by Maria Juvelyn Bento
January 26, 2022
The Blaan, the group that I belong to, has many folk wisdom that is passed on to the members. I feel like these things empower me. There are rituals and practices that are distinct. For example, there are rituals of healing, planting, weaving, playing instruments, dancing (maral), singing (malem), story about the past (flalok), and special occassions like weddings (sasong). All of these practices have important purposes: for cultural transmission, life processes, and entertainment. These have different meanings and transmitted from our ancestors.
Blaan beliefs and traditions continue to exist. We try our best to preserve them. Some may think that these rituals stem from some random belief (haka haka), but my ancestors have folk wisdom. These may come across present societies as different but I believe that our cultural practices are valid.
I can’t blame today’s generation from saying that some indigenous traditions look weird or outdated. Their way of life is guided by perceptions from dominant standards, that is why I am writing to share and educate peoplpe about the Blaan cultural tradition.
We have rituals involving the practice of belief. Everything that happens could be assigned different meanings based on the Blaan perception. For example, we do not stay or sit on the front door when there is a pregnant woman in that house because it is believed that she will have a hard time when she delivers her baby.
We also have some beliefs that I have observed to be practiced by non-Blaan people. For example, when a person dreamed of a ripped tooth, it means that something bad is going to happen. To destroy that curse, you have to bite old wood and never let anyone to know about it. Another one is during meal time: if a member of the family wants to leave while the others are not yet done eating, they should throw a little piece of food. This ensures that the bad spirit will not join the one who is to leave.
See? These wisdom that I learned from my ancestors have similarities with other cultures, too.
Blaan Aksasato (The Blaan as one)
More importantly, it is in the range of contemporary activities that people like me can draw meaning from the ritualistc behavior we practice. Cultural preservation is so much more than just preserving, excavating, displaying or restoring a collection of old things as we often see cultural artifacts displayed in a museum. The values that help me to be more empowered are also cultural matters that form part of my Blaan inheritance.
The Blaan heritage is one of the best things I can be proud of. I and my Blaan community do our best to preserve these to remember our beloved ancestors. Our gift is our valuable remembrance. In fact, our heritage is a way to recognize our identiy; to identify which group we belong to. The values of preserving is an important value that I use for my heritage because I do believe that we need for empowerment, because you cannot be empowered without knowing such things or proof from your group’s inheritance.
Personal values that I learned from these beliefs and practices stem from love (Blaan Kasakdo o Kasalbong Nawa) honesty, caring (Blaan Kaslalo), helpfulness and giving happiness (Blaan Kafaflahew). These are all part of building a better society. I am blessed and proud to be a member of indigenous Blaan group.
FYE DOO NA BONG KAMDO YO!!!
(GOOD DAY AND THANK YOU!!) #
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