Mahabharata

Finally, I have found a more, er, convenient way to know about the Hindu classic Epic, the Mahabharata, where else but through, uh, http://www.youtube.com.

I once encountered the Masterpiece that inspired nations and creeds for centuries and millennia, while browsing in a secondhand bookstore. I could still vividly recall the impact of its profound presence amid those shelves of human endeavors. The sheer size of the books however, excacerbated by its awesome number of volumes had left me aghast. Reading though all those vast pages seemed too 'overwhelming' even to contemplate.

Thanks to the individual who downloaded these videos through youtube, the typical mortal on the street is transported back to the eon ages as one glimpses a seeming part of him/her in the ancient era of Indian civilization, back to the olden city of Hastinapur. Here one encounters Bhishma (also known as Dyaus), Krishna and the seeming, eerie similarity of his life and teachings with Jesus more than three millennia before his birth; it also portrayed the noble and heroic Pandava brothers and their common fiery wife Draupadi, the cunning and treachery of Shakuni and Duryodhan and the aftermath the great war of Kurukshetra from where narrated the classic masterpiece Bahagavad Gita.

Here one observes the Power of the Human Phenomenon amid his/her strength and weaknesses, which I found profoundly and intellectually refreshing to compare with imposed conventionalities that instead portrayed the human seemingly likened to an unknowing sheep.

Never mind the mediocre quality of the film, the dull cinematography, or the clumsy acting. Brace instead the profoundness of its ageless message that simply transcend beyond the film's shortcomings as it confounds one's bigotry, awakenes the dormancy, and speaks through one's very own Human soul.

Brace also the sheer length of it. It composed more than 90 episodes approximately averaging 43-45 minutes each. (As of this writing, I'm still in the episode 70's.).


Link:

Mahabharat, Episode 1 (w/ English subtitles)

Christos

It may also be noted that the Greek translation of the Sanskrit name Krishna, was actually Christos. The English word "Christ" originated from the Greek term.

The Tagalog term Diyos supposedly originated from the Greek "Zeus" and the Sanskrit Dyaus.

Pre-Christianity

I once discoursed with a Datu (the head of an indigenous tribe) somewhere in the ranges of Mt. Kitanglad (Mindanao island's highest peak next to Davao's Mt. Apo) who revealed to me that the reason it made them easier to convert to Christianity was due to its similarity with the ancient religion that their ancestors had once practiced centuries ago.

He narrated that like Christianity, their olden religion also believed in Trinity of the Godhead. Amazingly, they also believed of their God-Son who, like the Christian's Jesus, also performed miracles, suffered and died, and ultimately resurrected.

The remarkable parallelism was confirmed when I did my personal research years later on the creation of the Christian doctrine by the Council of Nicaea in 325 AD during the reign of Rome's Constantine the Great. For the Council, the Roman emperor ordered the best and brightest intellectuals from around the known world to draft the Christian doctrine that became the creed of mainstream Christian Church even up to the present. It revealed that the life of the historical Jesus was a fusion of other major religious figures, which incorporated with it the virgin birth, slaughter of innocents, miracles, suffering and death, resurrection from the narratives of the Egyptian deity Mithra and the Hindu god Krishna who lived thousands of years before the first Christian churches were built. This actually shattered conventional paradigms especially of fanatical Christian fundamentalism.



It may instead be possible that more ancient narratives had been preserved by Mindanao's indigenous tribes that dated back with the olden religious figures, and tracing its links, possibly originated with the deity Krishna of ancient India who reincarnated as a human and once lived around 3228 BC as narrated by the Hindu Epic, the Mahabharata.

vimana

Years ago, I told our helper who belonged to one of the Indigenous tribes of Davao that I met a European friend who has been inventing a futuristic spacedrive vehicle with a technology that literally lets the car "float." It was far from a naive conversation for I had been doing personal research and some of my sources revealed that in the ancient of days, there were indeed eras when such level of advancement did occur prior to Humanity's downfall into lower dimension, and then its supression and eventual loss of such knowledge from among the unknowing mainstream. I surmised that the indigenous peoples of Mindanao with their culture and legacy that survived (and thrives) for centuries, or millennial, may have preserved knowledge about these forgotten eras, unlike what conventional history books inform to the supposed "modern" society.

