An ancient writing system from the Philippines makes an unlikely comeback

One glance at Filipino social media and you will find a recurrent set of waves, twists and inverted heart shapes.

One glance at Filipino social media and you will find a recurrent set of waves, twists and inverted heart shapes. They’re more than just symbols — they’re part of the 17-character writing system called Baybayin, which is making a comeback after hundreds of years. 

The ancient script can now be found on streetwear and trendy booze, in card games and tattoos and even on Filipina American singer H.E.R.’s attire. 

Filipino singer H.E.R. performs in "Beauty and the Beast: A 30th Celebration."Christopher Willard / ABC via Getty ImagesWhen the Spanish colonized the Southeast Asian archipelago, they instructed Filipinos to use the Latin alphabet, and Baybayin, the written component of Tagalog, the national language of the Philippines, fell out of use. But over the past two decades, young people, artists and many among the Filipino diaspora are looking to re-establish a sense of cultural pride, and they have started a movement to bring it back to life. 

For Jay Enage, 50, one of the few Baybayin instructors in the country, the language is a crucial puzzle piece to Filipino identity. 

“The writing is visual. So that’s why it’s powerful. Because when you write something, what you say becomes record, it becomes document, and it becomes permanent,” he said. 

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/asian-america/ancient-writing-system-philippines-makes-unlikely-comeback-rcna84920


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Updated: 10 months ago
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