The Magic and Tragic of Lumay

Karen Joyce Pumaren

Have you been madly in love, the kind of affection so passionate yet servile? The
fondness that emerged like a whirlwind, ambiguous and blinding? If you read this with a nod
of your head, then I suggest you read 'till’ the end, cause perhaps you might have fallen into a
love trap, “Basi nalumay ka”. It may bear a resemblance to a love so true but mind you it
maybe a product of witchcraft, a mystical apothecary.

In the side alleys of the busy Iloilo City Streets, lies the said fastest route to once
persistent longing for affirmation in the face of a seeming indifference, the elixir that tap into
the spiritual powers and manifest on the physical world, Lumay. Howbeit, though this item of
folkloric magic works like whistle-stop, learning the ingredients and elements for this mojo is
very hard. You must have an immense and unyielding desire to procure such magic, if not
you will never have it, it will remain as a secret.

Strolling through the resuming lively streets of Iloilo City, I encountered quite a few
Aeta vendors, the prevailing and prominent sellers of Lumay in the Visayas, but neither one
of them wanted to disclose any information about the love magic they trade in. It’s a secret
that they and their clients can only know, if it leaks it will never work. But hold up, with pure
luck, no enchantments and spells involved, a Subanen Tribe member, Mary or Maymay,
enlightened me about Lumay.

Lumay, like hiwit and barang, in their community was very common, a run of the mill
thing. For us, it is surprising for a woman who extremely hates a certain man to be wed with
him on the next day. But in their hood it’s not bizarre at all. Mamay stressed that there are a
handful of ways, all in the shell of Lumay, can be performed for these to happen. It can be in
a form of Latin chant, a herbal concoction, blended juices of victims' apparels, and smoke.
However, unlike true love, this magic does not last forever. In a certain span of time, months
or years, the fondness that was once fathomless will come to an end. Thus, the perpetrators
make the most out of it, tie an inescapable knot with those they desired, marriage in a sense.

The preceding pieces of information held by Maymay are already compelling but
another reality about Lumay is striking. Lumay, primarily, subjects women as the prey for
some men’s predator-like sexual advances. According to Maymay, the majority of the victims
of Lumay are females. This depiction is analogous to the narratives produced and published
by various researchers and Bisayan folklorists. A man who cannot tame the woman he desires
resorts to this black magic. When Lumay takes its effect, the woman in all sorts submit to the
man.

What sorts? Maymay set forth recurrent manifestations, she noticed. First, a woman’s
choice over her body is dominated and controlled by her male partner. Her body should
always be available to the man. Thus, she can never deny him of sex. Next, the man exercises
coercive control. He decides what her woman should do, chooses and agrees.
 If you reach this part of the write up still with a nod and a green light, then you
are not just stuck in this love trap, Lumay, but, withal, in an abusive tie up.

Though a folk belief, it is perceivable that Lumay’s features and approach echoes a
persisting societal concern, domestic and gender-based violence. Women, likewise to the
concept of Lumay, has experienced physical, emotional or sexual violence by their husband
or partner, one out of four women in the Philippine context according to Philippine Statistics
Authority. Seemingly, violence against women is as ordinary or as recurrent as Lumay in
Maymay’s community. Why? Primarily because of some flawed norms and traditions of
Filipinos that exist as ancient as the roots of Lumay. Men are expected to take the dominant
roles in the society, leaders, pursuers, and providers, while women are held as subordinates or
aides of these men. These notions stir men to gain more power over women. Hence, violence
against women turned into a form of men’s expression of control over women to retain power

However, if Lumay has its time limit so does this unequal and cruel power relation.
You need to stop nodding your head, start shaking it side to side, say no. INDI MO AKO
MALUMAY, you can never beat me, you can never sexually harass me, and you can never
mentally and emotionally hurt me.