About Bisayà
Bisaya-what?
The word ‘Bisayà’ can mean both a group of islands in the centre of the Philippines and a group of languages. It also refers to a way of life, to a way of cooking, a cuisine in its own value. But where does the word come from? The sultan of Brunei shouted ‘biza-yah’ or ‘how wonderful’ when he saw the Visaya islands for the first time. But that is only a legend. Like the idea that we were the first to settle in the Philippine islands, it is at best a guess. The origin of ‘Bisaya’ is shrouded in mystery, a bit like its people.
Though we don't know the origin of the word 'Bisayà', we do know its meaning. Alcina, a 17th century Spanish missionary and historian, described the meaning of ‘Bisaya’ as ‘happy people’. A Bisayan is one who has ‘a fine and pleasant disposition’, from the root ‘saya’, or ‘joyful’.
When you hear it on Filipino television however, there is a good chance it is used in a somewhat condescending way. ‘Bisaya’ is the domestic helper, a simple person from the province. In some parts of Malaysia it denotes a slave. But we have also been associated with the ‘Pi-She-Ye’ pirate raiders that terrorized the Chinese coast of the Song Dynasty. Don’t underestimate us!
Aside from history, to me, ‘Bisaya’ has always been a synonym for ‘pure’ and ‘native’, ‘local’ food. ‘Bisaya nga manok’ is Visayan wild chicken, caught and prepared by my father on a smokey fire in our farm. ‘Bisaya nga kamatis’ and ‘bisaya nga pantat’ refer to Visayan tomatoes and freshly caught catfish. ‘Bisaya’ means: pure, authentic food, fresh from the farm, or preserved to last through the monsoon season. ‘Bisaya’ is also wholesome food that heals. ‘Binisayan tambal’ are medicinal herbs from our hills and the Panay mountains. Bisaya is food for the soul, connecting us with nature and with our ancestors.
The 'Bi' in Bisaya
What is that strange logo, I hear you ask? A UFO? A belly button? A cheeky cloud? All wrong! It is in fact the letter 'Bi' from our old Filipino language, Baybayin. Baybayin was originally written on palm and banana leaves, hence its curlyness. Everyone who has ever tried to write on any leaf knows: straight lines tear the leaves all too easily. Later, the letters were carved in bamboo and covered with ashes.
There are lots of theories about the origin of Baybayin. My personal favorite is that the shapes stem from natural shapes, like the giant clams that can be found along our shores. In Europe, we don't have these clams, but the cockles you can forage in Zeeland (which I love to do!) always remind me a bit of our Baybayin...
Baybayin is a syllabic alphabet. Each consonant has an inherent vowel /a/. If you want to use another vowel, you have to add a letter or a dot, a kudlit. The shell-shaped figure in our logo on itself means 'Ba', but with the dot on the top it means 'Bi', from Bisaya. Or Debbie :-).
