INTRODUCTION

Before the coming of Spanish colonialists, the people of the Philippine archipelago had alreadyattained a semicommunal and semislave social system in many parts and also a feudal system in certain parts, especially in Mindanao and Sulu, where such a feudal faith as Islam had already taken roots. The Aetas had the lowest form of social organization, which was primitive communal.

The barangay was the typical community in the whole archipelago. It was the basic political and economic unit independent of similar others. Each embraced a few hundreds of people and a small territory. Each was headed by a chieftain called the rajah or datu.

The social structure comprised a petty nobility, the ruling class which had started to accumulateland that it owned privately or administered in the name of the clan or community; an intermediate class of freemen called the maharlikas who had enough land for their livelihood or who rendered special service to the rulers and who did not have to work in the fields; and the ruled classes that included the timawas, the serfs who shared the crops with the petty nobility, and also the slaves and semislaves who worked without having any definite share in the harvest. There were two kinds of slaves then: those who had their own quarters, the aliping namamahay, and those who lived in their master’s house, the aliping sagigilid. One acquired the status of a serf or a slave by inheritance, failure to pay debts and tribute, commission of crimes and captivity in wars between barangays.

The Islamic sultanates of Sulu and mainland Mindanao represented a higher stage of political and economic development than the barangay. These had a feudal form of social organization. Each of them encompassed more people and wider territory than the barangay. The sultan reigned supreme over several datus and was conscious of his privilege to rule as a matter of hereditary “divine right.”

Though they presented themselves mainly as administrators of communal lands, apart from being direct owners of certain lands, the sultans, datus and the nobility exacted land rent in the form of religious tribute and lived off the toiling masses. They constituted a landlord class attended by a retinue of religious teachers, scribes and leading warriors.

The sultanates emerged in the two centuries precedent to the coming of Spanish colonialists. They were built up among the so-called third wave of Malay migrants whose rulers either tried to convert to Islam, bought out, enslaved or drove away the original non-Muslim inhabitants of the areas that they chose to settle in. Serfs and slaves alike were used to till the fields and to make more clearings from the forest.

Throughout the archipelago, the scope of barangays could be enlarged either through theexpansion of agriculture by the toil of the slaves or serfs, through conquests in war and throughinterbarangay marriages of the nobility. The confederations of barangays was usually the result of a peace pact, a barter agreement or an alliance to fight common internal and external enemies.

As evident from the forms of social organization already attained, the precolonial inhabitants ofthe Philippine archipelago had an internal basis for further social development. In either barangay or sultanate, there was a certain mode of production which was bound to develop further until it would wear out and be replaced with a new one. There were definite classes whose struggle was bound to bring about social development. As a matter of fact, the class struggle within the barangay was already

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getting extended into interbarangay wars. The barangay was akin to the Greek city-state in many respects and the sultanate to the feudal commonwealth of other countries.

The people had developed extensive agricultural fields. In the plains or in the mountains, thepeople had developed irrigation systems. The Ifugao rice terraces were the product of the engineering genius of the people; a marvel of 12,000 miles if strung end-to-end. There were livestock-raising, fishing and brewing of beverages. Also there were mining, the manufacture of metal implements, weapons and ornaments, lumbering, shipbuilding and weaving. The handicrafts were developing fast.

Gunpowder had also come into use in warfare. As far north as Manila, when the Spaniards came, there was already a Muslim community which had cannons in its weaponry. The ruling classes made use of arms to maintain the social system, to assert their independencefrom other barangays or to repel foreign invaders. Their jurisprudence would still be borne out today by the so-called Code of Kalantiyaw and the Muslim laws. These were touchstones of their culture.

There was a written literature which included epics, ballads, riddles and verse-sayings; various forms and instruments of music and dances; and art works that included well-designed bells, drums, gongs, shields, weapons, tools, utensils, boats, combs, smoking pipes, lime tubes and baskets. The people sculpted images from wood, bone, ivory, horn or metals. In areas where anito worship and polytheism prevailed, the images of flora and fauna were imitated, and in the areas where the Muslim faith prevailed, geometric and arabesque designs were made. Morga’s Sucesos de las Islas Filipinas, a record of what the Spanish conquistadores came upon, would later be used by Dr. Jose Rizal as testimony to the achievement of the indios in pre-colonial times.

There was interisland commerce ranging from Luzon to Mindanao and vice-versa. There wereextensive trade relations with neighboring countries like China, Indochina, North Borneo, Indonesia, Malaya, Japan and Thailand.1 Traders from as far as India and the Middle East vied for commerce with the precolonial inhabitants of the archipelago. As early as the 9th century, Sulu was an important trading emporium where trading ships from Cambodia, China and Indonesia converged. Arab traders brought goods from Sulu to the Chinese mainland through the port of Canton. In the 14th century, a large fleet of 60 vessels from China anchored at Manila Bay, Mindoro and Sulu. Previous to this, Chinese trading junks had been intermittently sailing into various points of the Philippine shoreline. The barter system was employed or gold and metal gongs were used as medium of exchange.

GOVERNMENT

1. PRE-COLONIAL PHILIPPINES (B EF OR E TH E CON QU ER OR S CA M E)There are a number of distinctions between the modernBarangay or Barrio, and the city-states and independentprincipalities encountered by the Spanish when they firstarrived in 1521 and established relatively permanentsettlements in 1574. The most glaring difference would bethat the modern entity represents a geographical entity,the pre-colonial barangays represented loyalty to aparticular head (datu). Even during the early days ofSpanish rule, it was not unusual for people living besideeach other to actually belong to different barangays.[2] Theyowed their loyalty to different Datus. Also, while themodern barangay represents only the smallestadministrative unit of government, the barangay ofprecolonial times was either independent, or belonged towhat was only a loose confederation of several barangays,over which the rulers picked among themselves who wouldbe foremost - known as the Pangulo or Rajah. In most cases,his function was to make decisions which

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would involvemultiple barangays, such as disputes between members oftwo different barangays. Internally, each datu retained hisjurisdiction.[3][4]

2. THE FIRST COMMUNITIES Historically, the first barangays started as relatively small communities of around 50 to 100 families. Most villages have only thirty to one hundred houses and the population varies from one hundred to five hundred persons. When the Spaniards came, they found communities with twenty to thirty people only. They also encountered large and prestigious principalities. Theories, as well as local oral traditions,[5] say that the original “barangays” were coastal settlements formed as a result of the migration of these Malayo-Polynesian  people (who came to the archipelago) by boat from other places in Southeast Asia (see chiefdom). Most of the ancient barangays were coastal or riverine in nature. This is because most of the people were relying on fishing for supply of protein and for their livelihood. They also travelled mostly by water up and down rivers, and along the coasts. Trails always followed river systems, which were also a major source of water for bathing, washing, and drinking.

