Damiana Eugenio
Encyclopedia
Damiana L. Eugenio is a Filipino
female author and professor who is known as the Mother of Philippine Folklore, a title she received in 1986. Apart from teaching at the University of the Philippines
, she has several publications in the field of Philippine folklore, among them is a series of seven books which she compiled and edited.
from Mount Holyoke College
, Massachusetts
, and her Ph.D. degree from the University of California
in Los Angeles
, where she made studies regarding folklore
. She is a professor at the Department of English and Comparative Literature for the College of Arts and Letters at the University of the Philippines
in Diliman, Quezon City
. She also held the office of vice president for the External Affairs of the Philippine Folklore Society, was previously a chairman of the Division of Humanities, and corporate secretary of the National Research Council of the Philippines (NCRP).
Philippines
and comparative folklore
. Written in the English-language, her Philippine Folk Literature
: The Myths (1993) served as a compendium that promotes "national and international access to Filipino folklore," were gathered from written sources rather than collected oral variants, and was intended to foster interest in the subject matter. In this work, Eugenio also presented the collected narratives in a proper scholarly context that also justified the inclusion of the legend
s of saints, as opposed to being a pure collection of myths. This particular volume was also described as a recommended work for "any individual interested
in issues of Filipino worldviews and value systems, to any scholar investigating myths across cultures, and to anyone who enjoys the insights that a culture's narratives provide."
High School Alumni Association, 1983), Professional Achievement Award in the Humanities
for folklore studies (U.P. Alumni Association, 1987), Catholic Mass Media Award: Best Book in English (a finalist, 1987), National Book Award
for Literary History (Manila Critic Circle, 1987), Achievement Award in the Humanities (Philippine National Science Society/NCRP, 1989), Cultural Center of the Philippines
Award for the Arts for cultural research (Gawad CCP para sa Sining, 1992), Golden Jubilarian Achievement Award (U.P. Education Alumni Association, 1992), National Follower of Balagtas
Award (Gawad Pambansang Alagad ni Balagtas, from the Unyon ng mga Manunulat sa Pilipinas or the Philippine Writers Union, UMPIL, 1993), Manila Critics Circle Citation (1995), Centennial Award for Cultural Research (Parangal Sentenyal sa Sining at Kultura (Cultural Center of the Philippines, 1999), Most Distinguished Alumna of the Nueva Ecija High School (1999), and the Silver Torch Award (U.P. Educational Alumni Association, 2000).
Philippines
The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
female author and professor who is known as the Mother of Philippine Folklore, a title she received in 1986. Apart from teaching at the University of the Philippines
University of the Philippines
The ' is the national university of the Philippines. Founded in 1908 through Act No...
, she has several publications in the field of Philippine folklore, among them is a series of seven books which she compiled and edited.
Education
Eugenio was a BSE degree holder and a cum laude graduate from the University of the Philippines. She obtained her M.A. degree in English LiteratureEnglish literature
English literature is the literature written in the English language, including literature composed in English by writers not necessarily from England; for example, Robert Burns was Scottish, James Joyce was Irish, Joseph Conrad was Polish, Dylan Thomas was Welsh, Edgar Allan Poe was American, J....
from Mount Holyoke College
Mount Holyoke College
Mount Holyoke College is a liberal arts college for women in South Hadley, Massachusetts. It was the first member of the Seven Sisters colleges, and served as a model for some of the others...
, Massachusetts
Massachusetts
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
, and her Ph.D. degree from the University of California
University of California
The University of California is a public university system in the U.S. state of California. Under the California Master Plan for Higher Education, the University of California is a part of the state's three-tier public higher education system, which also includes the California State University...
in Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
, where she made studies regarding folklore
Folklore
Folklore consists of legends, music, oral history, proverbs, jokes, popular beliefs, fairy tales and customs that are the traditions of a culture, subculture, or group. It is also the set of practices through which those expressive genres are shared. The study of folklore is sometimes called...
. She is a professor at the Department of English and Comparative Literature for the College of Arts and Letters at the University of the Philippines
University of the Philippines, Diliman
The University of the Philippines Diliman , is a coeducational and public research university located in Quezon City, Philippines. It is the flagship university, seat of administration, and the fourth oldest constituent university of the University of the Philippines System...
in Diliman, Quezon City
Quezon City
Quezon City is the former capital and the most populous city in the Philippines. Located on the island of Luzon, Quezon City is one of the cities and municipalities that make up Metro Manila, the National Capital Region. The city was named after Manuel L...
. She also held the office of vice president for the External Affairs of the Philippine Folklore Society, was previously a chairman of the Division of Humanities, and corporate secretary of the National Research Council of the Philippines (NCRP).
