Mananambal
Encyclopedia
The Mananambal is a Filipino
practitioner of traditional medicine
; a medicine man
who is also capable of performing sorcery
. The mananambal treats both natural and supernatural
maladies.
, a term used most especially in the islands of Siquijor
and Bohol
in the Visayas
. The term is synonymous with the Tagalog
word albularyo
, a term also used to describe a folk healer
.
beliefs. The amalgamation of folk healing and Christian spiritism may have begun at the onset of the Spanish
influence in the Philippines – when Magellan
converted the Queen of Cebu
to Catholicism
. The mananambal observed the marked success in exorcism
of the Spanish friars and wished for their part to be mediums of the high spirit (the Holy Spirit
) that granted the Catholic friars such power.
This link with the Catholic faith is evident in their yearly quest, called pangalap, for materials used as ingredients in the concoction
s for their traditional practice. The pangalap begins seven Fridays after Ash Wednesday
, prior to the Christian observance of Holy Week
. It culminates on Good Friday
and Black Saturday
. The mananambal also uses orasyones or "magical prayers".
These forms of sorcery equate with the Tagalog term, Kulam
and are resistant to the ministrations of Western medicine. Only a mananambal can reverse the effects of such sorcery.
Philippines
The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
practitioner of traditional medicine
Traditional medicine
Traditional medicine comprises unscientific knowledge systems that developed over generations within various societies before the era of modern medicine...
; a medicine man
Medicine man
"Medicine man" or "Medicine woman" are English terms used to describe traditional healers and spiritual leaders among Native American and other indigenous or aboriginal peoples...
who is also capable of performing sorcery
Magic (paranormal)
Magic is the claimed art of manipulating aspects of reality either by supernatural means or through knowledge of occult laws unknown to science. It is in contrast to science, in that science does not accept anything not subject to either direct or indirect observation, and subject to logical...
. The mananambal treats both natural and supernatural
Supernatural
The supernatural or is that which is not subject to the laws of nature, or more figuratively, that which is said to exist above and beyond nature...
maladies.
Etymology
The appellation mananambal is a derivative of the term used to describe the art of panambal or "traditional folk healing" in the PhilippinesPhilippines
The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
, a term used most especially in the islands of Siquijor
Siquijor
Siquijor is an island province of the Philippines located in the Central Visayas region. Its capital is the municipality also named Siquijor. To the northwest of Siquijor are Cebu and Negros, to the northeast is Bohol and to the south, across the Bohol Sea, is Mindanao.Siquijor is the third...
and Bohol
Bohol
Bohol is an island province of the Philippines located in the Central Visayas region, consisting of Bohol Island and 75 minor surrounding islands. Its capital is Tagbilaran City. With a land area of and a coastline long, Bohol is the tenth largest island of the Philippines...
in the Visayas
Visayas
The Visayas or Visayan Islands and locally known as Kabisay-an gid, is one of the three principal geographical divisions of the Philippines, along with Mindanao and Luzon. It consists of several islands, primarily surrounding the Visayan Sea, although the Visayas are considered the northeast...
. The term is synonymous with the Tagalog
Tagalog language
Tagalog is an Austronesian language spoken as a first language by a third of the population of the Philippines and as a second language by most of the rest. It is the first language of the Philippine region IV and of Metro Manila...
word albularyo
Albularyo
Albularyo , sometimes spelled albulario, is a Tagalog term for a folk healer or medicine men.-Etymology and Alternative Names:The word arbularyo derives from herbolario, a Spanish word meaning herbalist....
, a term also used to describe a folk healer
Folk healer
A folk healer is an unlicensed person who practices the art of healing using traditional practices, herbal remedies and even the power of suggestion. A folk healer may be a highly trained person who pursues his specialties, learning by study, observation and imitation...
.
Methodology
The mananambal uses a combination of traditional practice and ChristianChristian
A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as recorded in the Canonical gospels and the letters of the New Testament...
beliefs. The amalgamation of folk healing and Christian spiritism may have begun at the onset of the Spanish
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
influence in the Philippines – when Magellan
Magellan
Magellan may refer to:*Ferdinand Magellan, a Portuguese explorer who led part of the first expedition around the world*Magellan , a progressive rock band*Magellan , a forerunner of the Excite web portal...
converted the Queen of Cebu
Cebu
Cebu is a province in the Philippines, consisting of Cebu Island and 167 surrounding islands. It is located to the east of Negros, to the west of Leyte and Bohol islands...
to Catholicism
Catholicism
Catholicism is a broad term for the body of the Catholic faith, its theologies and doctrines, its liturgical, ethical, spiritual, and behavioral characteristics, as well as a religious people as a whole....
. The mananambal observed the marked success in exorcism
Exorcism
Exorcism is the religious practice of evicting demons or other spiritual entities from a person or place which they are believed to have possessed...
of the Spanish friars and wished for their part to be mediums of the high spirit (the Holy Spirit
Holy Spirit
Holy Spirit is a term introduced in English translations of the Hebrew Bible, but understood differently in the main Abrahamic religions.While the general concept of a "Spirit" that permeates the cosmos has been used in various religions Holy Spirit is a term introduced in English translations of...
