 | The examples and perspective in this articlemay not represent aworldwide view of the subject. You mayimprove this article, discuss the issue on thetalk page, orcreate a new article, as appropriate.(October 2021) (Learn how and when to remove this message) |
Thetabò (Tagalog pronunciation:[ˈtaːbɔʔ]) is the traditional hygiene tool primarily forcleansing, bathing, and cleaning the floor of the bathroom in thePhilippines,Indonesia,East Timor,Malaysia,Vietnam,Thailand andBrunei.Tabò is the Filipino name, whilegayung andcebok (pronounced chabo') are the equivalent terms used inIndonesia,Brunei,Malaysia, andEast Timor.[1] Its Vietnamese name isthau tắm orchậu nước. Thetabò could most commonly be found in rural areas though it is also widely used in cities. The word may be related to the wordcebok inIndonesia andMalaysia, which describes the process of cleansing oneself using atabò (orcebok) in amandi (anotherBahasa phrase for thetabò iskamar mandi).
Thetabò can sometimes be translated into English as a "dipper" or "pitcher", but according to anthropologistMichael Tan of theUniversity of the Philippines-Diliman,tabò is much more than a dipper.[2] The plastictabò is an almost indispensable fixture in the Filipino home. Filipinos living overseas will bring their owntabò or even ask their relatives to send one over if they forget.
Tabò is also widely used anywhere in a household for purposes other than bathing, such as for measuring volume. 1tabò is often equal to 1 liter, as usually the householdtabò would be the used plastic container of 1 liter of motor oil.
Atabò has similarity in design and use to thehishaku (柄杓), a Japanese water dipper with a handle made of bamboo.
Thetabo is the Filipino version of the dipper that is also well known in other Southeast Asian countries that use their own version of a dipper. The "modern"tabo was created during the introduction of plastic, using modern material to create the dipper instead of traditional coconut and bamboo materials. In the past, thetabo was called asartin,[3] from the Spanishsartén; back then sources of water were sometimes few and far between, which caused the ancestors of today's Filipinos to develop the tool or device. Instead of standing up each time to be able to reach the water source and wash their hands, thesartin was passed around to save time and, essentially, water, according to historian Lito Nunag of theUniversity of the Philippines-Diliman.[3]
The earlytabò dating back to the pre-colonial period used to be made out ofcoconut shell andbamboo, and it was not used as a toilet implement.[2]
Thetabò and its equivalent in many traditional homes in Southeast Asia is not so much a toilet item as an all-purpose household object. It is found at the entrance of the house, next to a terracotta water jar, apalayók, so guests can wash their hands and feet before entering the house. There, thetabo speaks of courtesies, the host's as well as the guest's.[2] In the traditional kitchen, thetabo is again found with thepalayók, which keeps and cools drinking water. Thetabò is strategically located there for the purposes of taking out water to drink and of washing of hands and/or dishes. Thetabò reflects an obsession with cleanliness, one which seems to have declined over time as thepalayók and thetabò disappeared, or, in the case of thetabò, was relegated to the toilet and limited to its present, less sanitary function.[2]
The plastic tabo is kept mainly in the bathroom and is used as a water dipper for various functions. The emphasis is on properly utilizing thetabo or else a mess will be made in the toilet.[2]Its primary purpose is to clean. It is used to clean the toilet floor, to get water to flush the toilet,[4] and most importantly, to get water for personal cleanliness: forwashing the anus after using the toilet, for washing hands, for shampooing, or for bathing the whole body.[2]
Filipinos use thetabo in addition to or instead oftoilet paper to wash after using the bathroom. Not all toilets in the Philippines have an automatic flush, so instead, atimbâ (generally a plastic pail with a metal handle) and atabò kept floating inside it is used. Upon entering the toilet, the pail should be checked if it has enough water.[5]Filipinos thoroughly wash their hands after going to the toilet, using water and any available cleansing agent be it soap or a laundry detergent bar.[6]
Michael Tan mentioned that in the 17th century, theJesuit Ignacio Alcina noticed how different words were used in theVisayan languages to refer to washing the feet, the hands, and the genitalia. One of Tan's readers wrote to confirm this, giving the many verbs for different types of washing, many of which probably involved thetabò.[2]
Thetabo is crafted out of two of the more ubiquitous items in the Philippine natural environment: coconut[7] and bamboo.
The use of thetabo is ecological in the way it recycles coconut shells. More importantly with regards to the toilet, it allows an economical use of water, often a scarce resource in many of the homes of Filipino families. For this purpose, the traditional tabo loses in terms of effectivity in saving water to the modern plastic version. The traditionaltabo was developed in a pre-toilet era. It takes less water than the plastic one, not enough for flushing the toilet. The plastictabo takes just about the right amount of water, which can have enough force for flushing, but that also requires some degree of artistry in the way one douses the water.[2]
Non-Filipinos (apart from non-Filipino Muslims who usesimilar hygiene practices, or others from places in Asia and Africa where the use of water is normal) may find the practice strange.
A controversy sparked in January 2009 when a Filipino machine operator was reportedly sacked by an engineering firm in Australia allegedly for his toilet habits.[8] A Townsville Bulletin report posted on news.com.au said that Amador Bernabe, 43 years old, who is a Filipino machine operator, was kicked out of his job by the Townsville Engineering Industries (TEI) for using water, instead of toilet paper, to clean himself during toilet visits. After an investigation was conducted, Bernabe got his job back in the firm.[9]