reclaiming the now: the babaylan is us · sikolohiyang filipino, the late dr. virgilio enriquez....

Reclaiming the Now: The Babaylan Is Us Come and be part of this historic gathering where we can reclaim Filipino

Indigenous Knowledge Systems and Practices and Babaylan Traditions.

Together, let us offer them as gifts of Beauty, Healing, Creativity. Here is

a unique opportunity, a time and place, where the loom of memories

weaves a path to sacred wholeness deep from our ancestral roots.

Come. Learn. Remember. Honor.

April 17-18, 2010. Sonoma State University.

April 17, 2010

WELCOME TO THE FIRST INTERNATIONAL BABAYLAN CONFERENCE!

On behalf of the women and men volunteers of the Center for Babaylan Studies, I thank you for hearing the call to come to this conference/gathering. This present gathering is a small link in the very long unbroken chain of Filipino indigenous spiritual and cultural practices that transcend time and space.

When we began to unearth and rediscover the Filipino indigenous knowledge and practices during our process of decolonizing, the story of the Babaylan called out to us. One by one, story by story, book by book, from listserves to blogs, we listened to one another’s yearning to get to know this tradition. Who are the past and present Babaylans? What is a Babaylan in indigenous communities and what is a Babaylan in the diaspora? All of our questions and yearnings brought us to this moment of gathering with you.

“Please, allow us to express our Beauty!” this is the voice of an indigenous woman leader from Mindanao during a dialogue at Ateneo de Davao University two years ago. Her voice has never left me and I have, since then, repeated her plea and all its pregnant meanings to others. We want to express our Beauty.

If you have been to the smaller CFBS events this past year, you may have experienced the Babaylan spirit that inspires and sparks the creative energy that leads to a sense of Pagbabalikloob/Coming Home. Home is where our Kapwa is. Home is where we embrace our Wholeness.

These two days will offer up these gifts of Beauty, Wholeness, and Healing. I am grateful to the artists, scholars, poets and writers, activists, and healers who have come forward to share their Babaylan-inspired work. I am grateful to the community of volunteers whose dreams and visions moved them one day to say: “Our ancestors are calling; they want to help us; they want to heal us. Let’s do something.” Now here we are together.

…Home. Tuloy Po, Kayo!

Leny Mendoza Strobel, Ed.D., Project DirectorCenter for Babaylan Studies

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About CFBS

The Center for Babaylan Studies was created to continue the exploration and illumination of Babaylan indigenous wisdom and spirit as it facilitates our ongoing process of decolonization and indigenization – towards Pagbabalikloob (Turning Towards Home) and PagkaPilipino (Being Filipino). This year’s conference is the

Center’s first project. After many years of research and conversation, we offer the global community a glimpse of the sweet nectar of the Babaylan spirit that this growing community has experienced in a connection with each other over the years.

The Center for Babaylan Studies is supported completely by volunteers. We are excited to present the 1st International Babaylan Conference and need your help to make the conference a success. For a list of volunteer opportunities, please visit our website www.babaylan.net.

The Center for Babaylan Studies is an activity of the IHCenter, a nonprofit public charity exempt from federal income tax under Section 501[c](3) of the International Revenue Code.

Visit www.babaylan.net for more information.

About the First

International Babaylan

Conference 2010

Filipinos have a very rich spiritual and cultural heritage carried forward by babaylans, culture-bearers, and artists. To honor those who continue the rich legacy of Filipino indigenous knowledge systems and practices, the Center for Babaylan Studies (CfBS) hosts the First International Babaylan Conference on April 17 and 18 at Sonoma State University.

Key speakers Grace Nono, Katrin de Guia, and Virgil Apostol will present aspects of the Filipino indigenous culture seldom taught outside the Philippines.

The Babaylan in Filipino culture represents the figure of the indigenous healer. This sacred gathering of healers, artists, scholars, activists, performers, and other culture-bearers will share Babaylan-inspired work through ritual, ceremony, dance, poetry, film, academic panels, conversations, and workshops.

Leny Strobel believes it is timely and relevant. “There is a growing realization in mainstream society,” Strobel explains, “that indigenous knowledge and practices carry the ancient wisdom that enabled people to survive the genocide and holocausts brought by modern civilizations.”

Stories of physical, spiritual, and emotional healing by a babaylan run strong in Filipino and Filipino American families and communities. Also known as an arbularyo, hilot, mombaki, bailan/beliyan/babaylan, catalonan, dawac, or ma-aram, these women and men received knowledge passed down by ancestors about healing herbs and massage techniques, while others were respected for their ability to speak with spirits and ask for the release of the soul of a loved one.

These women and men provide advice and healing for the community. Their practices are part of the Filipino Babaylan Tradition and incorporate Filipino indigenous knowledge systems that continue to be followed today both in the Philippines and in the diaspora.

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Many Thanks to Our Conference Partners

