Indigenous Philippine Folk Religions

Indigenous Philippine folk religions are the distinct native religions of various ethnic groups in the Philippines and are predominately animistic. Collectively, these religions are termed Anito or Anitism or by the more modern and less ethnocentric name Dayawism. Nearly a quarter of present day Filipinos continue to adhere to their traditional mode of worshiping gods, spirits, and ancestors. Generically, the wide variety of indigenous Philippine religious beliefs are related to the religions of Oceania and maritime Southeast Asia which are derived from Austronesian beliefs. Historian T. Valentino Sitoy has concluded that three core characteristics shaped the religious worldview of Filipinos prior to the arrival of Spanish colonizers. First, Filipinos believed in the existence of a parallel spirit world which was invisible, but was capable of interacting with the visible world. Second, Filipinos believed that there were spirits (anito) everywhere, from the highest creator gods down to minor spirits that resided in trees or rocks or creeks. Third, Filipinos believed that events in the human world were influenced by spirit beings, however high or low in the hierarchy of spirits they are positioned. In most cases, Filipinos regarded creator gods as being far too exalted and distant for ordinary mortals to approach. Worshipers directed their petitions to lesser gods or assistant deities who were less intimidating and more approachable, and whose wills could more easily be influenced. Each ethnic group had their own concept of and quantification of the number of souls living being pssessed, particularly the souls of human beings. The majority believed that a human possesses two or more souls while they remain alive. Souls are capable of persisting into an afterlife. Ghosts, or ancestral spirits, are souls of people who have already died. Ancestral spirits can guide and protect their living relatives and communities but can also cause harm if they are disrespected. Shamans have served as the spiritual leaders of various ethnicities of Filipinos from the pre-colonial era to the present. Shamans are almost always women or effeminate men. They are believed to have spirit guides, and with their aid can contact and interact with spirits and deities (anito or diwata) and the spirit world. Their primary role is to serve as mediums during pag-anito séance rituals. Pag-anito is the term for a séance which is often accompanied by other rituals or celebrations. When séance is performed to connect with a specific nature spirit or deity, the ritual is called pagdiwata. Ancestor spirits were typically represented by carved figures called taotao. Taotao were not intrinsically sacred. They were only representations of the spirits, and not the actual spirits themselves. Spanish missionaries recorded that taotao were present in every Filipino household, no matter how poor. The Spainish conquest of the Philippines, like the conquests of Mexico and Peru, resulted an extesive record of negative assessments of indigeonous belief systems written by the conquerors. In 1576, Spaniard Francisco de Sande wrote that "Most of the [Filipino] Indians are heathens. They believe in their ancestors, and when about to embark upon some enterprise commend themselves to these, asking them for aid."