) that granted the Catholic friars such power.
This link with the Catholic faith is evident in their yearly quest, called pangalap, for materials used as ingredients in the concoction
Concoction
A concoction is, strictly speaking, a combination of various ingredients, usually herbs, spices, condiments, powdery substances or minerals, mixed up together, minced, dissolved or macerated into a liquid so as they can be ingested or drunk...
s for their traditional practice. The pangalap begins seven Fridays after Ash Wednesday
Ash Wednesday
Ash Wednesday, in the calendar of Western Christianity, is the first day of Lent and occurs 46 days before Easter. It is a moveable fast, falling on a different date each year because it is dependent on the date of Easter...
, prior to the Christian observance of Holy Week
Holy Week
Holy Week in Christianity is the last week of Lent and the week before Easter...
. It culminates on Good Friday
Good Friday
Good Friday , is a religious holiday observed primarily by Christians commemorating the crucifixion of Jesus Christ and his death at Calvary. The holiday is observed during Holy Week as part of the Paschal Triduum on the Friday preceding Easter Sunday, and may coincide with the Jewish observance of...
and Black Saturday
Holy Saturday
Holy Saturday , sometimes known as Easter Eve or Black Saturday, is the day after Good Friday. It is the day before Easter and the last day of Holy Week in which Christians prepare for Easter...
. The mananambal also uses orasyones or "magical prayers".
Pharmacopoeia
The mananambals pharmacopoeia is made up of plants (80%), animals (10%) and minerals (10%).Rituals
Some of the rituals observed by the mananambal include:- Pangalap - the aforementioned yearly search for concoction ingredients
- Halad - ritual offering of food and drink to honor the spirits of the dead
- Palínà - ritual fumigation; called tu-ob in the islands of PanayPanayPanay may refer to*Panay Island*Panay *Panay, Capiz*Panay River*Panay Gulf* USS Panay *Panay incident...
and Negros - Pangadlip - the chopping or slicing of pangalap ingredients
- Pagpagong - burning or reducing the ingredients into charcoal or ashes
- Making of Minasa - concoctions made from the pangalap ingredients
- Rubbing with Lana - medicinal oil concocted from coconutCoconutThe coconut palm, Cocos nucifera, is a member of the family Arecaceae . It is the only accepted species in the genus Cocos. The term coconut can refer to the entire coconut palm, the seed, or the fruit, which is not a botanical nut. The spelling cocoanut is an old-fashioned form of the word...
Sorcery
The powers of sorcery may be gained after a practitioner "learns methods of malign magic and establishes a relationship with a spirit that supports this magic". Some forms of sorcery include:- BarangBarang (Philippine mythology)Barang is a Cebuano term taken to mean all forms of malign magic or sorcery. In Tagalog, the word is used to refer to small insects and beetles, especially the fungus beetle. At least one source identifies the specific species of this beetle as Alphitobius laevigatus...
- the use of beetles to inflict pain and sickness in a person - Haplit - using a dollDollA doll is a model of a human being, often used as a toy for children. Dolls have traditionally been used in magic and religious rituals throughout the world, and traditional dolls made of materials like clay and wood are found in the Americas, Asia, Africa and Europe. The earliest documented dolls...
to represent the victim; the Filipino sorcerer's equivalent of using a voodoo doll - Paktol - paktol means to "knock on the head"; the use of a skull or some other representation of the victim. Any insult done the representation, the victim feels the corresponding harm
- Anyaw - the art of courting the favor of malign spirits with food containing no saltSaltIn chemistry, salts are ionic compounds that result from the neutralization reaction of an acid and a base. They are composed of cations and anions so that the product is electrically neutral...
; the sorcerer then asks the spirit to bring harm on an intended victim - Là-gà - "to boil", the sorcerer boils objects belonging to the victim; the victim suffers from unease, sleeplessness, fatigue, malaise and later, death
These forms of sorcery equate with the Tagalog term, Kulam
Kulam
Kulam is a Tagalog word meaning "hex or "curse"." Often, the same word is used as a term for witchcraft.-Usage and Related Terms:Kulam is actually a Tagalog noun which literally means bewitchment or hex....
and are resistant to the ministrations of Western medicine. Only a mananambal can reverse the effects of such sorcery.
See also
- GabâGabâGabâ or gabaa, for the people in many parts of the Philippines), is the concept of a non-human and non-divine, imminent retribution. A sort of negative karma, it is generally seen as an evil effect on a person because of their wrongdoings or transgressions...
, or gabaa, the CebuanoCebuano languageCebuano, referred to by most of its speakers as Bisaya , is an Austronesian language spoken in the Philippines by about 20 million people mostly in the Central Visayas. It is the most widely spoken of the languages within the so-named Bisayan subgroup and is closely related to other Filipino...
concept of negative karmaKarmaKarma in Indian religions is the concept of "action" or "deed", understood as that which causes the entire cycle of cause and effect originating in ancient India and treated in Hindu, Jain, Buddhist and Sikh philosophies....