PANGALAP [pa.nga.lap.] : ritual harvest (n.) from root word KALAP [ká.lap.] : seek out for medicinal plants (v.)
This is my second year visiting mga mananambal (folk healers) in Cantabon, Siquijor for the Friday pangalap, which they do on the 6 Fridays leading up to Holy Week.
A treasure to witness, learn from & joyfully connect with traditional practitioners keeping ancestral island knowledge of herbal plant medicine & healing thriving in communal ritual!
The Visayan islands, the archipelago known as the Philippines, and the greater Southeast Asian islands are a center of biodiversity. From sea to soil, this island region is home to many kinds of ecologies, plants, species, and knowledge (including languages) unique to each banwa (environment).
Local ancestral knowledge of plant medicine preserves & supports native biodiversity. For the pangalap, mga mananambal collect over 100+ different kinds of plant species across Siquijor island, which is located between Cebu & Mindanao.
Merging folk Catholicism, animist spirituality & island herbalism, these plants are infused into ritual brews & potions made for healing (himughat) & abundance (gayuma) during Holy Week. In a time when so much of our ancestral traditions are overshadowed by new-age spirituality, what a relief to know these rituals – & their keepers – are alive!
Grateful to Nong Noel Torremocha, Manang Juanita “Noynoy” Torremocha of Cantabon, and Junel Tomoray of Lala-o for your hospitality, friendship, generous time & teachings Looking forward to this Holy Week & more years of learning to come !
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