North Bay International Studies Project

SSU Office of the President

SSU School of Arts &Humanities

~~~April 17, 2010

7:00- 9:00

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Keynote Speakers

GRACE NONO Born and raised in Agusan, Northeastern Mindanao, Southern Philippines, Grace is a Philippine music performance artist, Philippine studies researcher/author, and community organizer/cultural administrator. A product of the Philippine High School for the Arts and the University of the Philippines where she earned her bachelor’s degree in Humanities and master’s degree in Philippine Studies, Grace has further received training as an Asia-Pacific Performance Exchange fellow at the University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA), and as an Asian Cultural Council fellow in New York and various parts of the United States.

For the past fifteen years, Grace has studied sung oral traditions from Philippine elders. Infusing these with her own contemporary spirit, she has used oral chant to advance the contemporary issues of living identity, environmentalism, women’s rights, and inter-faith dialogue. She has been a featured artist at the House of World Cultures in Berlin, Mercat de les Flors in Barcelona, Circulo de Bellas Artes in Madrid, the Music Village Festival in London, concerts in Paris and Monte Carlo, WOMAD in Yokohama, the Exposition on Nature’s Wisdom in Aichi, the Asian Fantasy Orchestra tours of New Delhi, Bombay, Tokyo, Nagoya, Osaka, Miyazaki, Bangkok, Vientiane, Yangon, Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh, the Hong Kong Asian Arts Festival, the Singapore Arts Festival, performances and conferences in Huairou, Bangkok, Jakarta, Nanning, Shanghai, Seoul, Penang, Taipei, New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco, San Diego, Chicago, as well as many different parts of the Philippines.

In 2008, Grace’s book The Shared Voice�� Chanted and Spoken Narratives fromThe Shared Voice�� Chanted and Spoken Narratives from the Philippines was launched by ANVIL Publishing and Fundacion Santiago at thewas launched by ANVIL Publishing and Fundacion Santiago at the Philippine National Museum. She is working on a second volume on the music of Philippine babaylans and other ritualists. Together with composer and fellow record producer Bob Aves, she has also published a series of CDs and monographs on Philippine music and oral traditions used in the study of Philippine music, arts and culture. She has further taught Philippine Traditional Arts at the University of the Philippines-Diliman, and Philippine Oral History at Miriam College.

As a community organizer and cultural administrator, Grace serves as Founding Director for the Tao Foundation for Culture and Arts, a non-government organization engaged in cultural regeneration and holistic development initiatives, for which she has been granted support by the Toyota Foundation, the Ford Foundation, UNESCO, the British Council, the Cultural Center of the Philippines, the National Commission for Culture and Arts, Advocates of Philippine Fair Trade, AusAid, and other institutions.

To date, Grace has won over 40 awards, including TOYM or Ten Outstanding Young Men, TOWNS or The Outstanding Women in the Nation’s Service, numerous Catholic Mass Media, Katha, Awit, National Press Club, and other awards for her artistic and cultural contributions.

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Mabuhay.

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KATRIN M. DE GUIA, PhD

Katrin is the founder/President of Heritage and Arts Academies of the Philippines, Inc.. The founding of HAPI is one moment in 25 years continuity of cultural work that began in the early 80s when Kidlat Tahimik and Katrin de Guia opened up their Baguio residence to the community as an art-space and a temporary home for Filipino artists whose orientation, interests and creative style were rooted in indigenous Filipino Knowledge Systems and Practices.

Her achievements include��The organization of a pioneering two day international conference at the

University of the Philippines (2004) which put indigenous knowledge on par with academic knowledge, while popularizing Asian kapwa psychology and Virgilio Enriquez’ Filipino personality theory (2004); followed by a symposium that brought together the leaders of 12 Schools of Living Traditions / Heritage Centers; a work-shop series on indigenous arts and crafts; a lecture series/film showings by/on Filipino culture-bearers; as well as two art-exhibits showcasing Filipino culture-bearer art. The event–series closed on 9/11 (2004) with another symposium on traditional forms of healing.

She followed up with the organization of a second international Kapwa Conference at the University of the Philippines in the Visayas (Iloilo) in 2008.

Katrin has a PhD in Filipino Psychology and was mentored by the founder of Sikolohiyang Filipino, the late Dr. Virgilio Enriquez. Her dissertation discussed indigenous world-views and lifestyles of Filipino artists within the framework of Enriquez’ Filipino personality theory, in order to come up with a profile of contemporary Filipino culture-bearers. In collaboration with the Akademiya ng Sikolohiyang Pilipino, the Philippine Academy of Culture and Psychology, headed by Felipe de Leon Jr., Dr. Katrin de Guia received several grants from the Toyota Foundation (1999 – 2003) which resulted in the writing of a book on Asian psychology and the worldviews of Filipinos, Kapwa�� The Self in the Other.Kapwa�� The Self in the Other.

Katrin was born in Germany, and has been a German Permanent Philippine Resident since 1979. She is married to Kidlat Tahimik, known as the father of Philippine independent filmmaking, and they have three sons who are all culture-bearer/artists – Kidlat, Kawayan, and Kabunian.

Mabuhay! More Power To The Wisdom of

Indigenous Culture.

Greetings from:

Clotilde Valdes,

Filipino Elder

& Culture-Bearer

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VIRGIl J. MAyOR APOSTOl

Virgil has dedicated himself to the research, development, and promotion of Filipino cultural and healing traditions. He descends from a paternal and maternal bloodline of healers and from the teachings of respected elders. Through clinical practice, he continues to refine Ablon as a science and spiritual practice. His background in the Filipino martial arts also enhances his intuitive knowledge as a healer.

Apostol is a certified Holistic Health Practitioner and co-author of the book, The Healing Hands of Hilot. He

has completed a three-volume manuscript, the first volume to be published. His association with the Chopra Center for Well Being, where he refined, systemized, and discreetly incorporated the intricacies of Filipino Ablon along with the Indian Ayurvedic therapies offered, earned him a favorable reputation as a highly in-demand therapist and healer. This inspired Deepak Chopra and the center’s medical director, David Simon, to encourage Apostol to promote his teachings through workshops.

Wanting to pursue the clinical application of his practice, Apostol joined Neurologist Norman Narchi, MD, founder of Radiance Health and Wellbeing, in Westlake Village CA. His solo stint led him to open a clinic where he collaborated with Brett Davis Nutrition, Inc. in Chula Vista, CA. Eventually, Apostol held practice with the Integrative Health Care Center in Grand Terrace, CA.

He also collaborated with Lobsang Dhondup, physician of traditional Tibetan medicine, at the Tibetan Healing Center, increasing the affectivity of Tibetan herbal medicines to their patients through the introduction of Ablon. Apostol is associated with Jeff Cohen and his Hilot Therapy Clinic in the Bay Area where, on occasion, he is invited to provide Ablon to members of the San Francisco Ballet for injuries sustained in the course of their practice.

Apostol was personally encouraged by Alfonso T. Lagaya, MD, MDM, who was then the Executive Director of the Philippine Institute of Traditional and Alternative Health Care (PITAHC – Philippine Department of Health) to promote Ablon and other Filipino healing practices in the United States. He has been a featured speaker at the Hawai’i Healing Garden, a statewide festival held on Kaua’i, Maui, O’ahu, and Hawai’i, which is sponsored by Hawai’i Health Guide and the Hawai’i Tourism Authority.

