Everything about Eskaya totally explained
Philippines:
Bohol||
|langs=
Eskayan,
Cebuano,
Boholano
|rels=
Philippine Independent Church
|related=
Cebuano, other
Visayan peoples, other
Filipino peoples, other
Austronesian peoples
}}
The
Eskaya, less commonly known as the
Visayan-Eskaya, is the collective name for the members of a
cultural minority found in
Bohol,
Philippines. The Eskaya community is distinguished by its cultural heritage, particularly its literature and language, although many of its earlier traditional practices are no longer strictly observed. Reports indicate that Eskaya linguistic and cultural education has been in steady decline since the mid-1980s.
Area
Most members of the Eskaya community inhabit a mountainous area that intersects the municipalities of
Duero, Guindulman, Pilar and Sierra Bullones in the once-forested region of Bohol's southeast interior. The original Eskaya settlement of Biabas (
Guindulman), was established in the early 20th century by Mariano Datahan who died in 1949. In 1951, the second township of Taytay (municipality of
Duero) was founded by Fabian Baja in accordance with Datahan's directions. Significant Eskaya populations are now also found in the nearby townships of Canta-ub, Lundag, Tambongan, Cadapdapan and Fatimah. In 1996, the Eskaya community was awarded a certificate of Ancestral Domain Claim by President
Fidel Ramos.
An official census of the Eskaya population hasn't yet been made. One report estimates that in 1991 there were 130 Eskaya families living in Bohol.
Language and script
The speech variety of the Eskaya is known as
Eskayan, or Ineskaya in the local
Cebuano language. Lexically, Eskayan shows no clear relationship with any known language although there's strong but inconsistent
Spanish influence. A striking feature of the language is its unusual
phonotactics, for example, its patterns of consonant and vowel clusters.
The Eskayan writing system takes the form of a
syllabary of over 1000 characters, all modelled on parts of the human body including internal organs.
Etruscan,
Hebrew, and even the undeciphered script of the
Butuan paleograph.
While there are no mother-tongue speakers of
Eskayan, it's taught to both adults and children in volunteer-run cultural schools.
The
Eskayan language and script has been the object of ongoing controversy.
See: Theories and Controversies
Religion
Under the direction of Mariano Datahan, the group converted
en masse to the nascent
Philippine Independent Church in about 1902. Community members revere the entity Suno which is conflated with the Santo Niño, and in addition to weekly church services they're served by appointed spiritual leaders known as
biki and
beriki . The
biki, or bishop, is responsible for performing harvest ceremonies and other rituals such as house blessing. Before a house can be constructed, a ritual is performed in which a spiritual leader asks the permission of the spirits. If permission isn't granted, the builder must select a new site.The Eskaya also retain spiritual traditions once widespread in lowland
Boholano rural communities
Eskaya society
The teaching of
Eskayan in the volunteer schools is one of the few remaining cultural practices of the Eskaya community.
Formerly, Eskaya men would wear shirts made of piña raffia with a Chinese-style collar, black breeches and cotton berets. Women wore piña dresses with bulging sleeves similar to the Spanish-influenced Boholano style (mostly in Biabas) and covered their hair with cotton habits (mostly in Taytay). Traditionally, women were not permitted to cut their hair short nor wear trousers, and drinking and dancing were universally prohibited. For the most part these customs have been discontinued, however traditional dress is sometimes worn on Sundays and special occasions.
At weddings the parents of the bride offer the couple a glass of water and a comb. The comb is dipped in the water and run through the hair of both bride and groom. Rice is then showered on the couple, connoting plenty.
Until recently, the Eskaya practised a form of communal farming in which a portion of land was tilled for the benefit of the whole community.
Literature and mythology
The Old Books
The Eskaya literary canon is recorded in a series of texts comprising the
karaang mga libro or "old books" and several
secular writings.
