| Popis: |
In the Indo-Pacific region, there is a common myth about an ancestor drowning in the sea and being rescued by a shark. This paper mainly reports the totemistic beliefs about sharks in the myths that prevail even today among both the indigenous and Muslim people in the southern region of Palawan Island in the Philippines. In other words, this paper investigates the details of these totemistic beliefs on the Island. The main fieldwork for this research was conducted in 2010 through interviewing local people and conducting a questionnaire survey by visiting their households.The fieldwork revealed that five ethnic groups among the locals recognize four shark totems and do not hunt or eat these sharks. The Molbog from Balabac Island of Palawan Province said that the scalloped hammerhead is their totem. The Molbog from the Municipality of Bataraza recognize the giant guitarfish as their totem. The Pala’wan and the Panimusan recognize the zebra shark as their totem. Jama Mapun and Taosug also recognize the brown guitarfish or the great barracuda as their totem and consider it a taboo to eat them. Although drastic socio-ecological changes have transformed the ethnicity and religion of the people in Palawan Island, their beliefs regarding shark totems have persisted, and shark totems are considered a cultural norm. The paper concludes that shark totems remain meaningful even today as a source of identification among people in the acculturated social environment. In addition, they serve as reminders of the primary Filipino values before the introduction of monotheism to the nation. This study clarifies how shark totems can be key to a reconsideration of the social and cultural histories among the ethnic groups in southern Palawan Island and contribute to understanding their thinking and living. However, a limitation of the study is that it could not clarify why shark totems differed by hierarchy of ethnic groups in the local history of the area and the socio-cultural meaning underlying this. |
