Bb: Babaylan, Baluto, Bigiw, Butbot

B, b – the 2nd letter in the Sugboanon Bisaya alphabet; pronounced as ‘ba.’ Below are some of the new bisayan words i’ve learned that starts with B,b:

babaylan per wikipedia is a Visayan term identifying an indigenous Filipino religious leader, who functions as a healer, a shaman a seer and a community “miracle-worker” (or a combination of any of those). It is quite an amazing experience to meet babaylans and for folks in Northern California, do check out Center for Babaylan Studies‘ upcoming events.

baluto (see photo)

bigiw (see photo)

butbot is the “coconut apple” that is refreshing to the palate.

It takes practice; pronouncing the words are fun and yes, it takes practice. one of our core members is from the wailaki tribe of northern california. as i shared about lakbayjuan’s bigiw design, this wailaki person kept mispronouncing bigiw, no, it’s not big-eww, not bi-gew, lips were shaping the -iw as if there was something gross nearby, like —eeeeuuwww! with a stress on the exclamation point. try it, say it. maybe you’ll have as much fun as we did with bigiw.

 

Aa: Adlaw at Acebes

A, a is the 1st letter in the Sugboanon Bisaya alphabet; pronounced ‘ah.’ the first word to share in binisaya is Adlaw *– 1) day 2) sun 3) birthday. blogging about bisayan words, i’ve realized that i will have to share images of the bisayan words from the book, kapulongnan bisinisay-ininglis by jes b. tirol, phd, unang pagsudhi (first edition) 2010, as the keyboard has limited keys for the tonations. do get a copy for your reference. i will also introduce people, via the bisayan alphabet, that i’ve met throughout this journey. last summer, i met jesus vera Acebes at the paseo del mar resort in jagna, bohol; his father is atty. jesus n. acebes. different from other touristy resorts, paseo del mar also houses the bohol marine education center. Jesse, as he is called, shared with me about the marine biodiversity education and sustainable fisheries awareness program in bohol, the giant manta rays that used to live in the bohol seas (there’s a beautiful painting of a manta ray fisherman on a bangka hunting at paseo del mar), and about anti-logging efforts in bohol as it is illegal to cut trees in bohol to get wood for projects, the lumberyard is the place to go.