Please see more about Virgil and his work at his website�� www.rumsua.org

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SATURDAy, APRIl 17, 20107:30-8:30 Cooperage/Plenary Hall

Coffee and Registration

8:30 - 8:45 Cooperage/Plenary Hall

Opening Ritual, Virgil Apostol

8:45 - 9:00 CooperageWelcome from the universityintroduction by leny Strobel, project Director, CFBS

9:00-10:00 Cooperage

KeynOte plenaRy 1

grace nono, Chant, Spirit, and Healing among Philippine Babaylans and other Ritualists

10:00-10:15 Break - proceed to Salazar Building

10:15-11:45 Salazar and Stevenson Buildings

BReaK Out SeSSiOn One

Break Out Session 1.1 Salazar Building, Room 2020, Saturday, April 17, 2010

FilipinO inDigenOuS KnOWleDge SyStemS anD pRaCtiCeS

nenita pambid Domingo, "anting-anting: animism and Catholicism in philippine Bronze amulets"michael gonzalez, "Singing praises to god, Country, and Rizal"lane Wilcken, "Filipino tattoos: Sacred Symbols and their Spiritual Connection"

Anting-anting: Animism and Catholicism in philippine Bronze Amulets, nenita pambid Domingo Using semiotics, 150 samples of medallion-amulets sold outside the Quiapo Catholic Church in Manila were studied. Extensive fieldwork was conducted in Manila, and in the Southern Tagalog regions of Mount Banahaw, San Pablo, Laguna, Rizal, and Cavite provinces among the healers, millenarians, vendors and manufacturers of the anting-anting.

Nenita pambid Domingo teaches Introductory, Intermediate and Advanced Filipino courses at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). She was educated at the University of the Philippines, Diliman (Quezon City), where she received a Ph.D. in Philippine Studies.

singing praises to god, Country, and rizal, michael gonzalez In the minds of many educated Filipinos, the Rizalistas are thought to have been deluded either due to poverty or lack of education. In actuality, the Rizalistas had a different vision and narrative of what constituted a ‘nation’ and the notion of a national ‘soul’. This vision and narrative is what constitutes the ‘Rizalista religion’. This presentation will explore examples of singing and music in these communities of healing and faith.

Michael gonzalez is a former instructor in History and in Community Development at the University of the Philippines, Diliman. He earned a Master’s degree in Social Anthropology from Sydney University (Australia). Currently, he lectures at the University of California at Santa Cruz.

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Program Schedule

Filipino tattoos: sacred symbols and their spiritual Connection, lane Wilcken Tattooing was once so abundant in the Philippines that the Spanish first called the islands Las Islas de Pintados, The Islands of the Painted People. The meanings of individual motifs go beyond the superficial Western interpretations of decoration or emblems of status. Motifs will be traced back to their true cultural context as a means to facilitate communication with the spirit world.

lane Wilcken’s maternal grandmother was a well-known mangilot (midwife and healer) in Tarlac, Philippines. His interest in cultural tattooing was borne out of a desire to strengthen cultural pride among Filipinos and to reunite Filipinos symbolically and spiritually with their estranged ancestors. His book Filipino Tattoos: Ancient to Modern is due for release Fall 2010.


liteRatuRe

eileen tabios, "Babaylan poetics"marie therese Sulit, “merlinda Bobis: Between the postcolonial exotic and the Babaylan/Catalonan"evelina galang, "lola's House: learning about the Babaylan Spirit from Comfort Women"aimee Suzara, "a History of the Body: against erasure"

Babaylan poetics, eileen tabios The role of a poet is different for each practitioner. But if a poet chooses to practice Babaylan Poetics, then the poet’s path becomes more than just the writing of verse; it becomes one of promoting community. Topics discussed will range from the effect of Babaylan philosophy on poetic forms, to the creation of anthologies as intervention into canonized literature, to the use of blogs as poetry-performance vehicles.

Eileen tabios was a recipient of the Philippines’ National Book Award for Poetry for her first poetry book Beyond Life Sentences. In poetry, Ms. Tabios has crafted a body of work that is unique for melding ekphrasis with transcolonialism. Her poems have been translated into Spanish, Italian, Tagalog, Japanese, Portuguese, Polish, and Greek.

Merlinda Bobis: Between the postcolonial Exotic and the Babaylan/Catalonan, marie-therese Sulit, ph.D The Babaylan is a figure that embodies four aspects of the Filipina feminine�� the warrior, the teacher, the healer, and the visionary. This presentation applies these aspects to the publication history and works of literature by Merlinda Bobis and offers two main points�� first, by reflecting these four aspects of the Babaylan, Bobis updates this archetype for contemporary times; and second, her writings illuminate the imperial and colonial enterprises of the United States throughout the world nowadays.

Marie-therese sulit is an Assistant Professor of English at Mount Saint Mary College, located in the Mid Hudson Valley of New York.

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lola’s House: learning About the Babaylan spirit from Comfort Women, evelina galang The women of Liga ng mga Lolang Pilipina (LILA Pilipina), the Lolas, survivors of the Japanese Imperial Army’s WWII rape camps, are fighting for justice not for themselves, but for all of us�� for our daughters and our grandchildren, for our global healing. This presentation focuses on a unique calling, a connecting with other healers/activists/spirits and then the action that comes with it.

Evelina galang is the Director of Creative Writing and an Associate Professor in the English department of the University of Miami, located in Coral Gables, Florida. She has authored several books, and is currently writing Lolas’ House: Women Living with War, Stories of Surviving Filipina Comfort Women of World War II.

A History of the Body: Against Erasure, aimee Suzara This poetry and performance project examines representations of Filipinos in America from the Imperialist era through contemporary times, illuminating connections to ideas of self. The body is the nexus for the creation and expression of culture as well as the site of oppression, trauma, and control. Through art, we can not only reverse the negative impacts of stereotyping and cultural loss, but also forge new identities and cultural forms.

Aimee suzara is a writer/performer, cultural worker, and educator who creates work that builds community, fosters healing, and provokes important questions through poetry, song, movement, and theater. She confronts racism, sexism, homophobia, and other forms of oppression through writing, performance, and workshops for youth and adults.


RetuRning tO tHe mOtHeRlanD

linking Children to the Motherland: Coming into our Babaylan spirit, lorial Crowder, mathilda de Dios, marie Obaña and Riya Ortiz (members of Ugnayan) Seven young Filipina American women were fatefully brought together in the summer of 2003, with the goal of launching a national democratic and comprehensive grassroots organization that would serve the Fil/Fil-Am community by educating, organizing and mobilizing. Thus, Ugnayan ng mga Anak ng Bayan (Linking Children to the Motherland) was born. This workshop will look at tools for effective organizing with/as Filipinas, drawing from the ideology of the Modern Babaylan in America. Examples include nurturing the individual while nurturing the community you serve, and building trust through theatre of the oppressed exercise.

lorial Crowder earned a Master’s degree in Social Work, specializing in Community Organizing and Planning. She has embraced her fate as an adopted person, which ultimately fueled her desire to learn every aspect of her Filipino roots. In 2005 she co-founded the Filipino Adoptees Network to ensure that fellow adopted people have an appreciation of their mother culture and heritage of the Philippines.

