Filipino Cultural Beliefs

Cultural Beliefs and Practices of Ethnic Filipinos: An Ethnographic Study

Evelyn J. Grey, Ph. D.

West Visayas State University [e-mail] Abstract

The study was to determine the cultural beliefs and practices of the ethnic Filipinos. This is a qualitative study and the focus is the Aetas living in Central Philippines. The informants were the 9 prominent Aetas, 6 of them were Aeta women who have experienced pregnancy or pregnant during the time this study was conducted. The findings revealed that during pregnancy their most beliefs and practices are observed by the Aetas. Some of the traditional beliefs and practices of Aetas have been influenced by many factors. They have also retained some of their traditional

Bontok. In Bontok society, a marriage is fully consummated only after the birth of the child. The man usually takes pride in having a successor who shall continue his lineage. The pregnant woman, while being careful not to lose her baby, continues her daily work routine until the baby is delivered, which can even happen in the field itself. She observes taboos to avoid miscarriage or any other misfortune that may befall her and the unborn child. Custom dictates that the conceiving woman and her husband must not travel to far places where envious spirits may cause harm to the unborn child. They are also prohibited from going near springs and other natural outlets of the earth, believed to be the residence of the spirits. For the woman, she is not allowed to take a bath at sunrise so she shall not give birth to an albino; and in going to the fields, she is cautioned not to go alone at 10 o’clock in the morning or 12 o’clock high noon so as not to invite the envious eyes of the spirit (anito) along her path and cause her to lose her unborn child. Also, the pregnant woman must never sleep near open windows or openings of the house to avoid a kind of bird that is believed to prey on the hearts of the unborn and newborn babies (Cordillera Schools Group,

It is followed by another ritual called palat di oban to ensure normal birth and delivery. This is done a few days before a woman gives birth and delivery (Ethnography of the Major Ethnolinguistic Groups in Cordillera, 2003).

Apayao.When a woman is pregnant, she observes certain taboos to ensure her welfare and that of her child. She is discouraged from eating certain types of sugarcane and banana, and she is not permitted to eat the soft meat of a sprouting coconut so she shall not experience difficulty in giving birth. In some places, it is also taboo for visitors to sit or stand on the ladder or for rice ladles to be left inside the rice pot. However, these taboos are not universally observed in all of Apayao. Taboos vary from place to place (Ethnography of the Major Ethnolinguistic Groups in Cordillera, 2003).

Isneg.A pregnant Isneg woman continues her daily chores, including pounding of rice and working in the farm. Sometimes, it is in the farm where the woman gives birth.

Female relatives attend to a woman during childbirth (Ethnography of the Major Ethnolinguistic Groups in Cordillera,