The Chant

The crowd of people cluster about in uneasy restlessness, flitting eyes scan the
congregation of people waiting. They speak to each other in reverent soft hushed tones,
as the faith beating of a drum is heard in the distance. Then, through the light murmurs
of the people pierces what seems to be a wail. The people and the drums are silenced, as
the voice shifts to a monotonous sing-song chant. . . The ritual has begun. . .
The chant moves through the air without the beat of the drums. The chant flows with the
pulse that permeates within and throughout. Man feels the vibration of the words flow
through his core and the spirit moves. The doorway opens and the vision is revealed . . .

Diwa ng Luhol
1999
Pen & Ink

In the world of the Bailan (shaman), the spirits tidings are intoned to a cosmic rhythm.
The words of ritual and healing are sung to a reverberant timbre that echoes to the soul of
man and community. The epics of the people are voiced to a haunting pitch that unites
past and present.
The Bailan is an Enchantr; one who intones the words of the spirit and community, a
chanter; ones who intones the spells that enthrall man, nature and spirit, an enchanter.
In these chants, of ritual or tale, the thought and word are embodied in song. In these
chants the words are intoned to reverberate through body and soul and expand to the
environment and change the atomic frequency of the ritual ground to open a portal to
communicate with the divine.
Entering into an altered state, the Pekilukesen of the Manobo starts the trance chant,
Panangansangan, to speak to the spirits, in a pact that will ensure the welfare of the whole
community.

Words of Ritual
The Chant of Ritual call upon the spiritual entities that guide the Bailan and the
community in their daily lives; chants that call for specific needs of the people. The chant
is the most basic yet important element of the ritual, where as chants recreate the
frequency of the ritual site for bonding the with spiritual world (Pagbubukas), evokes
the entity (Pagtatawag), communicates the intention of the ritual to the entity
(Paglalayad), consecrates the covenant with the entity (Pagbanal), which is usually a
sacrifice (Pag-Alay), and closes the portal to end the ritual and return normal life
(Pagtatapos).
One sample of the Pagtatapos is the closing line Long Naan (it has been said) as spoken by the
Mandaya of the Mindanao island.
To the Agusan Manobo of the South, the Gudgud (chant) is key to their rituals success; such as
the healing tones of the Binuya, the harvest blessing of the Taephag, and the wakening sound of
the Suyad Buya in a bayalan initiation. These rituals have three stages of which the chants are
used: Inapogan or Panawagtawag is the invocation to the spirit to partake of the ritual; the giving
of a sacrifice for the spirit; the Hakyad is the closing of the rite with an invitation to the spirit to
accept the sacrifice.
To the Ifugao in the Northern Mountains, in the baki (ritual) the Gonod is an invocation to the of
the deities or ancestral spirits by name; followed by the Dayum or prayer to the deities invoked;
then the aiyag or invitation for the ancestors to possess the mumbaki (shaman); or the Tobal or
calling to the possessing spirit by another participant (usually the one who asked for the ritual).
To the Palawan of the west, they call the Sagina or invocation of the spirit and the Ungsud or the
final invocation with offerings to end the ritual.

The basic purposes of these chants can be categorized into four ritual types:
Consecration
Celebration
Healing
Other Spells
Consecration chants calls for the blessings of a deity for an endeavor the Bailan or any
member of the community wishes to take or for good fortune in a situation that the Bailan
or any other person may be at. This includes the request for a blessing of bountiful
harvest, a good safe voyage, passage to the afterlife, or even material gain. Such requests
are also a covenant between the Bailan, the deity and person/people requesting such a
favor for the deity. A promise is given to the deity during the request and after it is
fulfilled, and the Bailan must ensure that all parties must live up to their part of the
agreement. This comes with a sacrifice and even fealty to the deity.

The Blessing
2010
Metallic Gel Pen on Black Paper

The Curse
2010
Metallic Gel Pen on Black Paper

Consecration chants calls for the blessings of a deity for an endeavor the Bailan or any
member of the community wishes to take or for good fortune in a situation that the Bailan
or any other person may be at. This includes the request for a blessing of bountiful
harvest, a good safe voyage, passage to the afterlife, or even material gain. Such requests
are also a covenant between the Bailan, the deity and person/people requesting such a
favor for the deity. A promise is given to the deity during the request and after it is
fulfilled, and the Bailan must ensure that all parties must live up to their part of the
agreement. This comes with a sacrifice and even fealty to the deity.
To the Badjao and Tausug, of the Southwestern islands, the Lugu is a solemn chant used in many
occasions especially in consecration of a wedding chant, while the Panulkin is wake vigil chant.
To the Bontoc, of the Northern Cordilleras, the Manayeng is a sung plea for rain from the god
Lumawig, the Al-layo is a plea of blessing of the caao (ritual feast) by the god Lumawig, the
Annako is a funeral vigil song, and the Pagpaguy is a wake song that calls the appeasement of the
spirit of the dead.
To the Northern Ibaloy the Angba is an invocation song in the Bindayan (general) ceremony.
To the Manobo, of the Southern island of Mindanao, a Panaad is a vow of service to a diwata
(deity) who has blessed their requests, and the Minudar or Mauley are funeral songs for the safe
journey of the departed to the after life, and the Bityara is a benediction song.
To the Maranao, of the Mindano highlands, a Dikir is a funeral song blessing and the Kandikir is
a chant in praise of Allah or the spirits of the dead.
To the upland Kankanay, the Daing are songs of ritual sacrifice such as the Dayyakus or
headhunters song and the Ayugga.
To the Tiriray, the Siasid is a sung prayer of blessing from the god Lagey Lengkuwos.