Mathilda Minerva de Dios has been nurtured by her kapatid in the collective struggle for justice and self-determination, and by learning and living by the true meaning of Makibaka! Huwag Ma Takot! Mathilda is honored to raise her little one in an international community of cultural workers, and is blessed to be around purposeful and passionate people as we build the paths to liberation.

Marie obaña spent nearly a decade of her early adulthood in New York City, where she obtained a Master’s degree in Social Work at New York University, but more importantly, from and through the community organizing work of UGNAYAN, obtained lifelong tools that have sharpened her understanding of self, the true meaning of a kasama, and the need to continue to “SERVE THE PEOPLE”.

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Program Schedule

riya ortiz served as the Founding Chairperson of Gabriela Youth in 1996, the youth arm of Gabriela Philippines, one of the largest and most militant women’s alliances in that country. She was transplanted to New York City in 2001, and since then she has organized youth, young women, domestic workers and allies around issues that directly affect Filipinos here and in the Philippines. She currently serves as the Mass Campaigns Officer of UGNAYAN.


peRSOnal naRRatiVeS: in SeaRCH OF tHe BaBaylan

Felicia perez, "Filipino indigenous mind and Dream Work"Bing aradanas, "my Journey towards philippine indigenous Spirituality"Cynthia arias, "living in my Own truth: invoking the Babaylan Spirit"

Filipino indigenous Mind and Dream Work, Felicia perez Dream work from the Filipino indigenous mind perspective encompasses ancestral guidance and healing, spirits and nature, prophesy and divination, out-of-body flight, the déjà vu experience and kapwa dreaming. The Babaylan inspired dream worker is grounded in the three Filipino indigenous core values�� kapwa, pakiramdam, and kagandahangloob.

Felicia perez earned a Master of Arts degree in Psychology with an emphasis in Holistic Studies. Her most profound spiritual revelations, ancestral wisdom and deep connection with the natural world come from her dreams. Felicia has created a professional genealogy business, and is a Babaylan-inspired dream worker.

My Journey towards philippine indigenous spirituality, Bing aradanas An oral and visual presentation of encounters and interviews with shamans, sorcerers, herbalists, massage healers and warriors in the remote corners of the Philippines, during the 21st century.

Bing Aradanas is an activist, and the U.S.-born son of an Ilocano father from Pangasinan (who came to America in 1925) and a Boholana-Mandaya-Spanish-Scottish mother from Surigao del Sur (who came to America in 1958). He earned a graduate degree in Ethnic Studies from UC San Diego, and currently works as a government anthropologist in Alaska.

living in My own truth: invoking the Babaylan spirit, Cynthia arias An exploration, from a cross-cultural perspective, of the pathways Babaylan have used to discover, connect to, and integrate Babaylan traits into an identity based on a Western perspective.

Cynthia Arias is profoundly grateful to have been born to parents and a long line of ancestors from the Philippines. One of the greatest gifts of our Filipino heritage is loving life, and showing it. As a parent of three, Cynthia engages the next generation of the Arias family in identifying with, accepting, and heralding the newest phase in Filipino-American culture.

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Break Out Session 1.5 Stevenson Building, Room 3082, Saturday, April 17, 2010

a multimeDia DOCumentaRy

Kababaihan: Conversations with Women Community Leaders by Diana Diroy and Aisha Heredia

With over 80% of the country living off of less than US$2 a day, and with a government that has been complacent with over 1000 extrajudicial killings, being a critical, outspoken community organizer in the Philippines is a lifestyle of struggle — a life of poverty and impending peril.

Kababaihan, meaning amongst the women, is a conversation that ventures to illuminate the spirit of bold women in marginalized Pilipino communities. The narratives presented rise from three areas�� the ignored urban shanty-towns of Baseco in Metro Manila, the indigenous mining communities of the Cordillera Mountain Region in Northern Luzon, and the war-ravaged, highly militarized zone of Sulu, in Mindanao. Celebrate how indigenous women community leaders hold it up when it all comes down! They are educators, miners, daughters, wives, mothers – pillars of support for their families while fighting to progress their communities.

In order to go forward, one must know their past. Diana Diroy is a freelance photographer and multi-media producer with a solidarity with Pilipino social justice issues. She will continue her love for visual storytelling as she pursues her Masters Degree in Media Studies at The New School in New York this upcoming Fall.

Aisha Heredia stands on the backs of her foremothers! Born in Quezon City, raised California, and currently intertwined with the San Francisco Bay Area, everything Aisha creates reflects her passion for narrative and solidarity with diasporic communities. With a BA in Development Studies from the University of California at Berkeley, with an emphasis on Philippine sustainable development, Aisha now works as an Education Research Analyst for SRI International.


lunCH

12:45 - 1:45 Cooperage

KeynOte plenaRy 2

Katrin de guia, KapWa psychology and the Babaylan tradition

1:45-2:00 Break - proceed to Salazar Building

2:00 - 3:30 BReaK Out SeSSiOn tWO


DeCOlOniZing tHe BODy

tera maxwell, "implications of the Babaylan movement on Decolonization"lily mendoza, "Babaylan Body memory and neo-liberal Savagery: Whence the Diaspora?"Joi Barrios, "the persistent activist Body: Women Channeling the Babaylan Spirit amidst militarization and militarism in the philippines"

implications of the Babaylan Movement on Decolonization, tera maxwell It is not so much what happens to us that matters, but the stories we tell about what happened. Such stories become truth, to be manifested in reality. Words, language, and stories have the power to shift energy, and literally, to shift reality. As

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Program Schedule

the babaylan movement grows and energy healing evolves in the West, the very rhetoric of colonial trauma and decolonization may lose its venom.

Tera Maxwell is a Ph.D. candidate at the English department, University of Texas at Austin.

Babaylan Body Memory and Neo-liberal savagery: Whence the Diaspora?, S. lily mendoza This narration tells of a journey out of patriarchal and colonial subjection, and the long and arduous trek back toward healing, wholeness, and (still longed-for) homecoming. The way through is marked by entry into the sacred wounding of intimate betrayal, bodily resistance, and the recovery of community and indigenous wisdom. The Filipino babaylan, as her archetype in other cultures also suggests, is invariably a Wounded Healer.

s. lily Mendoza is Associate Professor of Culture and Communication at Oakland University in Rochester, Michigan. Her interests include cultural politics in national, post- and trans- national contexts, and discourses of indigenization, race, and ethnicity. She is the author of Between the Homeland and the Diaspora: The Politics of Theorizing Filipino and Filipino American Identities.

the persistent Activist Body: Women Channeling the Babaylan spirit Amidst Militarization and Militarism in the philippines, Joi Barrios Activists’ bodies are disciplined through violation of the body, humiliation, forced servitude, and the threat to life, yet a “persistent activist” chooses to continue her involvement in the national democratic movement. How is the performance of activism ritualized? How is the body transformed as it persists? What links the contemporary Filipina woman activist to the babaylan rather than the radical feminist of the West?

Joi Barrios is a poet and an activist. She earned a Ph.D. in Filipino and Philippine Literature at the University of the Philippines, where she subsequently held a position as Associate Professor. She has also taught at the University of Michigan, UCLA, UC-Irvine, and UC-Berkeley.


BayBayin in tHe DiaSpORa

