Hindu references in the Laguna Copperplate Inscription would also suggest the people who authored this inscription, were followers of Hinduism and Buddhism at this time in history. The Golden Tara icon, an ancient artifact discovered in Butuan, Mindanao dating from the same period, also highly suggests the influence of Hindu and Buddhist religions being followed in the area (alongside Islam in many places in the archipelago from the 14th century onwards) up until the 16th Detail of the Laguna Copperplate Inscription

BAYBAYIN the ancient script of the Philippines

TRANSLITERATION Swasti. aka warṣatita 822 Waisakha masa di(ng) Jyotiṣa. Caturthi Kriṣnapaksa Somawāra sana tatkala Dayang Angkatan lawan dengan nya sānak barngaran si Bukah anak da dang Hwan Namwaran di bari waradāna wi shuddhapattra ulih sang pamegat senāpati di Tundun barja(di) dang Hwan Nāyaka tuhan Pailah Jayadewa. Di krama dang Hwan Namwaran dengan dang kayastha shuddha nu di parlappas hutang da walenda Kati 1 Suwarna 8 di hadapan dang Huwan Nayaka tuhan Puliran Kasumuran. dang Hwan Nayaka tuhan Pailah barjadi ganashakti. Dang Hwan Nayaka tuhan Binwangan barjadi bishruta tathapi sadana sanak kapawaris ulih sang pamegat dewata [ba]rjadi sang pamegat Medang dari bhaktinda diparhulun sang pamegat. Ya makanya sadanya anak cucu dang Hwan Namwaran shuddha ya kapawaris dihutang da dang Hwan Namwaran di sang pamegat Dewata. Ini gerang syat syapanta ha pashkat ding ari kamudyan ada gerang urang barujara welung lappas hutang da dang Hwa

Inscriptions

ENGLISH TRANSLATION Long Live! Year of Syaka 822, month of Vaisakha, according to Jyotisha (Hindu astronomy). The fourth day of the waning moon, Monday. On this occasion, Lady Angkatan, and her brother whose name is Bukah, the children of the Honourable Namwaran, were awarded a document of complete pardon from the Commander in Chief of Tundun, represented by the Lord Minister of Pailah, Jayadewa. By this order, through the scribe, the Honourable Namwaran has been forgiven of all and is released from his debts and arrears of 1 KatĂŽ and 8 Suwarna before the Honourable Lord Minister of Puliran Kasumuran by the authority of the Lord Minister of Pailah. Because of his faithful service as a subject of the Chief, the Honourable and widely renowned Lord Minister of Binwangan recognized all the living relatives of Namwaran who were claimed by the Chief of Dewata, represented by the Chief of Medang. Yes, therefore the living descendants of the Honourable Namwaran are forgiven, indeed, of any and all debts of the Honourable Namwaran to the Chief of Dewata. This, in any case, shall declare to whomever henceforth that on some future day should there be a man who claims that no release from the debt of the Honourable...

BAYBAYIN the ancient script of the Philippines

Inscriptions

The Laguna Copperplate Inscription (900 A.D.), a thin copper plate measuring less than 8 Ă&#x2014; 12 inches (20 Ă&#x2014; 30 cm) in size and inscribed with small writing that had been hammered into its surface. It shows heavy Indian cultural influence (by way of Srivijaya) present in the Philippines during the era previous to Spanish colonization in the 16th century.

BAYBAYIN the ancient script of the Philippines

The Boxer Codex Much of the written history that has survived has been recorded through a Spanish colonization lens. The Boxer Codex (manuscripts of Charles R. Boxer) is a good example, written around 1595. It contains 15 illustrations of Filipinos during the initial contact with the Spaniards, ranging from Tagalogs, Visayans, Zambals, Cagayanes or possibly Ibanags and Negritos of the Philippines in vibrant colors. “The technique of the paintings suggests that the artist may have been Chinese, as does the use of Chinese paper, ink and paints.” Spanish colonial governors were required to keep written records on the territories they governed so it is likely that the manuscript was written under orders of the governor. The original owner is believed to be Luis Pérez das Mariñas, the son of Governor General Gómez Pérez das Mariñas. It’s name comes from the place where the manuscript resided with Professor Charles Ralph Boxer, who is considered an authority on the far east. The Boxer Codex describes the Filipinos adeptness in Baybayin speaking and writing and specifically acknowledges that women were particularly well-versed in writing on bamboo and leaves. The palm midrib-base used for writing is called talulo. The organization Baybayin360 explains that “Baybayin enabled Filipinos to understand each other, transcending regionalism and ethnolinguistic differences. Boxer Codex mentioned of how Bisayans can understand Tagalog well… Similarities among the various groups based on locality where very clear suggesting each others ability to comprehend similar symbols and connotations.”