Her face somehow lit up, not out of surprise but rather out of seeming familiarity, and she replied, "That's what our ancestors used to ride during ancient times!" Actually, I half-expected her reply. The knowledge must have been reserved only for her tribe and not intended, for the meantime, for those outside who may mock or ridicule such knowledge due to ignorance of the once grandiose, but long forgotten past. She desisted from further sharing details about it when I inquired again, and I let her be.

Ancient texts and narratives did mention about these otherwise highly advanced contraptions. In the Vedic literature of India (considered to be the oldest of all Indian texts), these flying machines were even detailed into two categories, those that were manmade crafts that resembled airplanes, and those mysterious crafts not generally made by humans, and were identified into at least four different types replete with detailed descriptions. These were called the Vimana. From among the Maharlika Indigenous Peoples, these "flying boats" were called Sarimbar.

This is an image of a vimana:



The vimana had intrigued me, for I suspected that some temples from mainland Asia whom our Maharlikan ancestors originated from seemed to be shaped like a sort of 'rocket' launching into space. Observe these temple images from India and Thailand and notice the eerie similarity with that of the soaring vimana above:





Ironically, some of these temples were also called "Vimana."

past and future

My researches about the country's past was partly culled from personal requirement for the composition of some of my science fiction stories. It gives personal proof and inspiration to my endeavors. Another is through the mentoring of my inventor friend from a small country in Europe. We established rapport since year 2000, and since then had been in communication for about 9 years now. He has prepared the blueprint for a vehicle that I considered my ideal 'dream car,' a futuristic contraption capable of 'levitation' by magnetic propulsion thereby using, virtually, "free energy". It was from him that I noticed firsthand attempts at deliberately supressing ideas and technologies like his by the political agenda of the vile opposite force. I vowed to be an 'internet activist' and confront those forces that supressed my otherwise quaint dream car with advocacies through internet forums and chatrooms, and witnessed the drastic stirring of world politics unfold before me, as intended.

The legacy of his nation's Viking heritage still managed to thrive with more preserved ancient insights to compare with other European places, although we both shared sentiments about threats to such legacies from infiltrating influences to our countries. I have noticed that his country's history had similarity with ours, being seafarers, especially with the Maharlikans, and even in contemporary in time as to the early stages in the creation of our nations.

This rings with a quote I composed nearly a year ago and posted at my other blog:

"The measure of how deep you probe the past will determine how high you aim for the future." -Ric Vil Hori

Mystery of Mindanao vases and ancient hermaphrodite ancestors

This article from the column "Bisag Unsa" written by multi-awarded historian and writer, Prof. Macario Tiu for MindaViews, narrated some interesting insights about the theories as to the origin of the anthropomorphic figures found in Southern Mindanao, specifically in Sarangani Province. He also narrated about a very intriguing creation mythology of the Blaan, one among many indigenous groups fluorishing and preserving their ancient culture for centuries in the hills and mountains of Mindanao, about the very ancient humans who used to be hermaphroditic, i.e. having both male and female organs. However, he has written his article in the local dialect, Bisaya. Individuals interested to know more about the article may contact him through his email.

The myth about this very olden ancestry was also mentioned by the Greek philosopher Plato in one of his writings. Based on my personal research, Mindanao's Blaan mythology especially pertaining to hermaphroditic ancestry, may actually be one of the most ancient accounts of human origins, in fact more ancient than the Sumerian mythology, considering the Sumerians were known as the most ancient of civilizations in the known world.


