THE EARLY BIKOLS ‘The people of this land are said to have come from the alpha. peteising Malay stock during the second wave of migration. The aborigines of the Agtas live in the mountains of Basud, Labo, Ri gay-and Isarog. in the coasts of Siruma and Caramoan, and on the mountainsides trom Mt. Asog to Guinobatan, Remnants of Agtas “Hil live in these mountains in government reservations The Agtas had a culture and language of their own, They_wove- pineapple fiber into fine pifia cloth. Another kind of cloth was woven from abaca fiber on the simplest kind of loom. They grew. bananas, gabi, corn, ubi and sugar cane for chewing. They ii ade their own weapons and had their own laws. Stealing was prohibited; _ ll Killing was punishable by death, and polygamy was permitted but_ “even the most courageous and skillful seldom or never had more, than one wife.”!° Of the lowland peoples we have little information from the Spa- “nish chronicles, From one source, however, can be gleaned a view . of Bikol's early years — from oral literature, Oral literature is a rich source material of the people’s way of life, and reflects their cus- toms, activities, values and aspirations, As historical data, they have some validity as they were produced on the people’s own initiative and focused on their personal experience, Bikol’s pre-conquest past shall then, be presented by beginning from lore, with a study of the epic Ibalon, Recent epic scholarship “Row regard the epic and all lore as a preserved archive of history _ Which reveal ways of thinking peculiar to the people who produced or adapted them, These forms “show accretions of folk elements, the humble influence of place and kinship and common emotion that accumulate through generations to shape and condition a distinctive native consciousness,"11In fact, some traces or “remains” in the epic, when subjected to documentation and factual authentication of detalls, have been ver fied in the Spanish chronicles, Archaelogical diggings in the area where the epic is supposed to have originated Likewise support the existence of the places mentioned there, The name of the hero Han. diong is the name of a village where valuable artifacts have been dug out in recent excavations. From roports of old men in this village the name Handong or Andong, shortened from Handiong is that of an old old chief who ruled there in ancient times. Further away is another village named Candato, meaning a place owned by a datu, Nearby is Fundado, or place of founding, an ancient place where skeletons of tall people were found some time ago. If place- names are important clues to the historical past, then this village may well be the site of an old kingdom, as old folks in the village say. Hence, the heritage preserved in Ibalon provides us with a picture of ancient Bikol group life. The people were settled in communities along rivers and coasts. Fashioned with their own hands were implements necessary for livelihood: the plow, harrow, yoke, bolo and hoe for farming; the boat for fishing and _ transportation; Joom and bobbins for weaving; clay pots of many sizes for cook- ing; the ganta and other measures. The badas or whip, budyak or arrow, and minasbad or spear were made not only for the hunt but also for protection. The epic reveals a social organization and a system of govern- ment where a chief promulgated equal rules for the datus and common people alike, In that can be seen a stratification of society on two levels — the datus and masses, who as has been said, were equal in the eyes of the law én matters of life and honor. Houses of varying proportions were built on top of trees to Prevent annoyances from insects and the excessive heat. Feodor Ja- Sor, a German scientist who visited Bikol in 1859-60/*had informa- tion that evidences of lake dwellings (pile villages) were discover. ed in Libmanan (to which the villages of Handong, Candato and Fundado belong), The ancient Bikols had an alphabet composed by one named Su- ral, who inseribed it on stone that was polished by Gapon. ‘Theword “polished” is an important clue to the level of cultural adap- Welon of the people and to the veracity of the epie as a record tapeperience, Tools or materials from stone that were polished Cive een identified as belonging to the New Stone Age, roughly about 5,000 BP. Jagor found a Neolithic stone adze in a preshis- torie site in Libmanan, Other Neolithic stones, belong to other parts of the region, particularly in Pili (Camarines Sur), Para- cale, and Masbate. ‘two important items mentioned in the epic, linsa or taro and rice, which were planted by Baltog, Handiong and his men, give additional information on the advancing technological know-how of the Bikols, Swidden agriculture was being practised. The