TRUE MEANING OF YAWA
19 June 2024
IN THE PRESENT DAY IT’S A CURSE WORD,
IT MEANS DEVIL OR EVIL SPIRITS.
BUT DID YOU KNOW IT ACTUALLY REFERS TO
NAGMALITONG YAWA SINAGMALING DIWATA -
A VISAYAN GODDESS, A LOVING WOMAN WHO
WIELDED A POWERFUL MAGIC.
BECAUSE OF HER STATURE AS A STRONG WOMAN, YAWA
BECAME A SYMBOL OF THE BABAYLANS AND HER NAME WAS
EQUATED TO AN EMPOWERED WOMAN. BUT THE SPANISH FRIARS
DISLIKE THE IDEA OF AN EMPOWERED FILIPINA BECAUSE IT
THREATENED THEIR POSITION AS MALE TYRANTS. THE BELIEF
IN A MAGICAL DEITY ALSO INCREASED RESISTANCE AGAINST
CHRISTIANITY. SO, THEY REDEFINED 'YAWA' TO MEAN 'DEMON'
AND TURNED IT INTO FORBIDDEN WORD.
THE SPANIARDS, IN THEIR ATTEMPT TO GAIN
CONTROL OF THE ISLANDS LABELED EVERYTHING
THAT HAD TO DO WITH OTHER RELIGIONS AS
SOMETHING FROM THE DEVIL. EVEN A TITLE LIKE
NAGMALITONG YAWA BECAME INSTANTLY DEMONIC,
A WORK OF THE DEVIL.
PROF. FELIPE JOCANO JR.
ANTHROPOLOGIST
UNIVERSITY OF THE PHILIPPINES DILIMAN
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