(ancient artifacts found in Sarangani, Southern Mindanao, photo courtesy of noelbynature)

Misteryo sa mga Banga sa Maitum
Ni Macario D. Tiu


DAKBAYAN SA DABAW (MindaNews/10 Mayo) -- Dihang nadiskubre niadtong 1991 ang
antigong mga banga sa Langob sa Ayob, Pinol, Maitum, Probinsya sa Sarangani, naukay pag-ayo ang mga arkeyologo ug ubang siyentipiko. Talagsaon man ugod kaayo ang porma sa banga nga ginama sa kulonong yuta ug giluto sa hinayng kalayo. Ang mga taklob sa banga hulmag nawong sa tawo nga naay mata, ilong, dalunggan, ug baba. Ang ibabaw sa ulo gipinturahan og itom. Naa say mga ulo nga gibuslot-buslot ug makapangutana ka kon gisuksokan ba nig lanot o unsa kahang butanga aron mosilbing buhok.

Naay mga taklob nga hulmag tawo gikan ulo hangtod pusod. Buot ipasabot, hasta ang abaga ug duha ka kamot ug mga tudlo apil sa hulma. Ang mga babaye mailhan kay gibutangan og mga tutoy.

Segun sa radiocarbon test nga gihimo sa National Museum, ang mga banga nahimo sa mga tuig 5 WMK (wala pa matawo si Kristo) hangtod 400 HMK (human matawo si Kristo). Buot ipasabot, kining mga bangaa nag-edad nag 2,000 ka tuig.

Ang sulod sa mga banga mga bukog sa tawo. Gihimo kining ikaduhang lubnganan sa mga patay, usa ka praktis nga ginahimo sa daghang kultura kaniadto. Human madugta ang lawas sa patay, ibalhin ang mga bukog sa banga ug ilubong pag-usab.

Sumala sa taga National Museum, ang mga dagway sa banga naghulagway og mga indibidwal nga tawo. Lahi-lahi sila pagkahimo, morag tagsa-tagsa ka larawan. Naay nawong nga payat ug talinis og suwang, naay mga edaran na ug walay ngipon, ug naa say mga nawong nga nagngisi ug nagpakitag kompletong ngipon.

Ug ang dakong pangutana: Kinsa man kining mga tawo o tribu nga naghimo sa banga? Kining pangutana nahimong dakong talinghaga nga wala pay kasulbaran.

Milalom ang misteryo kay niadtong Abril 2008, naa na say nakit-an nga susamang mga banga sa Langob sa Sagel pipila lang ka metro gikan sa Langob sa Ayob. Nadugangan ang kahingangha sa mga siyentipiko dihang narekober ang daghang mga tipak sa banga nga hulmag tawo niadtong Setyembre 2008. Sumala sa imbestigasyon, nakuha ang mga hulmag-tawong banga sa Maguid, Palembang, pipila ka kilometro gikan sa Maitum.

Segun sa unang mga pakisusi, lahi kuno ang mga dagway sa banga sa Maguid tandi sa mga dagway sa banga sa Maitum. Naa sab silay pagkapareho, apan lagmit kuno, laing grupo sa tawo ang naghimo sa banga sa Maguid kaysa mga banga sa Maitum. Hinuon kining managkalahing grupo sa tawo dunay koneksyon. Dugang pa, morag mas karaan kuno ang mga banga sa Maguid kaysa mga banga sa Maitum segun sa pagkahimo niini.

Ug ang dakong pangutana nagpabilin: kinsa man ang naghimo niining mga banga? Asa na man sila, kining “lost tribe?” Nakapangutana ang taga National Museum niini kay ang mga netibong Manobo, Teduray, ug Blaan nga nagpuyo dinhang dapita dili nagalubong sa ilang mga patay gamit ang mga pininturahang banga.

