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Culture,
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Domingo Rollan
Politics Grade12-Rome
WARAY GROUP( The word Waray means “none” or “nothing” or “not.”)

Origin

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Eastern gateways to the archipelago, the islands of Leyte and Samar were natural
harbors for ancient seafarers. On March 16, 1521 the explorer Ferdinand Magellan
anchored what remained of his fleet on Homonhon, a small island on the
southeastern tip of Samar. Two weeks later, on Good Friday, a kasikasi (blood
compact) between Magellan and Rajah Kolambu, emissary of the King of
Limasawa, an island off the coast of southern Leyte, sealed an implicit political
pact between Spain and the Philippines. The first Mass on Philippine soil was
celebrated two days later, on Easter SundayInspired by Magellan's exploits, the
Spanish Crown sent several other expeditions to the East. In 1583 Spanish
voyagers under the command of Ruy Lopez de Villalobos reached Abuyog, east of
Leyte. The Villalobos expedition christened the littoral between Samar and Leyte,
then called Tendaya, Las Yslas Felipinas. The name would later apply to the entire
country. In 1564 Miguel Lopez de Legazpi crossed Panaon Strait, the same
waterway that Magellan earlier had taken, on his course toward Abuyog and
Limasawa.While the people of Leyte and Samar were the first to receive the
Spaniards, they were also among the first to repel them. The incident in Mactan,
where Magellan's attempt to show off Spanish military might ended in his death,
tolled like a warning bell throughout the islands. In Limasawa the warriors who
welcomed Legazpi were far from the hospitable rajahs of Magellan's time.
Although Legazpi was able to befriend the island's chieftain and high priest, who
both allowed themselves to be converted to the new faith, no sooner had the
Spaniards left than the chieftains returned to their pagan practices and organized a
religious revolt in Leyte.In 1596 Filipino rebels Sumoroy, Juan Ponce and Pedro
Camuug led an uprising against Governor Diego Fajardo's order requiring the
conscription of polistas (laborers who were compelled to build ships for the
galleon trade) from the Visayas for the shipyards of Cavite. This rebellion spread
as far away as northern Mindanao and went on until 1650, when a government
expedition composed of Spaniards and Filipino mercenaries captured the leaders of
the movement in the mountains of Samar, after which the revolt was easily
suppressed.Eventually the Spanish regime ended, only to give way to the American
occupation of the Philippines. Like all Filipinos, the Visayans had a new enemy to
face. Rebels, led by General Vicente Lukban, attacked the American garrison in
the town of Balangiga in eastern Samar during the Filipino-American War. They
killed all but one of the American soldiers. Western historians were quick to
record the incident as the "Balangiga Massacre." In truth, it was an admirable
show of courage by the Filipinos, who fought with bolos against the American
rifles and .45-caliber pistols, to thwart the Americans' "pacification" campaign, a
movement to take control of the islands.During World War II the region gained
international fame as a major battle zone in the Pacific theater. At the very same
gateway that the Spanish conquistadores had taken to penetrate the East four
centuries earlier, the forces under General Douglas MacArthur smashed the
Japanese Army.Holding the enemy at bay in Leyte was a risky strategy, MacArthur
would later admit in his memoirs. The island stood in the center of the Japanese
network of airfields and military bases covering the entire archipelago and was
almost impregnable. But a "successful landing in Leyte would presage the
eventual occupation of the Philippines. . . ." On October 20, 1944 MacArthur took
the gamble. After the troops secured a beachhead, MacArthur waded on to a
muddy beach in Palo and dramatically announced his "return" to the Filipino
people. Three days later, with battles still raging for the region, civil government
under Commonwealth President Sergio Osmeña was restored in Tacloban, and
Leyte's capital became the seat of the Commonwealth until February 1945. The
Waray are an ethno-linguistic group that inhabit the islands of Samar, northern
Leyte and Biliran in the Eastern Visayas region of the Philippines. Their native
language is called Waray-Waray. It is the fifth most spoken native language in the
Philippines with more than 3 million native speakers. In Samar the Waray are
known as Samarenos. In Leyte they are called Leytenos. In Biliran they are
referred to as Biliranon and on the island of Ticao in the Masbate province they are
described as Ticaonon.In the Philippines the Waray are often depicted as brave
warriors and there is a popular phrase, “basta ang Waray, hindi uurong sa away”
(Waray never back down from a fight.)
Tradition
Many Waray traditions can be traced to pre-colonial times. For example, the
Kuratsa dance is a very popular traditional dance of the Waray-Waray at many
social gatherings, especially weddings. It is very common throughout Samar. The
