Alecs Nicole N.

Cabahug
Arkiyoloji 1 THY-2
A Reaction Paper on Amaya
Before anything else, I would like to commend how accurate the show portrayed
Philippine society during the 16th century where all of the Filipino natives still lived in houses
made of nipa and bamboo, worshipped animistic gods and goddesses, and lived in banwas which
were ruled by rajahs and datus back then. Basically, the TV series brought to life what our
Arkiyoloji class has discussed about how our ancestors established their own identity through
their culture and beliefs.
The film started with the journey in a sea, where a woman was singing about the
adventures and greatness of Rajah Mangubat. One thing that I have noticed was the double hull
war boat that was ridden by Rajah Mangubat and his warriors. Double hulls had been a widely
used boat structure especially in the people of Hawaii and Fiji during the 16th century. Specifically,
these boats were much like the caracoa boats that were widely used in the Visayas and
Mindanao. With two layers, hence the term double hull, in which warriors can occupy and the
rowers, with their strong and long arms, sitting on the katig on both sides of the ship, the caracoa
has a capacity of 600 people which is a good feature for a war boat. The presence of this kind of
boat in the film holds a significant role in understanding the level of development in boat making
in the early Filipino societies. Moreover, the katig in which rowers occupied is also known to be
an influence of the Austronesians that once lived in our country.
The gender roles as seen in the film were also very similar to what I have studied about
Filipino societies before the arrival of the Spanish in the Philippines. Firstly, the role of the
babaylan was always given to women, as seen in every banwa in the film. These babaylans acted
as bridges between their gods and the people in their community through healing, as well as
predicting the future. As what I have observed in the film, most of the time if not all, babaylans
were old women and is usually accompanied by younger women, whom I think are trained to be
the next babaylan of a community once the current one dies. I think this is because our ancestors
believed that age is directly proportional to wisdom which is why it is their tradition to choose
old women to take the role as their adviser, healer, as well as a messenger of the gods. Moreover,
womens roles as the giver of offsprings were given much importance especially in the political
aspect for it was important for a datu to bear son to whom he will pass on his land and people.
In connection to this, the men were always given the role of fighting, ruling and protecting their
banwas. This was why Datu Bugna was disappointed with Dian Lamitan when she never gave
birth to baby boy. Women were clearly not expected to fight, as seen in the way Rajah Mangubat
and his men reacted to his prophecy. The men laughed when the babaylan told him that he was
bound to be defeated by a woman as if it were an impossible thing to happen. Fast-forward to
the end of the series, this tradition was still held as seen through how Dian Lamitan was greatly
despised by her people when she tried to fight with men for political power.
Another important feature seen in the film were the prominent tattoos on the bodies of
warriors. Back then, tattoos are considered marks of bravery and nobility. In fact, this very early

form of art tells a story of a warriors adventure and victory. Much like the katig, tattoos were
also an influence of the Austronesians. In connection to their tradition of headhunting or
pangangayaw, our ancestors also believed that tattoos have magical and spiritual powers which
gave them strength and protection. Moreover, tattoos were also seen as symbol of a persons
social status in the community. In the scene after Rajah Mangubat successfully conquered a
banwa, he rewarded his men with treasures and jewelry which are called bahandi which were
previously a property of the datu of the banwa they just conquered. These bahandi were divided
among the conquerors as spoils of war. The more treasure a datu has, the more he is strong and
powerful.
Animism is also evident in the film as seen through the beliefs and myths that circulated
around the banwas. One example was the bakunawa who is believed to have eaten the moons
of the Earth and is greatly feared by our ancestors for trying to eat the one moon thats left.
Today, we would scoff at such belief because science had already explained this kind of
phenomenon called an eclipse. Another example was the belief that a twin snake is actually the
spirit of an umalagad who is bound to protect its human twin such as Amaya. If we are to study
these beliefs, it is clear that our ancestors gave much importance to nature spirits and gods and
goddesses. One thing I learned from my Kas 2 class was that animism is actually a result of our
ancestors daily activities. To explain this further, let me give you an example. A farmer believes
he does not have the power to control the rain and sun to ensure a successful harvest, so he
relies on a divine being which gives him reassurance that his/her plants would grow well so the
concept of a god/goddess of harvest is developed. This process is the same for day-to-day
activities such as fishing, headhunting or pangagayaw, and many more.
Trade between people from foreign lands such as the Chinese were also shown in the
film. In fact, it was very much similar to what we have discussed in our Arkiyoloji class. Products
that were usually traded and sold were clay jars from the Philippines, Chinese porcelain with
cobalt blue dragon designs and slaves. Slaves were considered a property of the datu and were
therefore do not have human values. Social classes were very also very much evident in the film.
The uripon or the slaves, timawa or the free people, as well as the datu and his family or the royal
class all comprise a banwa. The social hierarchy seemed very rigid in the film when DalLang was
constantly condemned for being an uripon. There were also rules that covered the social classes
back then such as the Amaya being born as a timawa for being the daughter of a datu despite
being a child of slave.
Lastly, what intrigued me the most was the language with which the characters in the film
used to talk to each other. Although most of them were Tagalog, some words were in Bisaya
which led me to conclude that the story was probably set in the Visayas and Mindanao. Words
such as bana (husband), Sugbu (Cebu), uripon or ulipon in Bisaya means slave, usa (one), duha
(two), tulo (three) were included. The word bahandi which meant treasure is also bisaya
although, it was not mentioned in the film. When I heard these words from my own language, I
felt very familiar and quite proud that the film really put hard work in bringing to life ancient
Filipino society not only through clothing, or social classes but language as well, which speaks
greatly for how this kind of society developed into what our society is today.