On the Visayan Society

NATURAL SCIENCE Visayan society knew no schools or classrooms and because of this children became functioning adults through informal instructions within the family. In the fields of morals, most communities recognized some wise and persuasive elder as a king of pastor, PARAWALI-probably from Malay-Arabic WALI, “saint” who gave advice in household gatherings.
Knowledge about the physical environment was learned from the parents. o the movement of heavenly bodies and change of seasons o the direction of winds and recognition of storm signals o the nature and habits of different species in the animal kingdom
(All such knowledge might be called NATURAL SCIENCE.)
ENVIRONMENT
The Visayas called their natural environment banwa, which meant mountains, countryside, terrain, climate, and homeland. During the colonial time the meaning was extended to mean town.
Ex: “Naga binawa kami pag pakaon sa Hokom”
[We supply the alcalde (The mayor or chief judicial official of a Spanish town) with food, town by town in turn] o banwaan- overgrown o napabanwa- gone to the hills o binmanwa- a man who could take care of himself in the wild o banwaanun or tagubanwa- mountain dwelling spirit
The banwa covered every island from sea to sea including mangroves growing in salt water. Spanish explorers were often unable to see costal villages for the trees. A small Visayan population cut its settlement rather precariously out of this banwa but neither destroyed nor tamed it voracious vegetation was always ready to reclaim their fields and gardens as its crocodiles and pythons were ready to prey on their children and live stock.
The Visayan child probably learned names and characteristics of wildlife from comparisons with human behavior. People who affected gaudy clothes were said to be like the brilliant big kakanog butterflies, evil omens that brought swiddening activities to a halt and abandonment of the