Kanang pangutana kon kinsa ang naghimo sa mga banga sa Maitum akong gisulayag tubag niadto pang 2003 kalabot sa akong panukiduki sa kasaysayan sa Dabaw. Nganong nakaabot kos Maitum nga sakop na man ni sa Sarangani? Kana tungod kay sa pagsubay nako sa prehistory sa Dabaw, nagduda ko nga ang naghimo sa mga banga sa Maitum mao ang mga Blaan, usa ka tribu nga nagpuyo usab sa habagatang-kasadpang bahin sa Dabaw. Ang ubang kandidato nako nga
maoy naghimo sa mga banga mao ang Tboli ug layo na kaayo, ang Teduray. Wala nako giapil ang mga Manobo (Dulangan) tungod kay nagtuo ko nga kini sila mga manunulong sa maong lugar, ug maoy hinungdan nganong naundang ang paghimo sa mga banga.

Aduna koy pipila ka rason nganong Blaan ang naghimo sa mga banga. Ang akong mga argumento akong giapil sa akong libro “Davao: Reconstructing history from text and memory” (Research and Publication Office, Ateneo de Davao University, 2005). Karon, nausab na ang akong hunahuna. Ang akong nag-unang kandidato sa naghimo sa banga mao na ang Tboli. Nganong nausab man ang akong tubag? Ug mas una pa, nganong Blaan man ang akong tubag kaniadto?
Una sa tanan, ang mga Tboli ug Blaan dug-ol kaayo nga tribu. Dili lang kay managsilingan silag teritoryo, halos managsama silag kultura. Mas daghan ang ilang pagka managsama kay sa ilang pagka managlahi. Magkasinabot silag sinultian kay ang ilang mga dila nahisakop sa usa ka pamilya sa lengwahe (lakip ang Teduray ug Giangan sa Dabaw!)

Unta ang mga timailhan pabor sa mga Tboli nga sila ang naghimo sa hulmag-tawong banga. Ang ilang teritoryo duol sa Maitum. Sa pagkakaron sa Cotabato, sila lang ang tribu nga nagahimog tawo-tawong bronse. Hangtod karon daghan kag mapalit ani sa Aldevinco. Nako pa, kon tighimo silag tawo-tawo nga bronse karon, dili ba posible nga kanang ilang katakos nakuha ila sa ilang katigulangan nga tighimog hulmag-tawong banga? Apan sa akong pangusisa, naay miingon nako nga kahibalo man usab kuno mohimog pigurin (figurine) ang mga Blaan. Mas sikat lang kuno ang produkto sa mga Tboli. Busa mikiling ko sa mga Blaan tungod kay nasayod ko sa ilang mitos ug leyenda mahitungod sa paghimo sa unang mga tawo. Mao kini ang mubong bersyon:

Sila si Fyuwe ug Sawe naghimog unang tawo gikan sa kulonong yuta. Naglalis silang duha kay gusto ni Sawe nga ang buslot sa ilong ipaatubang sa taas. Malumos ang tawo niana, matod pang Fyuwe, apan nagmatinumanon si Sawe. Dihang mitalikod si Sawe, giliso ni Fyuwe ang ilong paubos, apan sa iyang pagdali-dali, naduot niya ang ilong sa tawo. (Mao na nga pango ta, hahaha!)

Sa akong pagtuo, kining karaang mitos nagpamatuod nga ang mga Blaan dunay tradisyon nga tighimog tawo gikan sa kulonong yuta. Sa usa ka bersyon sa ilang mitos, gimando sa Diwata nga tipigan nila ang ilang buhok tungod kay mao kini ang materyal nga gamiton sa pagpasanay sa ilang kaliwat. Aha, sa hunahuna ko pa, mao diay nga gihatagan nilag espesyal nga atensyon ang buhok sa ilang hulmag-tawong banga. Ilang gibuslot-buslotan ang ulo sa ilang hulmag-tawong banga! Ug busa mihukom ko nga mga Blaan ang naghimo sa mga banga sa Maitum.

