II.

PHILIPPINES IN ANCIENT TIMES

4. ECONOMIC LIFE

Early Filipinos primarily engaged in the following economic activities: farming, fishing, poultry and swine
raising, gold mining and trade. Agricultural activities among early Filipinos had an early beginning.The
people first used the slash-and-burn method of planting rice. Later, they adopted wet agriculture. The
slash-and-burn method was common in the interior and high coastal areas while wet agriculture was
practiced in the lowlands. During the planting season, the early Filipinos performed certain rituals to
ensure a bountiful harvest. Work in the fields also followed the changes in season. The methods used in
wet agriculture are similar to what is being done in the rural areas today. Other crops being raised aside
from rice were millet, bananas, sweet potato or camote, areca nuts, oil, cotton, wine and vinegar and
coconuts. Abaca was raised and its fibers were gathered and made into ropes or fabrics.

5. SOCIAL LIFE

The family was, as it still is today, the smallest but the most significant unit of ancient society. The father
and mother were accorded complete obedience and respect by the children. The Father was the head of
the family while the mother managed household affairs. The early Filipinos had close family ties. There
were four social classes in ancient Filipino society: the chiefs, nobles, freemen and the slaves. The datu
or the chief headed a barangay or community. His family, relatives and elders belonged to the maginoo
class group of nobles. The freemen or middle class belong to the timawa or maharlika group. Men who
were born free or were freed from slavery composed the lowest social class because they had no
property and were under control of their master. A Filipino could become a slave through birth, in ability
to pay debts, purchase, punishment for crimes or by being held captive in war. Slaves were of two kinds:
aliping namamahay and aliping saguiguilid. The aliping namamahay enjoyed certain privileges such as
the right to own property, and the right to work for any master. the aliping saguiguilid did not enjoy any
right and freedom at all. Women occupied a high position in early society. They were regarded as equals
of men and were given the same respect conferred upon the men. The mother of the family had the
honor of naming the children.

5.1. Women’s Position in Society

The role of women in the Philippines is explained based on the context of Filipino culture,
standards, and mindsets. The Philippines is described to be a nation of strong women, who
directly and indirectly run the family unit, businesses, government agencies and haciendas.
Although they generally define themselves in the milieu of a masculine dominated post-colonial
Asian Catholic society, Filipino women live in a culture that is focused on the community, with
the family as the main unit of society. It is in this framework of Philippine hierarchical structure,
class differences, religious justifications, and living in a globally developing nation wherein
Filipino women struggle for respect. Compared to other parts of Southeast Asia, women in
Philippine society have always enjoyed a greater share of legal equality. Some pre-colonial social
structures of the Philippines gave equal importance to maternal and paternal lineage. This
bilateral kinship system accorded Philippine women enormous power within a clan. They were
entitled to property, engage in a trade and could exercise their right to divorce her husband.
They could also become village chiefs in the absence of a male heir. Before the arrival of the
Spaniards, Filipino women could also achieve status as medicine women or high-priestesses and
astrologers.
5.2. Marriage Custom

Traditional marriage customs in the Philippines and Filipino wedding practices pertain to the
characteristics of marriage and wedding traditions established and where Filipino communities
exist. Kasalan is the Filipino word for "wedding", while its root word – kasal – means "marriage".
The present-day character of marriages and weddings in the Philippines were primarily
influenced by the permutation of native, Christian, Catholic, Protestant, Spanish, and American
models. A typical ancient traditional Filipino wedding, during pre-colonial times, is held for three
days and was officiated by a babaylan, a tribal priest or priestess. The house of the babaylan was
the ceremonial center for the nuptial. On the first day, the couple was brought to the priest's
home, where the babaylan blesses them, while their hands are joined over a container of
uncooked rice. On the third day, the priest would prick their chests to draw a small amount of
blood, which will be placed on a container to be mixed with water. After announcing their love
for each other for three times, they were fed by the priest with cooked rice coming from a single
container. Afterwards, they were to drink the water that was mixed with their blood. The priest
proclaimed that they are officially wed after their necks and hands were bound by a cord or,
sometimes, once their long hairs had been entwined together. In lieu of the babaylan, the datu
or a wise elder may also officiate a pre-colonial Filipino wedding. After the ceremony, weh weh
weh weh weh a series of gift-exchanging rituals was also done to counter the negative
responses of the bride: if asked to enter her new home, if she refuses to go up the stairs of the
dwelling, if she denies to participate in the marriage banquet, or even to go into her new
bedroom, a room she would be sharing with her spouse. Spanish colonialism brought changes to
these marriage rituals because of the teachings and conversion efforts of Spanish missionaries,
which occurred as early as the 18th century. As a result, the majority of current-day Filipino
weddings became predominantly Christian or Catholic in character, which is also because of the
mostly Catholic population, although indigenous traditions still exist today in other regions of
the Philippines. Parts of Filipino wedding ceremonies have become faith-centered and God-
centered, which also highlights the concept that the joining of two individuals is a "life long
commitment" of loving and caring. In general, the marriage itself does not only signify the union
of two persons, but also the fusion of two families, and the unification two clans.

