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01 Sep 06

What was this dispute about women? Could it be the Spaniard's issues with contact with a possible matriarchal culture? - tenzin on 2006-09-01

Disputes over women caused relations between Raja Humabon and the remaining Spaniards to deteriorate. The Cebuanos
killed 27 Spaniards in a skirmish and the Spaniards, deciding to resume their explorations, departed Cebu.

30 Aug 06

And in case you’re still wondering: of course they’re not. The aswang as we know it is a construct of the Catholic Church; back in the day when the Spanish were colonizing Pan-ay, the stiffest opposition they got was from the midwives and medecine women, who held sway over their men (naturally). While some of the tribe leaders were amicable to trade - and to pacify the Spanish threat - the women’s council were not. Chalk it up to xenophobia, cultural dignity or a stubborness to share power if you will, but these women refused to be cowed, converted or subjugated. And they let their men know. So to undermine the women’s authority, the Spanish friars spread black propaganda, twisting the traditional role of the women from life givers to life takers. Instead of the midwife helping the prenant woman during labor, they were feeding on the unborn babies. Instead of matriarchs they became monsters. And slowly the perception changed, and these women were driven out.

They were pagans, yes. Animistic, most probably. But evil? Probably in so much as everybody else can be evil. Supernatural? Only in so much as a lot of things simply go unexplained until we have the means to explain them.

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