Bryan L.

Viray 1 Despedida (& other forms of pakain) as Gift

My attempt to discuss the gift of Marcel Mauss is through despedida parties & other forms of pakain. Pakain is very evident in everyday ritual of Filipinos, especially when we welcome visitors. The element of food is somehow the linking factor for us Filipinos to gather and celebrate. This is usually actualize in our fiestas, reunions, birthday parties, among others. Despedida, I think is a common form for Filipinos to articulate their happiness and excitement for the one who is leaving not because we are saying goodbye forever, but to let him/her feel that we would wait for his/her return. I will narrate my own narratives regarding despedida. These narratives are brief accounts set in a very particular locale, thus, the paper will just present a microscopic instance of a despedida among Filipinos. Through these narratives, I attempt to pinpoint Mauss definition of gift as total prestations.i Last October 2009, our Theatre Research class together with the System Information Office (SIO) hosted a despedida party for our adviser-teacher Prof. Sir Anril Tiatco since he has to study in NUS for his dissertation. I and my classmates brought food spaghetti, barbecue, buko pie, cakes, softdrinks, and the SIO staff even rented a videoke, since Prof. Tiatco is into videoke singing. That day was also our chance to say thank you to our teacher for almost six semesters we have had. We were saddened because he has to leave UP for five years, hence, we would not hear his lectures anymore. As a sign of my gratitude and pabaon, I gave him a morion mask from the province of Marinduque. That mask is sort of an additional for his mask collection. I remember, we signed and gave goodbye messages in a tarpaulin with his picture posted in a wall. This was my first experience hosting a despedida for a very close friend and mentor. Two of my friends, Lucky and Joseph have to leave for a vacation in Netherlands and a study tour in Paris, respectively. We again hosted a very simple kainan, a sort of despedida. Luckys

Bryan L. Viray 2 Despedida (& other forms of pakain) as Gift

despedida was celebrated in her place while Josephs was in Venetto restaurant in Visayas Avenue. Same ritual of food preparation and eating, memories recollection, messages of pabaon & paalaala, and wishes for pasalubong were done. We even had picture taking for memorabilia. I remember one of the guests saying, Oh, wag kakalimutan ang pasalubong namin, kahit isang book na artsy fartsynagdala ako ng ice cream at palaging present sa mga despedida party! Last September 2011, the UP Center for International Studies collaborated with Osaka University for a conference called Global Collaborations: A Conference on Natural Disasters. Prior to this conference, the CIS through the support of the Office of the Chancellor, hosted a welcome dinner for the graduate students and faculty from the Osaka University. This welcome dinner was held at the Balay Kalinaw. CIS faculty and friends, some University officials, and students were there to welcome the Japanese delegates. That welcome dinner provided an opportunity for us to know the guests, and establish more connection. At the end of the conference before the Japanese left, CIS again hosted for their despedida a thank you dinner. Last week, Prof. Josefina Estrella, together with her team visited UP Los Baos for a meeting with the Department of Computer Science faculty for a possible collaboration. When we arrived, the faculty members welcomed us and explained the software that would be used for the production. We had exchanges of questions and answers regarding the software and program. I even played the software together with one of the faculty. We were surprised because we did not expect for a lunch, since, we intended to go there just for a meeting. I remember Prof. Estrella saying, Nakakahiya naman, kami na nga ang nang-abala, kami pa ang papakainin ninyo.Minsan lang naman po ito, pero sabihan ninyo kami agad kung bibisita ulet kayo para makapaghanda, one of the hosts replied.

Bryan L. Viray 3 Despedida (& other forms of pakain) as Gift

After the lunch-meeting, they even gave us tico berries (rambutan fruits) as pabaon and Kuya Manny (production manager) even requested for different varieties of plant and promised to the grandmother (the owner of the house) that he would bring another plant when we visit them again. Going back to some tenetsii of Marcel Mauss gift, we can frame the given narratives as part of the so called total social phenomena in a sense that despedida can be considered as mechanism for social integration. When we say total social phenomena, Mauss is offering at least two objectives: (1) to link the individual and social, specific and general, structure and process; (2) to analyze diverse but concrete social phenomena. Let me use the first objective to clarify despedida as a total social phenomena. Through the elements found in despedida party itself food & drinks, chit chat & laughter, memories recollection, wishes & expectations, together with the individuals attending this event, there is this sense of bond & tie. The despedida is the main process to help individuals in establishing and transforming their specific agendas into a general and more social schema. Nevertheless, the establishment of that social schema is examined/tested/evaluated through that despedida or gift too. For example, our visit to UP Los Baos might give us an impression not only on the main agenda (which is to see the software) but most importantly, on how they (the faculty and other individuals) negotiate or transact certain business. And this is the second objective of Mauss gift studying the dynamics of contracts between groups. The lunch we had, the gift, is not the main objective of the meeting. Or in Japanese delegates case, the welcome and despedida dinner is not their main agenda. As a matter of fact, we can even just say or text Prof. Tiatco, Lucky, and Joseph goodbye and ingat. Thus, this pakain seems like a voluntary deed by the host. The question is, why is it important for the host to offer

Bryan L. Viray 4 Despedida (& other forms of pakain) as Gift

this kind of pakain or despedida? This is their subtle way of saying that you are obliged to repay or to give back in exchange of our giving. This is best explained by Mauss triad of obligations: (1) to give, (2) to receive; & (3) to repay. In the event of homecomings or the return of Prof. Tiatco, Lucky, Joseph, the Japanese delegates, and Prof. Estrellas company, the host is somehow expecting for another exchanges or reciprocal gifts, for these individual transactions would be able to be socially integrated. The morion mask is somehow a sign of another pasalubong; the cake is waiting for a repay through that artsy farsty book; the welcome & despedida dinner for Japanese is like saying that they are required also to welcome us when we go to Japan; or the rambutan fruits and plants as pabaon would be repaid through another variety of plant or in fact to push through for that collaboration work. These exchanges of pabaon & pasalubong are manifestations of repaying and giving back. Accordingly, despedida or gift is a total social phenomena that is actualized through a never-ending and obligated exchanges or giving.
i

According to Mauss, Gift is a cross-cultural assay of an institution. He calls this as total prestations: exchanges that may appear to be voluntary but in fact are obligatory and reinforced by recognized sanctions.
ii

Basic tenets of Marcel Mauss Gift are adopted from Moore, Jerry D. 2009. Visions of Culture: An Introduction to Anthropological Theories and Theorists, Third Edition. United Kingdom: AltaMira Press. pp 121-133.