archaeologist John Lubbock in the year 1865 and derives from the Greek "παλαιός",
EARLY FILIPINOS AND THEIR CULTURE paleos ("old") and "λίθος", lithos ("stone").
Chapter
Learning Outcomes:
At the end of this lesson, the student will be able to:
2
 Know the Evolution of Filipino Culture.
 Understand the Interaction with the Great Traditions of Asia
 Analyze the Introduction and the Establishment of the
Sultanates
Introduction
The centuries prior to the coming of the Spaniards in the country
were formerly unknown to many historians. As a consequences
of the researchers undertaken by historians and exploration
made by archeologists, numerous data were found to describe
lucidly the Filipinos and how they lived prior to Magellan’s arrival
into the archipelago. This chapter is focused on the prehistoric
period in the Philippines or the era prior to Spanish colonization
of the Philippines.
Evolution of Filipino Culture
The prehistory of the Philippines covers the events prior to the written history of
what is now the Philippines. The current demarcation between this period and
the Early history of the Philippines is April 21, 900, which is the equivalent on
the Proleptic Gregorian calendar for the date indicated on the Laguna Copperplate
Inscription—the earliest known surviving written record to come from the
Philippines. This period saw the immense change that took hold of the archipelago
from Stone Age cultures in the fourth century, continuing on with the gradual
widening of trade until 900 and the first surviving written records.
 Paleolithic Era
The Paleolithic (or Palaeolithic) is a prehistoric period which has the remarkable
event of the development of stone tools. It covers the greatest portion of humanity's
time on Earth, extending from 2.5 million years ago, with the introduction of stone
tools by hominids such as Homo habilis, to the introduction of agriculture around
10,000 BCE.
The term Paleolithic, literally "Old Age of the Stone", was introduced by
This era is characterized by the use of stone tools, although at the time, humans
also used wood and bone tools. Other organic commodities were adapted for use as
tools, including leather and vegetable fibers; however, given their nature, these have
not been preserved to any great degree.
Humans then were primitive. They were nomadic and hunt for their own food. They
usually stay on the lakeside or anywhere close to water since it is rich in resources.
 Neolithic Era
The Neolithic or "New Stone Age” was a period in the evolution of human
technology that is the last part of the Stone Age. The Neolithic era follows
the terminal Holocene Epipalaeolithic periods, beginning with the rise of
farming, which produced the "Neolithic Revolution" and ending when metal
tools became widespread in the Copper Age (chalcolithic) or Bronze Age or
developing directly into the Iron Age, depending on geographical region.
Humans in this period learned the farming skills. Also in this period, man
discovered fire that lead to the advancement of their lives. They have learned to
stay in one place and build simple dwellings.Early Neolithic farming was limited to a
narrow range of crops, both wild and domesticated, which included einkorn wheat,
millet and spelt and the keeping of dogs, sheep and goats. By about 7000 BC it
included domesticated cattle and pigs, the establishment of permanently or
seasonally inhabited settlements, and the use of pottery. Not all of these cultural
elements characteristic of the Neolithic appeared everywhere in the same order: the
earliest farming societies in the Near East did not use pottery, and, in Britain, it
remains unclear to what extent plants were domesticated in the earliest Neolithic, or
even whether permanently settled communities existed. In other parts of the world,
such as Africa, South Asia and Southeast Asia, independent domestication events
led to their own regionally-distinctive Neolithic cultures which arose completely
independent of those in Europe and Southwest Asia. Early Japanese societies used
pottery before developing agriculture, for example.
 Age of Metals
The Metal Ages The great advance in metallurgy occurred with the invention of
bronze. It was used to produce very hard, resistant objects (swords and knives).
The Metal Ages began about 6,000 years ago. During the Metal Ages people
started using metals, like copper, tin, bronze and iron, to make tools and weapons.
