The online traditional Baybayin translator v.1version is now live for everyone. It’s easy to use, just enter your words and hit the TRANSLATE button. For best results, use the Firefox (free) browser. Remember this is only v.1 and there might be some bugs. (more info about the translator)
Supporting Baybayin tutorials
Contact me with any feedback or questions about this program. Salamat!
Philippine actor/director Cesar Montano is planning to make a movie about the Dagohoy Rebellion and Eskaya.
Cesar is excited about a new project that he is willing to do this year even if he wouldn’t get any support from any big film outfits.
“I’m interested to do the [movie on] Francisco Dagohoy, kasi talagang taga-Bohol ’yun. Si Francisco Dagohoy, led the longest revolt in the Philippines, his story is part of our history. Another one is Eskaya, parang alibata ’yan… Alibata [a pre-Spanish writing system] from Luzon, Eskaya from the south,” Cesar discussed.
Eskaya, which Cesar is very excited about, is actually a name of an indigenous group found in the mountainous area of Bohol. Its language Eskayan interestingly has no clear relationship with any known language.
“Many people think that early Filipinos were illiterate. They didn’t know that Filipinos could communicate, we could write, we could read already, even before, way before the Spanish came to the Philippines. We need to share this to the world. I’m thinking of doing it this year, kahit indie I will do it, the Philippines has to do it,” the determined actor said.
An example of the Eskaya script
I ate at Jollibee the other day. The J character is not present in Baybayin. One technique to get the J sound is to combine characters. In the example below, I use the DA & YA characters with kudlits making it DI-YO-LE-BE. One could have also used a combination of a vowel cancellation D & YA to get the sound. Depending on the word, the HA or even GA could be used.
Came across some Baybayin tattoo work from Ryan Anthony Saltiga. Below is what appears to be Pamilya translated to PA-MI-L-YA. Instead of using a + or x under the LA character (3rd one down), he uses a kudlit above and below it. Interesting method. He has some other work with this style that I couldn’t figure out the translation.
My friend Andrea asked that I make a design for her son Trenton. Another way could have been without using cancellation kudlits TA-DE-TO. This is a new style I’m working on that’s difficult to emulate using a computer. Had to go back to my roots.
This is a test post from my iPhone
Christine Balza of Suku-Art and I got featured in the Times-Herald.
Even those in the Philippines don’t really know much about it, said Christian Cabuay, a Walnut Creek resident who runs the Web site http://www.baybayin.com. He attended high school in the United States and college in the Philippines.
But thanks to the Internet, both Cabuay and Balza, who runs the Web site http://www.suku-art.com, said they are seeing an explosion of interest in Baybayin.
The interest is particularly sharp among Filipino-Americans like Balza and Cabuay, they said.
“We’re out here trying to find identity,” Cabuay said as immigrants and children of immigrants try to reconcile their old heritage with an American one.
The popularity is especially felt among the tattooing community, said Cabuay, who sports a few Baybayin tattoos and offers tattoo designs at http://www.PinoyTattoos.com.
I started making this skull during Araw ng mga patay last year. Once the Baybayin is complete, I’ll post an updated photo.
Is that Microsoft Word? Yeah it is. Coming soon…..subscribe to the mailing list for news when it drops and a special offer.
Kristian Kabuay 