Bagani: Why We Should Resist its Misrepresentation
The Bagani can be viewed as one perspective on what exactly is wrong with our current educational system. In this day and age, revisionism of history is so powerful and relevant that it merely serves as propaganda on the dangers of social media. As a result, internet users are frequently led astray to believe incorrect information and misrepresentations that are found in popular culture. The fantaserye, for reasons that are not immediately clear, makes a confused use of the term bagani, so removing it from its original value and the context in which it was intended to be understood. If you are anticipating that the TV series Bagani would have any relationship to the ethnic groups such as the Mandaya and the Manobo, you will be disappointed because it is too far off from these and has no connection to them.
A couple of weeks ago, the moment I saw the trailer of the fantaserye, I was impressed with the set up that boasts big funding represented by the costumes, props and CGIs. I thought that it’s so nice to see that a major network is now putting its money to a project that will make people aware about the stories of the plight of the Manobos, especially that the Lumads are making headlines these days on the issues of land-grabbing in the south where they thrive. But as the scenes unfold, it was this great expectation that failed me to believe that it is anything but bagani.
The visuals can’t deny it- (1)the warriors depicted in the teleserye look more of the Greek hoplites in their costumes than the supposed hemp-finished woven cloth of a real bagani, (2) a fighting scene between the lead actor against a giant opponent in the middle of a desert looks more of a rip off from the movie Troy where Brad Pitt shuts down Boagrius as he jumps towards the giant, (3) an adopted child growing in a community and conditioned to fight against a rival community where in the end he realizes he actually belongs to this rival community is a revelation too predictable just like the movie the Prince of Egypt (4) while the abduction of a princess who is a girl of his (protagonist ) love will cause an uproar and rebellion where the narrative of the fantaserye will take its flight off. We all fell in love with Helen of Troy I guess. I feel that this is purely an orthodox formula that is so Western in concept.
The question is, as a history and journalism teacher where I need to show facts to my students, where will I put this material where the source of the title comes from real people that existed in Philippine history while the revolving narrative is culled from the Western narrative of fantasy? Well, at least the Trojan War was in fact historical aside from being a legend as it traces a real battle in the Aegean region during the Mycenaean Civilization, actually occurred as the inspiration to Homer’s Iliad and Odyssey. But the Bagani is not.
The trailer made my good friend, internationally-acclaimed Manobo artist Carlito Camahalan Amalia felt aghast. “ Mali at exaggerated ang pag-gawa nila ng Bagani.Yung kasuotan,props,etc ay walang research,” he said. Camahalan is a well-known figure who travelled the world advocating the preservation of the Manobo culture. “ Bagani is a warrior in our tribe and a sacred name. Ginawang fantasy and commodity. Di ito makatwiran dahil walang respeto at ginawang pang shock value ang termino,” he added.
If we take a look at history, bagani played a major in the Manobo, Mandaya and Bagobo history. Taking a look at some scholarly-written sources, here are what I found out.
On the page 4 of “The American Chamber of Commerce Journal” published on September 1930, here is the information about a bagani:
“A chief under a small political group who can only be qualified as a leader if he kills 10 people. A bagani is under an ethnic group called Mandaya. Practices paganism, slavery and polygamy.”
From the Annals New York Academy, Title: A study of Bagobo ceremonial, magic and myth /Author: The United States and its Territories, 1870–1925: The Age of ImperialismList of all pages | Benedict, Laura Estelle Watson, 1861, here is what is written on page 245:
“Valiant men who have slain other men and have therefore received the title bagani are everywhere entitled to the same privileges: the wearing of a closed shirt dyed in solid red, the ceremonial kerchief, and a costume graded (at least among the Bagobo, Mandaya and the Manobo) by the number of persons the wearer has killed-from kerchief to the full costume of encarnado.”
On the other hand, the Population of the Philippine islands in 1916 (población de las islas Filipinas en 1916) prepared under the direction of, preparado bajo la dirección de H. Otley Beyer. Author: Beyer, H. Otley (Henry Otley), 1883–1966. Collection: The United States and its Territories, 1870–1925: The Age of Imperialism, on Page 53 writes:
“The mythology and religion are interesting and elaborate: the priests are known as ballyan. The people are divided into many small groups, each of which is governed by a chief called bagani. To become a bagani, a man must have killed in general, at least 10 person with his own hand.”
Last week, I even had a minor squabble against some of the people behind the series on Twitter when I reacted to the tweet below by the TV series writer Mark Duane Angos. I mentioned that the Game of Thrones was never a Greek-inspired series but the concept is culled from Medieval Period as there was a thousand year difference between the two periods and quite different in terms of region and culture. Angos mentioned that Helen of Troy was an inspiration to the Episode 7 of GOT which is about Robert’s Rebellion.
My point was that from the very beginning, Game of Thrones established itself as a quasi-medieval realism where elements of knights and kingdoms populates the production while the Bagani’s reference to Philippine mythology is a mere suggestion where its source is indefinite. I was even expecting to see the kris as the weapons of the warriors and the naga motiff as prevailing elements but to no avail. What we see is a sabre equipped with laser powers to eliminate an opponent. Nowhere in Philippine mythology you can find these.
In 2015, Bulatlat Newspaper published the Bastardization of Bagani by By DEE AYROSO of Bulatlat News, 2015. “ The words magahat and bagani, however, recently entered the nation’s consciousness, not with their original virtuous meaning, but as butchers, as the ruthless paramilitary group which killed three well-loved leaders in Surigao del Sur on Sept. 1: school director Emerito Samarca, and Manobo leaders Dionel Campos and Datu Juvello Sinzo.
For us, there is no tribal war, because we have no discord. They are our brothers. We do not differ, we have good relations. But when the AFP armed them, they no longer recognize us as kin. And it hurts, because Lumads are being killed by other Lumads,” said Eufemia Cullamat, Mapasu council member.”
The fantaserye itself with all its effort to produce a better entertainment for the mass audience has no problem at all. I did not even agree on the issue of whitewashing as represented by Liza Soberano, the lead actress of the series as I find it no issue at all since Liza is a Filipina actress paid to play a role as a job. She is just doing her job. In fact, the whole production team did a perfect job to achieve a beautiful set, thanks to the creative people who put up all their effort to achieve the intended atmosphere of the series.
The real problem comes from the use of a term as a title with no clear and definite relationship with the narrative and the concept of a real bagani and its historical context, assigning a new meaning that may seem harmless on the facade but actually detrimental on the way the young generation understands ethnic traditions and culture. For a powerful medium that dominates and influences, a cultural appropriation executed on a wrong plane is a slight form of deception at the expense of a marginalized group not even aware their sacred rituals are commodified for mass consumption.
I wish the writer just used another title for its story.
In a generation of fake news and destruction of truth through misinformation, shows like this could have been a better way to understand things deeper- like subtly representing how the Manobo or Lumad culture evolved through time and how we can be aware of their total banishment using the power of modern media. But the Bagani failed in doing this. And it failed miserably.
The writer Ruston Banal is a visual ethnographer that has a continuing documentary project about the ethnic groups living in Pampanga which are the Aetas and the Sama De Laut.
Below are some of his articles on these.
