Many Visayan settlers here in Mindanao whisper about the power of the Manobo people (and other indigenous tribes) to use some primitive dark magic. The suspicions are not exactly unfounded. Ross Errington, a linguistics scholar, set out to investigate the matter and reported his findings in the journal Studies in Philippine Linguistics, published by the international volunteer organization Summer Institute of Linguistics.
In the article, which appeared in 1988, Errington classifies the magic of the Dulangan Manobos into four, according to its use: (1) magic to ward off misfortunes, (2) magic to heal the sick, (3) magic to attain success, and (4) magic to inflict harm on others. Towards the end of the article, the writer discusses Manobo magic in relation to the conversion to Christianity of many tribe members.
Visayans who will read the article will be surprised to find out that Manobo magic isn't much different from the traditional supernatural practices of lowlanders. Like the Visayans, the Manobos of Cotabato wear amulets to attract positive energy and utter chants to drive away illness-causing spirits. The difference is in the details. Read Errington's article to learn the nitty-gritty of Manobo magic. To cite it as a source, see Bibliography.
Showing posts with label Summer Institute of Linguistics. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Summer Institute of Linguistics. Show all posts
Sunday, October 28, 2012
Wednesday, October 24, 2012
Want to Learn Manobo?
I missed posting here! I wasn't able to update this blog for more than a week because I've been a fellow at a regional writing workshop. The schedule was crazy; there were so many literary works to read and plenty of kindred spirits to banter with. Now I'm back to the rut that is my real life, so I'm going to have enough time again for this blog.
To get the ball rolling again, I present you readers several gems that I've unearthed from the website of the Summer Institute of Linguistics. The site has downloadable publications that are just perfect for those who want to learn the language of the Dulangan Manobos. Here are the basic references:
The first book above contains an exhaustive list of Manobo words and their respective equivalents in English, Tagalog, and Cebuano, so using the book, most Filipinos can learn Manobo. For more advance learners, listed below are some supplementary documents. I don't have any formal training on linguistics, so I can barely understand their contents:
The website also offers downloadable documents that are about the Dulangan Monobos but not directly related to their language:
That's all for today. Mesehaa ki pa kani. Dutu a de! (To know what I mean, see page 4 of A Phrase Book.)
To get the ball rolling again, I present you readers several gems that I've unearthed from the website of the Summer Institute of Linguistics. The site has downloadable publications that are just perfect for those who want to learn the language of the Dulangan Manobos. Here are the basic references:
- Ini sa Medoo Kagi Diya sa Epat Balangan Kagi: This is Words in Four Languages (1979) PDF 4MB
- Sa Libelu Kesetawit Diya sa Telu Balangan Kagi: A Phrase Book in Three Languages (1995) PDF 1.8MB
- Cotabato Manobo Grammar (1988) PDF 4.4MB
The first book above contains an exhaustive list of Manobo words and their respective equivalents in English, Tagalog, and Cebuano, so using the book, most Filipinos can learn Manobo. For more advance learners, listed below are some supplementary documents. I don't have any formal training on linguistics, so I can barely understand their contents:
- A Transition Network Grammar of Cotabato Manobo (1979) PDF 3.1MB
- Discourse Types and Tense Patterns in Cotabato Manobo (1979) PDF 0.5MB
- Hortatory Mitigation: The Case of the Camouflaged Backbone (1984) PDF 0.9MB
The website also offers downloadable documents that are about the Dulangan Monobos but not directly related to their language:
That's all for today. Mesehaa ki pa kani. Dutu a de! (To know what I mean, see page 4 of A Phrase Book.)
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