![Datu and binokot (Principalia) - Philippines (c](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/3e/Datu_and_binokot_%28Principalia%29_-_Philippines_%28c.1668%29.jpg)
Binukot, also spelled Binokot, is a pre-colonial
Visayan
Visayans (Visayan: ''mga Bisaya''; ) or Visayan people are a Philippine ethnolinguistic group or metaethnicity native to the Visayas, the southernmost islands of Luzon and a significant portion of Mindanao. When taken as a single ethnic group, ...
tradition from the
Philippines
The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no),
* bik, Republika kan Filipinas
* ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas
* cbk, República de Filipinas
* hil, Republ ...
that secludes a young woman with the expectation that seclusion will result in a higher value placed on the girl by marital suitors in the future. It originally applied to young
noblewomen
Nobility is a social class found in many societies that have an aristocracy. It is normally ranked immediately below royalty. Nobility has often been an estate of the realm with many exclusive functions and characteristics. The characteristi ...
. The name literally means "wrapped up" or "veiled" in
Visayan languages
The Bisayan languages or Visayan languages are a subgroup of the Austronesian languages spoken in the languages of the Philippines, Philippines. They are most closely related to Tagalog language, Tagalog and the Bikol languages, all of which ar ...
, in the sense of seclusion.
The practice survived until recently among the
Sulodnon (Panay Bukidnon) people, descendants of ancient Visayans who escaped Spanish conversion. They kept women from the public eye beginning in childhood.
Most Binukot are unmarried for their entire life, however, if a binukot is married, she will immediately become a Nabukot (one who was a Binukot). A man marrying a Binukot should possess a hard-working and loving nature and has the capability to love, cherish, and treasure his wife for all of time as the Binukot that would turn into a Nabukot has no knowledge in caring for herself as she is usually raised and supported for the entirety of her life. The Binukot and Nabukot are both major cultural bearers of the Panay Bukidnon people as they have a vast knowledge on their people's epics, which is their expertise, along with the traditional practices of a Binukot.
Etymology
''Binukot'', when used as an adjective, means "wrapped up", "confined," "secluded," or "restricted" in
Visayan languages
The Bisayan languages or Visayan languages are a subgroup of the Austronesian languages spoken in the languages of the Philippines, Philippines. They are most closely related to Tagalog language, Tagalog and the Bikol languages, all of which ar ...
. Its root word, ''bukot'', means "to cover or swaddle oneself
ith cloth
The Ith () is a ridge in Germany's Central Uplands which is up to 439 m high. It lies about 40 km southwest of Hanover and, at 22 kilometres, is the longest line of crags in North Germany.
Geography
Location
The Ith is immediatel ...
"
The Practice
![Native of Visayan origin](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/70/Native_of_Visayan_origin.jpg)
Binukot is a pre-Hispanic practice in the Philippine archipelago that is still practiced. A tribe or community deems a girl worthy of being secluded in order to protect them so they gain cultural prestige and are more appealing to high-class suitors. The chosen one is secluded, well-kept, pampered, treasured, and to some level revered.
A Binukot is secluded by her parents at the age of three or four. The Binukot is not exposed to sun or allowed to work and is accompanied by her parents when she bathes. This practice results in a fair, frail, fine-complexioned, and long-haired woman. At home, her parents and grandparents entertain her with oral lore and traditional dances. This traditional entertainment can make a Binukot a proficient chanter and knowledgeable in oral history.
Traditionally, a Binukot must not be seen by any man from childhood until puberty. Only family members and female servants, called ''apid,'' may come face-to-face with her. She often bathes in the evening in order to keep her away from men’s eyes, as well as to shield her from the sun. A makeshift enclosure may also be made for her to bathe in the river for the same purpose. Men can be punished by death if they look at a female Binukot without authorization.
The Binukot is not allowed to do heavy work but may weave in her room. She is provided with female servants to do other work for her.
When a Binukot is ready for marriage, often at age 13 or 14 or younger, her parents ask for a high ''pangayu'' (
Hiligaynon:
bride price
Bride price, bride-dowry (Mahr in Islam), bride-wealth, or bride token, is money, property, or other form of wealth paid by a groom or his family to the woman or the family of the woman he will be married to or is just about to marry. Bride dow ...
or
dowry
A dowry is a payment, such as property or money, paid by the bride's family to the groom or his family at the time of marriage. Dowry contrasts with the related concepts of bride price and dower. While bride price or bride service is a payment b ...
) from the family of the suitor. A Binukot with high ''pangayu'' often brings prestige to a family. Even when a suitor visits a Binukot, the parents of the Binukot entertain the suitor and she is kept inside her room—but she can show the tip of her fingernail.
Image of a Binukot
Binukotan (plural for binukot) are described in epics and tales using metaphors such as "visage of the sun," "appeared like the sun," "shone like a star," "pale as the moon," and "incomparably beautiful," which suggests that the Binukot is a standard of aesthetic beauty.
A Binukot is said to be the most beautiful maiden in her community. She has a fair to white complexion and dresses in ankle length skirts and long-sleeved blouses that appear to be richly embroidered (''Panubok'') at the collar, cuffs, and hem.
The Binukot of Panay-Bukidnon wears jewelry made from Spanish coins that are strung together and called ''biningkit''. A waistband of coins is called a ''wagkus'', and a headdress of coins is known as a ''pundong''.
Known Binukotan
* Hugan-an – Met by
F. Landa Jocano. She retold the 30-hour-long
Hinilawod
Hinilawod is an Epic poetry, epic poem oral tradition, orally transmitted from early inhabitants of a place called Sulod in central Panay, Philippines. The term "Hinilawod" generally translates to "Tales From The Mouth of The Halawod River". Th ...
epic.
* Anggoran (Christian name: Preciosa “Susa” Caballero) – Met by
Alicia P. Magos. Retold 2 epics.
* Lola Elena Gardoce
* Conchita Gilbaliga
Further reading
:
References
{{reflist
Filipino culture
The culture of the Philippines is characterized by cultural diversity. Although the Ethnic groups in the Philippines, multiple ethnic groups of the Philippine archipelago have only recently established a shared Filipinos, Filipino Filipino natio ...
Culture of Iloilo