kwooting alcina

unang lumitaw ang salitang asug sa sulat ni francisco ignacio alcina (1668), isa sa mga paring heswita na nagdokumento ng kultura ng mga bisaya. nanatili siya sa bisayas ng 35 taon, mula noong taong 1637 hanggang 1670, ang mahabang taon dito ay sa samar at leyte, para isulat ang kanyang historia de las islas e indios de bisayas. ang mga sumusunod na saling-sipi ay mula sa kanyang libro:

[a]s far as their priests or petty sacrificers, who were of two different classes and who in ancient times had two names, i have discovered with very little doubt that they were commonly women and not men. if there was some man who might have been one [i.e. priest], he was called asug, as they put it;…

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although their priestesses were ordinarily women selected by the devil… some effeminate men were also chosen by him and were called asug in their antiquity. what they commonly say about these asug is that they were impotent men, incapable of entering into marriage. so they never married; but rather they used women as shield to better hide their deficiency and consorted more with men than with women. if, per chance, these were hermaphrodites they were not able to tell; since in their ancient times they did not have knowledge about such individuals.

ang unang naging babaylan, ayon kay rosario cruz-lucero ay isang babae, si mungan.

si mungan, na hipag ni matabagka, ang pinakaunang mortal na pinagkalooban ng mga diwata ng kanilang banal na pagkain. dahil siya’y maysakit na ketong, iniwan siya ng kaniyang asawang si banlak, kapatid nina agyu’t matabagka, nang magsilikas ang mga manobo patungong bundok. nang balikan siya ni leno, isa pang kapatid ni agyu, upang bahaginan ng pagkain, tinanggihan niya ang tulong nito. nang iwan siya ng kaniyang asawa’y biniyayaan siya ng mga diwata ng nganga, ang kanilang banal na pagkain. naging buo’t bulawan (ginintuan) ang katawan niya kaya’t di na kailan pa man mangangailangan ng karaniwang pagkain ng mortal na tao.

ngunit sa pagdating ng mga kastila, may pagbabago nang naganap. mapupuna ito sa salaysay ni francisco colin dahil marami nang paraan para maging isang babaylan.

[s]ome were priests by inheritance and relationship; others by dexterity with which they caused themselves to be instructed and substituted in the office of famous priests… others were deceived and made a compact with him (the devil) to assist and to hold converse with him…

ganito rin ang pananaw ni alcina sa mga babaylan:

satan was, is and always will be ‘the father of lies’ and a great artisan of deception, who is so constant and even consistent in this role everywhere. it seems that he brought to these islands…his ministers, let us call them priests or priestesses… those who deceived them most and led them from one falsehood to another, mingled with not a few indecent, vain and deceitful superstitions.

gamit ang istilo at lente ng mga historyador ng classical antiquity at naturalistang naratibisasyon (ayon sa kanyang dalawang editor na sina kobak at gutierrez), itinuon ni alcina ang titig sa isang ‘piping indio’ na kanyang nakilala sa sulat, ibabaw sa samar. (dahil ito ay attempt sa etnograpikong pamamaraan, minabuti kong sipiin ang apat na talata na dedikado sa indiong ito na kinilalang isang asug.)

now, they (people of samar, borongan perhaps) related as a fact that there was such one (asug) in a certain town. i do not know this for sure, because it is difficult to ascertain matters of this nature and which are so secret. what more, they very easily deny all this anyway. what is true is that the said asug behave more like women than men in their manner of living, walking, and even in performing certain tasks. some of them apply themselves or are engaged in womanly tasks such as weaving, needle work, etc. as regards to their dress, although they did not wear sayas, for the women in ancient times did not wear these, they did wear some sort of a lambung, as they called here. this is a kind of long gown reaching to the feet; as a result, they were always recognized by this vesture.

i shall speak of what i saw in a town of ibabaw, called sulat, where a native mute lived and who was called asug. they said that had he lived in the ancient times, he sure would have been daitan. he was so effeminate that in everything he looked more like a woman than a man; they even say that he had the mentioned deficiency. his manner of dress reached down to his ankles worn under the said lambung. he did all the things that the women do, such as weaving blankets, embroidering, sewing clothing, making pottery---all occupations of women. he also danced as well as they did and never like a man, whose dancing is quite different; in all things he was more of a woman than a man. he fled from the women altogether, so much so that he did not even allow his own relatives to be near him, especially when sleeping. similarly, he also shunned men; he would never allow himself to be touched, nor would even bathe in anyone’s presence.

even though he was mute, he was extremely intelligent and made himself understood through his own signs. once people caught on to these motions, he was well understood and explained himself remarkably well.

i confessed him sometimes in such a manner and obtained a satisfactory knowledge about his sins; however, as regards to the sixth commandment, nothing has surfaced at all. in fact, should he be asked about such matters, he would become agitated and remain silent. or again, if someone spoke to him, in jest, about some joke or an off-color matter, he indicated his resentment through some motions and covered his eyes with his hands as if ashamed of such things. this is what they say about their asug and who they were in the olden times. all those who were such, performed their tasks of sacrifices since (it was believed that the diwata selected them for this ministry).

kay alcina, haka-haka lamang ang homosekswalidad at ang kaakibat na gawain dito:

never in their ancient times was it known that there was sodomy. although from the asug, about whom we have spoken, something was suspected, because they were seen avoiding women and getting attached to men, however, nothing indecent regarding this matter is reported about such. now if something of this sort is found, they got it from their more frequent dealings with the chinese. this is a nation well-known for this and even completely corrupted by this ugly vice; or from their dealings with some spaniards who, having give themselves to the vice in this regard, do not seem to be satisfied with the ordinary venus.

sa banda rito at hindi sa banda roon maaari nating sipiin ang sinulat ng mga editor (kobak at gutierez) ni alcina na ayon sa kanila siya ay may

apparent carelessness regarding the bisayas words, phrases, sentences that are cited in the text. oftentimes, the terms or words just lumped together, with numerous other inconsistencies.

mula sa manifestong sinulat ni andres bonifacio na pinamagatang “ang dapat mabatid ng mga tagalog ay mababasa ang mga sumusunod:

ano ang nararapat nating gawin? ang araw ng katuiran na sumisikat sa silanganan, ay malinaw na itinuturo sa ating mga matang malaong nabulagan ang landas na dapat nating tunguhin, angliwanag niya’y tanaw sa ating mga mata, ang kukong nag-akma ng kamatayang alay sa atin ng mga ganid na asal. ytinuro na katuiran, na wala tayong iba pang maantay kundi lalut lalung kahirapan, lalut lalung kataksilan, lalut lalong kaalipustahan at lalut lalung kaapihan. ytinuro ng katuiran, na huag nating sayangin ang panahon sa pagasa sa ipinangakong kaguinhawahan na hindi darating at hindi mangyayari. ytinuro ng katuiran ang tayo’y umasa sa ating sarili at huag antain sa iba angating kabuhayan. ytinuro ng katuiran ang tayo’y magkaisang loob magka-isang isip at akala at ng tayo’y magkalakas na maihanap ang naghaharing sa ating bayan.