3. The coastal villages were more accessible to trade with foreigners. These were ideal places for economic activity to develop. Business with traders from other Countries also meant contact with other cultures and civilizations, such as those of Japan, Han Chinese, Indian people, and  Arab people.[6] In time, these coastal communities acquired more advanced cultures, with developed social structures (sovereign principalities), ruled by established royalties and nobilities.[7]

4. SOCIAL ORGANIZATION AND STRATIFICATION The barangays in some coastal places in Panay,[8]  Manila, Cebu, Jolo, and Butuan, with cosmopolitan cultures and trade relations with other Countries in Asia, were already established Principalities before the coming of the Spaniards. In these regions, even though the majority of these barangays were not large settlements, yet they had organized societies dominated by the same type of recognized aristocracy (with birthright claim to allegiance from followers), as those found in established Principalities. The aristocratic group in these pre-colonial societies was called the Datu Class. Its members were presumably the descendants of the first settlers on the land or, in the case of later arrivals, of those who were Datus at the time of migration or conquest. Some of these Principalities have remained, even until the present, in unhispanized[9] and mostly Islamized parts of the Philippines, in Mindanao.[10]

5. In more developed Barangays in Visayas, e.g., Panay, Bohol and Cebu (which were never conquered by Spain but were accomplished as vassals by means of pacts, peace treaties, and reciprocal alliances),[11] the "Datu" Class was at the top of a divinely sanctioned and stable social order in a "Sakop" (elsewhere referred to as Barangay). This social order was divided into three classes. The members of the Datu Class were compared by the Boxer Codex to the titled Lords (Señores de titulo) in Spain.[12] As Agalon or Amo ( Lords),[13] the Datus enjoyed an ascribed right to respect, obedience, and support from their "Oripun" (Commoner) or followers belonging to the Third Order. These Datus had acquired rights to the same advantages from their legal "Timawa" or vassals (Second Order), who bind themselves to the Datu as his seafaring warriors. "Timawas" paid no tribute, and rendered no agricultural labor. They had a portion of the Datus blood in their veins. The above-mentioned Boxer Codex calls these "Timawas": Knights and Hidalgos. The Spanish conquistador, Miguel de Loarca, described them as "free men, neither chiefs nor slaves". In the late 1600s, the Spanish Jesuit priest Fr. Francisco Ignatio Alcina, classified them as the third rank of nobility (nobleza).[14]

6. To maintain purity of bloodline, Datus marry only among their kind, often seeking high ranking brides in other Barangays, abducting them, or contracting brideprices in gold, slaves and jewelry. Meanwhile, the Datus keep their marriageable daughters secluded for protection and prestige.[15] These well-guarded and protected highborn women were called "Binokot", and the Datus of pure descent (four generations) were called "Potli nga Datu" or "Lubus nga Datu".[16]

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7. SOCIAL ORGANIZATION ANDSTRATIFICATION OF PRE-COLONIAL PRINCIPALITIES IN THE TAGALOG REGION The different type of culture prevalent in Luzon gave a less stable and more complex social structure to the pre-colonial Tagalog barangays of Manila, Pampanga and Laguna. Enjoying a more extensive commence than those in Visayas, having the influence of Bornean political contacts, and engaging in farming wet rice for a living, the Tagalogs were described by the Spanish Augustinian Friar Martin de Rada as more traders than warriors.[17]

8. The more complex social structure of the Tagalogs was less stable during the arrival of the Spaniards because it was still in a process of differentiating. A Jesuit priest Francisco Colin made an attempt to give an approximate comparison of it with the Visayan social structure in the middle of the seventeenth century. The term Datu or  Lakan, or Apo refers to the chief, but the noble class to which the Datu belonged or could come from was the Maginoo Class. One maybe born a Maginoo, but he could become a Datu by personal achievement. In the Visayas, if the Datu had the personality and economic means, he could retain and restrain competing peers, relatives, and offspring.[18] The term Timawa came into use in the social structure of the Tagalogs within just twenty years after the coming of the Spaniards. The term, however, was being applied to former Alipin (Third Class) who have escaped bondage by payment, favor, or flight. The Tagalog Timawas did not have the military prominence of the Visayan Timawa. The warrior class in the Tagalog society was present only in Laguna, and they were called the Maharlika Class. At the early part of the Spanish regime, the number of their members who were coming to rent land from their Datus was increasing.[19]

9. Unlike the Visayan Datus, the Lakans and Apos of Luzon could call all non-Maginoo subjects to work in the Datu’s fields or do all sorts of other personal labor. In the Visayas, only the Oripuns were obliged to do that, and to pay tribute besides. The Tagalog who works in theDatu’s field did not pay him tribute, and could transfer their allegiance to another Datu. [20]

10. The Visayan Timawa neither paid tribute nor performed agricultural labor. In a sense, they were truly aristocrats. The Tagalog Maharlika did not only work in his Datu’s field, but could also be required to pay his own rent. Thus, all non- Maginoo formed a common economic class in some sense, though this class had no designation.[21] There are two types of persons belonging to the alipin class . The Aliping Namamahay who served his master in his own fields, and Aliping Saguiguilid who lived in the peripheral areas of his masters house.