Baybayin revival in the U.s., mary ann ubaldo, Christian Cabuay, perla Daly, Christine Balza. moderator: letecia layson. Baybayin is the pre-colonial writing system of the Philippines, and was used for short messages – similar to text messaging. Its usage dwindled when the Filipino intellectuals during Rizal’s time started using the Western alphabet to write down Tagalog. In this roundtable discussion, explore baybayin through the contexts of history, Filipino identity, artistic expression, and spirituality.

Mary Ann Ubaldo is a photographer, musician, and community activist based in New York City. She named her jewelry business Urduja after the mythical Philippine princess whom she identifies as the first Filipina feminist. She frequently uses nature and indigenous motifs in her customized babayin jewelry. For more information, see Urduja.com.

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Christian Cabuay has been writing babayin off and on for several years, beginning in high school. After he received a tattoo which featured babayin, he posted photos on his webpage, and now his site is very popular. He now has several sites�� PinoyTattoos.com, Baybayin.com, SickmanofAsia.com, and more!

perla Daly is a mother and artist. She’s explored Filipino identity through designing baybayin jewelry with Ubaldo, web publishing, online communities, meditations, and through art and writings. She shares her findings of the 5 archetypes of the babaylan at Babaylan.com. Among her recent works�� the Baybayin Alive blog and the Babaylan Mandala. Other sites��NewFilipina.com, Pakikipagkapwa.net, & more.

Christine Balza lives in the San Francisco Bay Area with her husband and four kids. She finds Inner Balance as she expresses herself through clay, precious metal and mixed media. Adding baybayin script to her work has given it a life of its own. Her pendants can be found online at www.suku-art.com, as well as in local Bay Area stores.

letecia layson is a Filipina, Feminist, Futurist, and Priestess. She was the recipient of the 2003 Catherine Wright Award for Equality and Justice in Alternative Spiritual Awareness by Feas2t. She is a Co-Director of the Center for Babaylan Studies.


Hip-HOp aS tRiCKSteR: linKS tO BaBaylan tRaDitiOn

ellen Rae Cachola and lorenzo perillo, "Decolonizing the Record: articulation of Knowledge in Militarized Asia-Pacific"James perkinson, "DJ Qbert as Cyber-maniac Shaman: What does Hip-hop tricksterism Have to do with traditional Babaylanism?"

Decolonizing the record: Articulation of Knowledge in Militarized Asia-Pacific, ellen-Rae Cachola and lorenzo perillo Although the “official” history of archiving in the Pacific is grounded in the U.S. and European colonialist projects, what are the ways that demilitarization and decolonization movements in these islands document their histories and current actions? Wielding the tools of hip-hop cultural production, particularly choreographic movement and spoken word, the presenters seek to address the political issues inherent in the dominant archives of the Pacific Rim. The presentation will open and close with spoken word storytelling on the praxis of designing information systems with women’s movements in Hawaii, Guam and the Philippines.

Ellen-rae Cachola is a Doctoral student at the Information Studies department at UCLA. Her research focuses on the roles that archives played in colonial developments across Asia-Pacific countries and how they shape present-day discourses of security. Her ideas are influenced by her experiences as a digital archivist at the I-Hotel, and Manilatown Center.

lorenzo “lozo” perillo is a second-generation Filipino American born in Honolulu. Lozo earned his M.A. in American Studies and International Cultural Studies at the University of Hawai‘i, Manoa in 2007. Lozo currently pursues a doctorate in Culture and Performance with a concentration in both Dance Studies and Asian American Studies at UCLA.

DJ Qbert as Cyber-Maniac shaman: What does Hip-Hop tricksterism have to do with traditional Babaylanism?, James perkinson Filipino-American DJ Qbert emerged in the early 1990s as hip-hop’s premier turntablist. To the degree oppression yields a daily round of violent compression--too much energy in too constrained a body locked into too small a space without the requisite words for release—scratching becomes a code of contestation and

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ecstasy allowing glimpse of another world. Transcoded for a changed historical situation, scratch innovation is postcolonial babaylanism.

James W. perkinson is an Associate Professor of Ethics and Systematic Theology at the Ecumenical Theological Seminary in Detroit, Michigan. He is the author of White Theology: Outing Supremacy in Modernity and Shamanism, Racism, and Hip-Hop Culture: Essays on White Supremacy and Black Subversion.


FOOD, Ritual anD Healing

sarap sa puso: Nurturing the spirit: An Exploration of Food, ritual, and Healing, Kay Barrett, margarita garcia, Karen Villanueva Our nourishment is a means of individual and collective cultural survival and in essence, our very healing. In this ritual performance dinner, the meal will be comprised of courses that navigate through the Pilipino palette of bitter, sour, hot, salty, sweet, and link each one with our history and heritage. Ritual, performance, poetry and song will be integrated into each course of the meal.

Kay Ulanday Barrett is a poet, performer, educator, and martial artist navigating life with struggle, resistance, and laughter as a pin@y-amerikan trans/queer in the U.S. Currently based in NY/NJ, with hometown roots in Chicago, her work is the perfect mix of gritty city flex and Midwest open sky grounded in homeland soil and ancestor stories. See www.kaybarrett.net.

Margarita garcia is a Babaylan-inspired artist from the south side of Chicago, who majored in the history of liberation at Brown University. She won a Fulbright in Fine Arts to the Philippines, and spent a year immersing in indigenous practice and art in Batanes, Palawan and Mindanao with the Ivatan, Tagbanua and Tala-andig communities. She is currently based in New York City.

Karen Muktayani Villanueva graduated from Humboldt State University with a major in Nursing and a minor in Studio Art. She is a skilled nurse and healer, and her current studies include language, anthroposophy, sikolohiyang Pilipino, homa therapy, and reiki. She is the Executive Director of the Center for Transformative Change, based in Oakland, California.

3:30-3:45 Break

3:45 - 5:15 Salazar Building

BReaK Out SeSSiOn tHRee



Venus Herbito, "Re-igniting the Soul light of the ancestors: Healing, Video & the Whole mind"Frances Santiago, "indigenous mind, Sacred Body: Healing through Dance, Ritual and Story"Jana umipig, "the Journey of a Brown girl"

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re-igniting the soul light of the Ancestors: Healing, Video & the Whole Mind, Venus Herbito Film, music, and photography will be integrated to tell the presenter’s story of coming to wholeness as a Bikolana-Sugbuana raised in the United States. Themes include recovering one’s indigenous mind through reconnecting with the land and water spirits of the Motherland, and “indige-tech” or the use of modern-day communication tools to reconnect with one’s ancestors.

Venus Cerdon Herbito earned a Master’s degree in Indigenous Mind from Naropa University. She is a researcher and videographer for the Worldwide Indigenous Science Network, a non-profit based in Hawai’i dedicated to the revitalization and exchange of traditional knowledge globally. She researches Bikol and Cebuano healing traditions, and teaches digital storytelling at Wisdom University.

indigenous Mind, sacred Body: Healing through Dance, ritual, and story, Frances Santiago Stories are not just stories. They are markers of compassion for healing the disconnect, the rift of soul from its Knowingness. Scattered like seed in time and space by the Ancient Ones, we are meant to seek them out and find them, to our nourishment and healing. This particular story being shared is the presenter’s return home to her indigenous mind and sacred body, spurred on by a dance, a ritual, a ceremonial fire, and a tribe.

