m e b u y a n p e a c e p r o j e c t

the goddess :: journey of the soul

The word "Mebuyan," also Maibuyan, is the name of an ancient underworld goddess of Bagobo and Manobo mythology. Past researches on the goddess have revealed Mebuyan to be the sister of Lumabet, God of the Sky. Mebuyan refused to ascend with Lumabet to the heavens, instead, built her own world under the earth. She is known to have many, many breasts for nurturing the souls of unborn babies.

In the book "Arakan, Where Rivers Speak of The Manobo's Living Dreams" by Kaliwat Theatre Collective, Datu Mangadta Sugkawan describes:

"When a person dies, his/her soul goes to Maibuyan (Mebuyan), the diwata (deity) of the afterlife who takes care of all the souls before they receive Manama's (Supreme Being) judgment.... Maibuyan's entire domain is of pure gold on which the soul could clearly see its reflection. The souls there only talk about good and sensible things. If one starts to talk, everybody else listens. There is no need for food. Maibuyan's domain in the underworld is where the soul lives a second life after its body--the physical twin--dies."

In early March 2001, a member (Geejay) got a call from a Manobo friend, inquiring about the group. He told Geejay Mebuyan is not a goddess, but an evil god banished to the center of the earth for having committed an evil deed. It became a worrisome situation for the group. In the end, the group decided to stick to the historic 1923 research by anthropologist Laura Watson from which the existence of the goddess Mebuyan was first heard and which was validated in 1992 through Kaliwat Theatre Collective's three-year anthropological research and cultural action program in Arakan, North Cotabato ("Arakan, Where Rivers Speak of The Manobo's Living Dreams," Copyright 2003, published by Kaliwat and TFPCD).

The group acknowledges and undestands that society changes, and with it, myths and symbols change, depending on the social, political and economic conditions of the time. The group decided to want to reclaim the existence of the goddess, and in this case, the existence of the goddess Mebuyan. After all, the group does have hard copy research to back them up. So the group stuck to the concept, and stood by Mebuyan.

The good news is that a most recent research conducted by Rolando O. Bajo revealed that a similar god/dess existed among the Ata-Manobo. His book, "The Ata-Manobo: At the Crossrooads of Tradition and Modernization" (copyright 2004 Published by CARD-Davao Foundation) explains that the "souls (gimokud) travel to another world at the bottom of the earth named Sumowow, which is presided over by the powerful and almighty Moibulan, the deity of the afterlife or heaven (liwanon)....Under the care of Moibulan, all the souls experience only happiness..There is just the long, peaceful wait for the final judgment, but a wait without boredom, impatience or anxiety...At the final judgment, all the spirits rise and are judged in accordance with how each one had lived on earth. And then they all allegedly return to earth to inhabit the physical world once more -- now cleansed of evil, of wordly guilt, now able to live life in peace and tranquility with one another..."

While there was no gender reference to Moibulan as being either female or male, the drawing that accompanied the description of Moibulan was that of a female deity.

In a text message to Geejay Arriola, kindred spirit Agnes Miclat-Cacayan writes:

Mebuyan...Ibuyan...Moibulan...Maibulan...Nabuyon... Her name means both mother and moon... Just sharing what i have discovered about the goddess of this land called Dabaw...




	the goddess :: journey of the soul The word "Mebuyan," also Maibuyan, is the name of an ancient underworld goddess of Bagobo and Manobo mythology. Past researches on the goddess have revealed Mebuyan to be the sister of Lumabet, God of the Sky. Mebuyan refused to ascend with Lumabet to the heavens, instead, built her own world under the earth. She is known to have many, many breasts for nurturing the souls of unborn babies. In the book "Arakan, Where Rivers Speak of The Manobo's Living Dreams" by Kaliwat Theatre Collective, Datu Mangadta Sugkawan describes: "When a person dies, his/her soul goes to Maibuyan (Mebuyan), the diwata (deity) of the afterlife who takes care of all the souls before they receive Manama's (Supreme Being) judgment.... Maibuyan's entire domain is of pure gold on which the soul could clearly see its reflection. The souls there only talk about good and sensible things. If one starts to talk, everybody else listens. There is no need for food. Maibuyan's domain in the underworld is where the soul lives a second life after its body--the physical twin--dies." In early March 2001, a member (Geejay) got a call from a Manobo friend, inquiring about the group. He told Geejay Mebuyan is not a goddess, but an evil god banished to the center of the earth for having committed an evil deed. It became a worrisome situation for the group. In the end, the group decided to stick to the historic 1923 research by anthropologist Laura Watson from which the existence of the goddess Mebuyan was first heard and which was validated in 1992 through Kaliwat Theatre Collective's three-year anthropological research and cultural action program in Arakan, North Cotabato ("Arakan, Where Rivers Speak of The Manobo's Living Dreams," Copyright 2003, published by Kaliwat and TFPCD). The group acknowledges and undestands that society changes, and with it, myths and symbols change, depending on the social, political and economic conditions of the time. The group decided to want to reclaim the existence of the goddess, and in this case, the existence of the goddess Mebuyan. After all, the group does have hard copy research to back them up. So the group stuck to the concept, and stood by Mebuyan. The good news is that a most recent research conducted by Rolando O. Bajo revealed that a similar god/dess existed among the Ata-Manobo. His book, "The Ata-Manobo: At the Crossrooads of Tradition and Modernization" (copyright 2004 Published by CARD-Davao Foundation) explains that the "souls (gimokud) travel to another world at the bottom of the earth named Sumowow, which is presided over by the powerful and almighty Moibulan, the deity of the afterlife or heaven (liwanon)....Under the care of Moibulan, all the souls experience only happiness..There is just the long, peaceful wait for the final judgment, but a wait without boredom, impatience or anxiety...At the final judgment, all the spirits rise and are judged in accordance with how each one had lived on earth. And then they all allegedly return to earth to inhabit the physical world once more -- now cleansed of evil, of wordly guilt, now able to live life in peace and tranquility with one another..." While there was no gender reference to Moibulan as being either female or male, the drawing that accompanied the description of Moibulan was that of a female deity. In a text message to Geejay Arriola, kindred spirit Agnes Miclat-Cacayan writes: Mebuyan...Ibuyan...Moibulan...Maibulan...Nabuyon... Her name means both mother and moon... Just sharing what i have discovered about the goddess of this land called Dabaw...