Lakambini Y El Dragón Río | Lakan Y Las Aves Guerra

I fixed it.

AHHH I have three thesis proposals due in 11 days! I already know that thematically I want to explore Asian and Asian American representation in popular American media, but still have to narrow it down.

Here’s some quick character sketches from one of my ideas. I was looking up Filipino legends and found the story of Mariang Sinukuan, a diwata or mountain fairy. She got a little bit of an attitude the more I drew her which is not completely inaccurate based on the stuff I read about her, haha. I might end up doing a big visual development project on her for thesis, but we’ll see how the other two proposals pan out first!

filipiniana but make it moth 

Oh the drama

*LATE POST*

meet “Tisay” . Filipina “Snow White” . People call her Tisay (slang for Mestiza) because of her fair white skin and she’s actually the only Mestiza in her town.

Tres Marias: The Mountain Diwatafolk of Las Islas

Maria Sinukuan The eldest of the Three Diwata sisters and protector of her domain, Mount Arayat. One of her legend tells that she had a demon suitor who desired her hand. She gave him a test to prove his worth – to build a stone bridge without any support overnight. When the demon has almost accomplished his task, Sinukuan sabotaged the test by telling the rooster to crow early before dawn. The demon gave up, thinking that he failed.

Maria Cacao

The second of the Diwata sisters and protector of the Visayan dark woods where Chocolate Trees grow. It was believed that when the river overflows, Cacao is travelling through the river on a golden barge to personally deliver dark fruits to the river gods.

Maria Makiling The protector of her domain, Mount Makiling and the youngest among the Diwata sisters. She was also the most popular because she was more benevolent and curious of people than her sisters. She once fell in love with a hunter that caused wrath from Sinukuan. Her eldest sister reminded her of their duty as a Diwata and falling in love means leaving their mountain domains vulnerable. After realizing that the mountain needs her more, she appeared to the hunter one night – to break his heart. The unbearable pain in her heart caused her to vanish and never appeared to anyone from then on.

A speedy doodle.

I’m quite rusty.

Maria Cacao, Maria Sinukuan and Maria Makiling

✨️📸🇵🇭 Celebrating and honoring our culture and the ancestors through cultural heritage photoshoots.

Here are some photos from a photoshoot I did in the San Francisco Botanical Gardens with a client of mine, Jacqueline, back in November. Together, we honored her Tagalog ancestors by doing a pre-colonial look.

I chose to use this location, as there are several balete trees in the gardens. The balete tree is steeped in Filipino folklore and beliefs, across the islands and different ethnic groups.

During my photoshoots, I tell my clients to bring an atang, a food offering, for their ancestors. For Jacqueline, she gave the offering underneath the balete tree, a perfect place to give them, as the balete tree is believed to be the home of the spirits, and was the place where the katalonan (the term for the Tagalog priestess) would go to do their maganito, (rituals).

For one of the photos, we decided to try and recreate one of the poses of an illustration of a Tagalog woman in the Boxer Codex manuscript.

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✨️Interested in booking a session? Visit my website and fill out my form. Check below for my booking dates.

https://thepinayphotographer.mypixieset.com/contact/

✨️BOOKING DATES!✨️

Jan 10-February 13: NYC

February 24-26: Las Vegas

March 14-16: San Francisco/Daly City/Bay Area

March 19-21: Los Angeles

April 4-6: Chicago

April 11-19: NYC

April 27-28: Boston

May 1-19: NYC

May 23-25: Washington D.C.

@femmefatalenet | event thirteen: one year celebration | maria makiling

Guardian of the mountain in Philippine mythology

She is responsible for protecting its bounty and acts as benefactor for the townspeople who depend upon the mountain’s resources.