They heated and shaped the metals in hot furnaces. People often used precious Female-> Baro't saya ( the baro is the top blouse and the saya is the skirt.)
metals, like gold and silver, to make jewellery. With all these changes, people’s lives  Literature
became easier. Villages and towns also became bigger and more prosperous. In -There are more than 100 languages and dialects in our country. Eight are
time, people started building the first cities. The Metal Age is divided into three considered major languages, namely, Tagalog, Illoco, Pangasinan, Pampangan,
stages: the Copper Age, the Bronze Age and the Iron Age. Pottery, irrigation and Sugbuhanon, Hiligayon, Magindanaw, and Samarnon.
dolmens in the Metal Ages During the Metal Ages, people made a variety of metal -Our languages originated from a common linguistic source the Malayo-Polynesian.
objects. They also invented new techniques for making clay pottery. The most  Religious Beliefs
characteristic examples are beaker pots. They look like upside-down bells. Some Bathala- Their supreme god.
parts of the Iberian Peninsula became very prosperous during the Metal Ages, such -Idiyanale (god of death)
as the area around El Argar, in the southeast. Argaric towns had strong walls for -Agni (god of fire)
protection and there were also canals to irrigate farmers’ crops. During the Metal -Balangaw (god of rainbow)
Ages, people started using large blocks of stone called megaliths to build -Mandarangan (god of war)
monuments. The most important megalithic monuments from this period are called -Lalahon (god of harvest)
dolmens. -Believe in after death
- They also worshipped the sun and the moon
- They offer regular sacrifices and prayers
Life in the Early Filipino Settlements -Classified into written or oral
 Shelter Oral- Bugtong(riddles), Victory song (Tagumpay), Lullabye (Uyayi) etc.
The Nipa Hut also known as bahay kubo, is an indigenous house used in the
Written-Biag ni Lam-Ang ( Ilocano Epic) Indarapatra at Sulayman and Bidasar
(Muslim epics) and Handiong for Bicolanos.
Philippines. The native house has traditionally been constructed with bamboo tied
 Courting and Marriage
together and covered with a thatched roof using nipa/anahaw leaves.
->Nobles/Upper Class(Maharlika) - Datu, Gat and Lakan
 Economic Life Timawa
-They are engaged in agriculture, hunting and fishing. - It takes a long period of time
-Rice, corn, banana, coconut, sugar cane, and other kinds of vegetables and fruits - A man must serve for years to the parents of the lady he loved.
were raised. >Cleaning the house
-Domestic and foreign trade existed prior to the arrival of the Spaniards. >Chopping woods
-Other means of Livelihood >Fetching water
-Ship building -Poultry raising Dowry- giving a piece of your wealth
-Mining –Lumbering Early filipinos practice divorce (several grounds of divorce)
- 3 Vowels - adultery
-14 Consonants -abandonement on the part of the husband
-Used the saps of the trees as ink and pointed sticks as pencil and large leaves of -cruelty
trees as papers. -insanity
 Social class
 Clothing
->Freemen/Middle Class (Timawa)-Helpers of Datu in promoting the welfare of the
Male -> Bahag ( a strip of cloth wrapped around the waist and between the legs.)
barangay.
->Putong or headgear (It symbolizes the number of persons the wearer had killed.)
->Slaves/Lower Class ( Alipin)
1. Aliping Namamahay- They can have their own house and family;
2. Aliping sagigilid- They are the real slaves. No house of hios own, cannot
contract marriage, and they can be used as payment of debt as well.
 Education System
- No formal education during pre-spanish period.
- They were only taught by their parents
->Males- taught by their father on hunting animals, fishing,agriculture, and other
economic activities.
->Females-taught by their mother in managing the household.
 Government
Barangay- Unit of government
-Consist of 30 to 100 familes
- Ruled by a Datu or Chieftain.
 Powers and Function of Datu
-Implenting laws
-Ensuring order
-Giving protection to his subject
-Acts as judge during trials
Taxation (Buwis)
- The chieftain's family is exempted from paying tax
People pay tax to the chieftain in return to the protection they receive from the latter.
Interactions with the Great Traditions of Asia
 Interactions with the Hindu
Hinduism has been a major cultural, economic, political and religious influence in
the archipelago that now comprise the Philippines. However, currently it is limited
to the small recent immigrant Indian community, though the traditional religious
beliefs have strong Hindu and Buddhist influences.