Frances iyagan santiago, born and raised in the Philippines, is a poet and dancer inspired by tribal cultures of her homeland. She is pursuing her Master’s degree in Indigenous Mind through Alaska Pacific University, and currently trains in Hawai’i with the Worldwide Indigenous Science Network.

the Journey of a Brown girl, Jana umipig This performance piece is a look at the Pinay and her impact on the Pilipino community as a Teacher, a Healer, a Warrior, a Sage and High Priestess, recognizing the great importance that womyn play in creating and sustaining strength in our community and culture. This work of art is intended to beautify, glorify and dignify Pinays of yesterday, today and tomorrow.

Jana lynne Umipig is a graduate of UC Irvine with a degree in Theatre and Asian American Studies. She is completing her graduate studies at New York University, Steinhardt School of Culture, Education and Human Development, Educational Theatre in Colleges and Communities.


tHe ROle OF eXpReSSiVe aRtS

mila anguluan Coger, "the Babaylan Spirit in Diaspora: indigenous empowerment through expressive arts"lizae Reyes, "playing the Harp, Connecting with the Babaylan Spirit"

the Babaylan spirit in Diaspora: indigenous Empowerment through Expressive Arts, mila anguluan Coger There is a growing need among Filipino Americans and fellow indigenes (indigenous persons) in the U.S. for an expression of distinctive indigene identity, inspired by the babaylan legacy. The goal of this presentation is to come up with an empowered imaginative collective or kapwa response through the use of the expressive arts. This response will reaffirm the babaylan-inspired group’s integral role in diaspora history, and bring about healing to the indigenous self.

Mila Anguluan Coger is Program Director at Silver Lake Adult Day Health Care Center in Los Angeles, and a doctoral student in the Expressive Arts Therapies Program at Lesley University, Cambridge, Massachusetts. This presentation

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springs from her experience as a drama therapist, social worker and expressive arts therapist among minorities and people of color, especially among Filipino Americans.

playing the Harp, Connecting with the Babaylan spirit, lizae Reyes In her music healing practice, this presenter engages in ritual, invoking Ancestral spirits and chanting, before playing the harp at the bedside of the ill, the injured, and the dying. Reclaiming her Filipino, indigenous shamanic healing work has transformed the core of her practice in present modern-day Western society. In addition to discussing the major music elements of music healing, “entrainment” will be discussed as a basis for communication, restoration and harmony.

lizae reyes is a performer, an early childhood educator, and a certified Sound & Music Healing Practitioner based in Oakland, California. Her passage into the world of music and healing started at a very young age in the Philippines, witnessing her father’s gift of music as a doctor in a medical setting. She is a graduate of the Sound Healing Program at the California Institute of Integral Studies.


StORy aS meDiCine

meldy Hernandez, mylene Cahambing, "tell, Heal: Storytelling for your Health"isabelita papa, "From the Sacred Cave of palawan: On Becoming a Qi gong Healer"marcella pabros, "Healing mars: my Journey to Body-mind-Spirit Wholeness"potri Ranka manis, "magbubulong: Journey of a Healer and Culture Bearer"

tell, Heal: storytelling for your Health, meldy Hernandez and mylene Cahambing Sharing health stories (any event related to our body, mind, and soul) can be an effective way to find meaning and achieve positive health. We all have a health story to share. This joyful, active workshop led by two passionate Filipina nurses will use movement and storytelling to facilitate healing within our community – because it is good for everybody’s health.

Meldy Hernandez, MpH, is a public health nurse/artist. Born in the Philippines and raised in Long Beach, California, she uses her experience in international maternal/child nursing along with her passion for dance, theater, and poetry to create and elevate the role of creative arts in public health. Find out more at http://meldyhernandez.sfsu.efolioworld.com/

Mylene Amoguis Cahambing, BsN, MpH, pHN (Public Health Nurse) is a music lover described by choreographer friends as a “health performer”. Mylene co-conducted “The Spirit of Dance, Coping with Loss” mini-training for SFSU MPH health educators. She graduated from SFSU’s Nursing and Masters in Public Health Program. Check out http://mylenecahambing.sfsu.efolioworld.com/

From the sacred Cave of palawan: on Becoming a Qi gong Healer, isabelita papa There is a powerful presence of nature and life force energy which permeates the Philippines, and this presenter will speak of the beauty, sacredness, and authentic

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spiritual experience that is possible and still exists in the Philippines. As an indigenous healer and experienced Qigong instructor, she will demonstrate some Qigong movements (self healing) to expel unwanted, stagnant energy, and will demonstrate hands-on healing touch with prayers.

isabelita papa is a healer, a health coach, and a Qi Gong instructor. She received Qi Gong Teacher’s Certification training in 1977, and has 35 years of experience in the integration of mind, body, and spirit. She has conducted classes and workshops throughout the greater Bay Area, and leads healing circles, Qigong workshops, and classes throughout Northern California and Hawai’i.

Healing Mars: My Journey to Body-Mind-spirit Wholeness, marcella pabros-Clark A multi-media odyssey, blended with human drama and spiced with dance and tongue-in-cheek comic bits, Healing Mars is underscored by the presenter’s battle with RA (Rheumatoid Arthritis). It is a literal testament to the healing powers of artistic/physiological expression and provides an opportunity for each viewer to discover the healing power of his/her own voice.

Marcella pabros-Clark is an American woman of Philippine descent, a daughter of immigrant parents, born and raised in Oakland, California. She is also an uninsured autoimmune disease sufferer using her art to expressively heal herself and to help others. See www.healingmars.com

Magbubulong: Journey of a Healer and Culture Bearer, potri Ranka manis This is the autobiographical story of the journey and training, beginning at age five, of the next Magbubulong (healer) of her tribe. Discussion will include scenarios of healing in the local area and how this healing evolved and was performed in foreign soil, particularly in diaspora. Also, there will be a discussion of how “colonial mentality” has impeded self-healing.

potri ranka Manis, rN is the Founder and Artistic Director of Kinding Sindaw Melayu Heritage dance theater, based in New York City. She is a Maranao tradition and culture bearer from Borocot village, Maging, Mindanao, Philippines, which is the 15th Pillar of the Pat Pangempong Ko Ranao.


QueSt FOR SOCial JuStiCe

annaliza enrile, ivy Quicho, tracing Our Roots: Filipina activism, Women Who Dare to Struggle

tracing our roots: Filipina Activism, Women Who Dare to struggle, annaliza enrile, ivy Quicho This workshop will examine the roots of Filipina Empowerment starting with Babaylanism, and further analyze how it was morphed, changed, and persisted into the present day. The workshop will cover three main areas�� Filipina heroine archetypes; the “soul” of Filipina activism (what drives women into an activist paradigm?); and finally, the expression of women as a form of activism.

Dr. Annalisa Enrile is an associate professor at the University of Southern California School of Social Work. The focus of her research is women’s empowerment. Dr. Enrile was National Chairperson of the Gabriela Network from 1999 to 2009, and is now working to establish the first Women of Color Resource Center in Los Angeles, The Mariposa Center for Change.

ivy Quicho, MsW is a first generation Filipina American, born in Canada. She is the National Organizing Director for AF3IRM (Association of Filipinas, Feminists, Fighting Imperialism, Refeudalization, and Marginalization)/Gabnet. Ivy is also a

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co-founder of the Mariposa Center for Change in Los Angeles. She works as a union organizer, and as a youth organizer.