11. HISPANIZATION (A R R I V A L O F T H E S P A N I A R D S Upon the arrival of the Spanish, smaller ancient barangays were combined to form towns. Every barangay within a town was headed by the cabeza de barangay (barangay chief), who formed part of the Principalía - the elite ruling class of the municipalities of the Spanish Philippines. This position was inherited from the first datus, and came to be known as such during the Spanish regime. The Spanish Monarch ruled each barangay through the Cabeza, who also collected taxes (called tribute) from the residents for the Spanish Crown.

LANGUAGE/LITERATURE

1. The literature of a formative past by the various groups of people who inhabited the archipelago A literature of varying human interestClose to the religious and political organizations of the ancient FilipinosThe verses were addressed to the ears rather than the eyes

2. Verses composed and sung were regarded as group propertyVersification:

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OctosyllabicLegendary and religious poemsDodecasyllabicRomance

Dalawang BalonHindi MalingonSa araw ay BunbongSa gabi ay dahonExamples of Ancient Filipino Poetry

3. Sang dalagang marikitNakaupo sa tinikKung bayaa’y nabubuhayKung himasi’y namamatay

4. Made up of one or more measured lines with rhymes and may consist of 4 to 12 syllablesShowcase the Filipino wit, literary talent, and keen observation of the surroundingsInvolves reference to one or two images that symbolize the characteristics of an unknown object that is to be guessedRiddle (bugtong)

5. To entertain. Living in remote areas, before the advent of electricity, families would sit around the fire and the elders would quiz the younger generation with riddles.To educate. Riddles serve the function of passing down knowledge from one generation to the next. They require thinking in order to solve them.To titillate. Many old Filipino riddles contain double entendres that were intended to amuse the men and shock the women.To curse, without expressly cursing. A riddle could be made up against an enemy, rival town, or suitor.To preserve the culture. Riddles communicate the old ways from one generation to the next.Purpose of Bugtong

6. Ate mo, ate ko, Ate ng lahat ng tao.(My sister, your sister, everyone's sister)Atis (Sugar Apple)Example

7. Epigrams/maxims/proverbsShort poems that have been customarily been used and served as laws or rules on good behavior by our ancestors Allegories or parables that impart lessons for the young Often expressing a single idea, that is usually satirical and had a witty ending Maxims- rhyming couplets (5,6,8 syllables) Salawikain & Sawikain

8. Ex of salawikainAng matapat na kaibigan, tunay na maaasahan. - - -You will know a true friend in time of need. 

9. Ex of Sawikainkumukulo ang dugo "blood is boiling" = is very angryisulat sa tubig "write on water" = forget about it 

PHILIPPINES PRE-COLONIAL ERA 5

10. Ex of MaximsPag hindi ukol, Hindi bubukol. –means What is not intended for one will not bear fruit. 

11. Used in witchcraft or enchantmentsSa hinaba-haba ng prusisyonSa simbahan din pala ang tuloy

12. HeleheleBagokyeme

13. BULONG (chants)

14. Halimbawa (for example):Tabi, tabipo, Ingkong Makikiraan po lamang. 

15. Used in teasing or to comment on a persons’ acutations

“Catitibay ca tolosSacalingdatnangagosAco’ I momontinglomotSa iyo’ I popolopot”Nag-almusalmag-isaKaninglamig, tinapa;NahulogangkutsaraIkawnasana, sintaKasabihan (sayings)

16. A quatrain with seven syllables each with the same rhyme at the end of each lineNo title7-7-7-7AABBEx. “Tahakngtingin, tulakngsulyap, yakap, lapatng titig sa balikat.hatak pa, kindat, hakat” Tanaga

17. traditional poetry of the Hanunoo Mangyans of Oriental Mindoro which is normally inscribed on bamboo using a pre-Colonial syllabic writing system called the SuratMangyan .seven-syllable metric lines can be composed of more than four lines usually chanted teaches lessons about life recited by parents to educate their children, by the youth to express their love, by the old to impart experiences, or by the community in tribal ceremonies Ambahan

18. on some occasions like burial rites, the ambahan is used for entertainmentSugotngamaawkunmanTangdayan no ma-ambanSabungan no manuywanImpadlasyamidaywanHangganbuhoktimbanganHanggansabalodpangdanBugkatdi way yamunganBilangdayibunlaganNo kangtinagindumanKang magpahalimbaw-anGabugtongtibilugan

19. (Isn't this the truth with all:If the wife is good and kind,the husband reasonable, you have always friends around,like long hair drooping so nice.Till the final burial mount,you'll be sleeping on

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one mat. You don't want to separatePutting down my thoughts like this: An example very clear, being TWO, you're only ONE.) 

20. derived from Philippine folk literature, which is the traditional oral literature of the Filipino people. This refers to a wide range of material due to the ethnic mix of the PhilippinesThere are many different creation myths in Philippine mythology, originating from various ethnic groups.Story of BathalaVisayan versionThe legend of Maria MakilingMyths

21. Presence of different deitiesEx. BathalaLakambakodMythical creatures AswangDilaDiwataDwendeTikbalangMankukulam

22. Ifugao – Hudhud hi AliguyonIlocos – Biagni Lam-angBicol - IbalonMindanao – DaranganPanay – HinilawodBagobo - TuwaangKalinga – UlaliimManobo – Agyu or OlahingSubanon - SandayoAncient Metrical Tales

23. Aliguyonthe exploits of Aliguyon as he battles his arch-enemy, PambukhayonBiagni Lam-Angtells of the adventuresvof Lam-Ang who exhibits extraordinary powers at a very early age.Ibalonthe story of three Bicol heroes: Baltog, Handiong, BantiongHinilawodoldest and longest epic poem in Panaythe exploits of three Sulodnon demigod brothers, LabawDonggon, Humadapnon and Dumalapdap of ancient PanayAncient Metrical Tales

24. IBALON FESTIVALHinilawod

25. a form of folk lyric which expresses the people’s hopes, aspirations, and lifestylesrepetitive and sonorous, didactic and naivetraditional songs and melodies

PHILIPPINES PRE-COLONIAL ERA 7

inspired by the reaction of the people to their environmentFolk Songs

26. uyayi – lullabykomintang – war songkundiman – melancholic love songharana – serenadetagay – drinking songmambayu – Kalinga rice-pounding songsubli – dance-ritual song of courtship /marriageTagulaylay- songs of the dead

SYSTEM OF WRITING

The script used in writing originated in Java, and was used across much of Maritime Southeast Asia. But

by at least the 13th century or 14th century, its descendant known in Tagalog as Baybayin was in regular

use. The term baybayin literally means syllables, and the writing system itself is a member of

the Brahmic family. One example of the use of Baybayin from that time period was found on an

earthenware burial jar found in Batangas. Though a common perception is that Baybayin replaced Kawi,

many historians believe that they were used alongside each other. Baybayin was noted by the Spanish

to be known by everyone, and was generally used for personal and trivial writings. Kawi most likely

continued to be used for official documents and writings by the ruling class. Baybayin was simpler and

easier to learn, but Kawi was more advanced and better suited for concise writing.