this page: the spine of the Boxer Codex opposite page: a written page from the Boxer Codex

Inscriptions

BAYBAYIN the ancient script of the Philippines

Doctrina Christiana The first known book to be written in Tagalog is the Doctrina Cristiana (Christian Doctrine) of 1593. It was written in Spanish and two versions of Tagalog; one written in the Baybayin script and the other in the Latin alphabet. Throughout the 333 years of Spanish occupation, there were grammar and dictionaries written by Spanish clergymen such as Vocabulario de la Lengua Tagala by Pedro de San Buenaventura (Pila, Laguna, 1613), Vocabulario de la lengua tagala (1835) and Arte de la lengua tagala y manual tagalog para la administración de los Santos Sacramentos (1850). Because the Doctrina Christiana, which may well be translated “The Teachings of Christianity,” contains the basic elements of the religion which the missionaries were trying to spread among the unbaptized in the remote regions of the world, it was the most useful handbook they had. A summary of the contents of the present edition shows the fundamental character of the work. After a syllabary comes the Pater Noster, the primary and most popular prayer of Christianity. Then follow the Ave Maria, Credo, Salve Regina, Articles of Faith, Ten Commandments, Commandments of the Holy Church, Sacraments of the Holy Church, Seven Mortal Sins, Fourteen Works of Charity, Confession and Catechism. Here in a small compass is presented the simplest, most easily learned and most essential tenets of the Catholic Church. So useful was the Doctrina considered as a guide for those who had just been, or were about to be, converted that the missionary fathers placed it in most cases foremost among the books necessary to have in print in a strange land. It is generally accepted today, although no extant copy is known, that the first book printed in Mexico in 1539 was a Doctrina in Mexican and Spanish. Recent research has shown that the second book printed by the pioneer Jesuit press at Goa, in India, in 1557 was St. Francis Xavier’s Doutrina Christão

in the Malay language, of which also no copy has yet been located. But there are copies of the first book to come from a South American press, another Doctrina printed in the native and Spanish languages at Lima in 1584. So the choice of this book as the first to be printed at Manila follows a widespread precedent. We have then a book, the Doctrina Christiana, in Spanish and Tagalog, corrected by priests of more than one order—and this is important in tracing the authorship of the work—and printed by the xylographic method with license at Manila at the Dominican Church of San Gabriel in 1593. So much we get from the title, and in itself it is a fairly complete story, but from the date of its issue until the present time that very fundamental information has not been completely recorded.