Indian honorifics also influenced the Filipino honorifics.Examples of these include
Raja, Rani, Maharlika, Datu, etc which were transmitted from Indian culture to
Philippines via Malays and Srivijaya empire.
The origins of various pre-colonial native filipino scripts such as the Baybayin,
the Visayan as badlit, the Ilocano kur-itan/kurditan, and
the Kapampangan kudlitan, can be traced to the Brahmic scripts of India and first
recorded in the 16th century.
 Interaction with the Chinese
They brought porcelain and silk, in exchange for beeswax, deer horn and
trepang(sea slug). The trade with China was the beginning of a
major influence and contribution within the FIlipino culture. One
major influence that the Chinese contributed within the culture was culinary arts.
The trade with China was the beginning of a major influence
and contribution within the FIlipino culture. One major influence that the Chinese
contributed within the culture was culinary arts. Some culinary techniques that the
Filipinos were taught include sauteed dishes, rice cakes and noodle dishes(like
Pancit!)
 Interaction with the JapaneseThe development of art was also stopped.
Filipinos greatly feared the "zoning". There were Filipinos spies hired by
the Japanese to point those who were suspected of being part of the
guerilla movement. The Japanese made some changes in the system of
education
The following are a few of the essential components:
o Chakin (茶巾). The "chakin" is a small rectangular
white linen or hemp cloth mainly used to wipe the tea bowl.
o Tea bowl (茶碗, chawan). Tea bowls are available in a wide range of sizes
and styles, and different styles are used for thick and thin tea. Shallow
bowls, which allow the tea to cool rapidly, are used in summer; deep bowls
are used in winter. Bowls are frequently named by their creators or owners,
or by a tea master. Bowls over four hundred years old are in use today, but
only on unusually special occasions. The best bowls are thrown by hand,
and some bowls are extremely valuable. Irregularities and imperfections are
prized: they are often featured prominently as the "front" of the bowl.
o Tea caddy (棗・茶入, Natsume・Chaire).[15] The small lidded container
in which the powdered tea is placed for use in the tea-making
procedure ([お]手前; [お]点前; [御]手前, [o]temae).
o Tea scoop (茶杓, chashaku). Tea scoops generally are carved from a
single piece of bamboo, although they may also be made of ivory or wood.
They are used to scoop tea from the tea caddy into the tea bowl. Bamboo
 tea scoops in the most casual style have a nodule in the approximate from the Persian Gulf, Southern India, and from several sultanate
center. Larger scoops are used to transfer tea into the tea caddy in
the mizuya (preparation area), but these are not seen by guests. Different governments in the Malay Archipelago.
styles and colours are used in various tea traditions.
o Tea whisk (茶筅, chasen). This is the implement used to mix the
 Muslim traders were followed by Muslim missionaries in the late 14th and
powdered tea with the hot water. Tea whisks are carved from a single piece
of bamboo. There are various types. Tea whisks quickly become worn and early 15th. Sultanates began to form in Mindanao and Sulu, as well as
damaged with use, and the host should use a new one when holding Manila. Thus, names like Sultan Kudarat and Rajah Lakandula and Rajah
a chakai or chaji.
Suleyman and Rajah Matanda became part of Philippine history and its
Introduction of Islam and the Establishment of the Sultanates quest for independence.
 The first Muslims to arrive were traders followed by missionaries in
the late 14th and early 15th centuries. They facilitated
the formation of Sultanates and conquests in Mindanao and Sulu.  For some reason, I don’t recall having taken up any part of Islamic history in
The people who converted to Islam came to be known as the the Philippines while I was in school in the 1970s to the 1980s. Even History
Moros.
 Islam officially arrived in the province of Sulu, a small archipelago in 1, Philippine history, as taught as a General Education subject at the State
the south, in the 13th Century. Some insist it came even earlier
University during my freshman year didn’t seem to tackle any part of Islam’s
with the rise of Arab traders in the 10th Century. Either way, there
were well established sultanates (periods of time when sultans history in our country.
ruled) in Sulu and Mindanao by 1450.
