hands open, hearts brave

[twitter: __sramana]

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If you're a #filipinx in #newyork & want to learn indigenous dances, i'm holding a free workshop next week at Creative Cultural Center St. Veronica! (149 Christopher Street, New York, NY 10014) from 6:30-8:30 PM. If you're interested in joining our group or just learning, please drop by and share this post! #filipino #pinxy #pinoy #pinay #filipina #nyc

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me: "at sunset, i look at the leaves and how beautiful they are in the sunlight, i feel like they are so beautiful i want to come back again and again to see them, maybe the next summer and the summer after that-- i see the dying leaves underneath the trees and understand that those beautiful leaves in the sunlight will fall and die. i remember that this is how i feel about the world--it is so beautiful. even though i know it is better to leave, that it's wiser to look for the way out. knowing that everything must end, will die...somehow i want to keep coming back. i don't know why i want to keep coming back even if i know this. the world is so beautiful..." nuttapanyo bhikkhu: "don't be fooled by the sunlight. are the leaves beautiful by itself, or is there something that makes it look beautiful? without the sunlight, would they still be beautiful? is the world beautiful because of itself, or because something is making it look beautiful? as the sun sets, the forest begins to look dark, scary. is it still beautiful? does it stay good?" (at Redwood Valley, California)

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this beautiful and sweet-smelling flower is called #tsampaka, sampaka, or sampaga (ᜐᜉᜃ᜵ᜐᜉᜄ) in the #tagalog language. originating from india and the himalayas, the flower was spread throughout china and #southeastasia along with #hinduism and #buddhism. in #theravada #buddhism, it is said that the #champaca tree is where the 17th #buddha called aththadassi attained enlightenment. in #tibetanbuddhism it is said that the next buddha, #maitreya/#metteya will find enlightenment under the white flower canopy of the champaca tree. . the tsampaka, along with the ilang-ilang and sampaguita, have always been traditionally used for both medicine and worship in the philippines, in similar ways to its hindu-buddhist neighbors, as well as in india. pre-philippine #tagalogs would string jasmine (sampaguita) flowers together along with ilang-ilang or champaca flowers to create a garland that they would hang on their deities--some possibly buddhist or hindu images. when catholicism came with spanish colonization, the priests encouraged the filipinos to continue this practice with their roman catholic saints. but the roots of this #philippine practice has always been pre-colonial, has been hindu, buddhist, and animist in origin. these days i use this flower along with jasmine flowers for puja and garlands on the statues of deities that i extend honor and worship to, the way i know my ancestors did. in our process of decolonization, it's always interesting to see what can be accurately mined from our own history without misrepresenting things. #filipino #pilipino #hindu #buddhist #magnolia #decolonize #lusung #pilipinas #🇵🇭 #🇵🇭philippines #flower (at Berkeley Buddhist Monastery - Institute for World Religions)

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today i performed a #pangalay duet for the first time at #kalayaan2017 in #sanfrancisco with @parangaldancecompany! to be quite honest, before i joined this group i never saw myself as a dancer and instead as a writer--who can chronicle my people's stories before time erases it. but these days, the more i dance, the more i understand how dancing is important, especially when telling the stories of my people. dance keeps this heritage alive, refuses the erasure of these people's rich history. i find that i can record, at most, their actual story, or at the least: the shadow of their story, when i learn the dances & share their meanings. nowadays i find that dancing informs what i write, and vice versa. i'm beginning to understand that one can be both. i'm very honored to have been given this chance to perform a duet for the first time in my life! my heart overflows with gratitude. . the dance being performed is an adapted for stage version of the #tausug marriage dance called pangalay pangantin. the groom and bride will usually do a pangalay before well-wishing guests who insert paper money between their fingers or between their #pissiabit, #badjuhlapi, #habultiyahian, and along their collars. the dance mimics the movement of waves and retains image-based movements related to #thai, #cambodian, #malay, and #indonesian dance. #philippine #philippines #philippines🇵🇭#filipino #filipina #pilipino #pilipina #kalayaan #igaligal #dalingdaling #mengalay #pansak #dance #decolonize (at Union Square, San Francisco)

