Known as the Queen of Cebu, this mysterious, leading woman was the wife of Rajah Humabon, the ruler of Cebu during the time of the arrival of Portuguese explorer, Ferdinand Magellan, and his crew in the year of 1521. Stories of her come from both fact and myth, handed down from generation to generation. Her real name is up to debate with no concrete written record of it. Some say her name was Hara Humamay/Humahay, Hara being the native term for a female ruler. Others however say instead of Humamay, her name was Amihan.
These two prominent names are not written in any of the records of this Cebu queen however, and thus is based on oral history that have been passed down through Cebuano’s. Whether she was really named Humamay, Amihan, was known by both names, or neither, we can discuss that forever. However, we do know that she in fact existed based on historical accounts and descriptions of her, and that she witnessed the arrival of Magellan and the first Spaniards to the islands of what would later collectively be known as the Philippines.
There are very few references of Hara Humamay to get a detailed look into who she was other than being the wife of Rajah Humabon. Because of this the mystery of her life is something historians and curious minded people like myself will continue to ponder upon. But lets take a look at what is written of her.
The only descriptive account of Hara Humamay is through Antonio Pigafetta’s writings of her in his Primo viaggrio intorno al mondo (1524). Antonio Pigafetta was an Italian scholar and explorer who was Ferdinand Magellan’s assistant and chronicler by order of the King of Spain, Charles I. He was with Magellan when they arrived in Cebu on April 1521 and witnessed the events first hand. Pigafetta was also one of the very few survivors after the Battle of Mactan and on their journey back to Spain.
Lets look at the written account by Antonio Pigafetta on Hara Humamay.
“After dinner the priest and some of the others went ashore to baptize the queen, who came with forty women. We conducted her to the platform, and she was made to sit down upon a cushion, and the other women near her, until the priest should be ready.
She was shown an image of our Lady, a very beautiful wooden child Jesus, and a cross. Thereupon, she was overcome with contrition, and asked for baptism amid her tears. We named her Juana, after the emperors mothers; her daughter, the wife of the prince, Catherina; the queen of Mazua, Lisabeta; and the others, each their distinctive name. Counting men, women, and children, we baptized eight hundred souls.
The queen was young and beautiful, and was entirely covered with a white and black cloth. Her mouth and nails were very red, while on her head she wore a large hat of palm leaves in the manner of a parasol, with a crown about it of the same leaves, like the tiara of the pope; and she never goes any place without such a one. She asked us to giver her the little child Jesus to keep in place of her idols; and then she went away.
In the afternoon, the king and queen, accompanied by numerous persons, came to the shore. Thereupon, the captain had many trombs of fire and large mortars discharged, by which they were most highly delighted. The captain and the king called one another brothers. That king’s name was Raia Humabon. Before that week had gone, all the persons of that island, and some from the other island, were baptized. We burned one hamlet which was located in a neighboring island, because it refused to obey the king or us. We set up the cross there for those people were heathen. Had they been Moros, we would have erected a column there as a token of greater hardness, for the Moros are much harder to convert than the heathen.”
– Primo viaggrio intorno al mondo by Antonio Pigafetta (1524)
Here we see a description of Hara Humamay as described by Pigafetta. He discusses that she wore white and black clothing and that her nails and lips were red. In William Henry Scott’s book, Barangay Sixteenth-Century Philippine Culture & Society, he mentions that kaso flowers were used to decorate both the teeth and nails a deep red color. This plant is known as kasopangil in Tagalog and it is part of the genus Clerodendrum. In English these flowers are known as pagoda flowers. They are found throughout the Philippines and the particular species mentioned have bright red flowers.
Pigafetta further describes that Hara Humamay wore “a large hat of palm leaves in the manner of a parasol, with a crown about it of the same leaves“. He is actually describing the conical hat in the Philippines known as a salakot. Salakot is the Tagalog term for this hat, which today is commonly made with rattan or pandan leaves. In Cebu and other parts of the Bisayas, the term for these hats is saruk. They are still made and worn today, and are intricately woven with pandan, cacao, or banana leaves.
This next passage is the last mention of Hara Humamay. It describes her and her procession of women following her as they went to attend the mass being held. Here she once again is dressed in black and white while wearing a large silk scarf with gold stripes that went over her head and covered her shoulders. The scarf described is most likely of the hablon, a type of weaved fabric often woven with stripes, that is found in Cebu and other parts of the Bisayas.
“The captain-general went ashore daily during those days to hear mass, and told the king many things regarding the faith. One day the queen came with great pomp to hear mass. Three girls preceded her with three of her hats in their hands. She was dressed in black and white with a large silk scarf, crossed with gold stripes thrown over her head, which covered her shoulders; and she had on her hat. A great number of women accompanied her, who were all naked and barefoot, except that they had a small covering of palm-tree cloth before their privies, and a small scarf upon the head, and all with hair flowing free. The queen, having made the due reverence to the altar, seated herself on a silk embroidered cushion. Before the commencement of the mass, the captain sprayed her and some of her women with musk rosewater, for they delighted exceedingly in such perfumes. The captain knowing that the queen was very much pleased with the child Jesus, gave it to her, telling her to keep it in place of her idols, for it was in memory of the son of God. Thanking him heartily she accepted it.”
– Primo viaggrio intorno al mondo by Antonio Pigafetta (1524)
Other than these passage not much else is known about her. This is just a glimpse of who she was and one can only imagine the presence she had in Cebu based on the accounts. Today she is still remembered and celebrated among Cebuanos, especially during the Sinulog festival, through dances representing her reverence to the Santo Nino.
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