couple who dances the Kuratsa are showered with money by the people around
them. Many Waray traditions can be traced to pre-colonial times. For example, the
Kuratsa dance is a very popular traditional dance of the Waray-Waray at many
social gatherings, especially weddings. It is very common throughout Samar. The
couple who dances the Kuratsa are showered with money by the people around
them. The belief is that the more money showered upon them, the more blessings
will come their way.
Culture
This writing on the Waray culture is a response to a need and a challenge. The
dearth of a systematic body of knowledge to understand a people who are the
fourth largest ethnolinguistic group in the Philippines and who occupy the third
largest island in the archipelago pressed the author to respond to that need. The
unconsolidated data from various sources here and there and the absence of venues
for discourse pose a formidable challenge for any writer. The changing landscapes
and seascapes in the island worlds of Samar and Leyte islands are compelling. The
cultural worker is bound to get to work – retrieve and document and advocate for
the conservation of the natural and cultural wealth there are. But these cannot be
frozen in a time warp. Time moves on and life goes on. Generations past are gone
and generations now will produce and raise the next ones. How do we bring them
to the world of the next millennium? We are limited by our own lifeline. As the
Jesuit chronicler Father Francisco Alcina did in the 1600s, the necessary act is to
write. Write or things would be forgotten. Write or else nobody would know of
how people in this part the world made meaning of their lives. Write or else
nobody would know of us at all. Write so our children would know and understand
themselves. Write of what is, has been and could be so they would see the paths
that they could take, not just to survive but to live happily. This monograph on the
Waray is an ordering of the seeming helter-skelter information, written and oral,
recollections and reflections, memories and current meanderings of thoughts on the
savoring of Waray food as the pristinely fresh kinilaw or of a moment of ringing
laughter over a friend’s funny anecdote over a sip of tuba. The narratives written
here is a portrait composed out of primary field data, published materials and
interview conversations, observations of the daily life of the Waray in the market,
in the church, in school, in jeepneys, in the streets, at the farm, at the beach, on a
boat a sea, underwater, during parties, fiestas, funerals and weddings, onstage,
backstage, in various homes and at home. It is a recollection and reflection of the
unfolding of the author’s life in this ancient fertile land that arose from the sea eons
ago. This record is by no means complete as it is uneven. Only distinctive Waray
traditions and readily accessible information have been included here due to lack
of data and limits of space and time. This attempt at consolidatingWaray cultural
information can perhaps serve as a springboard for a more appropriate framework
and for setting other possibilities in the study of Waray culture, its conservation
and advocacy. Magellan came to Samar and Limasawa, sailed on and was killed by
Lapu-lapu in Mactan. Bankaw of Limasawa and Sumuroy of Palapag and others
fought the cruel colonial masters for freedom. In humiliation for the U.S. army’s
“single worst defeat” in the annals of their war history, General Jacob Smith
retaliated and massacred the people of Samar, left, got court-martialed and is
unknown to the present-day Waray. The stories of the Waray people’s courage,
sacrifice, heroism and wisdom must be told, written and retold. Their weaknesses
as well as their strengths, too, must come to the fore of knowledge so that lessons
would be learned and better choices would be made for the future. This book is a
way of thanking the Waray whose contentment in a world of abundance and whose
love for their family, kin, friends and homeland kept them rooted. There has been
no massive Waray diaspora in the history of Philippine in- and out-migration as
there were Ilonggo, Ilokano, and Cebuano migrations to Mindanao in the
beginning of the 20
th century. Waves of Ilokanos, the quintessential adventurers, have ventured to
foreign shores. But, the Waray stayed. For how can one leave one’s home where
the land and sea are blessed with plenty and where one wakes up with precious
family? Only either Mother Nature’s wrath or human rapacity could destroy this
haven. And only one with innate wanderlust would leave it. The Waray have
stayed and have shared the blessings of their island home with Cebuanos and
Boholanos who now comprise a large part of Leyte. The Waray welcoming
warmth is disarming. Life here, among and with the Waray is, as Edilberto N.
Alegre puts it – “… as subtle as a soft drizzle in the early morning light”.

Religion

The Waray people are one of the most religious people in the Philippines. Most of
them belong to the Roman Catholic Church, while others belong to various
Christian denominations. A small percentage of the population practice other
religions – sometimes alongside Catholicism.

Religion Tradition
Culture