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five #tausug men and a #maguindanao noble! 😜 had fun dancing at #google's campus in #mountainview today to celebrate #philippine independence! and on a somber note, while dancing these pre-colonial dances, i'm remembering our people in #mindanao who are suffering under martial law. we need to end martial law now--especially when it mindanao has suffered so much already. #philippines #pilipino #pilipinas #filipino #sanfrancisco #bayarea #filam #malong #badjuhlapi #pissiabit #pissiyabit #kandit #kampilan #kuntao #pangalay #igaligal #dalingdaling #pansak (at Googleplex)

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performing #puja for the #hindu deities that the old #tagalog and #kapampangan people worshipped before islam & christianity came: #shiva (siwa ᜐᜒᜏ), #ganesha (gana ᜄᜈ), #brahma (bathala ᜊᜆᜎ), #tara (ana talá ᜀᜈ ᜆᜎ) and the #sriyantra. evidence for worship of these particular deities have been found in archaeological digs in the #philippines. for puja i've burned camphor (kapól ᜃᜉᜓ), musk (díris ᜇᜒᜇᜒ) and frankincense (kamangyan ᜃᜋᜌ) as offering to these deities, like how the ancient #lusung used to. i've placed a #brass plate from #mindanao, possibly #maranao, as the puja tray, and the cloth on the table is an ampik #malong woven from indonesia/malaysia. the triangular, zigzag patterns are valued by some people in mindanao and seen as beautiful. to the side are also tea offerings for hungry ghosts and ancestors. #decolonize #hinduism #southeastasian #filipino #filipina #pilipino #pilipina #luzon #🇵🇭#philippine

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interrupting my usual posting to announce this FREE tagalog language class series i will be holding! the @ihmanilatown has graciously hosted this series, and it will be my first time teaching tagalog in a classroom setting too! if you or anyone you know is in the bay area & can be available for all, if not most of the classes, email me so you can register! #sf #sanfrancisco #sfchinatown #manilatown #tagalog #filam #bayarea #filipino #pilipino #filipina #pilipina #language #philippine #diaspora #luzon #lusung (at Manilatown Heritage Foundation)

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a small #kris/#kalis dagger with traditional metalwork & a bone handle from #mindanao--the details show beautiful craftsmanship. many pre-hispanic communities in the #philippines had similar daggers & blades, including the #tagalog, #kapampangan, and #bisaya. this dagger might be from one of the many different ethnic groups in mindanao like the #maguindanao, #tausug, #yakan, or #badjao/#bajau. #pilipino #filipino #philippine #southeastasian #asian #bajaulaut #weapon #sword (at Manilatown Heritage Foundation)

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yesterday, during gongster's paradise, @kulintronica on kulintang as @kimrequesto & jae tioseco dance #pangalay. they're wearing the traditional habul tiyahian and #janggay/sulakengkeng, metal fingnernail extensions. #filam #filipino #filipina #pilipino #pilipina #tausug #pansak #asian #southeastasian #gamelan #mindanao #oakland #habultiyahian (at Oakland Asian Cultural Center)

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between getting a new dog, learning kulintang, dealing with visiting family, writing my book, figuring out my next year, dance rehearsals, researching, and battling my low self-esteem, i finally graduated from my MA in creative writing last friday! it's been 6 years in the making--from UP diliman to SFSU. for graduation, i decided to honor my ancestors & culture by wearing a baro ng tagalog in a hand-embroidered linen cloth and a mandarin/collarless style, the way it used to look before hispanic influence, along with a handwoven #patadyong from the #visayas, the nearest surviving form of the handwoven #tapis that the #lusung men--#tagalog & #kapampangan--wore along with their #baro. it's a shame i couldn't get sampaguita garlands--i chose orchids instead, equally abundant & used in the #philippines. #malong #sarong #barong #barongtagalog #pilipino #filipino #philippine #hablon #luzon #pilipinas #calicut #southeastasian #asean #aseanman #asian #asianguy #lei #graduate (at Embarcadero)

