Larawan ng Cama-cama Bilang Filipino: Ang Imahen ng Nacion ni Adelina Gurrea. (Pilipino)

Adelina Gurrea's "La Leyenda del Cama-cama," a framed story in Cuentos de Juana tells how the relationship of the boy Ino-Dactu and the heron Mahamut eventually led to the existence of the cama-cama, a dwarf that is half-human and half-heron. By initially studying the main characters of the story subjected to analysis, this paper explores the idea of the nacion expressed in Gurrea's cama-cama, interpreted as the conclusion of the implicit dungan contest between Ino-Dactu and Mahamut--with the former depicting the flitting Filipino [identity] that changes from time to time and the latter embodying the anxiety of foreign influence and perhaps the [passive] aggression of colonialism, fondly called benevolent assimilation. Like the spectre of comparisons, the human-heron hybrid, heirs of Ino-Dactu and Mahamut born during the Philippine pre-colonial period, continues to haunt and to shape the neocolonial present's nation--as institutions of the country remain possessed by the modern cama-cama. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Humanities Diliman is the property of University of the Philippines - Diliman and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)