dawning on me: Inday

Something for the non-visayan speakers... hehe

(taken from http://su.edu.ph/features/abscbnfeature41.htm)

Inday is not always a maid
By Liling Magtolis Briones
From ABS-CBN Interactive
June 16, 2008

THE BUSINESS OF GOVERNANCE
Yes, there are Indays who are maids. But there are also Indays who are leaders in
their professions as academics, politicians, businesswomen, artists and theologians.
One fine day an Inday can even be president of this country.

Yes, there are Indays who are maids. But there are also Indays who are leaders in their professions as academics, politicians, businesswomen, artists and theologians. One fine day an Inday can even be president of this country.

Last week, an article came out, reporting that Inday is finally going to school. This was the news item about a program to allow housemaids to go to school. Obviously it was written by a non-Visayan who thinks the synonym for housemaid is Inday.

Once and for all, the word Inday does not mean housemaid insofar as Visayans are concerned. It has several gradations of meaning. First, it is an endearment for a Visayan girl, whether from Cebu, Negros, Iloilo or Mindanao. In Visayan families, girls are always called Inday. Oftentimes they are called Inday all their lives.

Inday is a tender word which means, precious, dear, loved one. My Ilocano-Pampango husband calls me Inday even as I am old and graying. Certainly, he does not treat me like a maid. My brothers have always called me Inday even if I am not their maid. Parents call their girl children Inday because they are loved, whether they live in a hovel or mansion.

When it is expressed with the proper intonation and inflection, Inday is the loveliest sound any girl can possibly listen to.

This explains why Visayan girls who work as maids automatically answer "Inday" when they are asked about their names. They are only saying that in their homes, they are tenderly loved. Because many poor Visayan girls work as maids, the term Inday is often understood as referring to maids. Even maids who are not Visayan end up being called Inday!.

Second, it is a term to describe friendship and affection. Thus, Visayan girls who are close friends tend to call each other "Day" in the same manner that Visayan boys call their close friends "Bay" or friend.

Third, Inday is a term used to indicate respect. When a Visayan addresses a woman he does not know, he calls her Inday. Its like saying Miss or Madam. When a man wants to introduce himself to a girl, he prefaces his spiel with " Inday…."

Finally, the word Inday implies veneration or honor. A woman of high standing in a Visayan community is addressed as Inday. Thus Mayors, hacienderas, barangay captains and heads of religious organizations are called Inday. The wife of the late Pres. Carlos P. Garcia was called Inday Garcia.

It is time for Indays, wherever they are, to clarify once and for all what the word means. They should not allow one of the most beautiful words in the Visayan language to deteriorate into a generic word meaning maid. I dread the time when Visayan women will be embarrassed and ashamed because they are called Inday by their parents, siblings, friends, and community members.

This is not to say that it is shameful to be a maid. It is a very respectable calling. Maids abroad can earn more than a university professor in the Philippines. It is just that the term Inday does not mean maid, that's all.

Yes, there are Indays who are maids. But there are also Indays who are leaders in their professions as academics, politicians, businesswomen, artists and theologians.

One fine day an Inday can even be president of this country.