5.3. Mixed Marriages

`Mixed marriages- or marriages between a man and a woman from different social classes such
as a freeman with a slave-were rare. If it happened, the children of the couple were equally
divided among the parents in terms of social status. For example, a marriage between a father
who was a freeman to a mother who was a slave would result in the following division; the
eldest, the third, the fifth, and so on, whether male or female went to the mother. All the
children belonging thus became freemen and those belonging to the mother became slaves. If
there was only one child, he became half free and half slave.Among the ancient Filipinos-Pinoy-
the legitimate children or the children of a man by his first wife automatically inherited the
property of their parents even without a written agreement to that effect. The property was
equally divided among the children although either parent could exercise some partiality in
giving a favorite son or daughter an extra jewel or a few pieces of gold. Unless expressly stated
by the parents as outside the portion to be inherited, any property given in advance to a son or
daughter was considered a part of the inheritance of the recipient. When there were no
legitimate children, the natural children or children by the second or third marriage inherited
the entire father’s property. When there were no heirs, the property was given to the couple’s
nearest relatives.As for succession, the first son of the king or of the village chieftain succeeded
 hus father. If the first son died without leaving an heir, the second son succeeded as king or
chieftain. If there was no male heir, the eldest daughter became the chieftain.

6. THE GOVERNMENT

The unit of government was the barangay. the barangay varied in population from 30-100 families. The
early barangays were independent of each other. The head was called datu and was the chief executive,
legislator, judge and military commander. He made laws, enforced them and judged all cases and trials
brought by the villagers. However, he had a council of elders who assisted him in his administration. A
person could become a datu through inheritance, wealth, wisdom and bravery. The Philippines was
divided into hundreds of independent barrangays. For mutual protection and cooperation, several
barangays formed a confederation. The confederation of Madya-as under Datu Sumakwel was formed in
Panay during the 13th century. The barangay had both oral and written laws. Oral laws were the
customs and traditions which were handed down through generations.

6.1. How a Law was Made by Datu?

The early Filipino named Lubluban, the great granddaughter of the first Filipino man and
woman, was the legendary law-giver. The written laws were promulgated by the datu and
council of elders. A town crier called umalohokan announced the laws to the people. A law was
made by Datu and it will examine by the “Elders”. The “Elders” are the group of people who are
the senior of the datu which are also his advisers; they examine the law presented by datu and
evaluate the law if it is considerable, possible or fair enough to become an official law.

6.2. Deciding Cases

The contents of ancient laws involved family relations, property rights, domestic affairs,
inheritance, marriage conflicts, murder and business problems. Punishment for serious crimes
was death, slavery or heavy fines. Minor crimes were punished through with exposure to ants,
long hours of swimming, whipping or fines.

6.3. The Trial of Ordeal

The datu acted as the judge in the barangay. He conducted the trial in full view of his
constituents. He conferred judgment on crimes conducted within his barangay. In a civil case,
the chief tried to have the case settled amicably. When no amicable settlement was reached by
parties concerned, the parties involved were sworn to obey the judgment of the chief. The
parties concerned presented as many witnesses as they could in order to bolster their defense.
When a witness was called to the witness stand, he took an oath that he would tell the truth by
repeating the following words: "May lightning strike me if I am telling a lie. May the heavens or
the sun fall upon me if I will tell a lie." The early Filipinos considered swearing as a sacred act. If
an accused person refused to accept the verdict of guilt upon him, the chief could use force to
make him obey the law. If one was accused of committing a serious crime, the accused was
subjected to trial by ordeal. It was assumed that if a person was guilty, he would not be able to
pass the ordeal that would have be given to him. If some persons were suspected of stealing,
they were brought to the deepest part of the river and required to jump. Whoever came out
first was considered the guilty one. The elders believed that the gods punished those who were
guilty and absolved the innocent ones.
 7. CULTURE

Cultures in the ancient times were different than ours today. Because, nowadays there are so much
innovations in terms of clothing, houses, burial customs, education, music, dance and arts because of
the influence of western and southern cultures and during the times of colonization as of today.

