Mayari: Goddess of War and Revolution

The final instalment of the Goddess Mayari, is dedicated to her watch over Combat and Revolution.

The title of this piece is Kartilya ng Buwan, which is a take on the Katipunan's primer book called Kartilya ng Katipunan, written by national heroes Andres Bonifacio and Emilio Jacinto and a salute to Mayari being the primary goddess of the moon. The heading at the top of the artwork states "pakikipaglaban para sa kalayaan" which translates to "fighting for freedom", as the Spanish ruled over the Philippines since 1521. In this composition, Mayari is dressed as a Katipunan soldier. As Mayari is the Goddess of Combat and Revolution, it was important to depict her not just as a tribal figure, that us at Malyari have illustrated her as since the beginning of this brief. The Philippines as you know and may have read on our previous blog posts, has very large and diverse cultures and background that we have paid a lot of homage to in our art, yet one thing that unites the peninsula despite its tragic origins and violent nature, is the Philippine Revolution from 1896 to 1898.

The Katipunan, which is a shorter version of 'Kataas-taasang, Kagalang-galangang Katipunan ng mga Anak ng Bayan' which means 'Supreme and Venerable Association of the Children of the Nation' in English, was originally a secret revolutionary society founded in 1892 by the Filipino elite to fight against Spanish colonialism. The Philippine Revolution in the country's history was the re-awakening of Filipino nationalism. In 1989, Spain conceded their rule over the Philippines to the USA, who ruled over the Philippines until the end of WWII. Unfortunately, the Filipino nation has not been successful in combatting colonial rule and the trans-generational mentality that was manufactured, trickling down into the Philippines we we know today. Despite the revolution's failure to freedom, Mayari as a Katipunan soldier is a way to keep the ideologies of the Katipunan's resistance, and a reminder to us all that the fight still continues.

We hope you enjoyed our brief this month and the art that has been released.

As next month's theme will be based on some of the forgotten, maybe cute, mostly weird COURTSHIP rituals around the Philippines. If you have any ideas for the following months themes, our would like to submit some art then please let us know! And follow us @malyaritribe to stay updated.