Eksayted ko sa akong linya sa paghunahuna tungod kay nasayod sab ko sa ilang mitos mahitungod sa kinatawo sa tawo. Sa unang panahon kuno, ang kinatawo sa mga tawo nahimutang sa ilang tuhod. Ang utin naa sa tuong tuhod, samtang ang bilat naa sa walang tuhod. Wala kunoy mahimo ang mga tawo kay magsige na lag palami, ug busa giusab ni Fyuwe ang gikahimutangan sa mga kinatawo. Mao na ni ang resulta karon, naay lalaki, naay babaye. Mao tingali ni nga lahi ang banga nga lalaki, ug ang banga nga babaye!? Matag analisis nako sa mga mitos sa Blaan, misamot ko kakombinsido nga ang mga Blaan ang naghimo sa mga banga sa Maitum.

Karong tuiga, nakahigayon kog estorya og mga Tboli ug nausab ang akong panlantaw mahitungod sa mga banga sa Maitum. Taudtaod na sab ko nga nakig-interaksyon sa mga Tboli apan ang akong nasayran sa ilang binaba nga literatura (oral literature) mao ang ilang bayaning si Tod Bulol ug ang iyang kabayo nga si Kaunting. Dihang mipokus ko sa ilang mitos sa pagmugna sa tawo, dako ang akong sorpresa dihang akong nasayran nga susama diay silag estorya sa mga Blaan! Sumala sa usa ka bersyon sa Tboli, ang naghimo sa unang tawo gikan sa kulonong yuta mao sila si Hyuwe ug Sedekwe! Sama sa bersyon sa Blaan, naglalis sab ni silang duha mahitungod sa pagpahimutang sa ilong ug kinatawo. Kamatikdan nga halos susamag ngalan kining mga tighimog tawo, si Hyuwe sa Tboli, Fyuwe sa Blaan; ug Sedekwe sa Tboli, Sawe sa Blaan.

Girebyu nako ang gilangkobang teritoryo sa mga Tboli. Gikan sa mga interbyu ug karaang dokumento sama sa taho sa mga katsilang pari kaniadto, akong napamatud-an nga mga Tboli ang netibung tribu nga nagpuyo liyok ug luyo sa Maitum. Dihang nabasa nako nga ang mga Tboli nagapraktis og tamblang – ang paglimbas sa ngipon ug bangkil aron motupong ang tanang ngipon – akong gisusi ang mga retrato sa mga antigong hulmag-tawong banga ug nakita nako nga kadtong nagngisi morag tupong og mga ngipon! Miswak na sab sa akong teyoriya.


Ang hinungdan nganong tupongon sa mga Tboli ang ilang mga ngipon mao nga gusto nilang ipanaglahi ang ilang kaugalingon isip tawo gikan sa mga hayop nga bangkilan. Karaang praktis nila ni nga dili na ginasunod sa mga bag-ong tubo. Unya, akong gisusi ang mga tawong pigurin nga bronse nga gihimo sa mga Tboli karon, ug akong namatikdan nga kadaghanan, kondili man tanan, nagnganga, morag gusto nilang ipakita ang ilang mga ngipon. Gagmay lang ang gidak-on sa mga tawo-tawong bronse ug lisod gyod tingali ang paghimog ngipon gamit ang “lost wax process.” Busa hangtod na lang sila sa pagnganga.


Daghan pag angay susihon sa mga hulmag-tawong banga aron hingpit ang akong pag-analisis ani. Sayang wala pa koy higayon nga makita sa personal ang mga hulmag-tawong banga aron unta ni mabutingting pag-ayo. Hangtod lang ko sa mga retrato. Namatikdan nakong buslot silag dalunggan, samtang ang mga babaye nagsuot og pulseras ug kulintas. Ang ubang banga naay mga dekorasyon nga nagkulot nga linya, susama gyod sa makita sa modernong tawo-tawong bronse sa mga Tboli.