Although Kawi came to be replaced by the Latin script, Baybayin continued to be used during the

Spanish colonization of the Philippines up until the late 19th Century. Closely related scripts still in use

among indigenous peoples today include Hanunóo, Buhid, and Tagbanwa.

Filipinos used a syllabary which was probably of Sanskrit or Arabic provenance• the syllabary consisted of seventeen symbols, of which three were vowels and fourteen consonants• no one is certain about the direction of writing• Fr. Pedro Chirino’s theory is that the ancients wrote from top to bottom and from left to right

• pre-colonial Filipinos wrote on bark of trees, on leaves and bamboo tubes, using their knives and daggers, pointed sticks or iron as pens and the colored saps of trees as ink• only a few of this writings survive into the present because early Spanish missionaries destroyed many manuscripts on the ground that they are the work of the Devil himself• some pieces of literature, however, have been handed down to us orally

1. The cultural achievements of pre-colonial Philippines include those covered byprehistory and early history of the Philippines archipelago and its inhabitants, whichare the indigenous forebears of

PHILIPPINES PRE-COLONIAL ERA 8

todays Filipino people.These early Filipinos possessed a culture and technology that were quite advancedconsidering the timeline of history of science when it flourished. Waves of migrantswho came to settle in the islands contributed to the development of ancientPhilippine civilization. Prehistoric aborigines, a cross of Afro-Asiatic and Austro-Aborigines, now called Negritos (Aeta, Agta, Ayta) reached the islands by way ofland bridges around 15,000 to 30,000 BC, and they were excellent hunters and foodgatherers. In its midst, other ancient civilizations were also thriving and evolving.The Proto-Malays, a Mongol-Asiatic race, arrived around 2500 BC using oceanicvessels called balangays, and they brought with them their knowledge inseafaring, farming, building of houses from trees and creation of fire for cooking.The next to arrive were the Duetero-Malays, of India-Asiatic race(Indian, Chinese, Siamese, Arabic), that prevailed with a more superior andadvanced culture. They possessed their own systems of writing, knowledge and skillsin agriculture, metallurgy, jewelry-making as well as boat-building. When theSpaniards came to the islands in the 15th century, industries such asmining, agriculture, fishing and pottery were already in place and contacts withother Asian nations had been long established.

2. Peopling of the Pre-Colonnial PhilippinesThe Negritos were early settlers but their appearance inthe Philippines has not been reliably dated ; and theywere followed by speakers of the Malayo-Polynesianlanguages, a branch of the Austronesian languages, whobegan to arrive in successive waves beginning about 4000B.C.E, displacing the earlier arrivals.By 1000 B.C. the inhabitants of the Philippinearchipelago had developed into four distinct kinds ofpeoples: tribal groups, such as theAetas, Hanunoo, Ilongots and the Mangyan whodepended on hunter-gathering and were concentrated inforests; warrior societies, such as the Isneg and Kalingaswho practiced social ranking and ritualized warfare androamed the plains; the petty plutocracy of the IfugaoCordillera Highlanders, who occupied the mountainranges of Luzon; and the harbor principalities of theestuarine civilizations that grew along rivers andseashores while participating in trans-island maritimetrade.

3. Pre – Colonial Culture During the early period thousand years ago, the early Filipinos were composed of different groups that came from different part of Asia. With different groups they form their own community, system of education and religious belief.They group into different communities composed of 50to 2,000 individuals and they construct their shelters indifferent areas according to their lifestyle and source of living. Usually they were situated along the seashores, streams, rivers, forests, fertile land areas and even in caves. In water areas they look for fish, shells and pearls as their source of living. They also used boat and craft as there means of transportation for an easier travel and carrying their goods for trade from one place to another. For those people located in land areas they cultivate the land and plant rice, bananas and crops. After the harvest they no longer use the area indeedthey just move to another place with less grass and finesoil and abundant of trees where they can start farmingagain. Perhaps this gives an idea that the Philippines is very rich of resources for a bountiful living.

4. Pre – Colonial Culture During the pre-colonial time there was already an indigenous spiritualtraditions practiced by the people in the Philippines. Generally, for lack of better terminology prehistoricpeople are described to be animistic. Their practice was a collection ofbeliefs and cultural mores anchored in the idea that the world is inhabited by spirits andsupernatural entities, both good andbad, and that respect be accorded to them through nature worship thus; they believed that their daily lives has a connection of such beliefs.

5. Pre – Colonial Culture These spirits are said to be the anito or diwata that they believed to be good and bad. The good spirits wereconsidered as there relatives and the bad were believed to be their enemies. Some worship specific deities like Bathala a supreme godfor the Tagalog, Laon or Abba for the Visayan, Ikasi of Zambal, Gugurangfor the people of Bicol and Kabunian of Ilocano and

PHILIPPINES PRE-COLONIAL ERA 9

Ifugao. Aside from those supreme deities they also worship other gods like Idialao as god of farming, Lalaon of harvest, Balangay god of rainbow and Sidapa god of death.