Celebration or thanksgiving chants are created to appease the deity who has given favor
to the Bailan and the community. These include the celebrations of a bountiful harvest,
the birth of a child, a successful battle, and much more. The chants of celebration are also
songs of praise to the deity who had allowed such good fortune come to the Bailan and
the community. These chants and rituals are part of the covenant made by the Bailan
during the rite of Consecration.
Some songs of celebration are the Bontocs Fal-lukay that is sung as a celebration of a
headhunting victory and the Kalingas Appros that is vocalized as a celebration of a childs birth.

Chants of healing, whether is in a natural illness or that brought upon by entities, differs
from a consecration chant as it asks the deity to enter the body of the patient. In this
ritual, the Bailan has to keep the frequency of the ritual at a constant or the entities may
possess the patient and further injure the person.
Some healing chants are the Agusan Manobos Binuya and the Bataks Sukilan or Wawaen /
Runduman.

Spell chants that are not covered by the first three categories may include curses, binding
of spirits, and even divination.

Words of Tale
The sacred stories of the people a sung by both the Bailan and the community members
are part of a variety of rituals. These songs not only tell the history of the people, but
speak of prophesies and ancient knowledge as part of a praise to the deities that guide the
communitys daily lives. This also serves as a reiteration of their covenant with the
deities and their unity as a people and culture.
Throughout the archipelago, epics are sung by whole communities to commemorate their lineage
(to a god of great ancestor) and relate the myths and beliefs to the next generation. Among these
are the Ifugao epic Hudhud, the Bontocs Og-good, the Manobos Ulahingan and Olaging, the
Subanons Guman, the Maranaos Darangen, the Mansakas Diawot, the Mandayas
Hullobation, and the Kalingas Ullalim.

The Language of the Chant

The languages used by the Bailan in their chants have a powerful effect of the very ritual
that they conduct. There are four categories of languages used in the chants and these
vary in relation to the nature of the ritual or deity that is evoked. These chants use either
the language of the living (Diwa ng Tao), the language of nature (Diwa ng Lupa), the
language of the spirit (Diwa ng Diwata) and the language of the cosmos (Diwa ng
Kalangitan).
The Language of the Living / Diwa ng Tao
Often what is heard in most rituals is the known language of the people; hence the
community is readily aware of what the Bailan is evoking. This may be the native tongue,
or a language of foreign influence, such as the use of Arabic by the Islamic ethnic groups.
Some tribes (with their own dialect) have even borrowed words from the Tagalog
language, which is basis for the National language.
Many folk healers have also adopted a form of pidgin Latin in their spells and chants, as
an effect of the more than 300 years of Spanish Catholic colonization.
The Language of Nature / Diwa ng Lupa
The use of sounds that mimic things that occur in nature is quite rare in the Philippines
setting. However there have been documented cases such as the bird-like song of the
Palawan chanters and the crocodile-like bellowing of some Aeta shaman.
These chants reflect the peoples recognition of the divinity of nature and their
connection to it.

The Language of the Spirit / Diwa ng Diwata

The spiritual chant is often an unrecognized language that the Bailan vocalizes in the
trance state. More often, the Bailan has been possessed by a spirit and the entity is
communicating in its own language. Usually another Bailan present is the one who
translates what the spirit medium has said.
The Language of the Cosmos / Diwa ng Kalangitan
The trance chant, intoned in syllables bereft of any language, is sung to invoke and affect
the other dimensions by changing the very frequency of the ritual site. Often such actions
may lead to a possession of the chanter by a deity, to act as a medium for the deity to
communicate with the people present. Another use of such a chant is to consecrate the
very ritual ground and leave it as a hallowed ground and portal to the spirit world.
It has been often said that the Filipino people, no matter what ethnic group they belong
to, are a known for their deep spirituality and love for song. This has been evolved in
contemporary society with the resurgence of Christian doctrine and fervor, as epitomized
by the almost manic congregation of thousands of people in the yearly Feast of the Black
Nazarene in Quiapo; yet it is also countered by the blooming music industry with
thousands of wanna-bes clamoring for the spotlight in the many TV reality talent shows,
the exploding Karaoke industry, an expanding Youtube talent videos with people trying
to follow the footsteps of Arnel Pineda and Charice Pempengco, and a influx of many
budding bands playing in hole-in-the-wall bars. Yet in this dichotomy of cultural traits,
we look back to the ancient chants of the Bailan, where spirit and song are eternally
bound in ritual, for the very survival of the community and this nation as a whole.

John Paul Lakan Olivares

2010
Published
The Chant, Seth D8: Ancientian Logic!, Live Journal
http://sethd8.livejournal.com/60511.html
The Chant, Seth D8: Dimensional Bliss, Word Press
http://sethd8.wordpress.com/2010/07/24/john-paul-lakan-olivares-the-chant/
The Chant, Seth D8: Vibrationally Speaking, Friendster
http://sethd8.blog.friendster.com/2010/07/
Light Evolver, Seth D8 com
http://lightevolver.sethd8.com/2010/07/john-paul-olivares-chant.html

Ohm (The Sacred Breath)

1999
Metallic Gel Pen on Black Paper