LECTURE NOTES

SS -13 │ 2. Pre-Colonial Life and Culture

1. Cultural Evolution of the Early Filipinos

 There were 30 to 100 families in a society known as barangay.
 Culture may be associated with manufactured materials, for these are products of human
behavior. Certainly, the structuring of the early Filipino society has been achieved in response
to the needs of prehistoric Philippine communities.
 Old Stone Age or Paleolithic Period (50,000-10,000B.C.) is the era of crude stone tools and
weapons (Cagayan Valley).
 Core tools – any kinds of stones, which naturally produce sharp edge when broken or chipped
(e.g. flint and chert).
o Pebble tools are those rounded stones like-those found in the riverbeds
o They are called cobble tools if these rounded stones are larger.
o Flake tools are skilfully edged and shaped.
 Kinilaw - the earliest method of preparing fish for consumption where vine or lime juice
enhances the taste of the fish
 In Mindanao, the juice of tabon-tabon (Hydropirytune orbiculatum), is added to remove the
fishy smell. In Leyte and Cetu, they use coconut milk.
 Tabon Cave Complex in Lipuun Point, Quezon, Palawanfirst discovered in 1962 is an example
of prehistoric planning for adaptation.
o The Tabon, Philippine Megapode, Megapodius cumingii - (also known as the
Philippine mound builder).
 New Stone Age or Neolithic Period (10,000-500 B.C.) otherwise known as Agricultural
Revolution by anthropologists.
 Root crops like taro (gabi) and yam (ubi) were among the important crops.
 By striking the stones, sparks have been produced, which resulted to the making of fire at will
by the ancient settlers. Light and heat became
available any time of the day.
o The manufacture of pottery was made
possible by a process called kilning, which
makes use of fire.
 Jars as burial coffins for secondary burial were also
made.
 In all kinds of burial, funerary offerings or pabaon
were included such as clothes, food, and weapons.
 Manunggul jar (now at the National Museum), an
example of funerary vessel dating between 890 B.C.
and 710 B.C. is now considered a National Cultural
Treasure in the Philippines.
 Painted with red hematite (iron oxide), “ship of the
dead”
 Pottery became more functional like the palayok for
cooking, the banga and tapayan for storing liquids.

Part I. Prehistoric and Pre-Colonial Philippines

LECTURE NOTES
SS -13 │ 2. Pre-Colonial Life and Culture
 The Early Metal Age (500 B.C.) refers to the time in the development of human culture where
tools and weapons were made of metal, which gradually replaced stone tools.
 The first metal to be widely used was copper.
 Jewelry during the early phase of the Metal Age consists mainly of beads. There were beads
made of jade, stones, glass, shells, seeds, twigs and stems, especially reeds of plants created
into necklaces and other ornaments. (amulet, charms, signifies status, please the gods)
 It has been argued that a "Philippine Iron Age" began sometime between ca. 500-200 B.C.
emerged as shown by the advances in tin-smithing, jewelry making, and in the utilization of
resources.
 The early Filipinos made metal
implements like knives (from simple to
elaborate ones), the sumpak
(blowguns), the kalikot for pounding
betel nuts into powder, and gongs to
mark the hours of the day and night.
 Cloth weaving replaced the bark cloth
beaters for fashioning dress and other
apparel. Fabrics and blankets were
not only used for everyday living but
also for important rituals.
 Age of Contact (500-1400 A.D.) - the period of trading relations with neighboring islands,
mostly by Asian traders. (enhanced
craftsmanship)
 These early wooden watercrafts in the
country were called balangay. The
balangay was basically a plank boat. It
was driven either by a sail or by
paddling.
 Malay was the principal language of
Southeast Asian commence during
those times.
 talaro (scales), upa (payment), lako
(peddle), gusali (hall), tunay (real)
means "hard cash” and biyaya (grace)
means "disbursement." Still other words illustrate the impact of commerce on culture like
atsara (pickles), patis (brine), puto (native cake) kalan (stovel, pinggan (plate), aral (learning),
and pagsamba (adoration)
 Orang Dampnans – Sumatra
 Orang Bandjar – Borneo

Part I. Prehistoric and Pre-Colonial Philippines

LECTURE NOTES
SS -13 │ 2. Pre-Colonial Life and Culture
 Bathala, the name of
the chief god of the pre-
Christian Tagalogs, came
from a Sanskrit term
Bhattara, meaning
"Great Lord."
 Baybayin/alibata –
tagalog script
 3 vowels and 14
consonants, with a total
of 17 letters
 The writing instrument
used was a sharp
pointed iron locally
known as sipol. With
this iron instrument, the
natives engraved words on on bamboo shafts, wooden boards, leaves of plants, pottery, and
metal.
 Laguna Copperplate Inscription (LCI) - found near the mouth of the Lumbang River of Laguna
province in 1990. The thin copper plate measures 20 by 30 centimeters in size.
 The text was in a language similar to four languages, namely: Sanskrit, Old Tagalog, Old
Javanese, and Old Malay.
 Both oral and written literature had already flourished in the country prior to the coming of
the Spaniards. This consists-of bugtong (riddles), awit (songs), salawikain (proverbs),
legends, myths, and poems.
 Hindu influence - the placing of a fresh flower garland around the neck of a visitor; the giving
of bigaykaya (dowry) and rendering of personal services in the house of the bride's parents by
the groom before the wedding; the throwing of rice grains to the newlyweds after the
matrimonial ceremony by the guests; and the offering of buyo (mixture of betel nut, ikmo
leaf, and lime) to a guest as expression of hospitality.
 There were early superstitions in the country that came from Indianized migrants. Until today,
many believed that a girl, who sings in front of the stove while cooking will marry a widower
and that a cat cleaning its face indicates the coming of a visitor. Likewise, eating twin bananas
would cause a mother to give birth to twins.
 The putong (turban) of the early Filipino men and the sarong (lower garment) of the early
Filipino women resemble the Indian putees and sari.
 The manufacturing of some musical instruments like the kudyapi (guitar) and the planting of
some species of flowers like sampaguita and champaka, fruits including mango and nangka;
and vegetables such as ampalaya, patola. and malunggay came from Indianized sojourners.
 Dr. Jose Villa Panganiban, former Director of the Institute of National Language, gives a longer
list of 375 Sanskrit loan words. Some of them includes the Filipino words: ama (father) nanay
(mother), asarua (spouse), halaga (price), kalapati (dove), kuta (fort), sutla (silk), saksi
(witness), tala (star), raha (king), sandata (weapon), and maharlika (noble)
2. Traditional Filipino Communities

Part I. Prehistoric and Pre-Colonial Philippines

LECTURE NOTES
SS -13 │ 2. Pre-Colonial Life and Culture
 Creation Story (Bible) – Adam and Eve

Part I. Prehistoric and Pre-Colonial Philippines