6. Pre – Colonial CultureOthers also worship themoon, stars, caves, mountains, rivers, plantsand trees. Some creatures are being worship too like the bird, crow, tortoise, crocodileand other things they believed has valueand connected to their lives.The variation of animistic practices occursin different ethnic groups. Magic, chantsand prayers are often key features. Itspractitioners were highly respected (andsome feared) in the community, as they werehealers, midwife (hilot), shamans, witchesand warlocks(mangkukulam), babaylans, tribalhistorians and wizened elders that providedthe spiritual and traditional life of thecommunity. In the Visayas region there is abelief of witchcraft (kulam) and mythicalcreatures like aswang, Nuno sa Punso and

7. Pre – Colonial ClothingDuring this pre-colonial era historians havefound out that the “Barong Tagalog” (dressof the Tagalog) already existed. The earliestBaro or Baro ng Tagalog was worn by thenatives of Ma-I (the Philippines namebefore) just before they were colonized bythe Spaniards.The men wore a sleeve-doublet made ofCanga (rough cotton) that reached slightlybelow the waist. It is collarless with a frontopening. Their loins were covered with apane that hung between the legs and mid-thigh. The women also wore a sleeve dressbut shorter than the men. They also wear apane attached to the waist and reaching tothe feet accented by a colourful belt. Thematerials used for their dress is of fine lineor Indian Muslin.

8. Pre – Colonial ClothingThe Visayan men wore a jacketwith a Moorish style rob, thatreach down their feet and was embroidered in beautiful colours. Tagalog and Visayanmen bound their temples and forehead with a “putong” (a narrow strips of clothe).They also wore gold jewellery and other accessories to beautify their bodies.

9. Pre – Colonial Writing SystemsDuring the early period almosteveryone in the society-male orfemale knows how to read and write.They have their own method ofwriting which they use sharp-pointed tools, leaves, bamboo andtrunk’s skin. They write from top tobottom and read it from left to right.Accordingly they have their Alibatawhich script is different fromChina, Japan and India. This accountwas told by one of the first Spanishmissionaries who came in thePhilippines, Fr. Pedro Chirino.

10. Pre – Colonial Writing Systems Another account proved after the discovery of a jar in Calatagan, Batangas. This system of writing came from the alphabet of Sumatra.The first Visayan, Tagalog, Ilocano and some ethic groups have their own dialect and form of writing too. They have an alphabet composed of 17letters; 3 of which are vowels and 14 are consonants. The Muslims have also their ownsystem basing on there dialect. This is called kirim of Maranao and jiwi of the Tausug, which they are still using

11. Abugida:Pre – Colonial method ofHandwriting (Baybayin)

12. Pre – Colonial Form of Government Before the Spaniards came into the Philippines there were existing culture of the Filipinos which were not distinguished by most of thefilipinos especially for the new bornfilipino citizens. The Filipinos lived in settlements called barangays before the colonization of thePhilippines by the Spaniards. As the unit of government, a barangayconsisted from 30 to 100 families. It was headed by a datu and was independent from the other group.

13. Pre – Colonial Form of GovernmentUsually, several barangays settled near each other to help one another in case of war or any emergency. The position of datu was passed on by the holder of the position to the eldest son or, if none, the eldestdaughter. However, later, any member of the barangay could be chieftain, based on his talent and ability. He had the usual responsibilities

PHILIPPINES PRE-COLONIAL ERA 10

of leading and protecting the members of his barangay. In turn, they had to pay tribute to the datu, help him till the land, and help him fight for the barangay in case of war. In the old days, a datu had a council of elders to advisehim, especially whenever he wanted a law to be enacted. The law was written andannounced to the whole barangay by a town crier, called the umalohokan.

14. Pre – Colonial Houses:

15. Social Classes Before the coming of Spanish colonizers, the people of the Philippine archipelago had alreadyattained a semicommunal and semislave social system in many parts and also a feudal system incertain parts, especially in Mindanao and Sulu, where such a feudal faith as Islam had alreadytaken roots. The Aetas had the lowest form of social organization, which was primitive communal.

16. Social ClassesThe barangay was thetypical community in the whole archipelago. It wasthe basic political and economic unit independent of similar others. Each embraced a few hundreds of people and a small territory. Each was headed by a chieftain called the rajah or datu.

17. Social Classes The social structure comprised a petty nobility, the ruling class which had started to accumulate land that it owned privately or administered in the name of the clan or community; an intermediate class of freemen called themaharlikas who had enough land for their livelihood or who rendered special service to the rulers and who did not haveto work in the fields; and the ruled classes that included the timawas, the serfs who shared the crops with the petty nobility, and also the slaves and semislaves who workedwithout having any definite share in the harvest. There were two kinds of slaves then: those who had their own quarters, the aliping namamahay, and those who lived intheir masters house, the aliping sagigilid. One acquired thestatus of a serf or a slave by inheritance, failure to pay debts and tribute, commission of crimes and captivity in wars between barangays.

SUPERTITIOUS / BELIEFS

The Philippines is a predominantly Christian nation on account of 300 years of Spanish rule. It is estimated that 81% of the population is Roman Catholic. In the south on the large island of Mindanao, many are adherents of Islam. Filipino Muslims make up about five percent of the national population. 

Animism or folk religion encompassing indigenous spiritual traditions from pre-colonial times still prevail even among baptized members of formal churches. Superstitious beliefs are widespread.

 

1. Religious Beliefs• pre-colonial Filipinos believed in the immortality of the soul and in life after death• they also believed in the existence of a number of gods whom they worship and made offerings to according to rank• i.e. Bathalang Maykapal (Creator), Idinayale (god of agriculture), Sidapa (god of death), Balangaw (rainbow god), Mandarangan (war god), Agni (fire god) Lalahon (goddess of harvest), Siginarugan (god of hell), Diyan Masalanta (goddess of love), etc.

