The Filipino in Me - Insights into Living Heritage
Entry by Jayson Palolan. Montreal, Quebec
Pre-Colonial Philippines
The Art, The Culture, The Literature
During the month of June, we commemorate the proclamation of our country's independence, "Ang Araw ng Kalayaan". Filipino communities all over the world celebrate this special holiday. However, people are still in debate and in question, is our country genuinely free? "Ang ating bansa nga ba ay tunay na malaya?"
As we observe our educational, political system and present culture is deeply rooted to our past colonial history, we become unfamiliar of what we really are and diminish our knowledge about our ancestors due to suppression of our pre-colonial culture, along the history of Spanish and American colonization we become converted as Christians, our education and communication are formalized mostly in English. We submit, embrace to the colonial norm and unfortunately we consider our own ways as taboo and unacceptable, not open to it, have struggles in using and loving our own language and culture and changing our identity in many ways. These are the manifestations we question about our nation's freedom.
Freedom, in order to achieve it we all have responsibility to each other, a way for change, to DECOLONIZE by uplifting our indigenous knowledge.
It begins with simple steps but can lead and contribute in great ways, loving our own identity, honoring our birth land, and honoring our ancestors. I made this pre-colonial art (research based) as a reminder and reflection of our genuine identity. We have rich knowledge, literature, art and diverse culture. Our indigenous stories have values, respect for nature, and spirituality. We are more familiar with marvel heroes, Greek mythology but we have our own.
I have a collection of a hundred digital art portraits with the information on Instagram: @paljayson and my art page on Facebook: Palolan Art and epiko webiste.
Drawings of Philippine epic stories and mythological creatures. Here are 15 images, grouped into three - Ang Mga Umli (creators, supreme beings); Ang Mga Epiko; Ang Mga Tarabusaw (mythological creatures).
Ang Mga Umli (creators, supreme beings)
Ang Mga Epiko
Ang Mga Tarabusaw (mythological creatures)
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