Image from a page of the Doctrina Cristina

Inscriptions

The book, printed in Gothic letters and Tagalog “I have said before that the material composition characters on paper made from the paper mulof our books is inferior. The imprints before 1830 berry, now browned and brittle with age, consists were made on a paper called by some rice paper, by of thirty-eight leaves, comprising a title-page as others silk paper, and by still others China paper, above, under a woodcut of St. Dominic, with the according to their taste. It is detestable, brittle, verso originally blank, but in this copy bearing without consistency or resistance, and was called the contemporary manuscript inscription, Tasrice paper because it was supposed to be made from sada en dos rreales, signed Juan de Cuellar; and that grain. It was the only kind then used in the seventy-four pages of text in Spanish, Tagalog Philippines, not only for printing, but for all mantransliterated into roman letters, and Tagalog in ner of writing, letters, etc., and it is even recorded Tagalog characters. The size of the volume, which that in 1874 when tobacco was a state monopoly, is unbound, is 9⅛ by 7 inches, although individual cigarettes were made with this paper, and that the leaves vary somewhat due to chipping. Some of the Indians and Chinese preferred it (and perhaps they leaves have become separated from their complestill do) to rag paper or other kinds, because of the ments, but enough remain in the original stitching horrible taste it gives the tobacco. to indicate that the book was originally made up “In China they commonly made paper of bamboo, in four gatherings, the first of twelve leaves, the but more principally from cotton and a plant second of ten, the third of ten, and the fourth which travellers have cited only by its common of six. Although the book is of the size called name, which they transcribe in various ways, callquarto, the method of printing must have been page ing it kochu, kotsu, or kotzu. Today it is known by page, so it is doubtful that each sheet was folded that this plant is an ulmacea (Broussonetia papytwice in the usual quarto manner, but more probable rifera) from a mash of which they [5] still make that it was printed four pages to a sheet of paper apcloth in Japan. Cotton paper is superior to it, and proximately 9⅛ by 14 inches, which was folded once. naturally more expensive; but the paper of inferior The volume is printed throughout by the xyloquality which was received in Manila, where nothgraphic method, that is to say, each page of text is ing was imported regularly but common articles of printed from one wood-block which was carved low price, was of kotsu. As all Chinese-made paper by hand. Along the inner margins of some it was coated with alum, the finer [the paper] the pages are vertical lines which were made by the thicker [the coating], for the purpose of whitening inked edge of the block, and the grain of the wood it and making the surface smooth, a deplorable has caused striations to appear in the printed business, for it made the paper very moisture abportions throughout. The unevenness of the sorbent, a condition fatal in such a humid climate impression indicates that the pages were printed as in these islands. Moreover, as the alum used in some primitive manner without the help of is impure and contains a large proportion of iron a conventional press. salts, the humidity and weather oxidize it which finally darkens the paper, so that Philippine books The paper, which is one of the distinctive features present a coloration which runs the gamut of tones of most old Oriental books, has been discussed from the color of bone to that of dark cinnamon.” at length by Pardo de Tavera in his study of early Philippine printing, and we can do no better than translate the relevant passage in full:

BAYBAYIN the ancient script of the Philippines

This Ilokano document was first published by Father Francisco Lopez in 1620 using the Tagalog form of the Baybayin. Here, Lopez introduced his radical modification to Baybayin orthography, the + kudlĂt which allowed for unvoiced consonants.

opposite page: Drawing Interpretation of a scribe writing out the Doctrina Cristiana

Inscriptions

BAYBAYIN the ancient script of the Philippines

The Lordâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Prayer from the Doctrina Christiana, 1593

Inscriptions

Transcript Text, letters in blue are not represented in the Baybayin characters

Chapter 4: Method

BAYBAYIN the ancient script of the Philippines

Images and text in this section are taken directly from or paraphrased from the following sources: Baybayin - The Ancient Script of the Philippines by Paul Morrow http://www.mts.net/~pmorrow/bayeng1.htm Bamboo.Mendiola, Manila, Philippines : Centro Escolar University, c2000.

Method

The Baybayin Method of Writing This way of writing is called an abugida. When The Baybayin was a syllabic writing system, which a person spelled a word orally or recited the means that each letter represented a syllable Baybayin, the individual letters were called babâ, instead of just a basic sound as in the modern alphabet. There were a total of 17 characters: three kakâ, dadâ, etc., but the original sequence of the vowels and 14 consonants, but when combined letters was different to what it is today. This with the small vowel-modifying marks, called “alphabetical” order was recorded in the Tagalog Doctrina Christiana. kudlíts, the number of characters increased to 45.

“The abc. in the Tagalog language” A U/O I/E HA PA KA SA LA TA NA BA MA GA DA/RA YA NGA WA

BAYBAYIN the ancient script of the Philippines

THE CONSONANTS & KUDLÍTS In their simplest form, each consonant represented a syllable that was pronounced with an a vowel (like the u in “up”). Simply adding a tick, dot or other mark to the letter, would change the inherent a vowel sound. These marks were called kudlíts, or diacritics in English. A kudlit was placed above a consonant letter to give it an i or e vowel sound. When it was placed below the letter it changed the vowel sound to u or o.