2. Agni (India)Bathala

3. • also showed respect for animals and plants like the crocodile, crow, tigmamanukin; some trees were not also cut because they were thought to be divine• diseases were thought to be caused by the temper of the environmental spirits• Filipinos also venerated the dead by keeping alive their memory by carving idols of stone, gold or ivory called likha or larawan; food, wine and other things were also shared with the dead

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4. • adored idols called anitos or diwatas to whom they made offerings• some anitos were considered bad; however, they made offerings to them too in order to appease them or placate their anger• priestesses such as the babaylan/ baylana or katalona acted as mediums to communicate with these spirits

5. Burial• the dead was placed in a wooden coffin and buried under the house complete with cloth, gold and other valuable things• upon the death of the person, fires were made under the house and armed men acted as sentinels to guard the corpse from sorcerers• professional mourners were hired to accentuate the depth of mourning

6. • sometimes, the relatives of the dead wore rattan bands around their arms, legs and necks and they abstained from eating meat and drinking wine• the ancients distinguished mourning for a woman from that of a man – morotal (for women) and maglahi (for men)• mourning for a dead chief is called laraw, and this was accompanied by certain prohibitions like engaging in petty quarrels, wars, carrying daggers with hilts in the normal position, singing in boats coming from the sea or river, and wearing loud clothes

7. • some ancients fasted and limited their nutrition to vegetables; among the Tagalogs, this is called sipa• relatives of the dead who was murdered would not end their mourning until they have exacted vengeance or balata• the celebration held on the ninth night after the death of the person is called pasiyam, in which a play called tibaw is staged to honor the dead

8. Divination and Magic Charms• ancient Filipinos are quite superstitious and put much stock into auguries, and magic charms• they interpreted signs in nature like the flight of birds, the barking of dogs, the singing of lizards, and the like, as good or bad omens depending on the circumstances• they also consulted with the pangatauhan, or soothsayers, to tell their fortunes

9. • there was also a belief in the existence of the aswang, mangkukulam, manggagaway, tiyanak, and the tikbalang• amulets and charms were also used by the ancients like the anting-anting, gayuma, odom or tagabulag, wiga or sagabe, and tagahupa• these beliefs were not eradicated with the coming of Western civilization and most of them were practiced behind the backs of the Christian missionaries• the result was a blending of pagan and Christian beliefs that made Filipino Catholicism unique

RELIGION

10. PHILIPPINE HISTORY Pre-Colonial Period Arts & Letters University of Santo Tomas Manila Prepared by: Mr. Ernie Ronel T. Mabahague

11. Long before the Spaniards came to the Philippines, Filipinos had a civilization of their own. This civilization partly came from the Malay settlers and partly from their response to the new environment. Many of these customs and traditions, government and way of life, have come down to the present day, despite thechanges brought about by westernization and modernization. This is why it ispossible to know about our distant past by simply observing some customs and practices that have resisted change and modernization.

12. Society Philippine pre-colonial society is bothdifferent and the same as in the present. Some aspects of the pre-colonial periodhave survived into our time. The following is a description of the way of life of pre- colonial Filipinos.

13. Mode of Dressing • male attire was composed of the kanggan (sleeveless jacket) and bahag (loincloth) • the color of the kanggan indicates rank – red for the chief, black or blue for the

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commoners • men also wear a turban calledBogobo man & woman putong, which also tell the social status/achievement of the individual wearing it • female attire consisted of baro or camisa (jacket with sleeves) and saya or patadyong (a long skirt); some women wore a piece of red or white cloth on top of their skirt Kalinga & subuanon women called tapis

14. putong Bogobo man

15. Ornaments• men and women wore ornaments to look attractive• both wear kalumbiga, pendants, bracelets, and leglets• these ornaments were made of gold• some wore gold fillings between the teeth• tattoos were also fashionable for some pre-colonial Filipinos; they also exhibit a man’s war record• Islas del Pintados – term coined by the Spaniards for the Visayans

16. Bontoc men

17. Houses • built to suit the tropical climate • called bahay kubo, made of wood, bamboo, and nipa palm; it was built on stilts and can be entered through ladders that can be drawn up • some Filipinos, such as the Kalingas, Mandayas and Bagobos built their houses on treetops • others, such as the Badjaos, built their houses on boats

18. Social Classes• the society was made up of three classes: nobles (made up of the datu and their families), mahadlika or maharlika (freemen) and the alipin (dependents)• members of the nobility were addressed with the title Gat or Lakan among the Tagalogs

19. • alipin or dependents acquired their status by inheritance, captivity, purchase, failure to settle debts, or by committing a crime• there were two kinds of dependents: aliping namamahay and aliping sagigilid• in the Visayas, dependents were of three kinds : tumataban, tumarampok, and the ayuey Maguindanao Sultan, nobles & Alipins

20. Status of Women• women in pre-colonial Philippine society had the right to inherit property, engage in trade and industry, and succeed to the chieftainship of the barangay in the absence of a male heir• had the exclusive right to name their children• men walked behind them as a sign of respect

21. Marriage customs• men were in general, monogamous; while their wives are called asawa, while concubines are called “friends”• in order to win the hand of his lady, the man has to show his patience and dedication to both the lady and her parents• courtship usually begins with paninilbihan• if the man wins the trust of the parents, he does not immediately marry the woman, but he has to satisfy several conditions: - give a dowry or bigay-kaya - pay the panghihimuyat - pay the wet nurse bigay-suso - pay the parents himaraw - bribe for the relatives called sambon (among the Zambals)

22. • once he had settled all of the above requirements, he brings his parents to meet with the bride-to-be’s parents to haggle and make the final arrangements; this is called pamamalae or pamamanhikan or pamumulungan• the wedding ceremonies vary depending on the status of the couple; but normally, those from the upper class, a go-between was employed• weddings are officiated by the priestess or babaylan• uncooked rice is thrown on the couple after the wedding ceremony

23. Marriage ceremony - eating riceTausog wedding ceremony

24. • Muslim Filipinos have similar marriage customs; the first stage was called pananalanguni or bethrothal; it was followed by the consultation with the girl’s parents, who relays their decision to the village chief, who in turn informed the suitor’s parents of the decision• dowry was also settled by the chief (pedsungud). This was of seven kinds: 1. kawasateg, money given to the bride’s close PHILIPPINES PRE-COLONIAL ERA 13

relatives; 2. siwaka, brassware given to those who helped arrange the wedding; 3. enduatuan, brassware or animals for the village chief; 4. pangatulian, jewelry given to the bride’s mother and aunts; 5. tatas, blade given to the girl’s uncle; 6. langkad, money given to the girl’s parents as fine for having bypassed the girl’s elder sister if she had any; and 7. lekat, amount of money given to the girl’s attendant.

