The Eskaya Digital Archive

Brief description

This is a repository of materials related to the Eskaya community of Bohol with particular reference to the Eskayan language. Most of the materials were recorded, filmed, scanned or photographed by Piers Kelly between 2005 and 2011. Exceptions are the oral history recordings of Zoë Bedford made in 2003-2004. Important postgraduate work from Cristina Martinez-Juan from the 1990s was added later. It is at PK2-50.

The Eskayan language was assigned the ISO639-3 code [esy] in 2014 however this change has not yet been reflected in the PARADISEC Ethnologue list. For the time being, the collection is labelled 'Cebuano'.

File-naming conventions for media types:
AV - Audiovisual
DISS – Dissertations and other postgraduate research
GOV – Government documents
MAN – Manuscript
MED – News media
PUB – Publications
PIX – photographs

File-naming conventions for locations:
BAL – Balingasao, Valencia (9.64083 N, 124.221 E)
BIAB – Biabas, Guindulman ( 9°48'20.52"N, 124°24'13.92"E)
CAD – Cadapdapan, Candijay (9°49'30.18"N, 124°25'31.92"E)
SIER – Poblacion Sierra Bullones (?)
TAG – Tagbilaran, Bohol (?)
TAY – Taytay, Duero (9°45'37.56"N, 124°21'12.72"E)

Those with questions about the archive can contact Piers Kelly (Firstname dot Lastname at gmail dot com).

The Eskaya Digital Archive contains the following types of digitised materials related to Eskaya history, culture and language:
• Manuscripts (handwritten Eskaya documents)
• Publications (peer-reviewed commentaries)
• Dissertations (postgraduate research)
• Media (newspaper and magazine articles)
• Grey literature (various unpublished letters and commentaries)
• Genealogies (gedcom text files and photographs of surviving parish records)
• Pictures (people and scenes from Eskaya villages, not including photographs of manuscripts)
• Audio and video recordings (Eskaya people speaking, singing or writing Eskayan)

For an introduction to Eskaya history, culture and language see my dissertation at PK2-07-DISS09. This document also summarises and evaluates earlier commentaries on the Eskayan language (as compiled in PK2-09-MED) and explains the context in which the materials in The Eskaya Digital Archive were collected.

Those who are visiting this archive for the first time might have trouble isolating the richest and rarest materials. The following 'jewels in the crown' are recommended for new visitors:

• PK2-03-MANBIAB06: a rare phrasebook

• PK2-03-MANBIAB08: Interesting auto-ethnography with elements that may be considered unorthodox today

• PK2-03-MANBIAB12: the Castañares Manuscript (housed in Bohol Provincial Museum, probably created in Biabas then brought to Taytay)

• PK2-04-MANCAD05: The famous notebook of Eleuteria Faustina Viscayda which represents her attempt to standardise Eskaya literature. She was the longest surviving scribe of Mariano Datahan and died in 2009.

• PK2-09-MED05: Brenda Abregana's letter to editor of Who

• PK2-09-MED08: Brenda Abregana's 1985 letter to Governor Butalid

• PK2-10-MISC01: Juan Datahan's USAFFE orders


PK2-13-PIXBIAB01: USAFFE orders
PK2-13-PIXBIAB03: Picture of Mariano Datahan
PK2-13-PIXBIAB13: Church photo 1
PK2-13-PIXBIAB21: Church photo 2 (Flores de Mayo)
PK2-13-PIXBIAB76: national anthem flag school
PK2-14-PIXCAD10: Group photo of Cadapdapan teachers
PK2-14-PIXCAD19: child and bird
PK2-16-PIXTAY44: kids in front of sign

PK2-16-PIXTAY79: adults and kids class Taytay
PK2-15-PIXTAG01: Sandugo

-Naning speech

Problems to address in the Eskaya Digital Archive:
Repetitions: USAFFE orders, Cayo Lusica certificate
Repetitions: PK2-42-AVTAY21 and PK2-42-AVTAY36 are identical (and others, see finder list)
Repetitions: PK2-21-AVBIAB31 and PK2-25-AVCAD09 are identical (sort out whether it is really in cadapdapan or Biabas)