THE VOWELS The three vowel characters were only used at the beginning of words and syllables, or syllables without any consonant. There were only three vowels because the ancient Tagalogs, and many other linguistic groups, did not distinguish between the pronunciations of i and e, or u and o until Spanish words entered their languages. Even today these sounds are interchangeable in words such as lalaki/lalake (man), babae (woman) and kababaihan (womanhood or womankind), uód/oód (worm), punò (tree trunk) and punungkahoy (tree), and oyaye/oyayi/uyayi (lullaby). The vowel characters actually represented vowels that were preceded by a glottal stop. This pronunciation was more common in the pre-Hispanic era but has changed over the centuries due to the influences of western languages. This shift can be seen when early texts, such as the Doctrina Christiana, are compared to modern Filipino. For example, we syllabicate the words ngayón (today) and gagawín (will do) as follows: nga-yon and ga-ga-wín respectively. But the Baybayin text of the Doctrina reveals a different syllabic division. Ngayón was written, ngay-on, and gagawin was written ga-gaw-in.

Method

THE R SOUND The Tagalogs used only one character for da and ra. The pronunciation of this letter depended on its location within a word. The grammatical r ule has sur vived in moder n Filipino that when a d is between two vowels, it becomes an r as in the words dangál (honour) and marangál (honourable), or dunong (knowledge) and mar unong (knowledgeable). However, this rule could not be relied upon in other languages, so when other linguistic groups

adopted the Baybayin, different ways of representing the r sound were required. The Visayans apparently used the d/ra character for their own words but used the la character for Spanish words. Fr. Lopez’s choice of d/ra or la seemed to be random in the Ilokano Doctrina, which caused many corruptions of Ilokano words. However, a chart drawn by Sinibaldo de Mas in 1843 showed la doubling for the Ilokano ra while his Pangasinan list showed no substitute for ra at all. The Bikolanos modified the d/ra character to make a distinct letter for ra.

This is a chart of some Baybayin forms and the original source of each. They are sorted chronologically and grouped by their familiar region names but they are not distinct alphabets from different regions or languages; they are only variations of typestyles and handwriting.

BAYBAYIN the ancient script of the Philippines

THE NGA CHARACTER A single character represented the nga syllable. The latest version of the modern Filipino alphabet still retains the ng as a single letter but it is written with two characters. The ng is the alphabet’s only remaining link to its Baybayin heritage.

PUNCTUATION Words written in the Baybayin script were not spaced apart; the letters were written in a continuous flow and the only form of punctuation was a single vertical line, or more often, a pair of vertical lines. || This fulfilled the function of a comma and a period, and indeed, of practically any punctuation mark in use today. Although these bars were used consistently to end sentences, they were also used to separate words, but in an unpredictable manner. Occasionally a single word would be enclosed between these marks but usually sentences were divided into groups of three to five words.

FINAL CONSONANTS The most confusing feature of the Baybayin for non-native readers was that there was no way to write a consonant without having a vowel follow it. If a syllable or a word ended with a consonant, that consonant was simply dropped. For example, the letters n and k in a word like bundók (mountain) were omitted, so that it was spelled bu-do.

The Spanish priests found this problem to be an impediment to the accurate translation of their religious texts. So, when they printed a lesson in Baybayin it was usually accompanied by a Spanish translation and the same Tagalog text using the Spanish alphabet, as in the Doctrina Christiana. Other priests simply stopped using the Baybayin in favour of the alphabet. The first attempt to “reform” the Baybayin came in 1620 when Fr. Francisco Lopez prepared to publish the Ilokano Doctrina. He invented a new kudlít in the shape of a cross. This was placed below a Baybayin consonant in order to cancel the inherent a sound.

Lopez wrote: “The reason for putting the text of the Doctrina in Tagalog type... has been to begin the correction of the said Tagalog script, which, as it is, is so defective and confused (because of not having any method until now for expressing final consonants - I mean, those without vowels) that the most learned reader has to stop and ponder over many words to decide on the pronunciation which the writer intended.” Although Lopez’s new way of writing provided a more accurate depiction of the spoken language, native Filipino writers found it cumbersome and they never accepted it. In 1776, Pedro Andrés de Castro wrote about their reaction to the invention, “They, after much praising of it and giving thanks for it, decided it could not be incor porated into their writing because it was contrary to the intrinsic character and nature which God had given it and that it would destroy the syntax, prosody and spelling of the Tagalog language all at one blow...”