5:15-6:45 Supper Return to Cooperage plenary Hall and go to supper together

7:00-9:00 Warren Auditorium

pHilippine CHanteD pRayeRS anD intimatiOnS/gRaCe nOnO

SUNDAy, APRIl 18, 20107:30-8:30 Cooperage/Plenary Hall

Coffee and Registration


Opening. talaanDig Ritual

8:45 - 9:00 CooperageInvitation to Reflectintroduction by perla Daly, Co-Director, CFBS


KeynOte plenaRy 3

Virgil apostol, Healing, Shamanism, and Spirituality in the amianan tradi-tions

10:00-10:15 Break - proceed to Salazar and Stevenson Buildings

10:15-11:45 BReaK Out SeSSiOn FOuR, SUNDAy, APRIL 18, 2010

Break Out Session 4.1 Salazar Building, Room 2020


Jose Vergara, "mary magdalene and the Descendants of pre-Christian priestesses in the philippines"Jean gier and lama Choyin Rangdrol, "Babaylan and Buddhism: a Conversation"James perkinson, "Babaylanism as post-Colonial Shamanism: Whence the Diaspora?"

Mary Magdalene and the Descendants of pre-Christian priestesses in the philippines, Jose Vergara This presentation uncovers Mary Magdalene from an Asian-Filipino perspective. Mr. Vergara has investigated the possible connections between the image of Mary Magdalene and the preservation or revival of leadership among the descendants of pre-Christian priestesses in the Philippines.

José Mág-isá Vergara migrated to Australia in 1975 from Bulacan, Philippines. By profession he has taught math, information technology, science, and English.

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He is a student of Theology, with a concentration on Biblical Studies and women in the Bible, and he is working towards a Ph.D. at Australian Catholic University in Melbourne.

Babaylan and Buddhism: A Conversation, Jean gier and lama Choyin Rangdrol The presence and knowledge of the Babaylans and Buddhism in the Philippines raises questions, desires, curiosity, excitement, and fears. How can the Babaylan tradition be respected and protected in the course of dialogue with Christians, Buddhists, Muslims, and the “big” religious traditions in general? How can Babaylan values and practices enrich my experience as a Buddhist meditator? To what extent are Buddhist values and practices (Vajrayana, for example) compatible with Babaylan values and practices? What role can the artist play in creating a dialogue between spiritual traditions? Between diasporic and homeland populations?

Jean Vengua gier was born in the United States to parents who were born in the Philippines. She was raised in Santa Cruz, and continues to live in the Monterey Bay area. She is a poet, writer, editor, teacher, and social critic. A practicing Buddhist, Jean offers questions and seeks answers on the intersection between the babaylan practice, and Buddhism.

lama Choyin rangdrol is the only African American teacher of Buddhism recognized by the First Conference of Tibetan Buddhist Centers in North and South America. He studied under Khempo Yurmed Tinly Rinpoche. His earlier career was as a licensed psychiatric technician and Drama Therapist. He maintains international headquarters in Hawai’i.

Babaylanism as post-Colonial shamanism: Whence the Diaspora?, James perkinson This discussion will probe the usefulness of the contemporary fascination with shamanism as spiritual remedy for what ails Western culture and religion, by focusing on retrievals of an indigenously Filipino form of shamanic healing called “babaylanism” by diasporic Filipinos and Filipino-Americans.

James W. perkinson is an Associate Professor of Ethics and Systematic Theology at the Ecumenical Theological Seminary in Detroit, Michigan. He is the author of White Theology: Outing Supremacy in Modernity and Shamanism, Racism, and Hip-Hop Culture: Essays on White Supremacy and Black Subversion.

Break Out Session 4.2 Salazar Building, Room 2022, Sunday, April 18, 2010

BaBaylan pRaCtiCeS in OuR SCHOOlS

"Babaylan-Babay-pinayism: Creating Conterstorytelling, Counterteaching and Counterspaces in pin@y educational partnerships" allyson tintiangco-Cubales and pep teachers

Babaylan-Babay-pinayism: Creating Counterstorytelling, Counterteaching and Counterspaces in pin@y Educational partnerships, allyson tintiangco-Cubales and pep teachers This non-traditional panel/workshop that will share how Pin@y Educational Partnerships (PEP) explores the historical, social, spiritual, and political worlds of and intersections between Babaylans, Babaes, and Pinayism.

Dr. Allyson tintiangco-Cubales is an associate professor of Asian American Studies at SFSU’s College of Ethnic Studies, and a consultant with the SF Unified School District. She is the founder and director of Pin@y Educational Partnerships.

pEp is a service learning program that has created a “partnership triangle” between the university, public schools, and the community to develop a counter-pipeline

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that produces critical educators and curriculum at all levels of education and in the community. PEP’s partnership triangle includes�� San Francisco State University’s (SFSU) Asian American Studies (AAS), San Francisco public schools, the Filipino Community Center (FCC), and the Filipino American Development Foundation (FADF). Uniquely, our counter-pipeline implements a transformative decolonizing curriculum and pedagogy with all grade levels including primary, middle, secondary, and post-secondary students. As volunteer teachers of the program, graduate and undergraduate SFSU students receive a unique opportunity to teach critical Filipina/o American studies. They gain skills in the practice of critical pedagogy, curriculum development, lesson planning, and teaching.

PEP presenters include

Arlene Daus-Magbual, PEP Associate Director of Program Development

Jocyl sacramento, PEP Coordinator and Teacher at City College of San Francisco

liza gesuden, PEP Coodinator and Teacher at Burton High School

grace Burns, PEP Teacher at Balboa High School

Angelica posadas, PEP Coordinator and Teacher at Balboa High School

Katrina Evasco, PEP Teacher at Balboa High School

Edeline Deguzman, PEP Coordinator and Teacher at Longfellow Elementary

Aileen pagtakhan, PEP Storybook Illustrator

Mahalaya tintiangco-Cubales, PEP Kindergarten Student and Babaylan Doll Maker


manDala WORKSHOp

"Centering yourself through art: a Babaylan-inspired mandala Workshop." By ingrid gonzales, melissa Canlas, Jamie manuel

Centering Yourself through Art: A Babaylan-inspired Mandala Workshop, ingrid gonzales, melissa Canlas, Jamie manuel Workshop attendees will have the opportunity to create their own mandalas. A mandala is a sacred symbol depicting the order of the universe and is a defined sacred space. Mandalas are seen in the natural world — in flower petal patterns, in the nautilus shell, and the crystal patterns of a snowflake. The objective of the mandala art project is to give Filipino Americans and other conference attendees the opportunity to use art and explore the concepts of completion and self-unity by placing themselves in the center of our discourse and out from the margins.

Jamie lou Manuel is an up-and-coming artist who came to San Francisco, California from Laguna, Philippines at the age of eight. She has been drawing cartoon and imaginative characters ever since she can remember. She trained at the Academy of Art University of San Francisco, and has been influenced by City College Asian American Women’s Studies classes.

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ingrid gonzales-padilla, Ed.D. is the founding instructor for SFSU’s Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Programs (GEAR UP). Her research and professional interests include Pilipino American student retention in higher education, college readiness, education equity issues in urban schools, and school and community partnership development.

Melissa Canlas, M.A. is a professor at City College of San Francisco, in the Asian American Studies and Women’s Studies departments. Melissa’s work experience reflects her commitment to social justice through education. She has worked in San Francisco for over a decade as an advocate for underserved, first-generation bound college students.

Break Out Session 4.4 Stevenson Building, Room 3082, Sunday, April 18, 2010

Kulintang muSiC WORKSHOp

