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1. Itis too simplistic to be useful in explaining the complex problem of cultural development.
2. It is quite realistic to assume that the physical characteristics of prehistoric migrating
peoples can be correlated with specific cultural developments.
3. It is doubtful whether the ancient peoples always arrived 1n periodic time sequences and
with foreknowledge of their destination as implied by the term immigration. There are no
definite data to show, moreover, that each wave of migrants really constituted a culturally
and racially homogeneous group
4. It is quite difficult to accept that the small boatloads of Immigrants..., coming at certain
periodic time sequences... would be capable of maintaining large-scale community patterns
in a new land under pioneer conditions. It is likewise difficult to assume that prehistoric
populations didn't yield to such hazards as infant mortality, epidemics, and malnutrition,
which, even until very recently, are considered serious problems, so as to enable them to
maintain a stable population that is identifiable even today.
5. The theory does not allow for variant social and cultural developments to take place in
response to local ecological development situation. Instead, it impresses an orientation that
all culture traits as well the physical types of our ancestors were brought into the
archipelago readymade.
The Mainland Origin Hypothesis -This theory was proposed by Peter Bellwood of the
Australian National University and K.C. Chang of Harvard University stresses that the movement
of the immigrants Austronesians, originated from South China into Taiwan until they reached the
Philippines, specifically Batanes between 5,000 B.C. to 4,000 B.C. They brought with them their
Mr. Eugene Victoriano De Guzman
INSTRUCTOR -I
Text Source: Kamalayan; Kultura’t Kasaysayan A College Textbook in Philippine History by Prof. Froilan Cruz
Calilung and Virlyn G. Jaime, Books Atbp. Publishing Corp. Mandaluyong City. 2013.
home cultures and language. But this theory is in the same manner with Dr. Beyer's migration
theory. The proponents did not use migration" but instead use movement, and the immigrants were
Austronesians not as Australoid-Sakai or Malayo-Indonesians.
The Island Origin Hypothesis -believes that the pre-colonial ancient people emerged
from an island in Southeast Asia, Wilhelm Solheim II of the University of Hawaii assumes that
the proto-Austronesian developed primarily in the Northeastern Indonesia and Mindanao Island.
They spread northwards with developing maritime population through the Philippine archipelago
and into Taiwan. From there, they reach South China.
Theory of Evolution - Another important account of the origin of the early Filipinos comes
from the archaeologists who study the past through the fossils and old material relics. The so called
Theory of evolution views that peopling of the Philippines is a result of the continuous process of
human evolution which have occurred through the changes in climatic conditions in an area
Scientists believe that man evolved from apelike creatures into Civilized homo sapiens. These
apelike creatures had lived in caves for many years with their very crude tools. The discovery of
the skullcap and jaw fragments of a human in Tabon Cave, Palawan by Dr. Robert B. Fox, an
American Anthropologists of the National Museum, strengthened the belief of the evolutionists.
This recovered fossilized skull and jaw fragment was dated to about 24,000 to 22,000 B.C.
Evolutionists believe that the first Filipino was the "Tabon Man" who lived in caves at Tabon,
Palawan before was connected to the Asian mainland. The Tabon man belonged to the Stone Age
‘culture, thus they only used stone tools and weapons. They had no knowledge on how to use metal
tools (Zaide, 1994). They used sharp rocks or stones in preparing food. Their survival depended
primarily through hunting wild animals using their rough stone weapons and on forest fruits they
gathered from the surroundings. These primitive people were medium in height, had a high
eyebrow and a low forehead. The first Filipinos existed by constant struggle against nature, the
adaptability to climate, habitat and defend themselves against wild animals. Late tor them was
tough. Ancient people like the Tabon Man lived in other parts of the world like the "Java Man".
Scott (1984) enumerated found artifacts in different parts of the Philippines which were
used by the early inhabitants which could be used as evidences that evolutions had occurred.
Carbon-14 was used to determine the length of time since those relics were used. To name a few:
Mr. Eugene Victoriano De Guzman
INSTRUCTOR -I
Text Source: Kamalayan; Kultura’t Kasaysayan A College Textbook in Philippine History by Prof. Froilan Cruz
Calilung and Virlyn G. Jaime, Books Atbp. Publishing Corp. Mandaluyong City. 2013.
28,550 B.C. Tabon Cave, Palawan: stone flake tools.
22,000 B.C. Tabon Cave: earliest known human fossils in the Philıppines.
8,030 B.C. Musang Cave Penablanca, Cagayan stone flake tools
including jade.
890 B.C. Manunggul Cave, Palawan: burial jar with statuary
modeled on top.
100 B.C. Bato Cave, Sorsogon: polished stone tools and jar burial.
560 A.D. Tucucan, Mountain Province: stone tools and iron.
These archeological materials unearthed in the different parts of the Philippines bearing
imprints of human use, show that people emerged and had wandered in the regions. Old material
relics like burial jars shows that they buried the dead with due respect.
Core Population Theory -pioneered by Dr. F. Landa Jocano which is still evolutionist in
nature states that early Filıpinos came from settlers within the islands not from the outside and in
fact our ancestors migrated outside to the nearby islands to spread our own culture to other lands.
According to this theory, the early inhabitants Consist of a core population to which
accretions of people came who moved in through the regions. The movements of the people were
erratic rather than in sequent waves. This core population shared common cultural traits or base
culture. They used similarly styled tools, ornaments, pendants, house types, beliefs rituals and
funerary practices. And if there were differences, these were due to some factors like adaptations;
they need to adjust to the change of geographical conditions, climate, flora and fauna in the
environment (Agoncillo, 2005).
As documented by fossil material recovered from different regions caused by the
movements of other people from Asian Mainland, people of prehistoric Island Southeast Asia
belonged to the same race. The Filipinos, Malays, and Indonesians are the results of both the long
process of evolution and the later demographic events" They stand coequal a ethnic groups,
without anyone being the dominant group, racially or culturally 21 Filipinos were not merely
receptors of outside cultures but adaptors, an in many ways, pioneer of creative changes. They,
developed different technology and medium to express their artistic talents (Zaide, 1994).
8. The Ethnic Groups - There are 100 or so different sea-based or highland-based tribal groups in
the Philippines. Among Filipinos, they are ones least influenced by western or Islamic cultures.
Some of the people in this category include the Cordillerano Igorot), who live in the highlands of
Luzon, the Mangyan of Mindoro, the scattered Negritos including the Aeta in Luzon and the Ati
of Panay, the tribes of Palawan, the Lumad of Mindanao (including the Manobo, Tasaday,
Mamanwa, Mandaya, and Kalagan), and the Bajau of the Sulu Archipelago. While
some tribal groups living in Luzon have been Americanized and Westernized-an example of which
is the predominance of Protestantism in Cordillera Administrative Region-the tribal groups living
Mr. Eugene Victoriano De Guzman
INSTRUCTOR -I
Text Source: Kamalayan; Kultura’t Kasaysayan A College Textbook in Philippine History by Prof. Froilan Cruz
Calilung and Virlyn G. Jaime, Books Atbp. Publishing Corp. Mandaluyong City. 2013.
in Mindoro and Palawan are still generally animistic, while many of those in Mindanao practice
folk Islam. [see. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lWlcqdEr-Ks ]
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