Method

Writing vs. Reading The Baybayin was read from left to right in rows that progressed from top to bottom, just as we read in English today. However, this has been a point of controversy among scholars for centuries due to conflicting accounts from early writers who were confused by the ease with which ancient Filipinos could read their writing from almost any angle. As the historian William H. Scott commented: “The willingness of Filipinos to read their writing with the page held in any direction caused understandable confusion among European observers who lacked this ability - and causes some irritation to Tagalog teachers in Mangyan schools today.” [Note: The peoples collectively known as Mangyans still use their own form of the Baybayin in Mindoro.] Some observers were mistaken to believe that the Baybayin should be read vertically from bottom to top in columns progressing from left to right because that was how the ancient Filipinos carved their letters into narrow bamboo strips. However, it was simply a matter of safety that when they used a sharp instrument to carve, they held the bamboo pointing outward and they carved away from their bodies, just as modern Mangyans do today. This gave the appearance that they were writing from the bottom upward. However, this did not necessarily mean that the text was supposed to be read that way too.

A Hanunóo boy of Mindoro carves letters into a piece of bamboo. The Hanunóo script is one of three forms of the Baybayin that is still in use today.

Although the ancient Filipinos did not seem to mind which way they read their writing, the clue to the proper orientation of the text was the kudlíts, or diacritic marks that alter the vowel sound of the letters. In syllabic scripts such as Kavi, Bugis and others closely related to Baybayin, the text was read from left to right and the diacritics were placed above and below the characters (i/e was above and u/o was below). When the ancient Filipinos carved the Baybayin into the bamboo strips, they placed the kudlíts to the left of the letter for the i/e vowel and to the right for the u/o vowels. Thus, when the finished inscription was turned clockwise to the horizontal position, the text flowed from left to right and the kudlíts were in their proper places, i/e above and u/o below.

BAYBAYIN the ancient script of the Philippines

Method

above: Sword and cover, bamboo forest and bamboo tip opposite page: Sword with Baybayin script on its cover

Method

The Art of Carving Pre-Hispanic Filipinos made use of the natural materials around them, such as leaves, fruit rinds, palm fronds, tree bark and, most commonly, bamboo to act as the surface of their communication. Their panulat (writing tools) were points of a dagger or small pieces of iron. The Boxer Codex describes how they used these tools to literally carve their thoughts on the various materials. “When they write, it is on some tablets made of the bamboos which they have in those islands, on the bark. In using such a tablet, which is four fingers wide, they do not write with ink, but with some scribers with which they cut the surface and bark of the bamboo, and make the letters. ” After the inscriptions were carved, the surface was wiped with an ash to make the writing more visible. If the writing surface was more delicate, like a leaf, sharpened splits of bamboo were used with colored plant saps. More durable materials like clay, stone or metal, were not explored because ancient Filipinos did not traditionally keep longterm written records. The early reports from the Spaniards concur that pre-Hispanic literature was taught orally.

This perspective from the Boxer Codex was a limited view because the LCI was inscribed by hammering letters onto metal with a sharp instrument, visible by the closely joined and overlapping dots from hammering, in order to form the letters. There is beauty in the way the culture uses raw materials as nature had made them instead of trying to alter them to be more sustainable. Instead of labeling this as an inferior, this approach to the written word could alternatively be viewed as a reflection of the ancestral hindu - buddist beliefs to always try to live in the present moment because it is the only moment that truly matters. The culture’s mentality could have very well intentionally embraced the natural and ephemeral nature of their writing system as a way to compliment how life should be lived. Aside from writing letters and poetry to each other, the ancient Filipinos adorned the entrances of their homes with incantations written on bamboo so as to keep out evil spirits.

Legazpi’s account of 1567, quoted earlier, went on to say: “They have their letters and characters... but never is any ancient writing found among them nor word of their origin and arrival in these islands; their customs and rites being preserved by traditions handed down from father to son without any other record.” The Boxer Codex manuscript from 1590, goes on to say that “They have neither books nor histories nor do they write anything of length but only letters and reminders to one another... [And lovers] carry written charms with them.”

The bamboo document and the dagger used to write it opposite page: a woman carves into a bamboo pole

Chapter 5: Meaning

BAYBAYIN the ancient script of the Philippines

Meaning

Evoking the Nature of Being The pictographic significance of each character in the ancient Filipino script shows a coherent ontological foundation. The precise relationship between the ideographs and their significations linked with the idea of God demonstrates a profound metaphysical view of how Filipinos expressed their communications. In the article “Bathala and Our Baybayin” (Union Espiritista Cristiana de Filpinas, Inc. 1972) Guillermo Tolentino gives an awakening explication of how this metaphysical view permeates the Baybayin script visually and in construction. This can be seen by deconstructing the Filipino word for God, Bathala, which is composed of the letters BA, TA, HA, and LA. BA, written as a stylized drawing or outline of the female organ, hence the first letter of the word for woman, Babae, signifying the female principle.

