Visitors
to the Mount Pinatubo crater, often remark that beyond the beauty of
the Mount Pinatubo there is a sense of calm and serenity. Mount
Pinatubo has been the geographical center of the lands of the Aeta
people for centuries and is the focus of their beliefs. The Aeta form
part of the aboriginal population of the Philippines and are remnants
of an ancient Pre-Mongoloid population. They are an animistic people.
Animism is a philosophical, religious or spiritual idea that souls or
spirits exist not only in humans but also in animals, plants, rocks,
natural phenomena such as thunder, geographic features such as
mountains or rivers, or other entities of the natural environment.
Spirits of the Aeta's of Mount Pinatubo
The Aeta believe that they share their habitat at the foot of the volcano with numerous benevolent and evil spirits while their highest deity Apu Malyari ( also sometimes seen as Apo Namaylari) resides close to the summit of Mount Pinatubo. He does not live in one place but is an omnipresent thought out the countryside. The Aeta also revere the mountain as the abode of their ancestor's souls who have died peacefully. Manganitos, the seers and ritual specialist whom can talk to Apo Malyari sees Mount Pinatubo as the place of beginnings of their personal guardian spirits.
The Aeta believe in two types of spirits, the friendly ones called anitos and the evil counterparts known as kamanas. The anitos are benevolent spirits , live like human beings, occupies a place they call home and provide an helping hand when they can. However if you anger them or disturb their homes they will send disease and bad luck your way. Humans and anitos live together and humans will ask anitos their advise on matters concerning nature and the land. Humans and anitos communicate through dreams. Anitos can live inside of a human and in doing so becomes a guardian spirit.
The kamanas spirits will roam with no special place as home. They are known to send disease and death for no known reason. In the year prior to the eruption of Mount Pinatubo, Manganitos gathered to determine the reason for the volcano's unrest. It was generally understood that Apo Malyari was upset that the ecological balance of the area was out of balance due to humans abuse. According to the Manganitos one particular item that he was upset about was the drilling of some test bores by the Philippine National Oil Company in 1989. The company was exploring the possibility of tapping the Geo-thermal capability of the area. The Manganitos appeal to the Philippine government for a white cow to be sacrificed and offered to Apo Malyari. The government did not act upon the request.
Trekking
Mt. Pinatubo
As you trek to the area around Mount Pinatubo and you feel a sense of calm and peace , know that you are in the presence of Apo Malyari and the anitos of the Aeats.
The eruption in 1991 of Mount Pinatubo was one of the largest
eruptions in history. The damaged affected the lives of hundreds of
thousands of people and the effects of the ash cloud circled the earth.
The volcanic eruption and two typhoons that entered the area when the
volcano was erupting turned the breadbasket of the Philippines into
desolate waste land. The social and economic effects are still being
felt, but the natural healing is well on its way. The area is a
contrast between the dust and lahars in the scarcely vegetated flats
and river beds to the lush mountains sides with young trees and other
cover. The transition between the two is dramatic with signs of massive
erosion and towering cliffs. more information on
trekking Mt Pinatubo.