INDIGENOUS CONCEPTUALIZATION OF FILIPINO PERSONHOOD

INDIGENOUS CONCEPTUALIZATION OF FILIPINO PERSONHOOD

Introduction

The goal of the discipline of anthropology is to study the nature of man, including the conceptualization of Filipino personhood. Unlike science that claims universal measurements, the parameters I will use are indigenous conceptualizations. Thus, I will attempt to describe Filipino personhood according to the context of Filipino culture. In this exercise, the benefit is the interconnection of events that overlap within a field. Filipino personhood and its factors.

Personhood and Personality

There is a Filipino saying: "It is easy to be born a man; it is difficult to be a human being." Being human is a biological process. Acting as a human being is a cultural process. In this paper, the cultural process will be emphasized.

The word "tao" (person/human) is a noun. It receives various affixes to express different meanings. For example: maka-tao (humane), t-um-ao (to inhabit), tau-han (character/subordinate). According to Ramos, "The suffix ka-han when attached to a root word expresses an abstract concept." Therefore, ka-tau-han (personality/humanity) means the "essence of the spirit carried by the root word," i.e., tao. In English, my translation for katauhan is "humanity." Because of this, the word "pagkatao" is more appropriate for the concept of "personhood" or being a Filipino person. According to Santiago and Tiangco, the prefix pagka- "refers to the nature of a person, animal, or thing." This is how pagka- is used in the phrase "pagkataong Pilipino," i.e., the Filipino person.