Mas molig-on pa gyod unta ang akong teyoriya nga ang mga Tboli ang naghimo sa mga hulmag-tawong banga sa Maitum kon madugangan ang reserts didto mismo sa Maitum ug makainterbyu kog mga Lumad didto. Basin duna silay ikadugang mga datos. Aw, hinuon, andam sab ko mapamatud-ang sayop ang akong teyoriya ug nga ilabay ni sa Bankerohan River.

(Ang “Bisag Unsa” regular nga kolum ni Macario D. Tiu para sa MindaViews, ang seksyon sa opinion sa MindaNews. Si Mac usa ka Palanca awardee ug National Book awardee. Usa usab siya ka propesor sa Ateneo de Davao University. Puyde nimo ma-email si Mac sa mac_tiu@yahoo.com.ph)

Minda News: Bisag Unsa by Macario Tiu

Did the Nation's ancient history originate from Southern Mindanao?

The country's mainstream history lessons vaguely narrate about its people's ancestry dated to as far as 50,000 BC. The remains of a skull cap was discovered however, in the Tabon caves of Palawan and was carbon dated at about 22,000 BC. Centuries later, waves of migrants with their swift wooden boats called 'balangays' (from which came the basic government unit termed as "barangay") then settled in the archipelagic islands where they established small towns and colonies. But informations relative to these were not as preserved, owing to the fact that most of the legacies were destroyed due to religious bigotry exhibited by Spanish colonizers who arrived by the 16th century.

More extensive informations however, were made available primarily from documents by the colonizers and from whose sources most of the country's conscious history had based itself. In the Filipino psyche the making of the nation's history were mostly dependent on Spanish documents, and conventional national consciousness dictated that the nation's extensive history began in the islands of Visayas and Luzon (although some historians argue that first mass held between the locals and the Spanish explorers began somewhere in Masau, Butuan in Mindanao and not in Limasaua, Leyte in the Visayas).

Still, the country's pre-colonial history remained vague. However, there were research that among the earliest migrants, a wave of settlers had arrived in the southern shores of Mindanao, in present day Palembang, Sultan Kudarat (ironically, Palembang was also the name of ancient Sri-Vijayan Empire's capital city based in Sumatra, Indonesia) from as early as 500 AD. From there the early peoples spread towards the whole of the island. It was only later that other waves of migrants arrived in other parts of Visayas and Luzon during the 11th and 13th century by small groups that resisted the Islam faith and political systems of the mainlands, or seeking freedom and better sustenance.

However, the history of Southern Mindanao may even be much older than that. As if plucked out from myths and legends, old tales narrate of ancient tribes of giants known as Dinagats that once lived in Samal island that now faces the modern city of Davao, south of Mindanao. Except that these enigmatic, extinct race were neither myths or legends, for archeological evidences and skeletal excavations were documented even by foreign French and German scientists, and local resarchers as well, and even by construction workers. Despite an otherwise gem of history that any self-respecting nation would have treasured, these did not register much to the national consciousness, probably because some mediocre Filipino historians and closeminded academicians bluntly stifled it off.

The giants were eventually eliminated through poisoning by neighboring groups (they drifted a raft filled with delectable food) in retaliation for their misdeeds (which the giants mistook as offerings in submission to their 'superiority'), for the giants would often raid and steal from these villages, and kidnap their women. Some children borne out of it retained the gargantuan features and they were assimilated with the tribe, while those borne of small stature were given less attention and segregated with the women. These however, proved fatal for the giants as they were the only ones allowed to feast on the poisoned food. Eventually the giants died, leaving only the smaller people as survivors. To differentiate from the giant Dinagats, they called themselves Samal, meaning "leftovers" or "dregs."

These giant races had been mentioned in Biblical passages and known as "Nephilims," or by more historical sources, from the documents of the Sumerians, the most ancient of civilizations in Post-Deluvian human history that were once based in present day Iraq and dated to as far as 6000 BC but mysteriously vanished about 2000 BC. It should also be noted that the creation mythology of the Samals was intriguingly similar with that of the ancient Sumerians.