Description
Eugenio’s works were described as volumes that are thorough and professional in presentation and as being valuable resources for scholars studying thePhilippines
Philippines
The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
and comparative folklore
Folklore
Folklore consists of legends, music, oral history, proverbs, jokes, popular beliefs, fairy tales and customs that are the traditions of a culture, subculture, or group. It is also the set of practices through which those expressive genres are shared. The study of folklore is sometimes called...
. Written in the English-language, her Philippine Folk Literature
Philippine folk literature
Philippine folk literature refers to the traditional oral literature of the Filipino people. Thus, the scope of the field covers the ancient folk literature of the Philippines' various ethnic groups, as well as various pieces of folklore that have evolved since the Philippines became a single...
: The Myths (1993) served as a compendium that promotes "national and international access to Filipino folklore," were gathered from written sources rather than collected oral variants, and was intended to foster interest in the subject matter. In this work, Eugenio also presented the collected narratives in a proper scholarly context that also justified the inclusion of the legend
Legend
A legend is a narrative of human actions that are perceived both by teller and listeners to take place within human history and to possess certain qualities that give the tale verisimilitude...
s of saints, as opposed to being a pure collection of myths. This particular volume was also described as a recommended work for "any individual interested
in issues of Filipino worldviews and value systems, to any scholar investigating myths across cultures, and to anyone who enjoys the insights that a culture's narratives provide."
Awards and recognitions
Eugenio was the recipient of a lifetime achievement award from the Philippine Board on Books for Young People (PPBY Awards) for her significant contributions to the growth of literacy for children in 1991. Apart from being designated as the Mother of Philippine Folklore (Ina ng Folklor ng Pilipinas) by the U.P. Folklorists, Inc. and the U.P. Folklore Studies Program in 1986, she also garnered the following recognitions: Most Outstanding Novo Ecijano in the Field of Arts for Literature (Nueva EcijaNueva Ecija
Nueva Ecija is a landlocked province of the Philippines located in the Central Luzon region. Its capital is Palayan City...
High School Alumni Association, 1983), Professional Achievement Award in the Humanities
Humanities
The humanities are academic disciplines that study the human condition, using methods that are primarily analytical, critical, or speculative, as distinguished from the mainly empirical approaches of the natural sciences....
for folklore studies (U.P. Alumni Association, 1987), Catholic Mass Media Award: Best Book in English (a finalist, 1987), National Book Award
Philippine National Book Awards
The Philippine National Book Awards, or simply the National Book Awards, is a Philippine literary award sponsored by the NBDB and the MCC . It is the national book award of the Philippines...
for Literary History (Manila Critic Circle, 1987), Achievement Award in the Humanities (Philippine National Science Society/NCRP, 1989), Cultural Center of the Philippines
Cultural Center of the Philippines
The Cultural Center of the Philippines is a government-owned and controlled corporation established to preserve, develop and promote arts and culture in the Philippines. The CCP was established through Executive Order No. 30 s. 1966 by President Ferdinand Marcos...
Award for the Arts for cultural research (Gawad CCP para sa Sining, 1992), Golden Jubilarian Achievement Award (U.P. Education Alumni Association, 1992), National Follower of Balagtas
Francisco Balagtas
Francisco Baltazar y dela Cruz , known much more widely through his nom-de-plume Francisco Balagtas, was a prominent Filipino poet, and is widely considered as the Tagalog equivalent of William Shakespeare for his impact on Filipino literature...
Award (Gawad Pambansang Alagad ni Balagtas, from the Unyon ng mga Manunulat sa Pilipinas or the Philippine Writers Union, UMPIL, 1993), Manila Critics Circle Citation (1995), Centennial Award for Cultural Research (Parangal Sentenyal sa Sining at Kultura (Cultural Center of the Philippines, 1999), Most Distinguished Alumna of the Nueva Ecija High School (1999), and the Silver Torch Award (U.P. Educational Alumni Association, 2000).
Works
- Philippine Proverb Lore (1975)
- Awit and Korido: A Study of Fifty Philippine Metrical Romances in Relation to Their Sources and Analogues (1965)
- Philippine Folk Literature: An Anthology (1981)
- Philippine Folk Literature: An Anthology (1982)
- Philippine Folk literature: The Legends (Philippine Folk Literature Series, 1987)
- Awit and Corrido (July 1988)
- Awit and Corrido: Philippine Metrical Romances (August 1988)
- Philippine Folk Literature: The Myths (Philippine Folk Literature Series, Volume 2, January 1994)
- Philippine Folk Literature: The Riddles (Philippine Folk Literature Series, Volume. 5, September 1995)
- Philippine Folk Literature: An Anthology (Philippine Folk Literature, May 31, 2008)