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#throwbackthursday to #angkorwat in #siemreap. going down to angkor wat reminded me of the long forgotten history my people have with the khmer. the old kapampangan & tagalog people prior to bruneian invasion were known as "lusung" throughout #southeastasia & even within #china's song & ming dynasties. known to be brave warriors and excellent seafarers, the lusung were asked to aid the king sattha of #cambodia against siam. in 1590 he sent two elephants to the "king of luzon" asking for help from the people they knew as strong warriors, having helped campaigns like the burmese invasion of siam as well as fighting against the burmese in #thailand's ayutthaya, and elsewhere throughout maritime southeast asia.⠀ ⠀ it may be possible that the cambodians knew that the lusung were allies--similar in religion & southeast asian culture perhaps? like this vishnu found in angkor wat, vishnu is known to have an eagle mount and assistant called a garuda. the kapampangans called the garuda as galura, who was considered as the assistant of their own god, aring sinukuan, possibly an iteration of vishnu. in any case--#asean history goes a long way, and despite our colonization & wars the people of this archipelago retain its #southeastasian roots. who knows, maybe one day we will be able to revive our lost cultures & create new indigenous cultures outside of western colonization's influence! #kotaseludong #khmer #tagalog #kapampangan #luzon #philippinehistory #kasaysayan (at Angkor Wat, Siem Reap, Cambodia)

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getting ready for a set-up on may 2nd! i'll be explaining the #kulintang & playing #kulintangan pieces on my #sarunay--along with a borrowed drum. the #okir carvings on both my #saronay & drum make me think that they are both #maranao.⠀ ⠀ the drum is a medium size drum, not as big as the normal #dabakan, and is made out of a hollowed tree trunk. speaking of drums, i've been thinking a lot about how my ancestors from manila played their music. the known word (tambol) is spanish in origin--when i looked further i found that there were indigenous words for different drums & words to describe drum playing! for example: gimbál (ᜄᜒᜊ) and gandáng (ᜄᜇ) meant to play the drum. a specifically large drum, maybe like the giant #debakan found in #mindanao, were called kanláng (ᜃᜎ)--and apparently some people were so good at playing the drum that they were described with these words! ⠀ ⠀ maybe old gatherings before the spaniards came had these kulintangan instruments present, and maybe people sat on a mat like this baluy/banig (woven pandan mats) and danced on too of them too. in any case, i'm hoping the mat will be comfortable to sit and dance on. also wondering if i should wear a maranao or #maguindanao #inaul malong! if you have an opinion, let me know hehe! #southeastasian #kulintangan #gulingtangan #baluy #banig #mat #philippine #filipino #pilipino #pilipinas #filipino #asean #gong

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one last #flashbackfriday-- @eden_alc performing #silat #tausug for a fundraiser that @parangaldancecompany performed for. the performance was part of a few other ones to help out with the water protectors in standing rock. silat is a #southeastasian martial art that is found theoughout maritimes #southeastasia. indonesia & malaysia have their own versions too. this particular silat is found under #mindanao silat. the dance version is performed to the sound of the #agong or #kulintangan. #filipina #pilipino #filipino #filam #kulintang #agung #gong #sawwal #suluk (at MVMNT Studio)