See: Theories and Controversies
As part of their cultural education, students must transcribe five stories from the Old Books into lined textbooks at the Eskaya schools. Other tales concern relatively recent occurrences such as the
Japanese occupation of Bohol in
World War II.
History
Although the Eskaya had been known to people living in the vicinity of Bohol’s southeast highlands prior to World War II, it was only in the early 1980s that they came to wider public attention when government agricultural advisers toured the province to introduce
Green Revolution policies. Local journalists and researchers have since suggested various theories on the origins of the Eskaya but there's still no broad consensus on the subject. Mariano Datahan is reported to have arrived at the site of present-day Biabas at the turn of the nineteenth century; The
Philippine Independent Church in Biabas was established in 1902;
Theories and controversies
The Eskaya community has been the object of ongoing controversy, particularly with regards to its status as an
indigenous group and the classification of the Eskayan language. that they're descendants of the resistance groups that fought under
Francisco Dagohoy; that they're a
cult or secret society; that they possess the lost book of
Enoch; that they're descended from the builders of
King Solomon’s temple; lending weight to the theory that Eskayan is actually an elaborate form of
Cebuano coding.
Legally, the Eskaya are classified as an
indigenous group under Republic Act or R.A. No. 8371 entitled "The Indigenous Peoples Rights Act of 1997.
The Bisaya Eskaya or Eskaya is an indigenous cultural community in Bohol, Philippines. They are noted for their own system of writing, language, and literature although they look like the contemporary Boholanos and can speak Cebuano. Today, the Eskaya continue to teach the children their script and traditions. But there are no mother-tongue speakers. Their own alphabet and dialect are fast disappearing from use. Sierra Bullones, Candijay, Pilar, and Guindulman.
In 1996, the Eskaya were given their ancestral domain by virtue of Certificate of Ancestral Domain Claim (CADC) No. R7-CADC-14 awarded to Eskaya by then President Fidel Ramos. The said area covers 3,173 hectares in Taytay, Duero; Biabas, Guindulman; Lundag, Pilar; Cantaub, Sierra Bullones; and Cadapdapan, Candijay.
Language
The Eskayan language used by the Eskaya is unrelated to the Boholano or Cebuano dialects. This minority Eskayan language is still taught in community schools in Biabas (Guindulman), Taytay (Duero) and Lundag (Pilar) but there are no mother-tongue speakers.
Number system
There is nothing extraordinary about the Eskaya number system. It is the same decimal system that we use. What is unusual is that they've symbols for the numbers, something missing from the classic Philippine scripts. They have a symbol but not a name for zero (0) and use a positional system for notation. Sometimes referred to as a secret organization on the island of Bohol, their ancestors claimed to have arrived on the island in 677 AD from Sumatra.
The Eskaya tribe, who are sparsely found in the interior hinterlands of some northern towns of Bohol, are the object of international archeological studies considering their distinct culture, language and alphabet not found elsewhere in the world. They have also been declared national heroes, having fought in many wars against foreign invaders from the Spanish period up to the Japanese occupation in the last World War.
Researches on the Eskaya
- "An anthropological study of the Eskaya cultural minority group from the island of Bohol, Philippines" by Zoe Bomford, 2004. One of the collaborative projects undertaken with support from the Australian Youth Ambassadors for Development Program through AusAid. This is in line with the "Bohol, the Philippines Collaborative Conservation projects with the Diocese of Tagbilaran and the Provincial Government of Bohol" which is an important part of the Centre's international program to build long term, mutually supportive partnerships with overseas institutions. Since 1999, the Centre for Cultural Materials Conservation has been working with the Diocese of Tagbilaran and the Provincial Government of Bohol, to engage the local community in the preservation of cultural heritage according to conservation projects identified in their Bohol Arts and Cultural Heritage (BACH) Code. Much of the cultural material is ecclesiastical.
- "Scribbling the Voice of a Tende: An Ethnography of the Women of Escaya"
Further Information
Get more info on 'Eskaya'.
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