25. • once everything is settled, the pegkawing, or the wedding ceremony follows• the wedding ceremony is officiated by the hadji• six days of festivities followed, and only on the seventh day could the couple sleep together Muslim wedding

26. Mixed Marriages, Inheritance and Succession• mixed marriages were allowed in pre-colonial society• the status of children were dependent upon the status of the parents• often, the status of children in mixed marriages is divided evenly between the parents• single children of mixed marriage were half-free and half-dependent• legitimate children inherited their parents’ property even without any written will and was divided equally among the children

27. • natural children inherited only a third of the inheritance of legitimate children• children of dependent mothers are given freedom and a few things• nearest relatives inherit the property of childless couples• in succession, the first son of the barangay chieftain inherits his father’s position; if the first son dies, the second son succeeds their father; in the absence of male heirs, it is the eldest daughter that becomes the chieftain

28. Politics

29. Government• unit of government was the barangay, which consisted of from 30 to 100 families. The term came from the Malay word balangay, meaning boat• barangays were headed by chieftains called datu• the subjects served their chieftain during wars, voyages, planting and harvest, and when his house needs to be built or repaired; they also paid tributes called buwis

30. balangay

31. • the chief or datu was the chief executive, the legislator, and the judge; he was also the supreme commander in times of war• alliances among barangays were common and these were formalized in a ritual called sangduguan• conflicts between or among barangays were settled by violence; those who win by force is always right

32. Laws• were either customary (handed down from generation to generation orally) or written (promulgated from time to time as necessity arose)• dealt with various subjects such as inheritance, property rights, divorce, usury, family relations, divorce, adoption, loans, etc.• those found guilty of crimes were punished either by fine or by death; some punishments can be considered as torture by modern standards• however, it must be noted that ancients did not believe in endangering society by letting loose a gang of thieves of recidivists who are incapable of reform

33. Legislation• before laws are made, the chief consults with a council of elders who approved of his plan• they are not immediately enforced until the new legislation is announced to the village by the umalohokan, who also explains the law to everyone

34. Judicial Process• disputes between individuals were settled by a court made up of the village chief and the council of elders; between barangays, a board made up of elders from neutral barangays acted as arbiter• the accused and the accuser faced each other in front of the “court” with their respective witnesses• both took an oath to tell the truth; most of the time, the one who presents the most witnesses wins the case• if the losing party contests the decision, he is bound to lose in the end because the chief always take the side of the winnerPHILIPPINES PRE-COLONIAL ERA 14

35. Trial by Ordeal• to determine the innocence of an accused, he is made to go through a number of ordeals which he must pass• examples include dipping one’s hand in boiling water, holding a lighted candle that must not be extinguished, plunging into a river and staying underwater for as long as possible, chewing uncooked rice and spitting, etc.• among the Ifugaos, ordeal by combat was common, i.e. bultong (wrestling), alaw (duel)

36. Economic Life

37. Agriculture• main source of livelihood• rice, coconuts, sugar cane, cotton, hemp, bananas, oranges, and many species of fruits and vegetables were grown• done in two ways : kaingin system (slash and burn) and tillage• when the Spaniards came to the Philippines, they noted that Cebu and Palawan were abundant in many agricultural foodstuffs

38. • agricultural productivity was enhanced by use of irrigation ditches like those found in the Ifugao Rice Terraces• landholding was either public (less arable land that could be tilled freely by anyone) and private (rich and cultivated lands belonging to nobles and datus)• some rented land and paid in gold or in kind

39. • the daily fare consisted of rice and boiled fish, or sometimes pork or venison, carabao or wild buffalo meat• fermented the sap of palm trees and drank it as liquor called tuba Livestock• Pre-colonial Filipinos raised chickens, pigs, goats, carabaos, and small native ponies

40. Fishing• Was a thriving industry for those who live in the coast or near rivers and lakes• Various tools for fishing such as nets, bow and arrow, spear, wicker basket, hooks and lines, corrals and fish poisons were used.• Pearls fisheries also abound in Sulu.

41. Fishing with bow & arrow Mining• Comparatively developed before the coming of the Spaniards.• The ancients mined gold in many parts of the archipelago and were traded throughout the country and with other countries.

42. Lumbering and Shipbuilding• were flourishing industries• Filipinos were said to be proficient in building ocean-going vessels• all kinds of boats or ships were built, which the Spaniards later call banca, balangay, lapis, caracoa, virey, vinta and prau

43. Weaving• home industry that was dominated by women• using crude wooden looms, textiles such as sinamay from hemp, medrinaque from banana, cotton, linen, and silk, were woven

44. Trade• was conducted between or among barangays, or even among the islands• there was trade too with other countries such as China, Siam, Japan, Cambodia, Borneo, Sumatra, Ja , and other islands of old Malaysia• did not use any currency but conducted trade through barter• sometimes, goods were priced in terms of gold or metal gongs• Chinese traders noted that Filipinos were very honest in their commercial transactions

45. CulturePhilippine pre-colonial culture was basically Malayan in structure and form. They had written language which was used not just for communication but also for literary expression. They also had music and dances for almost all occasions and a wide variety of musical instruments that shows their ingenuity.