LA is taken from the contour of the male organ, hence the first letter of the word for man, Lalake, representing the male principle. TA is an imitation of an ancient hammer that in striking hard objects as stones or metal produces sparks of light or fire, hence the first letter of the word work Tao which means “man” but also can mean a spark of divine intelligence. HA stylizes the blinding lightening caused by the ignition of electric particles in dense, black nimbus clouds, as well as the rising warm air from the hot earth crust that creates thunderstorms. HA is the source letter for Hininga (breath), Hangin (air), and Habagat (thunderstorm). The culmination of the whole word evokes the STORY that God fuses in his being the eternal unity of the opposites, male and female, spirit and matter, with the life force in the form of breath connecting the two. opposite page: Kulaman head provided by the Treasures of the Philippine National Museum

BAYBAYIN the ancient script of the Philippines

The Filipino story of creation tells of how man and woman emerged simultaneously full-blown from the same cylinder of bamboo. They were released from non-being when a great primeval bird was pecking at a bamboo grove. They stepped together into life, hand in hand, equal and bound to each other only by a common nature and a simultaneous emergence. Each had their own particular attribute to complement the other, the Man called Malakas, or Strong, and the Woman, Maganda, Beautiful. This story reflects how man and woman are equally represented in the Baybayin characters when deconstructing the Filipino word for God, Bathala

Meaning

BAYBAYIN the ancient script of the Philippines

“Each letter of the alphabet is like a door to a whole dimension of thinking.” This story reflects how man and woman are equally The Filipino story of creation, as depicted in The represented in the Baybayin characters when Filipina, A Humanizing Force in Philippine Developdeconstructing the Filipino word for God, Bathala. ment tells of how man and woman emerged De Leon’s manual highlights the richness of the simultaneously full-blown from the same cylinder graphic characters as such: of bamboo. They were released from non-being when a great primeval bird was pecking at a “The impeccable grace, flair, graphic power and bamboo grove. They stepped together into life, integrity of the ancient Filipino script are easily hand in hand, equal and bound to each other only discernible. But more than these, each letter of by a common nature and a simultaneous emerthe alphabet is like a door to a whole dimension of gence. Each had their own particular attribute to thinking. It reveals the inner eye of a people who complement the other, the Man called Malakas, or cognizes inherent relationships between different Strong, and the Woman, Maganda, Beautiful. orders of realities, tangible or otherwise.”

previous spread: Sections in this text are taken directly from or paraphrased from the following sources:

illustraion from The Filipina,

The Filipina: A Humanizing Force in Philippine Development / National Media Production Center

A Humanizing Force in

Baybayin, the ancient script of the Philippines : a concise manual / Bayani Mendoza de Leon

Philippine Development

Meaning

MA is from a primitive weapon (bow) that only a strong arm can pull. The bow’s ability to release power, as through an arrow heading for a target, is obviously the reason why MA, when used as prefix to any name or noun, activates said word into an adjective.

LAKAS = strength

» MALAKAS = strong

GANDA = beauty

» MAGANDA = beautiful

BAYBAYIN the ancient script of the Philippines

KA is composed of two lines or stakes tied together, strongly suggesting the idea of union, cohesion and related concepts. Thus it forms the basis for words like these: KA

KAISA = unity KASAMA = companion KAUGNAY = united KAKABIT = linked KABIYAK = marital partner KATIPUNAN, the official revolutionary arm of the Filipinos during the Spanish rule, had on its flag three KAs, proclaiming the collective uprising against Spain.

Meaning

SA has the shape of wind passing through a small or narrow opening; also of breath streaming through the teeth when one says shhh, murmurs (SITSIT) or whistles (SUTSOT).

SITSIT murmurs

SUTSOT whistles

NGA conveys the sound made by animals, especially a cow which moos (UNGA) and thus the character closely resembles a cow or carabao.