"learning Dance and music from the maguindanao, maranao and tausug Cultures of mindanao, Southern philippines." DiWa Kulintang Workshop. plus a brief introduction to the music of the Kalinga people of the Cordillera of the northern philippines.

Kulintang Workshop: learning Dance and Music from the Maguindanao, Maranao and tausug Cultures of Mindanao, southern philippines, members of DIWA This performance and interactive music and dance workshop will focus on the traditional dances of the Maguindanao, Maranao, and Tausug cultures of Mindanao Island. If time permits, the workshop will end with an introduction to the indigenous music and dance of the Kalinga people of the Pasil region, Kalinga province, Northern Philippines.

DiWA is a San Francisco-based music and dance ensemble which specializes in traditional and indigenous music of the Philippines.

Jocelyne A. Ampón is a perpetual student of several art forms but finds peace within music. She was a teaching assistant in kulintang music and dance for several years at San Francisco State University, where she studied Journalism and Psychology. Jocelyne is an eco-conscious floral design artist in the San Francisco Bay Area.

patricia Aquino is a doctoral candidate in Clinical Psychology, and also an intern at Santa Clara University Counseling and Psychological Services where she provides therapy and training with an emphasis on theoretical integration, narrative therapy and social justice. An accomplished musician, she is pleased to be a member of Diwa.

titania Buchholdt is an experienced student, teacher, traveler, and performer. She has worked with the Kalinga of the northern Philippines, and the Maguindanao of the southern Philippines. She is a senior member of the Palabuniyan Kulintang Ensemble and the Glide Ensemble, and of Diwa, all based in San Francisco.

Caroline Cabading is a professional musician, dancer, and arts educator, and has conducted music and dance workshops throughout the San Francisco Bay Area. In addition to directing Diwa, she performs in the San Francisco-based Palabuniyan Kulintang Ensemble. She has also performed with the Jaipongan dance group Harsanari.

Holly Calica is a visual artist, art teacher, dancer, music student, cultural worker, mother and grandmother. A recipient of the Fulbright-Hays and Fund for Teachers Fellowships, Holly has conducted arts and cultural research in the Philippines. She

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salutes her teachers, especially Master Danongan Kalanduyan and Mestre Carlos Aceituno.

sarita ocón is a professional actor, artist, and educator. Theatrical credits include performances with Bindlestiff Studio, Hybrid Performance Experiment collective (HyPE), Playwrights Foundation, ShadowLight Productions Teatro Visión, Stanford Summer Theater, and the Institute for Diversity in the Arts at Stanford University.

Fleurdeliza rabara enjoys all traditional music and dance of her parents’ province of Kalinga, in the Cordillera Region of Luzon. Her interest in kulintang began with lessons at the Pusod Center in Berkeley. Fleurdeliza participated in the 2008 Pistahan Parade in San Francisco, on the award winning float of the Palabuniyan Kulintang Ensemble.

patrick tamayo has performed and studied kulintang music since 1993, with kulintang master Danongan Kalanduyan as well as with Dr. Usopay Cadar. As a long-time Sagayan dancer, he hopes to inspire light in one’s life through dance and music.


StORytelling WORKSHOp

"Babaylan-inspired Healing art: tracing HeR Stories in HiStory" Sheryl torres and lucille Karen malilong-isberto

Babaylan-inspired Healing Art: tracing HEr stories in History, Sheryl Torres and Lucille Karen Malilong-Isberto

Reclaiming the stories of healing by the babaylan is a monumental project. Her subjugation by the colonizers translated to her being absent in official history. This travelling multi-sensory exhibition is an invitation for Filipinos to tell their stories and the accounts that they have heard from their ancestors as a way to reclaim the babaylan’s forgotten stories. By gathering seemingly unrelated threads, we might be able to weave a new collective tapestry and find answers to these questions�� Who was the babaylan? Where was the babaylan across various periods in Philippine history? Where is the babaylan now? Is the babaylan still relevant today?

sheryll “Eryl” C. torres is an art curator, an art director, and an arts instructor with a background in theater arts and photography. She graduated from UP-Diliman with a degree in Art Studies, and is now working towards a Masters degree in Art Studies with an emphasis in Philippine Art History.

lucille Karen “Kay” Malilong-isberto is a consulting attorney, a columnist, and a mother. She is currently working towards a Masters degree in Art History at UP-Diliman. Her recent publications include Instilling Pride of Place�� The Cebu Heritage Caravan Experience and Romancing the Past�� A Review of Laws and Jurisprudence on Built Heritage in the Philippines.

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Program Schedule

SUNDAy, APRIl 18, 2010 (lAST PAGE OF SCHEDUlE)

11:45-12:00 Break, proceed to Cooperage/Plenary Hall

12:00-1:00 Cooperage/Plenary HalllunchBathala meditations


BOOKlaunCH

Babaylan: Filipinos and the Call of the indigenous

2:00-3:00 Cooperage

DReamtime CiRCleS: WiSDOm FROm tHe Deep Well OF memORy intO tHe FutuRe. letecia layson, Ritual Coordinator, Co-Director, CFBS

3:00-4:00 Cooperage

SyntHeSiS anD ClOSing Ritual

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Greetings & Congratulations to the Center for Babaylan Studies.

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Congratulations to the First International Babaylan Conference.

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Warmest Greetings & Congratulations to the 1st International Babaylan Conference.

From: Christine Ugalde-Pineda, Social Services Silver Lake Adult Day Health Care Center

In Honor of my Mother, Esperanza Luna Mendoza

Inspiration, Guide, Teacher, Creative Artist, Gentle Warrior,

Mother of Multitudes Who bear the mark of her Babaylan Spirit

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---message from a sponsor

Our best wishes to a successful Babaylan

International Conference!In memory of my mother Milagros Lim Santillan,

our Healer ...

Your daughter Monette Santillan-Rivera

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Donors ($200+)

Barreras, Marisza and FamilyDecena, Agnes - D.M.D. Helfand, JudyMegino, ElizabethNavarro, JenniferNorth Bay Int’l StudiesOrganic Chef CateringPennrich, Karen & RandyReyes, LizaeSonoma State University Office of the PresidentSonoma State University School of Arts &HumanitiesTemple of Isis/LA

And thank you to all our many other supporters who lovingly

donated out-of-pocket and of their time and talents.

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Many Thanks to Our Media Sponsors

ABS-CBN APEX Express, KPFA Radio

Asian Journal Press Fil-Am Nation

KPFK Radio KRCB

The North Bay Bohemian Philippine News

Philippine Planet Press Democrat

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The Babaylan Mandala I.IFine Art Print Series

“The golden mandala has baybayin and other symbols of life, the elements, cosmos and more. Even the numbers of rings and symbols have meanings. Baybayin symbols helped this mandala come alive for me as I created it and has given this artwork deep meaning for me as a Filipino. I believe in the beauty of the Filipino people, and that as we decolonize we reclaim our inner gold.” --- the artist

Order yours at the First International Babaylan Conference 2010.

Or Order Your Fine Art Print Online

www.babaylan.net/babaylanmandala.html

(A fundraising effort for the Center for Babaylan Studies)

Conference Logo courtesy of Margarita Garcia

The Center for Babaylan Studies is an activity of the IHCenter, a nonprofit public charity exempt from federal income tax under Section 501[c](3) of the International Revenue Code.

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For more information, please visit us at www.babaylan.net

reclaiming the now: the babaylan is us · sikolohiyang filipino, the late dr. virgilio enriquez....

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