46. Languages• there are more than one hundred languages in the Philippines, eight of which are considered major languages. They are: Tagalog, Iloko, Pangasinan, Pampangan, Sugbuhanon, Hiligaynon, Samarnon or Samar-Leyte, and Magindanao

PHILIPPINES PRE-COLONIAL ERA 15

47. • these languages are descended from Austronesian or Malayo-Polynesian language• the differences might be accounted for the need to forming new words and phrases to fit the new environment• many of the words or terms in Filipino languages were derived from Malayan

48. System of Writing• before the arrival of the Spaniards, Filipinos used a syllabary which was probably of Sanskrit or Arabic provenance• the syllabary consisted of seventeen symbols, of which three were vowels and fourteen consonants• no one is certain about the direction of writing• Fr. Pedro Chirino’s theory is that the ancients wrote from top to bottom and from left to right

49. • pre-colonial Filipinos wrote on bark of trees, on leaves and bamboo tubes, using their knives and daggers, pointed sticks or iron as pens and the colored saps of trees as ink• only a few of this writings survive into the present because early Spanish missionaries destroyed many manuscripts on the ground that they are the work of the Devil himself• some pieces of literature, however, have been handed down to us orally

50. Laguna Copperplate InscriptionBy Hector Santoshttp://isanghamahal.blogspot.com/2006_03_01_archive.htmlAntoon Postma, a Dutch national who has lived most of his life among the Mangyansin the Philippines and the director of the Mangyan Assistance & Research Center inPanaytayan, Mansalay, Oriental Mindoro, was able to translate the writing. His effortis all the more remarkable when you consider that the text was in a language similarto four languages (Sanskrit, Old Tagalog, Old Javanese, and Old Malay) mixedtogether…The text was written in Kavi, a mysterious script which does not look like the ancientTagalog script known as baybayin or alibata. Neither does it look similar to otherPhilippine scripts still used today by isolated ethnic minorities like the Hanunóos andthe Buhids of Mindoro, and the Tagbanwas of Palawan. It is the first artifact of pre-Hispanic origin found in the Philippines that had writing on copper material…Postmas translation provides a lot of exciting surprises. Like most other copperplatedocuments, it gives a very precise date from the Sanskrit calendar whichcorresponds to 900 A.D. in our system. It contains placenames that still exist aroundthe Manila area today. It also lists the names of the chiefs of the places mentioned.The placenames mentioned prove the Philippine connection of the LCI. The namesare still recognizable today although almost eleven centuries have passed since thedocument was issued. The placenames are Pailah (Paila), Tundun (Tundo), Puliran(Pulilan), Binwangan (Binwangan), Dewata (Diwata), and Medang (Medang)…

51. Literature• pre-colonial literature may be classified into : floating or oral and written literature• Tagalogs have the bugtong (riddle), suliranin and indulanin (street songs), sabi (maxim), sawikain (saying), talindaw (boat songs), diyuna (song of revelry), kumintang (war song which evolved into a love song), dalit and umbay (dirge), tagumpay, balikungkong, dupayinin and hiliraw (war songs), uyayi and hele (lullabies), ihiman (bridal song), tagulaylay (mournful song), tigpasin (rowing song), tingad (household song), and kutang-kutang (couplets usually chanted by the blind)

52. • songs, dance and the drama probably developed simultaneously• most of the pre-colonial drama was held in the sambahan or places of worship• these dealt with various subjects including love, war, legends, the memory of the deceased, and war heroes

53. • dramas developed into different forms such as the pagbati, karagatan, tagayan, pananapatan, sabalan, and tibaw• the karagatan was a debate in verse in which a problem is resolved; it developed into the duplo during the Spanish period and then into the balagtasan in 1924 during the American period• tibaw on the other hand is perform during the pasiyam

54. • Maranaw literature, inspired by Islam, consisted of tutul (folk tale), tubad-tubad (short love poems), pananaro-on (sayings and proverbs), sowa-sowa-i (drama), antoka (riddle or puzzle), and

PHILIPPINES PRE-COLONIAL ERA 16

darangan (epic poetry)• Ilocano literature, for its part, has many kinds of songs sung on different occasions; this include dal-ot (song during baptismal party, wedding, or a feast), badeng (love song sung in a serenade), and dung-aw (dirge)

55. • Filipinos were fond of composing epic poetry, which is why the country is unique for having more than twenty epic poems. Examples of this are Hudhud and Alim (Ifugao), Biag ni Lam-Ang (The Life of Lam-Ang / Ilocano), Bantugan, Indarapatra at Sulayman, and Bidasari (Moslems) Igorots reciting Hudhud

56. Princess Lanawen to be won by Prince Bantugan Princess Bidasari story is like Snow White’sIndarapata &Sulayman

57. Music and Dance• Filipinos are naturally fond of both music and dance, and usually, whenever music is played, it is accompanied by dance

58. • some examples of pre-colonial musical instruments include kudyapi (Tagalog), bansic or a cane with four holes and gangsa or a small guitar (Negritos of Luzon), abafii a Malay music instrument (Igorots), gongs, Jews harp, bamboo flute, kutibeng or a guitar with five strings (Ilocano), kalaleng or a nose flute and diwdiw-as or pan pipe made of seven bamboos reeds (Tinguians)

59. • examples of the native dances, which depict different events include Potato Dance, Torture Dance, Duel Dance, Lovers Dance (Negritos); macasla dance (Tagbanua), kinnotan or ant’s dance and the kinnallogong or hat dance (Ilocano); balitaw and dandansoy (Visayan); balatong, dalit, hiliraw, kutang-kutang, lulay, indulanin, kumintang, salampati, tagulaylay, subli, barimbaw, and tagayan (Tagalog)

60. • this shows that Filipinos have songs and dances for almost all occasions and because of their frequent association, their social organization was more well- knit than it is today

61. Art• first glimpse can be seen in primitive tools and weapons that were polished along the lines of leaves and petals of flowers• can also be seen in beads, amulets, bracelets, and other ornaments made of jade, red cornelian, and other stones• dyed and ornamented their barkcloth with designs of attractive colors

62. • in the Iron Age, aside from armlets, bracelets, rings, and headbands, tattoos also became fashionable; metals and glass also came into use; weaving became a preoccupation for women; weapons were manufactured with designs on their handles; pottery with incised designs were made; and carvings made of wood, bone, ivory or horn were also done not only for the use of the living but also of the dead

63. Sarimanok utensils gangsa

64. • the zigszag designs on ancient lime tubes and the ornamental carvings on combs reflect Negrito influence• Indonesian influence can be seen in the apparel of the Kalingas, Maranaos, Manobos and Bagobos• Malay influence can be traced to the wood carvings found in utensils, boats, and wooden shields of the people of Sulu, Mindanao and Mountain Province

PHILIPPINES PRE-COLONIAL ERA 17