com- niunity of Hardiong was mentioned as being situated along a river bank. | The making of clay pots or koron is a New Stone Age achieve- gent, Clay pots are still made today in Libmanan, Tiwi and other places in the region under the most primitive methods. Excava- tions in Bato Cave (Sorsogon) and Cagraray Cave (Albay) reveal “stone tools and stone beads beside clay pots. The Kalanay pottery Gug in Masbate show evidences of Bikol creativity and artistry. Most interesting are the diagnostic designs of scalloped decorations done in relief, curvilinear scrolls of alternating triangles, and cut- out triangles in ring stands and patterns. Ancient pot shards found in Libmanan, Camarines Sur show small circles in alignment; and <‘fitteen different designs in the Kalanay show that ‘‘the ancient © Bikols had possessed culturally defined preferences, attitudes and | values for what they considered beautiful.” ‘The epic mentions metal _ implements for protection like the © pudyak and minastad, and the bolo, hoeand harrow for farming. The | early metal age is attributed to the making of precisely these Kinds of tools, At Pilar, Sorsogon 24 burial jars containing | git Paste beads, iron tools and weapons, and some evidences of cloth “4 have been dated 300-800 A.D, There are bronze finds in the Hoyop- M novopan Cave in Camalig (Albay) and in the riverside excavations th Quipayo and Libmanan, Brotze bracslete and cst pendants © also seer in these last-nemed excavation sites, Wilhelm Sothelm bea a “aeRO EE IE“q small thinly encrusted bell measuring 27 mm, found in Masbate i in over-all Jength and 12.5 mm, in greatest diameter |’ In Irosin, Sorsogon, an ancient golden crown was found but sold by its discoverer to an unknown merchant. Stories of a golden crown were told by people from Libmanan after rampant diggings in the site of the epic, All along the railroad line and the national highway from Camarines Norte to Camarines Sur were many burial grounds and midden heaps which showed that the area was popu- Jated in ancient times, Chronicles record the following population statistics for the entire region: . les 3.200 for Masbate and Burias 1905 566.365 1966 2,500,000 In 1569 there were barangays ruled by aatus of Bornean lineage: Panga governed Bua (now Nabua); Bonayog, Tongdo, Magpaanao and Caayan ruled the barangays called Antacud, Caognan, Bino- yoan and Sabang, respectively. In Ligao the rulers were called Pag- kilatan, Maaban, Makabongoy, Hokoman and Sampungan; in Cali- ligno (now Bato) Domogma reigned, In Cagsawa the ruler was Tae baw, whose son was the first Christian of the place,THE ANCIENT RELIGION The ancient Bikols believed in a supreme being. ‘rhe numerous phallic symbols dug out from all over the caves and midden heaps indicate a higher form of worship. There was a pantheon of gods headed by Gugurang, who lived in Kamurawayan or heaven, and Aswang who lived in Gagamban or a place of fire The general Principles of this religion, which re-echo in the folk narratives, Songs and folk sayings are: First, ihat life is a god/father/nature given thing; hence 80d/father /nature must be obeyed and respected; it is this Same god/nature, a loving and yet a punishing father who pro- Vides for him when he is good and chastises him when he transgresses.Second, that wrong exists, lorded over by Aswang; if man enooses Aswang, he commits wrong and displeases Gugurang: the god of good, who must punish him, Third, man is free to make use of the fruits of the earth which god/nature/father has lavished on him. But life is a se- ries of tests of endurance — the victor will be rewarded, the transgressor will be punished, Clearly, Gugurang loomed high in the Bikol pantheon of gods, He was their benefactor, guide and defender against the god of evil Aswang, who would anger Gugurang by inciting the people to rebel against the good god, do evil deeds and resort to sloth and easy pleasures. Seeing this, Gugurang would punish and pounce on Aswang; and to his people, he gave protection and exhorted them to make sacrifices in order to appease his anger. The myths dis- close him as a powerful and loving god, who would vent his fury mercilessly on the transgressor but who would shower them with gifts and protection in return, It is interesting that Aswang was often pictured as alternately a snake or an animal, But Gugurang was never symbolized nor carved. He was known as a spirit, similar perhaps to the Jewish concept of god called Yahweh, Castafio, upon interviewing the Biv ols, described how they fervently gestured to the skies and spoke with profound affection of a great Lord whom they feared and who was a just god, so the people looked up to him with great respect.!