7.1. Clothing

Filipinos, even in ancient times were very particular about their manner of dressing. Their
clothes were made of cotton, silk and plant fibers. The men's clothing consisted of a collarless,
short-sleeved jacket called cangan and a strip of cloth wrapped around the waist and between
the legs called bahag. Women's clothing consisted of a blouse with big sleeves called baro and a
loose skirt called saya or patadyong. A tapis or a piece of colored cloth was wrapped around the
waist. The men also wore a headdress called putong or turban while the women knotted their
hair at the back of their heads. They usually wore a salakot or a wide-brimmed hat when walking
under the sun or rain. To further enhance their personal appearance, women adorned
themselves with various types of jewelry such as rings, earrings, bracelets, armlets and
necklaces made of gold, silver, agates, pearls, beads and other precious stones.Tattooing the
body was popular among the Filipino men. To them, it was a symbol of beauty and bravery. A
tattoo is a painting on the human body. A man who killed an enemy tattooed his body to show
his bravery. The more men he killed in battle, the more tattoos he had on his body. the tattoos
were different shapes and colors. They could be geometric or circular or be of various objects
such as birds, flowers, trees, animals or fruits.

7.2. Ornaments

Flake Stone (Taliptip na Bato)

-The flake stone was a tool used by ancient Filipinos from the Stone Age up to the Early Metal
Age. It was used for cutting, slicing and grating.

Daras na Bato
-It is small, grounded and smoothened.
-It is also made out of a smooth stone type. The cross section is shaped like a rectangle or a
trapezoid. It is believed to be used for carving wood.

Pamukpok sa telang balat ng kahoy

-It is a tool made of stone and is used to make cloth out of wood.
. -It was made by the ancient Filipinos in Palawan from a stone and was used to stroke the wood
until it became almost like thread.

Body ornamentation is an ancient tradition in the society of the early Filipinos. The ornaments
are made of stone, metal, crystal, or conch. Four types of ornaments made of stone and crystal
with were found together with the bones of the early Filipinos. Some other areas where such
ornaments were found are Kwebang Bato ng Sorsogonand Kwebang Manunggul, Leta-Leta and
Ngipet Duldug in the island of Palawan. These oranaments are made out of jade, onyx, agate
and jasper.The old ornaments are evidence of the network of the ancient Filipinos to the other
neighboring countries in Asia.

Shells (Kabibe)
 -The most commonly used shells are: Cypraea, Nassarius, Abalones, Cowries, Strombus, Melo,
Diadem, and Nautilus. They were used by the Filipino ancestors as earrings, bracelet, and chain.
Some were even used as spoons and limestone holders.

Lingling-o
-The Lingling-or is a type of ear pendant created from jade.

Baybayin or Alibata
is the written language of the ancient Filipino.

The pre-Spanish ancestors of the Filipino wrote on leaves, and bamboo. There, they wrote
incantations and placed the bamboo in the entrances of
their homes to keep out evil spirits.

Sining sa Batong Angono

One hundred twenty-seven drawings of people are scattered in the wall. They were engraved in
the walls using a piece of stone. The etching depth is 10 cm up to the blurred lines. The
petroglyphis composed of round shape heads w/ and w/o a neck drawn above a rectangle or a
V-shaped body. The line drawing of the arms and legs are usually flexed and crooked

Manuggul Jar (Prehistoric Ceramic Burial Jar)

It was found in Tabon Cave in Palawan and it portrays the journey of a soul after death. This was
used as container for the burial of the bones of dead people. This is the first evidence of the
artistry of ancient Filipinos. The most amazing part of the jar is the cap with shaped up
passenger boat with two figures. It describes their belief that the dead continue to travel to find
other life.

Bul-ol (Anito)
The Bul-ol is a type of a sculpture in the form of human worship to the anitos. According to the
beliefs of the natives, the anitos use the bul-ol as their physical body

7.3. Houses

The word balay is a Visayan word for house. There were three types of houses during the early
period. Houses built of permanent wooden materials were called town houses. They were
occupied by the datu. This was the largest house in the community. It was 30m long. This was
not only the datu's abode, but also his workplace, storehouse and community center for civic
and religious affairs. This center had a public lounging platform below or in the front. There
were separate chambers for the datu, his wife, family, daughters, concubines and house slaves.
Wooden partition carved with foliage in high relief separated these chambers. The second type
of houses was called cottages.These cottages were occupied by ordinary people (non datus) in
the community. They were made of light materials. This enabled the cottage dwellers to be
always ready to move every few years to be near shifting swiddens.
These cottages were built near the fields. The third type was called the tree houses. These
houses were used only in times of war. There were also a variety of huts called balay-balay. They
were used by hunters, farmers and travelers. The houses were elevated off the ground onposts
and had steep roofs. This type was appropriate for a tropical environment characterized by
heavy rainfall. Temporary shelters were also built near the fields where the people raised their
crops. These were made of light materials and were often abandoned after harvest time.
7.4. Education and System of Writing

The education of the ancient Filipino is only on their own homes. The parents of the child are
the one who is responsible for the education of their children, they teach them how to read and
write. Alibata is the written language of the Filipino in the ancient times, this is the type of their
communication.

