'') in a museum in
Bontoc,
Philippines Indigenous Philippine folk religions, which older references classified as
animist in orientation, were the primary form of religious belief practiced in the prehistoric and early historic Philippines before the arrival of foreign influences. Today, only a handful of the
indigenous tribes continue to practice the old traditions. The term animism encompasses a collection of beliefs and cultural mores anchored more or less in the idea that the world is inhabited by spirits and supernatural entities, both good and bad, and that respect must be accorded to them through worship. These nature spirits later became known as "
diwatas", despite keeping most of their native meanings and symbols, due to the influence of
Hinduism in the region. Some worship specific deities, such as the
Tagalog supreme deity,
Bathala, and his children Adlaw,
Mayari, and
Tala, or the
Visayan deity
Kan-Laon. These practices coincided with
ancestor worship. Tagalogs for example venerated animals like the crocodile (buaya) and often called them "nonong" (from cognate 'nuno' i.e. 'ancestor' or 'elder'). A common ancient curse among the Tagalogs is "makain ka ng buwaya" "may the crocodile eat you!" Animistic practices vary between different
ethnic groups.
Magic, chants and prayers are often key features. Its practitioners were highly respected (and sometimes feared) in the community, as they were healers (
Mananambal),
midwives (
hilot),
shamans,
witches and warlocks (
mangkukulam), tribal historians and wizened elders that provided the spiritual and traditional life of the community. In the
Visayan regions, shamanistic and animistic beliefs in
witchcraft and mythical creatures like
aswang (vampires),
duwende (dwarves), and
bakonawa (a gigantic sea serpent) similarly to Naga, may exist in some indigenous peoples alongside more mainstream Christian and Islamic faiths.
Animism Indigenous Philippine folk religions are the distinct native religions of various ethnic groups in the Philippines, where most follow belief systems in line with
animism. Filipinos believed in the existence of parallel spirit world, which was invisible but had an influence on the visible world. Second, Filipinos believed that there were spirits (diwata) everywhere, ranging from the high creator gods to minor spirits that lived in the environment such as trees or rocks or creeks. These Indigenous folk religions where a set of local worship traditions are devoted to the anito and diwata (and their variables), terms which translate to gods, spirits, and ancestors. In these religions, there are two main types of spirits:
Diwata – refers to deities, gods, and nature spirits. Rooted in Hindu-Buddhist influences, the word came from the Sanskrit word Devata originally meant "celestial being" or "descent" in Sanskrit word devata (deity).
Anito – refers to wooden idols and the spirits or souls of the dead, especially ancestors. ancestor spirits or spirits of the dead, may have derived from the proto-Malayo-Polynesian qanitu and proto-Austronesian qanicu, both of which mean ancestral spirits. spirit of the dead,
evil spirits and the wooden
idols that represent them. The belief in
anito or
ancestor worship is sometimes referred to as
anitism in scholarly literature (Spanish:
anitismo or
anitería). literally means veneration of the
spirits of the dead. The word
anitism, or the Hispano-Filipino form
anitismo, though not in current usage, it was primitive Tagalog religion, a continual invocation and adoration of the anitos, the souls or spirits of their ancestors. From its original meaning of "ancestral spirit".
Folk healers During the pre-Hispanic period,
babaylan were shamans and spiritual leaders and
mananambal were
medicine men. At the onset of the colonial era, the suppression of the
babaylans and the native Filipino religion gave rise to the
albularyo. By exchanging the native prayers and spells with Catholic
oraciones and Christian prayers, the albularyo was able to syncretize the ancient mode of healing with the new religion.
Revitalization attempts In search of a national culture and identity, away from those imposed by Spain during the colonial age, Filipino revolutionaries during the
Philippine Revolution proposed to revive the
indigenous Philippine folk religions and make them the
national religion of the entire country. However, due to the war against the Spanish and, later, American colonizers, focus on the revival of the
indigenous religions were sidelined to make way for war preparations against occupiers. ==Buddhism==