28: PRIESTESS, MEDIUM, HEALER, GUIDE | The Babaylan Part 1

In this episode, we learn about the deep and important history (and present) of the Babaylan: The pre-colonial figure of ancient Filipino tribes who served as the bridge to the spirit world, the herbalist, healer, and sometimes even deputy Datu. Over a series of episodes, we dive into who is qualified to be a Babaylan? Why were they typically women, and sometimes even trans women? What role did she play in society? And where can we find her in our history?

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The Gods Must Be Crazy is a podcast on Philippine Mythology hosted by friends Anama Dimapilis and Ice Lacsamana, avid mythology nerds and semi-professional gossips. Follow us over at @godsmustbecrazy.pod on Instagram and Facebook for more good stuff. We welcome any suggestions on future topics or episodes.

You can also find us on Youtube – Gods Must Be Crazy Podcast channel, where we post some of our episodes and interviews. For other inquiries, please email us at [email protected]

The intro and outro music is by Brian O’Reilly (@dendriform on Instagram).

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References:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Filipino_shamans#:~:text=Filipino%20shamans%2C%20commonly%20known%20as,and%20the%20spirits%20of%20nature.

https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/conditions-and-diseases/superior-canal-dehiscence-syndrome-scds#:~:text=The%20problem%20can%20cause%20hearing,footsteps%20in%20the%20affected%20ear.

https://www.babaylanadlaw.com/p/batak-dungan.html

@Nico Valdez on Tiktok (Baranggay)

https://www.isiswomen.org/downloads/wia/wia-2006-2/02wia06_06GirlieA.pdf