¢ Acting as some kind of an aide was a lesser god named Batala, whose mission was to make the region assigned to him happy and the individual he guided free from harm. Other helping Spirits were Katambay, who accompanied each person; Okot, the forest god Whose whistle would lead hunters to their prey; and Magindang, the god of fishing, who likewise facilitated a good catch for the fishermen by a technique of sounds and signs, Svecial cults or rites were held for each of the gods. In. honor met etrane, the sacrifice of aiang was offered in order to obtain a. for material goods of the earth, or in thanksgiving for they had received, Held in a gulang-gulangan or shed madeof coconut or nipa leaves they offered the fruits of the earth cat. led himoloan, which were placed on a table called salangat, and which the baliana or priestess offered, accompanied by the enton- ing of the religious hymn called soraque, which was sung by beth baliana and a chorus of women, The ceremony would end in eating: or drinking, and often in quarreling and fighting, actions which led to a catharsis, a necessary state in religious rite. ‘The minister in the rites was the baliana, Shrewd and diligent in listening to people's complaints, she would speak for them to the go's or spirits, The male counterpart was called atog; he wore a skirt and delighted in trinkets and bangles. ‘The ancient Bikols believed likewise in the protective power of ‘the anitos or spirits of dead ancestors. As intercessors and £1 dians, they were represented in statuettes called Ingdong, larawan or tagno and placed in grottoes or moog or in a public place most frequently visited in a village, according to the social rank of the deceased, Anitos were classified as tagno, a domestic spirit, or rarangpan, if he were a public benefactor or guardian, Aswang had a coterie of aides. Among these were bonggos, oF vengeful spirits, who assumed the role of black priests and consum- ed with fear anything within the range of its fire-spitting eyes: corccoro, a night bird, whose song meant the coming of Aswang ‘upon a baby or sick person, or the impending death of somcone or the coming of a storm, if the cry was muffled; and Oriol or Irago the serpent daughter of Aswang, who could transform herself into fa seductive woman, or appear and disappear as she wanted, Thi yasaw, hid under shadows of trees and foretold, especially if he would ery, the death of a tribesman, As a monster looking like a half-horse and a half.man, the yasaw was variously called abi, onglo, or tambalusios, There was the sarimaw, a monster with bulging crossed eyes, who would tear apart the guilty with its claws; the bakunawa was dragon who swallowed the moon during eclipses and brought misfortunes upon the people. The popo was a vengeful spirit, whose touch would cause a child to grow weak and die; the patianak was a tiny black bird fused with a human foetus, whose mournful wat!-ing, if heard by a pregnant woman, could cause miscarriage; the kikik was a bird of ill-omen; the didit, a hearth cricket, whose nocturnal chirp signified the death of a relative; the angongclood, ‘a hideous ape which lurked along dark riversides and pounced upon unwary bathers; the buris were one-eyed, three-thrcated crea- tures; Rabot was a halfman and half-beast who transformed his enemies into stone, ‘To Gugurang votive sacrifices were offered, Aside from the atang, a halia was offered to prevent the bakunawa from devouring the moon, A most beautiful ceremony, it would begin by the loud beating of hollowed tree trunks called patong in order to frighten away the bakunawa and assure the presence of the moon in the heavens; the women would line up in two files chanting hymns to the moon. The feast-ritual was mainly cooked carabao meat and tuba wine. ‘To Aswang there were expiatory rites. The hidhid prevented ‘Aswang from devouring a sick person, or to stop a storm, a swarm of locusts, or pestilence; the hogot was a gory ceremony which killed the favorite slave of a dead chief in order to prevent Aswang from eating ts entrails; the dool was celebrated to ward off ter- rible calamities; the yoked was to protect a favorite son from the curse of Aswang. A number of witch doctors were believed to have existed, The hocloban, who maintained that all illnesses were traceable to As. wang, cmployed the haplos or hilot, or to massage vigorously with a lotion concocted from roots of tangan-tangan mixed with coconut oil, The mangkukulam, or the kind called mambakarat, was a sor- cerer, Loarca"? and M, Edmunde Debelke,!