Interesting suggestion about the Osong (Trickster) in service to the community- applied in our modern context.
"The Inner Tribe
As for tribal values-- I'll be honest here. I love democracy, specifically the idealistic kind that doesn't truly exist in its perfect form. I abhor the idea of people being forced into slavery, and so the discovery of the uripon/oripon class in Bicolano tribal society was disappointing. I'm also aware of Cordillera tribes and their past head-hunting and slave-taking practices. I do not propose the acceptance of those values, because my temperament and philosophy naturally moves towards the more peaceful tribes, the ones that are so knowledgeable about their environment they've dodged colonization and the war-mongering tribes by retreating deeper into jungle, where they know what will feed them and what will kill them instantly, watching from a distance as those who chase after them get destroyed and eventually give up. Unfortunately, the existence of those tribes are being threatened by the advancement of technology to take away the very natural resources and symbiotic relationship they have to their environment that preserved thousands of years of oral lore and tradition. In my opinion, there is a way to live symbiotically with the environment and those around you without resorting to war, exploitation, and colonization and still incorporate technological, sustainable advancement.
I see this in the dato, as a symbol of physical strength. They were able to withstand the harshness of the elements and the rigors of their environment. But they also need the versatility and in-between-ness of the baliyan and asog, their diplomacy and social acumen, their ability to listen, heal, and negotiate with the spirits. Lastly, in the face of colonization by overwhelming might, the Filipino trickster, the osong, is a rebellious figure who does not resort either to physical prowess, like the dato, or to the spirit world for help, like the baliyan and asog, but to their own cunning and ruthlessness under a mask or with a mix of blatant numbskullery.
How do I interpret this for Urban Anito? Life is no longer separated into tribes, so for me, it's important to cultivate the physical strength of the dato, the industry and hard work of the dulujan, the connection with the spirit world like the baliyan and asog, and the trickery of the osong or Talang Silangan, specifically against colonizing and oppressive powers that promote poverty, environmental destruction, and human rights violations. To borrow liberally from Jung, these figures are some of the main characters of the Filipino collective unconscious, and when one becomes more dominant than the other, we lose collectively as Filipinos and as human beings. It's not enough to just be a warrior, or a consumer/producer/worker, or a priestess, or a rogue that does anything to survive and one-up everyone else with wits. These people, with the exception of the trickster, were all part of a community, working together. It's arguable that the trickster is a product of when a community is fragmented due to an oppressive force, like the kings that are usually the trickster's opponent in Filipino folklore. It may not be possible anymore for different personalities to balance themselves out together in a tribe, especially when oppressive, colonizing forces abound. To me, it's important to cultivate these characteristics internally, with the trickster in service to the community, and then to create a tribe of people based around these like-minded worldviews and value systems, while still making allies with other, different-minded tribes-- remember the value of kapwa. Also, in the matter of the asog, this also translates to equal rights for those with diverse gender expressions and sexual orientations that differ from the heterosexual male model." Link
No comments:
Post a Comment