Literary History Timeline

(A journey through the evolution of our own literature)

Arvi V. Chua
Dr. Debbie Javier
20th Century
 21st Century

20th Century

Japanese Period

American Period

Revolutionary Period

Spanish Period
Pre-Colonial Period

Pre-Colonial Period
Historical Events
Pre-Colonial is the longest period in Philippine literary history. Most of its forms are delivered orally, resulting to changes of the literary
pieces. Additionally, most of the documented literary pieces during pre-colonial period was destroyed upon the Spanish regime. It was just our ancestors’
good memory that they have successfully passed the literature containing its culture and tradition.
The folk songs reflect the simple lives of the natives in their work songs in the farm, sea, and river. Children songs could also be called
as Ida-ida (Maguindanao), tulang pambata (Tagalog) or cansiones para abbing (Ibanag).
A few examples are the lullabyes or Ili-ili (Ilongo); love songs like the panawagon and balitao (Ilongo); harana or serenade (Cebuano);
the bayok (Maranao); the seven-syllable per line poem, ambahan of the Mangyans that are about human relationships, social entertainment and also
serve as a tool for teaching the young; work songs that depict the livelihood of the people often sung to go with the movement of workers such as the
kalusan (Ivatan), soliranin (Tagalog rowing song) or the mambayu, a Kalinga rice-pounding song; the verbal jousts/games like the duplo popular during
wakes.