® though they disgaree on the time of appearance of the demon rites, mention three demons named Nagine, Arapayan, and Makbarubak who could kill a vietim, The andedono was a vampire who delighted in women who were sick and dying, ‘The anananggal would detach its upper portion from the waist and fly in search of saliva and human flesh, The lyug brought its victim aloft as it gazed straight at the moon; the lakaw was the ground witch; and the silagan ate the liver of white-skinnedActually there were all sorts of divinations, amulets, and potions among the mountain tribes and isolated areas, Some of — these practices are still prevalent in the region, particularly among the rural folk. THE BIKOLS AS A PEOPLE Who were the Bikols, whom the Spanish and Moros almost anni- hilated? On the whole, the Bikols found by the Spanish were proud but not. arrogant, obedient but not dumb, Chroniclers believed they. were docile but impetuous and valcrous, intelligent and vigorous, Highly impressed by the reople, Fr, Bartclome Ruiz who came to Bikol in 1578, wrote: . « «/they/ were the least immoral of all those discovered in these kingdoms . .. those fond cf women are very decent and retired, In some parts of these provinces, when they were still Pagans, they considered it embarrassing and shameful to marry their own relatives even in the third and fourth degree. 36 Fr, Marcelo de Ribadeneira,who visited the region in 1589, wrote: They are a calm and temperate people, honest, and retired /they/ had pottery and textile industries, they had gold and forest and sea products .. . The customs of these Bikols are temperate and chaste, And sentiments of the family here are- very developed.ss Fr, Francisco Colin had this to say: ‘The inhab‘tants devoted themselves to the cultivation of thelr ¢lands, they knew how to ma ke farm tools... they had instrus ments for fishing and household utensils made of bamboo and. wood they wore clothing which they themselves wove from pineapple. They were always reserved in covering their persons with extreme diligence, circumspection and modesty “The woman, very prudent and modest, is a stranger to any form of triviality, 87 Fr, Gaspar de San Agustin likewise said: All these provinces are of very docile people and of great dex- terity in mechanical jobs, These provinces abound in rice and other fruits of the earth like coconut trees from where oil is taken to light these islands. * Fr. Castano, who stayed many long years in the region, wrot . the Bikol Region is the most congenial of the Philip- pine territory , .. for the mildness and docility of its cha- racter and for the temperance of thcir customs .- . It is a race of great impetuousity and valor and fond of social deal” ings; more intelligent and vigorous, more active, industrious and warlike, and adjusted to live clustered in compact vile lages. 89 Colin wrote these about the early Bikols: At the arrival of Salcedo, who with Captain Chavez, were the conquerors of Bikol, he found the inhabitants of the Re- gion organized in communities more or less homogeneous, called barangay, each having its own government ruled by 4 chief or maginoo. Some “Barangay” formed groups for pur- poses of security and defense, They appointed a chief and ac- knowledged in him the supreme authority over such group with all the rights and prerogatives inherent in the office. In the majority of cases, -the appointment was made by reason of personal capability or by reason or the family of the ap- pointed. 40 The inhabitants devoted themselves to the cultivation of their lands; they harvested palay; they knew how to make farm tocls with which they tilled the soil. They used a coarse mortar to separate the grain from the husks of palay and at the same time it served to whiten and polish the rice. They had instruments for fishing and household utensils made of bamboo and of wood."24 ‘the inhabitants, since the days of old, wore clothing which they themselves wove from cotton and pineapple. They didn't go around naked. rather they wore collarless rcbes which were well-made, the length of which reached until the ankle. ‘They were always reserved and careful in covering their per- ‘sons with extreme diligence, circumspection and modesty in which point they excel all nations, ‘The women, very prudent and modest, is stranger to any form of triviality. The attire is modest and elegant, The man car~ ries on his head a sort of turban or small girded cloth, called “patong” made of fibers of abaca or pineapple. From these chronicles we see a multifaceted people engendered in such surroundings: the harsh and restless weather and volcanic con- ditions, and, on the other hand a happy and contented feople, ascriba- ble, too, to nature's other face, its bounty and munificence, What ill tuck that the land’s dynamism and potentiality, together with the peo- ple’s creativity and adaptability drew only the freebooters who ram- paged its shores in pre-conquest time — the deserters and vagabonds, and the Spanish conquistadors, Moro pirates and Dutch invaders,