Baybayin and Art Evokes Deeper Meaning

Baybayin is an ancient Filipino script used by the natives before the Spanish time.   When the Spanish occupied the Philippines, they destroyed a lot of the artifacts and literatures written in baybayin.  Now there are very few baybayin artifacts left because of it.  In addition, baybayin where written in materials that did not preserve very well.

Learn more about the ancient Filipino sript called Baybayin from http://www.baybayin.com/ .  

By itself baybayin is beatiful.  But what if they can be incorporated in recognizable forms to create a unique art  and to evoke deeper meaning.   Found these awesome works from Tony Fajarillo, a baybayin artist, through Facebook, and gave me permission to share his works below:

This piece says "matapang", which means brave, fierce, or fearless.    Tony added the sharks head, tail, and fin to form  a shark or "pating".   It is known that sharks are predators of the see.  They don't fear anything.   This piece also symbolizes Filipinos, since they are brave individuals and often fearless.

This piece says "matibay", which means tough or  hardy.     Tony artistically added the legs and horn to form a "kalabaw".  Kalabaw or Carabao is a Philippine water buffalo.  They have been domesticated to use for plowing rice fields or to pull carts.  They are tough animals and hard working.  During the pre-colonial days, the Filipinos used their tough hide as armours.   This work symbolizes a true Filipino - Matibay - Tough and Hardworking.

Here's another website I found related to baybayin with videos:  http://wn.com/Tagalog's_Baybayin_script.