The giants were known to be hybrid offsprings, being borne out from the union of "gods" and humans. there were also other giant skeletal remains excavated in many parts of the world such as the Euphrates Valleys and in Europe.



("Human" skeletal femur found in Turkey and exhibited in Texas)




(A part of my personal research about the Samal giants were sourced from a narrative by Maria F. Mangahas, the others were from actual accounts narrated by an acquaintance who met with the natives of Samal, but both accounts confirmed similarities)

Manny the Maharlikan

A few days ago, I noticed considerable increase of readership in the blog that prodded me to trace its origins. I discovered that most of these came from surfers around the world who typed in search engines the word, "maharlikan." It seemed unusual since many of the researchers didn't come from the country, until I found a recent article about Manny Pacquiao entitled "Is Pacquiao a Symbol of the Return of the Maharlikan?" by Gareth Davies of telegraph.co.uk. It is most likely this article that prodded world curiosity about the term Maharlikan.

Here is an excerpt:
"The Philippines has lost the essence of being a true Maharlikan nation. Long before the Spanish conquered the island [and renamed it after the Spanish royal Felipe] the Maharlikans were a great nation. The spirit of the Maharlikan was imbued with a sense of royalty, and one of divinity. Manny has that parallel in his life. He has the truism of a real national hero."

Incidentally, among the individuals interviewed by Mr. Gareth was Mr. Granville Ampong, editor and publisher of the Maharlikan Times, and he was the first to post comment in this blog. It's an honor indeed, Sir.

Manny Pacquiao has become a household name in this country. So endeared was Manny that he was given such titles as "Pambansang Kamao" (National Fist) and became the first Filipino boxer to be printed on postage stamps. it is even written in the country's law that the Army will go to Pacquiao's aid in the event of danger to his family.

Manny's early life was one of hard poverty that his family even lived in dwelling made of cardboard boxes. Manny's mother raised the future hero with belief in God and at first wanted him to be a priest. A crucial event happened in Manny's life one day when he brought home a stray dog. Enraged, his drunk father cooked and ate the stray dog to punish him. Horrified, Manny packed his bags and stowed away in a boat bound for Manila, about 500 miles from his home in Southern Mindanao. From then on, he has continually made unprecedented mark in world boxing history.

Arakan

Arakan, Burma

In Burma (presently known as Myanmar), there is a place called Arakan. Among its inhabitants were an indigenous tribe known as "Mon." The other name for these people are "Talaing."

In Marilog, Davao City, a vantage roadside overlooks a scenic, panoramic landscape known, "coincidentaly," as the Arakan Valley. It is a municipality of North Cotabato that borders the city. Many indigenous and migrant inhabitants settle in the area. Among them were the tribes known, also "coincidentaly," as "Talaingod," which means "mountain people" and a sub-group of the Ata-Manobo tribe that inhabit the Arakan Valley. A certain municipality in nearby Davao del Norte was also known as Talaingod.


Arakan Valley, North Cotabato as seen from Davao City boundary

There are discussions as to the origin of the word Arakan. in Burma, it was locally known as Rakhine, and among its versions the possibility that it originated from Rakkhapura meaning the people of Rakhasa in honor of preservation of national heritage or ethics. The Arakan Valley in North Cotabato, Mindanao was supposedly derived from the Manobo words "Ara," which means abundance of resources, and "Kan" that means bravery, valor, and also referring to one of the rivers of the valley.

Inanna

I recently discovered that the Sumerian artifact posted from the previous blog was the image of the Sumerian goddess Inanna.



Inanna, according to Sumerian account was given dominion over the Indus Valley region (now presently located in Pakistan, but the region had been very prominent in ancient Hindu narratives). Akkadians and Babylonians called her Ishtar. In ancient times she was addressed as Queen of Heaven. Although she was not considered a "mother goddess," she headed a long line of female deities identified with feritlity of the natural world. The Babylonians however, call Ishtar as "High-Mother-Goddess."