7.5. Music and Dance

The early Filipinos were music lovers. They had their own musical instruments. These were the
kudyapi or Tagalog guitar, the kalaleng or Tingguan nose flute, the gangsa or Igorot gong, the
silbay or Ilocano reed flute, the tultogan or Visayan bamboo drum and the kulintang or Muslim
xylophone. The Visayans of Panay had a pasiyak which looked like a pipe and sounds were
produced when air was blown inside the pipe. The tambuli was another popular instrument in
ancient Philippines. It was made out of carabao horns. A hole was made on the smaller end of
the horn. Sounds were heard when air was blown into the small hole. The early Filipinos had
songs for various occassions. Theey had lvoe songs, songs for planting, sailing and lullabies. An
example of a love song is the kundiman among the Tagalogs. Folk songs were also popular
among the early Filipinos. The sentiments of the early Filipinos were expressed in their dances.
Dances like tinikling, maglalatik, iitik-itik, singkil or sagayan, kumintang, dandansoy or binalyan
depicted various household and occupational activities.

7.6. Arts

The early Filipinos were artistic people. Nipa hut is an example of Filipino architecture. Filipinos
also showed artistry in the building of various types of boats. Tattooing was a form of painting.
Sculpture was a favorite art form. Clay, wood and gold statues have been unearthed by
Archaeologists. Handles of weapons and tools showed beautiful carvings.

7.7 Religious Beliefs

Religion played an important part in the daily life of early Filipinos. They believed in a Supreme
Being which was called Bathala by the Tagalogs; Abba by the Cebuanos; Kabunyian by the
Ifugaos; and Laon by the Visayans. The tagalogs believed Bathala was the creater of heaven,
Earth and man. They also worshipped lesser gods such as Idianale, goddess of agriculture;
Sidapa, Visayan god of death; Apolaki, war god to the Pangasinense; Dallang, Ilocano goddess of
beauty; Malyari, Zambal god of strength; Sisiburannen, god of evil among the Visayans; Hayo,
god of the sea; and Dian Masalanta, god of love of the Tagalogs. The early Filipinos were
believers of spirits called anitos by the Tagalogs and diwatas by the Visayans. They worshiped
objects of nature such as rivers, mountains, the sun, moon and animals because they believed
that the spirits of their dead ancestors might be in them. Part of the elderly Filipinos' religious
life was the mag-anito. This was a ceremony or act of sacrifice which they held in honor of their
gods. This ritual was led by priests and priestesses called katalonan among the Tagalogs and
babaylan among Visayans. They did not have a definite place of worship. Ceremonies were
usually done inside the house and activities involved dancing and singing. Fattened pigs were
usually the main animals being offered.
7.8. Burial Custom

The early Filipinos observed certain customs connected with burial and mourning. The dead
man's body was first cleaned thoroughly, sprayed with perfume and dressed properly. The dead
body was preserved inside the house, in a cave or in a place facing the sea. Among the Visayans,
they used hardwood in making coffins for their dead. They called these caskets "longon".
William Henry Scott, in his book Barangay described these longon as "...hewn from a single tree
trunk with a lid cute from the same piece, fitted, pegged and caulked airtight with resins." The
longon of a datu or a prominent person usually bore intricate decorations which were done by
the future occupant himself. Jars were also used as the resting place of early Filipinos. During
the burial, clothes, food, jewelry, household articles, weapons and even slaves were buried with
the dead man to accompany him on his journey to the other world. Among the Visayans, this
was very important in order to gain acceptance by the relatives who had already preceded them
in the land of the dead. The Visayans believed that these relatives await the kalag (soul) on the
other side of the land of the dead, which they call Sulad or Saad. During the mourning period,
relatives of the dead wore white clothing. The datu was accorded special mourning rites. It was
called larao. The barangays went into a period of mourning upon the death of a datu. All wars
and activities stopped temporarily. Singing was prohibited especially on boats returning from
the sea. All spears were carried with their heads pointed downward.