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#throwbackthursday to #sanfrancisco #trolleydances i think last year? the two men are performing #kuntao kabkab, a form of #philippine martial arts. #kuntaw is influenced by chinese martial arts, brought about by the #hokkien who came as traders, immigrants, and pirates to maritime & #malay #southeastasia. traditionally the martial arts were taught secretly and kept within the chinese communities, then later introduced to locals but still taught in secret. some versions have been influenced by #silat and vice versa. today, many #filipinos can trace their chinese heritage to the people from #fujian who intermarried with the malayised austronesians of the different archipelagos. this version is a #tausug form danced to a #kulintang ensemble. the men wear traditional #pissiabit, #kandit, and #badjuhlapi. #southeastasian #filipino #philippines #philippinehistory #suluk #kasaysayan #pilipinas #pilipino #pilipina #filipina #austronesian #asean #aseanman (at California Historical Society)

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an illustration of a #balangay (ᜊᜎᜅᜁ), a #philippine #boat out at a tranquil sea, with two men probably temporarily living in it. one man smokes tobacco from its roof as another swims up to it. the pre-philippine people of the archipelago from #luzon, #visayas, and #mindanao all used this boat for trade & travel, & for a while the hispanized philippine people used this boat until it became considered obsolete. remains of many balangays have been found in #butuan and other burials in the country. #philippinehistory #kasaysayan #pilipinas #philippines #philippines🇵🇭 #barangay #baybayin #pilipino #pilipina #filipino #filipina #decolonize #southeastasia #southeastasian #illustration #linedrawing #vintage #archaeology

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got two beautiful #sarongs from @longyibrothers today, straight from thailand. this beautiful muted blue piece is reversible & has a gorgeous pattern. i think the cloth is a beautiful cotton that is thick & woven well. decided to wear it today with my @nawa.ph bangles & dress up a little since i went down to sfsu for my graduation photos--i officially have an MA! i haven't dressed up in a while, but i think i clean up nicely. tap on their username to check out their sarongs, some pieces are a bit pricey but the right kind of contemporary #sarong makes a huge difference! (i decided to be an annoying fashion blogger in this photo so tap on my photo to see where some of my things in this outfit came from) #malong #longyi #lungi #filipino #pilipino #pinoy #southeastasian #asean #menofasean #menofasia #tagalog #ootd #outfitoftheday (at San Francisco State University)

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not many of the #philippine sculptures of their deities survived after islam & christianity arrived in the archipelageo. brought by #indian & #indonesian traders, islam forbids the creation of images after human likeness, making the faithful natives adapt their indigenous art & imagery to fit islamic aesthetics.⠀ ⠀ more violent, however, was the colonizing spaniards & their imposed catholicism. the spaniards destroyed both scriptures and artwork related to the religions that existed in the islands at the time. when the chinese came to trade with the #tagalog they reported seeing numerous metal buddhas/images scattered upon the beaches and forests, reporting that the people practiced a degree of #buddhism, with old noble widows preferring to stay in and read sutras instead of marrying men that were lower in rank than their deceased husbands.⠀ ⠀ the spaniards would later on say that the natives never had any scriptures nor real images other than wood sculptures called "anito" (ᜀᜈᜒᜆᜓ) which represent local deities and maybe ancestors, which also exist among the northern tribes of kalinga until today. however, correspondences between the colonizers show a relentless dedication to destroying the native religions, with one friar boasting of having destroyed 300 sutras and many other images.⠀ ⠀ this sculpture is of a #hindu-#buddhist deity found in #palawan, #luzon dating to the metal age. the tagalog called these religious images "likhâ" (ᜎᜒᜑ) and these images would be placed inside family altars at home, much how #filipino catholics do it today. this practice stems from hindu & buddhist traditions that the people adopted when they became indianized. i suspect that this image is of a #shiva, as the matted hair in a bun seems present in this image, as well as a thick neclace that can be a crescent or the body of a coiled snake. other hindu-buddhist devotional images exist in philippine history, like the avalokitesvara in luzon, ganesha & shiva in visayas, the vajralasya in mindanao, plus numerous garudas in different golden finds.⠀ ⠀ #philippines #philippines🇵🇭 #pilipino #asean #southeastasian #southeastasia #filipina #likha #philippinehistory #pilipina #🇵🇭#kasaysayan (at Palawan)