Definitions
1.NounIn Filipino folklore, a fairy, spirit, usually a lesser god or goddess, believed to guard natural features such as forests.
2.Noun↑ Kroeber, A.L. (1918), “The History of Philippine Civilization as Reflected in Religious Nomenclature”, in Anthropological Papers of the American Museum of Natural History, volume XIX, number II, American Museum of Natural History: “Diwata, devata, dewatu, dewa, etc., gods or spirits generically. Bisaya, Subanun, Mandaya, Bagobo, Tirurai, Magindanao, Manobo, Tagbanua, Batak.”
3.Noun↑ Potet, Jean-Paul G. (25 May 2019), Ancient Beliefs and Customs of the Tagalogs, page 268: “This term was borrowed from Visayan in modern times. It is not entered in old Tagalog dictionaies. Its interpretation as a Spanish feminine one because of its final /a/ is typical of 20th-century misunderstandings.”
4.Noun↑ Hislop, Stephen K. (1971), “Anitism: A Survey of Religious Beliefs Native to the Philippines”, in Asian Studies, volume 9, number 2, archived from the original on 7 July 2018, page 146: “With the Bisayans, the word is the equivalent
of Tagalog anito.”
5.Noun↑ Guillermo, Artemio R. (2012), Historical Dictionary of the Philippines, Third edition, Scarecrow Press, page 140: “In ancient Filipino culture, the diwata or anito was the dominant concept in the religion. The anito concept was pervasive in Luzon, while the diwata prevailed in the Visayas and Mindanao.”