What we should know about Amaya of GMA7

Amaya is one show that I really love watching every day after getting a glimpse of it last week. I have learned loads of stuff and it's very educational and entertaining at the same time. I admit that History is not one of my favorite subjects in school and learning different things in Amaya makes me amazed. I only watched Korean series Jumong and Jewel in the Palace and they are my favorite series, but I admit that I am really wishing that Philippines can have its own series which we can be proud of. I am not really fond of watching  Pinoy shows except for TV5 shows and news each day, but watching Amaya is something that I want to watch now considering that I am learning new things every time I watched it.


While browsing the net I come across this documentary of  Kara David which feature the Binukot Princess. I didn't know that they exist until Amaya was shown in TV.

Binukot in Amaya - meaning kept in a closed place. She is said to be very beautiful and fair skinned. She is kept from the public eye since early childhood and only members of the immediate family can see her. A binukot is not allowed to work or do household chores. Her feet are not allowed to touch the ground and she is not exposed to the sun. During her seclusion, she learns embroidery, traditional dancing and playing musical instruments. She also memorizes long tales making her a very good epic chanter. She is groomed to perfection by her family members so they can ask for a high bride price when she reaches the marrying age. She is auctioned to the highest bidder but he may not see her until after their wedding.

For those who watch Amaya you might have seen the Karakoa and here is what we should learn about it

Karakoa is a double ended cruiser with an elevated fighting deck and catwalks on its outriggers. It could hold as many as six banks of rowers. It is a warship used by the Pintados tribe of Visayas during Pre-spanish era.

Another thing that we can see in Amaya is the belief  of our people in  Animism - from the Latin word anima which means breath or soul. It is the belief in spiritual beings. Animists believe that spirits or souls exist; they picture souls as phantoms or shadows which shifts from person to person or from dead to living. They believe that spirits dwell within human beings, animals, plants,lifeless objects, mountains, rivers and other entities of the natural environment. It observes both the physical and spiritual world. In Animism, man is equal to the nature; therefore, he should treat other entities with respect. 

Animism can be widely found on religions of indigenous people. It is the spirituality that existed before the advent of world religions. It share vital similarities with other religions such as the belief on the existence of the spiritual and physical world; prayers and offerings to communicate with the spiritual world; shamans or Babaylans to help communicate with the spirits; and the belief on a Sky God [ex. Kaptan of Visayas counterpart of Bathala of the Tagalogs, and Kanlaon] who is the creator and supreme ruler of all the other spirits. 

Many of us didn't know that  Bagani means a formidable leader, a man of dignity, a warrior who killed more than one enemy, and a Hero. 

It is a warrior class. A Bagani has his own warriors called the maniklads. They fight for their community. To become a Bagani one should be brave, physically strong and he should be a son of a former Bagani. To become a Bagani, he should kill atleast 5 men in a battle. 

You can watch Amaya everyday in GMA7 

source: Amaya Page GMA7 Facebook