This pendant is a talisman of resilience. At the core is a symbol that has survived colonization for 600 plus years, the linglingo. It is one of the only surviving amulets from the Philippines, traditionally worn by the people of the Cordillera highlands in northern Luzon, a region where I actually have ancestral ties.
Although it may have been a fertility charm, the linglingo has transcended into a symbol of Filipinx resilience & cultural pride for those of us in the diaspora. As a transgender/non-binary artist, I also feel a deep connection to this symbol as it is said to contain shapes of both male & female anatomy.
During colonization most of the gold amulets in the Philippines where stolen & melted down to fund Spanish conquests. This included raiding Filipino’s graves. This redesign is meant to tell the story of collective resilience; that despite the Spanish destroying indigenous Filipino’s sacred objects; attempting to corrupt our culture & traditions, we are still here.