Abstract
This paper aims to show the centrality of the Ilokano indigenous term Nakem (will) as a hermeneutical key to ontological and ethnoreligious musing. It probes the echoes of the sacred in indigenous belief systems and practices as appropriating Christian religiosity. It attempts to rediscover the inherent echoes of the transcendent Nakem (Divine Will) in day-to-day Ilokano life as its epiphany. This paper focuses on the Christian religion but is mindful of the other indigenous expressions of believing in a transcendent God. It interprets the binding force that keeps the phrase “thy will be done” (matungpal koma ti nakemmo) as a fitting description of faith in Ilokano contemporary life.
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Notes
- 1.
Inculturation is sometimes mistaken as the same as enculturation. Enculturation is an anthropological-sociological concept that refers to the gradual process of acquisition of the characteristics and norms of a culture by a person or group or simply, the process in which one learns the tradition, practices and values of one culture. Another related term to inculturation is interculturation. In theological parlance, interculturation emphasizes the dynamic process of rapprochement of cultures in the Christian doing of mission.
- 2.
I used Ilokano spelled with ‘k’ than the Hispanized version “Ilocano” spelled with a “c” to refer to both the people and the language of the Ilocos region.
- 3.
Etymologically, Amianan (amian + an) comes from the root word amian, which refers to the northeasterly cold breeze that blows throughout the archipelago, which starts in the last quarter of the year and ends in the first quarter of the following year. Interestingly, the Tagalog/Filipino amihan is derived from the Ilokano amian.
- 4.
This new translation in Ilokano is the work of Ariel Sotelo Tabag with an insightful introduction by Junley Lorenzana Lazaga which establishes the distinctive features of the Ilokano indigenous belief system.
- 5.
This is the description of Aurelio S Agcaoili as the editor and translator of the Ilokano manuscript as he comes to terms with the text.
- 6.
This part of the book’s prologue was written by Alvin Gaerlan, the great-grandson of Don Gaerlan and the appointed caretaker of his manuscript—casaritaan ti biagko (The story of my life).
- 7.
I called emerging indigenous Ilokano philosophy “Nakem philosophy” to refer to Ilokano philosophers form of theorizing.
- 8.
PAR—“pennek” meaning to the full of one’s heart content.
- 9.
Karkama, a-alia, araria, and anioa-as refer to soul, spirit, or ghost, but they mean different things in different situations. Agcaoili sometimes refers to them as the four souls for the Ilokanos. Ama means father but is usually used to address the elements of nature, like ama daga. Kararua refers to the human soul or the spirit of a dead person. Atang refers to offerings of food or in kind to appease the spirits, and anghel refers to heavenly hosts, see Agcaoili et al. (2001).
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Alterado, D.S. (2023). Nakem and Echoes of the Sacred: An Onto-Religious Musing. In: Hongladarom, S., Joaquin, J.J., Hoffman, F.J. (eds) Philosophies of Appropriated Religions. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-99-5191-8_13
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