NGA

UNGA sound of a cowâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s moo

BAYBAYIN the ancient script of the Philippines

WA represents the turning back of the end of the thread from a spool. It describes the nihilistic impulse to turn against oneself, to yield to the dark forces of destruction, to deny life and existence.

WAKAS = end WA

WALA = nothing WASAK = to destroy WALAY = to separate WATAK = chaotic

Meaning

DA shows parallel lines, either straight or curved, indicating animal or human trail. Words like road and anything to do with direction indicate this.

DAAN = road DOON = there DITO = here DAKO = place DULO = end of the road

BAYBAYIN the ancient script of the Philippines

opposite page: Calatagan Pot provided by the Treasures of the Philippine National Museum

Meaning

A Straight Forward Sound In Baybayin, the Ancient Script of the Philippines: A Concise Manual, Bayani Mendoza de Leon examines a bit of the onthology and formation of words in Baybayin. He points out that one characteristic of Filipino is that it’s onomatopoeic. It imitates natural sounds associated with the objects or actions involved, like “ubo” (cough), “hatsing” (sneeze), “untog” (bumping of the head), “halakhak” (laughter), “pagaspas” (flapping wings, like a bird’s), “langitngit” (creaking of a door) and “taguktok” (horse’s gallop).

There is no phonetic ambiguity in Filipino. Each letter composing it has only one definite, specific, and unchanging phonetic value or pronounication or sound effect in speaking and writing. The vowels a e i o u are sounded as in Spanish, although some may take the global sound in the end vowel of a word: e/g/ báta, puno, hapdi, sampu, gantimpala. By the one-letter-one-sound rule, the consonants each possess a peculiar sound all its own not identical with any other consonant within Filipino.

He goes on to show Neologistic cohesion in how root words used as prefixes (neologisms) acquire a certain level of meaning that indicates a highly integrated and systematic internal structure. He uses the prefix ka to illustrate this point. Ka always indicates a state of relationship, defining diverse contexts, personal and social interactions, as seen in the following examples: Kapatid (brother/sister) Kamag-anak (relative) Kababayan (fellow countryman) Kapitbahay (neighbor) Katipan (sweetheart) Kabiyak (marital partner) Kababata (childhood friend) Kakambal (twin) Kaaway (enemy) Kakampi (ally) Kakilala (acquaintance)

Chapter 6: Conclusion

BAYBAYIN the ancient script of the Philippines Origins - sprang from bamboo originally carved into bamboo now carved onto the body

Conclusion

Imbued in the Body A variation of Baybayin script lives on in the modern world today in Mindoro, but also is displayed as a sense of pride in tattoos. Like the diversity of words in language, tattooing among various regions held different meanings. Filipino Tattoos by Lan Wilcken gives some insight into the ancient tradition:

the continuity of the family or village. Still other tattoos gave a direct passage into the afterlife, while some illustrated the important link between mortals, their ancestors, gods and the intimacy of communication between them.”

The flowing lines of Baybayin make beautiful tattoos today although this was not commonly prac“For some tribes tattoos were symbols of courage ticed in the past. Words such as “ina” (mother) in battle with specific parts of the body linked or “ama” (father) are common as well as children’s to outward marks of valor, manhood and marital names. Looking at the symbolism of the script, it prowness. For others it was used as a form of cloth- is easy to make the connection of the past shining ing, reflecting roles in society, tribal identity, status, through to the present. What once was carved prestige, eligibility for marriage and personal on the bamboo shoot that gave birth to mankind beauty. Above these reasons were the spiritual in the story of origin is now carved on the body beliefs associated with it. Tattooing was part of that emerged and persevered through time. The an important rite of passage for both men and Baybayin script visually represents the blood women. Certain designs recognized manhood and that runs deep through the land it has never lost, personal accomplishments while others conveyed a inadvertently uniting a people with its written woman’s attractiveness and promoted fertility and word once again.

opposite page: Prince Giolo from the engraving made for his exhibition in 1692

this page left: Kalinga Elder Apo Leg-leg with differing tattoos on the right and left arms. Photo by Farlet Vale

this page right: The Baybayin tattoo of Claudell Duldulao.