 Catholicism didn’t arrive until the Spaniards first came in 1521, and the first
Spanish settlement didn’t start until 1565 in Cebu. On the other hand, the
Chinese first arrived on our shores sometime in the 9th century. But the first
Chinese settlement came in 1594 in Binondo, which is known as the world’s
first Chinatown overseas. The Chinese pirate Limahong’s attack on Manila
was in 1574.

 Available literature on Islam in the Philippines indicate that it, in fact, has an
even longer or earlier history in the Philippines than Christianity itself – by
200 years, I believe. It is said that Islam first came to our shores in
Mindanao in the 13th century, making it the oldest recorded monotheistic
religion in the Philippines. Islam was reportedly brought by Muslim traders
 I find this curious considering the long history of the Sultanates, and how
the Mindanao Muslim territory question has permeated Philippine political
history in the last 50 years. Perhaps there should be a retelling of Islamic
 history in the country, particularly in schools, to help put things in
perspective, and in recognition of the contributions of Islam.
 As early as 1380, an Arabian trader by the name of Karim Al Makhdum
reportedly reached the Sulu Archipelago and later established Islam in the
country. He established the first Muslim mosque in the Philippines in
Barangay Tubig Indangan on Simunul Island in Tawi-Tawi. To date, after
more than 600 years, a mosque still stands in the area. And, I believe two
wooden posts of the reconstruction of the mosque in the 17th century still
remains on site today.
 Makhdum, in fact, was buried on Simunul Island. I was told he has a tomb
there, near the mosque that he had built, and that Muslims visit the area to
pay homage to the man who first brought Islam to the country.
Unfortunately, that a 638-year-old mosque, or at least its remains, can be
seen on an island in Mindanao — and the remains of the man who started
Islam in the country is there as well — remains unknown to most of us.
 Makhdum’s tomb or grave, as well as the six centuries-old mosque, are
precisely the kind of historical sites that should be restored and promoted.
They are not simple places of interest but actual cradles of Philippine
history, particularly of the pre-Hispanic period. A lot of Spanish-era Catholic
churches nationwide have been categorized as heritage sites. We should
do the same particularly for structures that preceded the Spaniards.
 It also in this line that I support the call to restore or rebuild the Royal
Palace of the Sultanate of Sulu in Maimbung, Sulu. Maimbung is the seat of
the Sultanate, which was founded in 1405.
 The Daru Jambangan (Palace of Flowers) in Maimbung was the royal
palace of the Sultan of Sulu since historical times. But it was destroyed in
1932 by a huge storm. Only a few arches and posts now remain. I believe
the Palace, with the help of the government, should be rebuilt.
 While the actual Sultanate of Sulu no longer exists, it also played a
significant role in Philippine and Mindanao history. And, if restoring the
Palace can help people learn the Sultanate’s history, and its role particularly
in foreign relations in the past as well as our linkages to Sabah, then this
should be a worthwhile endeavor. A well-rebuilt Palace will also be a major
tourist attraction.
 The Spaniards never managed to completely suppress the Muslims in
Mindanao. The Americans, during the colonial period, did not have much
success either.
 In this sense, Muslim Mindanao is the biggest cultural group that can be
considered not completely “conquered” among Philippine ethnic groups.
This, in my opinion, should be a source of pride, and should be heralded as
a sterling example of a people defending their freedom and independence
from foreign invaders.
EXERCISE 2.1: “ANSWER ME” EXERCISE 2.2: “FILL IN ME”
What were the stages in the development of Filipino culture? Discuss Give what is missing on the table. Use the given space/s on your answer
and explain the different developments under each of these stages. Interaction with the Greatest Traditions of Asia
___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________ Great Traditions Influences
___________________________________________________________________
 Hindus
___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
________________________________________
Were the Filipinos uncivilized before the coming of the Spaniards?
Why or why not? Reason out.
___________________________________________________________________
 Chinese
___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________  Japanes
___________________________________________________________________
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