LEARNING JOURNAL #5

The world is composed of various cultures and traditions. It is so complex that no one
ever unraveled the mystery of each culture alone. However, in this module, a specific paper
discusses the symbolism behind the carvings in Sa'dan Toraja Houses– which I can say is a
mixture of the world's cultures.
Growing up, I have always thought of a house as just a physical structure built to protect
us. It never entered my mind that houses could mean so much for certain people. I never even
thought about the cultural importance of a house. All I know is that houses are essential for
everyone because they provide shelter. When I think of my dream house, all I want is for it to
be "aesthetically pleasing." I never even thought about the cultural importance of a house.
Perhaps the only thing that I can be proud of is that when I hear the words "ancestral house,"
there's this urge in me that one must protect that because of its history. That's it. It's so hard to
make assumptions here when I don't even have any knowledge about it. However, when I
studied cosmology and houses in the Southeast Asian context, I realized how oblivious I was
to the importance and symbolism of houses for the Southeast Asia and Oceania people.
Now that I've encountered the fifth module, I learned that houses are beyond physical
structures built to provide shelter. I learned that some cultures design their houses not just for
aesthetic purposes but also to tell who they are and their beliefs. I also realized we could make
sense of the world and different cultures in it just by studying houses. The best example is the
Sa'dan Toraja houses in South Sulawesi (Indonesia). The marvelous designs and structure of
the Sa'Dan Toraja houses go beyond aesthetic purposes. These various designs translate to the
embodiment of kinship groups and their traditional ranking system. On top of that, I learned
that the designs of these origin or ancestral houses tell a lot about them–about their Torajaness.
The history of the Toraja people is hidden in the very intricate carvings in their houses. Each
design is a representation of the history of the family living in the house, and it is a secret that
even the present heirs of the house don't even know what's the meaning behind it. And anyone
who attempts to understand the implications behind these carvings is just faced with a diversity
of partial explanations. Each panel of wood that made up their houses shows different designs,
it is as if every piece of wood is telling us the house's history. Specific designs undoubtedly
have a long and deep history. It amazes me that the Toraja people have symbolisms of almost
everything in the world, even the things that I thought were insignificant– ferns, pumpkins,
tadpoles, etc. That's when I realized that, indeed, the Toraja house is the representation of the
mixtures of cultures in the world. Indeed, houses are more than a physical building– it tells us
who we are and even makes sense of the world we live in,
 Although I learned a lot about this module, I still have many questions on my mind. It
is stated in the article that the Sa'dan Toraja Houses are touched on rather than dealt with in-
depth, thus, just like the author, I want to know more about these symbolisms. Also, I want to
know what other objects in the world have symbols for the Toraja people. Lastly, I want to
explore more tribes that also have symbolisms that help make sense of the world.
To satisfy my curiosity mentioned above, I plan to read more articles and studies about
the houses of people who have traditions connected to cosmology. This module made me
realize how much I don't care about the profound cultural importance of houses. So, I plan to
watch documentaries and educational videos related to this topic to enhance my understanding
of this subject. By doing these, I hope to learn more about the people of SEA and Oceania by
studying more about their houses and the relationships inside them. By doing these, I hope to
learn more about the various cultures in the world by studying more about the houses of the
SEA and Oceania people.
LEARNING JOURNAL #6
We will earn respect and trust of the people if we have power, indeed. Exploring
through the sixth module, Power and Potency, I have learned more about power and how it is
accumulated in the Philippine context. This module debunked some of my beliefs and provided
unusual and interesting information that undoubtedly sparked my curiosity.
I used to think that Philippine movies or tv shows that show people acquiring power
through anting-antings were all just make-belief– a product of the creative minds of Filipinos.
They depict fictional characters that fought for the betterment of society with the help of their
anting-anting (e.g., Pedro Penduko and Juan Dela Cruz). However, I never read or encountered
stories about it in real life. As a Christian, I highly believe that one can acquire power just by
relying on God. Power is vague, especially when discussing how a person defines and receives
it.
Now, I know that stories regarding people acquiring power through amulets or anting-
anting actually exist in real life. Their accounts may not be the same as those on television, like
fighting aswangs or tikbalang, but they really exist. One account is of Nong Santos, a faith
healer specializing in curing diseases that doctors can’t heal. Nong Santos’ talents don’t just
revolve around curing diseases, but they can be used for any physical confrontation and
encounter with the supernatural. Nong Santos revealed that the source of this power is because
of his possession of a librito, a small magical book of Latin prayers given to her by an older
woman. With that power, he was able to gain the respect and trust of the people who witnessed
his works. He also mentioned that the librito would not serve everyone. It takes sacrifice like
praying all day and night, fasting, and forgoing sleep just to be worthy of the potency the librito
brings. Thus, I realized that potency and sacrifice are interwoven– you can’t have power if you
don’t sacrifice. Moreover, Nong Santos stated that it requires prayer to acquire power, thus, he
believes in a greater being. This supports my belief that a greater being, God, will give you the
power you need. Lastly, Because of the power possessed by Nong Santos, he was elected to
various government positions, thus, it is safe to say that political and supernatural forms of
power are somehow related.
However, I am not sure whether acquiring power through amulets, anting-antings, or
librito are still existing up to this day since the paper was created last 2003. Also, with all the
accounts and stories I have read, I am not sure which one is accurate or credible. Because of
the presence of these different accounts, it feels nice to know that the people of SEA and
Oceania have their unique way or belief of acquiring power.
 I hope or plan to explore more on the ideas of the SEA and Oceania people on gaining
power. I hope to explore the different beliefs of people, especially Filipinos, regarding power.
Also, I plan on watching other documentaries about this topic to gain more knowledge about
how various people view power and potency. Lastly, I want to document more accounts of
people who encountered force through amulets, anting-antings, and books to satisfy my
childhood curiosity.