14/02/2022
Kasaysayan Snapshot #3: Bahay Kubo and Bayanihan
Many of us are familiar with the song of the same name, sometimes being one of the first Filipino songs we learn as kids. The bahay kubo is a stilt house indigenous to the Philippines. It is made of organic materials and is usually elevated, mainly for climate or superstitious reasons. Our illustration shows a simple structure of the bahay kubo.
The batalan is the open porch that is at the entrance of the bahay kubo. Dinging or walls are generally made of amakan, a type of flattened bamboo that is light enough to let some coolness flow naturally through them during hot times and keep warmth in during the cold wet season. The silong is the area underneath the elevated dwelling, where some families grow vegetables, raise animals, or use for storage. The haligi are the posts that hold up the bahay, and are usually built well into the ground. The bubong (roof) is usually made of nipa palm or cogon grass. The main living area inside is called the solid, and is a common living area used as the lounge, kitchen and bedroom all in one. If you’ve ever slept on a banig (weaved mat) with your whole family, it’s a product of our longstanding cultural traditions!
We attribute the bahay kubo to our kartilya of Bayanihan as it regularly represents this Filipino value - a spirit of communal unity or effort to achieve an objective. The word comes from ‘bayan’ - meaning nation/town/community. This is physically embodied in the act of bayanihan itself, wherein a community works together to move a family's bahay kubo to a new location. But bayanihan is a spirit that we, as Filipinos, can embody with everything we do. To work together for our community at the bansa or barangay level.
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