BAYBAYIN the ancient script of the Philippines

Tattooing kit of artist Lakay Jacob Angnganai of Lubo Tanudan. His final tattoo he drew at the age of 90 was on his grandson. The coconut shell was used to hold the ink and the pieces of string were used as stencils to create straight lines. The gisi (kisi) tool is made of lemon thorn. Photo by Professor Analyn Salvadore-Amores.

this page: Ifugao man with a chest tattoo called chak-lag, signifying his headhunter status. Photo by Dean Worcester circa 1900

opposite page: Engraving of a partially tattooed warrior in the Benguet region circa 1850

Conclusion

BAYBAYIN the ancient script of the Philippines

Conclusion

Final Thoughts As with most ancient languages whose artifacts are not well documented, the script of the ancient Filipinos is accompanied by confusion and obfuscation. From historians misinterpreting ancient charts, to submissions of false historical evidence, the path to fully understanding this mysterious language is a winding one. Though much work lies ahead for researchers, this book offers a brief look into the deep Filipino cultural heritage expressed through language. There is inherent beauty in the way Baybayin reveals an ancient view of the world. It is rich with symbolism of an understanding of the Universe and shows a respect for how nature provides life. There is a balance portrayed of both sexes, each being equally vital in their roles for existence. The metaphysical view of the world shown through our ancestral eyes and the knowledge of this script continues to strengthen the Filipino cultural foundation.

opposite page: wooden bullol, Ifugao Granary Deity

BAYBAYIN the ancient script of the Philippines

Bibliography Agoncillo, Teodoro A. History Of The Filipino People. 8th ed. Quezon City: Garotech Publishing, 1990. Print. Fox, Robert B., Concepcion, Leonardo Molina, Antonio J. Casino, Eric S. Beyer, William, Martires, Myrna Ocampo, Galo B. Pre-history of the Philippines. 1967. Print. Locsin, Maria Elena Paterno-, and Centro Escolar University. Bamboo. Manila: Mendiola, 2000. Print. Mendoza de Leon, Bayani. Baybayin, the ancient script of the Philippines : a concise manual / Bayani Mendoza de Leon. Paramus: Bycynthium Treasures, 1992. Print. Morrow, Paul. Baybayin - The Ancient Script of the Philippines Web. <http://www.mts.net/~pmorrow/bayeng1.htm >. National Media Production Center. The Filipina: a humanizing force in Philippine development. Manila: National Media Production Center. 1975. Print. Roces, Alfredo R., IV ed., Filipino Heritage: the Making of a Nation, â&#x20AC;&#x153;Boxer Codexâ&#x20AC;?, Philippines: Lahing Pilipino Publishing, Inc. 1977. Print Scott, William Henry. Prehispanic Source Materials For The Study Of Philippine History. Quezon City: New Day Publishers, 1984. Print.

Web. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ancient_Philippine_scripts>. Web. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tagalog_language>. Web. <http://www.gutenberg.org/files/16119/16119-h/16119-h.htm>. Web. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laguna_Copperplate_Inscription>.

Resources/Links Information about Philippine history, language, writing, etc by Paul Morrow (includes a tutorial on how to write with the Tagalog alphabet and free Tagalog fonts): http://www.mts.net/~pmorrow/ Ating Baybayin, Our Filipino Script - includes a page on which you can type words in the Latin alphabet and see them transformed in the Tagalog alphabet (click on the ‘translate’ link on the left: http://www. eaglescorner.com/Baybayin/ Alibata, Filipino’s Ancient Writing Script http://www.paradisephilippines.ph/2007/12/24/alibata-filipinos-ancient-writing-script/ An introduction to the alphabets of the Philippines by Hector Santos http://www.bibingka.com/dahon/ Information about the Tagalog language http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tagalog Online Tagalog lessons http://www.seasite.niu.edu/Tagalog/ http://www.tagalog1.com/Index_Lessons.jsp http://www.tagaloglang.com https://learningtagalog.com/grammar Online Tagalog dictionary http://www.tagalog-dictionary.com Tagalog Translators http://www.tagalogtranslator.nl http://home.planet.nl/~roosiedb/tagtrans3/tagtrans3.html Tagalog Electronic talking dictionaries http://www.ectaco.com

BAYBAYIN the ancient script of the Philippines

Colophon This book has been laser printed on Epson 4 star premium presentation paper, double-sided in San Francisco, California. Font choices for this work are Goudy Old Style and Goudy Old Style Italic.

BAYBAYIN the ancient script of the Philippines