Could it be possible that the Tagalog words Ina and the Visayan Inahan, which means "mother," originated from the Sumerian goddess Inanna?

enigmatic Samal

Even for locals living in Davao City, nearby Samal (that's only about 7 minute ride by barge from the mainland) is an island now gradualy revealing not just her beauty, but also her mystery. It is a paradise-like island we thought we knew. We thought the island was just the next byword for tourism destination owing to its pristine beaches with even some areas having powdery white sand so fine that its shore could diffuse heat of the tropical sun as one walks over it, an island of breathtaking sceneries and unspoilt wonders that Davao region hopes to keep that way while balancing with progress. Just a few years ago, it was also discovered that the island's batcave shelters the world's largest fruit bat colony (Geoffrey's Rousette species). It turned out there's even more to the island.

From my recent personal research posted in the previous blog, enigmatic Samal may also have one of the country's oldest history, with its rich past even inhabited by legendary giants of yore (well, not necessary "legend," there were actual discoveries of giant skeletal remains that unfortunately were looted or neglected, add up the Philippines authorities' lack of enthusiasm in archiving these otherwise valuable legacies).

It also made me recall of another enigmatic religious group in Samal, the Moncadistas. They are a religious colony known for their tradition of eating uncooked and raw food with no fish or meat. The group was founded by Hilario Camino Moncado (1898-1956). At nine years of age, he graduated with honors from the College of Mystery and Psychics in Calcutta, India. During earlier times, many of the group's male members sported long hairs and beards. The Moncadistas are known to be peaceful and law-abiding citizens.

Another personal observation that I tend to notice while in Samal, were the local dogs, yup, the local canines. Unlike their counterparts in the mainland, it seemed that most local dogs in Samal do not have the habit of barking at strangers. Perhaps it was due to the geographical confines of the island, but I least expected that even these creatures could create a " canine culture" that is uniquely Samal. I wonder if other visitors had noticed it too.

It makes one wonder, even with locals, what enigmatic character would this beautiful island reveal next.

ancient Sumerian links?

I read before in a newspaper article that some of the earliest settlers in the country arrived in the shores of Southern Mindanao and landed particularly in the present municipality of Palembang, Sultan Kudarat (Palembang was also the name of the capital city of the ancient Sri-Vijayan empire based in Sumatra, Indonesia)sometime in the 5th century. This was somehow reconfirmed by this report that I read a while ago wherein stolen artifacts were discovered that could lead to a lost tribe:

Artifacts discovery may lead to lost tribe

http://forums.yellowworld.org/showthread.php?t=35565

However, I find the faces of these anthropomorphic artifact intriguing:



As anyone may notice it seemed to have striking similarity, particularly with the distinct "eyebrow" pattern, with that of an ancient Sumerian artifact:

Not surprisingly, I had once read about the creation mythology of another indigenous group, the Samal tribe in Davao hours away from the find but still south of Mindanao, having similarity with the creation mythology of the ancient Sumerians. Ancient stories also narrate about a certain giant race known as the "Dinagat" that once inhabited Samal Island. But these giants were rude and bullying, and would often raid neighboring mainland villages, stealing and violating their women. The giants were eventually eliminated by the opressed villagers by drifting a boatload of poisoned food, in retaliation for their offenses. Skeletal remains of these giants were said to be discovered in some parts of the island, but some of these were looted through the years. These reminded of the biblical giants of yore that were offsprings of nephilims, part 'god' and part humans. It is evident that biblical accounts borrowed their sources from ancient Sumerian knowledge.

The Sumerians were considered to be the oldest yet strangely advanced civilization that existed in the Fertile crescent (present day areas in Iraq) during the post-deluvian era (after the Flood). The father of biblical Abraham (his name was changed from Abram after converting to monotheism, supposedly from the Sanskrit word "Brahma") was a Sumerian priest. The Sumerian civilization mysteriously vanished thousands of years ago.