BAYBAYIN - Tangled Threads

Tangled Threads:

The Impact of Colonization

What were the reasons for the decline of baybayin?

In answering this question, scholars are divided between the idea of conscious Spanish suppression on the one hand and a simple fading away due to the convenience of the Latin alphabet on the other. A key work cited in these debates is that of Otley Beyer, an American scholar of the Philippines. In 1921, he wrote that

"the fanatic zeal of the Spaniards for the Christian faith and corresponding hatred for all other forms of belief led them to regard the native writings and art as works of the Devil – to be destroyed wherever found. … It cannot be said that such writings did not exist, since the early Filipinos were even more literate than the Mexicans; they used syllabaries of Indian origin. One Spanish priest in southern Luzon boasted of having destroyed more than three hundred scrolls written in the native character. "

It is important to place Beyer in the context of his time, a period of American imperialism in the Philippines. It is certainly possible that depictions of Spanish backwardness (quite literally book burning) were intended to portray American neocolonialism in a more favorable light. Furthermore, there is no direct documentary evidence of substantial destruction by Spanish missionaries. Modern scholars like Paul Morrow and Hector Santos accordingly reject Beyer’s suggestions, with Santos concluding that

"the inability of the ancient script to record the new sounds introduced by the Spaniards, the rapid acquisition of literacy in the Latin script with its concomitant social and material benefits, and the disruption of traditional family activities were the main culprits for the loss of the Tagalog script. Any burning of documents that may have transpired had very little to do with it. "

Nevertheless, other languages certainly were written in baybayin. As described above, the example of Hanunóo was evident through to the twentieth century. Adaptations were made to suit these other languages. For instance, /d/ and /r/ were allophones in Tagalog, so were represented by only one symbol in that version of baybayin. On the other hand, languages such as Ilocano differentiated these phonemes and hence had different symbols for them (compare the Mas 1843 and Doctrina 1593 columns in the table above).

In particular the example of the Arte de la lengua yloca demonstrates conclusively that languages other than Tagalog were written in baybayin. This codex was originally published in Manila in 1627 as a study of the Ilocano language by an Augustinian friar named Francisco López. The codex was re-edited in 1792, which is the version bought by Dr Nicolás León and donated to the John Carter Brown Library, where I accessed the work. Most recently, the document has been the subject of an article by Rebeca Fernández Rodríguez that highlights its position in the broader project of understanding and describing languages. Most of the codex is written in Spanish (in the Latin script), but there is an example of Baybayin used to write Ilocano on leaf 8 recto. This simple example serves as a reminder of the diversity in baybayin.

Arrival of Spanish

The arrival of Spanish colonizers in the 16th century marked a significant shift in the use of Baybayin. The Spanish introduced the Latin alphabet, gradually replacing indigenous scripts. Despite this, Baybayin persisted in certain regions and among indigenous communities, symbolizing resistance and cultural preservation. The script became a silent yet powerful emblem of defiance against colonial rule.

Back then...

Spanish missionaries used Baybayin for religious texts, but they later promoted the Latin alphabet, leading to the script’s decline.

By the 18th century, Baybayin was largely replaced by the Roman alphabet, though some communities in Mindoro and Palawan continued to use similar scripts.

The end of baybayin is also challenging but rewarding to understand. By 1745, Sebastián Totanes wrote in his Arte de la lengua tagala that “it is rare for an Indian to know how to read [Tagalog characters], and rarer still to write them. In our Castilian letters they all know how to read and write.”4 As late as 1792, though, baybayin was still used to sign a pact on the island of Mindoro. In any case, by the twentieth century baybayin survived only in limited, isolated cases, as with the Hanunóo described by Harold Conklin in the 1940s and ’50s (and shown in the video below).

“One reason that Filipinos may have lost interest in preserving the knowledge of Baybayin is that they believed it is only significant in documenting the precolonial culture.”

2Oth Century

Today, Baybayin is mainly associated with artistic work. It is commonly used for calligraphy and tattoos. Modern writers have also begun using Baybayin in their works as an artistic medium. Several modern poets and authors have written entire works in the Baybayin script, including Fernando Zobel de Ayala, Nick Joaquin, Raul Sunico, and Lualhati Bautista. Despite these efforts to revitalize the use of Baybayin in the modern age, its use has declined in recent years. This was mainly due to the influence of colonialism and the widespread use of the Latin alphabet after the Spanish Colonization of the Philippines.

One reason that Filipinos may have lost interest in preserving the knowledge of Baybayin is that they believe it is only significant in documenting the precolonial culture. This view probably arose during the 20th century, when scholars began to recognize the importance of preserving local languages and cultures in order to preserve the country’s cultural heritage.

However...

But genuine interest in using Baybayin has grown since then, with many schools and cultural institutions incorporating the teaching of this traditional writing system into their curriculums. The University of the Philippines has restored a centuries-old monument honoring Baybayin on campus in recognition of its cultural and historical significance. The cultural significance of Baybayin can also be felt in local communities today, where groups of artists use this traditional script for their murals and graffiti art.

By reviving interest in traditional Flipino art such as Baybayin, younger generations of Filipinos are becoming more connected to their heritage and more aware that their culture is a part of who they are as a person.

Our Cultural Identity

There is an ongoing debate on whether the Baybayin writing system affects our cultural identity. Some people believe it does, while others think it does not have much effect. There are a few arguments for both sides. Those who believe that the Baybayin writing system does affect our cultural identity argue that it is a part of our history and culture. They point out that this writing system was used by our ancestors and is still used by some people today. Thus, the Baybayin writing system is vital to our cultural identity. On the other hand, those who do not believe in the effect of this writing system on our cultural identity argue that it cannot be used as frequently anymore; they point out that the Latin alphabet is commonly preferred instead of Baybayin. They believe it is not as crucial to our culture as it once was.

People take pride in their culture and history, which is why they place a high value on things such as language and writing systems. There are many different writing systems worldwide, and some are more popular than others. However, all of these writing systems are significant to people all around the world because they are a reflection of their history and culture. People who share a writing system are more likely to have a sense of shared identity, and they can learn from each other’s culture by using a common language.

Filipino Cultural Heritage

Image taken from Christopher Miller – Filipino Cultural Heritage in the UST Archives

Hence...

Baybayin is an exciting and beautiful writing system that strongly bonds our cultural heritage. We should preserve and teach it to future generations so that it will continue to be part of our culture and an essential part of our identity as Filipinos. Although many people are no longer familiar with Baybayin, it it is still important to teach the younger generations about it so that they can learn more about our heritage and culture.

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