AnitoAnito, also spelled anitu, refers to ancestor spirits, nature spirits, and deities in the indigenous Philippine folk religions from the precolonial age to the present, although the term itself may have other meanings and associations depending on the Filipino ethnic group. It can also refer to carved humanoid figures, the taotao, made of wood, stone, or ivory, that represent these spirits. Anito (a term predominantly used in Luzon) is also sometimes known as diwata in certain ethnic groups (especially among Visayans).
Filipino shamansFilipino shamans, commonly known as babaylan (also balian or katalonan, among many other names), were shamans of the various ethnic groups of the pre-colonial Philippine islands. These shamans specialized in communicating, appeasing, or harnessing the spirits of the dead and the spirits of nature. They were almost always women or feminized men (asog or bayok). They were believed to have spirit guides, by which they could contact and interact with the spirits and deities (anito or diwata) and the spirit world.
Philippine mythologyPhilippine mythology is the body of stories and epics originating from, and part of, the indigenous Philippine folk religions, which include various ethnic faiths distinct from one another. Philippine mythology is incorporated from various sources, having similarities with Indonesian and Malay myths, as well as Hindu, Muslim, Shinto, Buddhist, and Christian traditions, such as the notion of heaven (kaluwalhatian, kalangitan, kamurawayan, etc.), hell (kasamaan, sulad, etc.), and the human soul (kaluluwa, kaulolan, makatu, ginokud, etc.
Troisième genrevignette|redresse|Anna P., qui vécut de nombreuses années sous une identité d'homme, prise en photo pour le livre de Magnus Hirschfeld, Sexual Intermediates, en 1922. Les termes de troisième sexe ou troisième genre qualifient soit un individu considéré comme n'étant ni femme ni homme, ou à la fois femme et homme, ou relevant d’une catégorie dite neutre ; soit un individu appartenant à une troisième catégorie sociale dans des sociétés dont la culture connaît trois genres ou plus.
