Initiation rites

Source: Philippine Insurgent Records, L.R.53 (Microfilm reel no.160)

This document offers the fullest, most exact depiction of KKK initiation
rites yet located, giving the stage directions and script for each of the officers
involved – Brothers President, Sentinel, Terrible, Secretary, Treasurer and Fiscal.
The document also prescribes how the routine business of KKK meetings is to be
handled – at the door Brother Sentinel will ask everyone to show the secret signs
before letting them enter; Brother Terrible will post look-outs to ensure the
meeting is not disturbed; Brother Secretary will read the report arising from the
previous meeting; and Brother Treasurer will give a financial report, and then
pass round the collection pouch, the suput ng saklolo.

There is no reason to suppose the initiation rites detailed here were

atypical, but it is not known how widely they were observed in precisely this form,
because practices changed over time, and varied from branch to branch. In the
months immediately prior to August 1896, the Katipunan seems generally to have
adopted shorter, simpler rituals in order to cope with the dramatic,
unprecedented surge in recruitment.1 The ritual set out here would manifestly
have taken a long time, especially if several recruits were being initiated at once,
which might suggest the document dates from before 1896. This impression is
supported by the wording of the questions the initiates are asked about pre-
colonial times, Spanish rule and the future, which differs from the prescribed
formula (“What was the condition of Katagalugan in early times?” etc.) known to
be in use by early 1896. It may be, however, that the slips on which the
prescribed formula was printed had not reached whoever wrote this document, so
we cannot be sure.

The proceedings begin outside the inner door of the Lodge, where the
initiate is blindfolded. Brother Terrible places a dagger at his throat, and
demands to know what he wants. The initiate then knocks on the door of the
Lodge and is permitted to enter. Once inside he is stripped to the waist by
Brother Secretary, who records any identifying marks on his body, and then he is
questioned at length by Brother President about his family background, means of
livelihood, religious persuasion, and masonic or other affiliations. The initiate is
also asked to confirm that he recognizes the hardships KKK members must
endure. If he does, he is taken by Brother Terrible on a symbolic hazardous
journey along dark tunnels or across fast-flowing rivers. Next he is escorted to
the “Chamber of Reflection,” a small room or partitioned-off area draped in black
cloth, on whose walls hang pictures depicting the fate of the Tagalogs under
Spain.2 Here the initiate is asked to sit at a desk and answer, in writing, seven
questions about the people’s condition in the past, present and future. After he
has finished this task, he faces further verbal questioning, this time from Brother
Fiscal, about the measure of his manly fortitude, and as a final “trial” he is
ordered to kill a member who has betrayed the society. The document ends at
this point, but presumably the initiate would thereafter be formally accepted into
the Lodge, be asked to draw blood from his arm and sign his oath of allegiance.

Shorter initiations

Accounts of KKK initiations to be found in the secondary literature 3, based

principally on Isabelo de los Reyes’ Sensacional memoria, seemingly describe the
abbreviated, “1896” variant of the rites, which had just four stages – the written
test in the “Chamber of Reflection”; a brief caution from the Brother Terrible; the
“trials”; and the signing of an oath in blood.4

1
 On the walls of the “Chamber of Reflection,” in this abbreviated variant,
there are not pictures but signs, each bearing an admonition: “If you are strong
and brave, you may proceed” (“Kung may lakas at tapang, ikaw’y
makatutuloy”); “If curiosity has brought you here, you should depart” (“Kung
ang pag-uusisa ang nagdala sa iyo dito’y, umurong ka”); and “If you do not
know how to control your bad desires, you should depart: the doors of the
Sovereign and Most Respected Association of the Sons of the People will never be
opened to you” (“Kung di ka marunong pumigil ng iyong masamang hilig,
umurong ka: hindi kailan man ang pintuan ng Maykapangyarihan at
Kagalanggalang Katipunan ng mga Anak ng Baya’y bubuksan dahil sa iyo”).5
Having been led to the Chamber, the initiate is instructed to sit at a dimly-lit desk
on which there is a human skull, a loaded revolver and a machete. There is also a
pen, some ink and the questions, pared down to only three: “What was the
condition of Katagalugan in early times?” (“¿Ano ang kalagayan nitong
Katagalugan ng unang panahun?”); “What is its condition now?”( “¿ Ano ang
kalagayan sa ngayon?”); and “What will be its condition in the time to come?”
(“¿Ano ang magiging kalagayan sa darating na panahun?”)6

Having been coached beforehand, says De los Reyes, the initiate was
expected to answer the first question to the effect that the Filipinos had their own
civilization before the Spaniards arrived. They had artillery; wore clothes of silk;
enjoyed political liberty; maintained diplomatic and commercial relations with
their Asian neighbors; and had their own religion and alphabet. To the second
question, the answer should affirm that the Spaniards, specifically the friars, had
done nothing to advance the civilization of the Filipinos; indeed they saw
civilization and enlightenment as incompatible with their own interests. They
taught the catechism, but offered the people no spiritual depth. They lavishly
celebrated religious festivals, but expected the people to bear the cost. They
abused their power and privileges; they were oppressors. To the third question,
about the future, the initiate should confidently predict that with faith, courage
and perseverance all the country’s evils would be overcome.

The initiate is then escorted from the “Chamber of Reflection” and brought
before the Brother Terrible, who cautions him that he is about to take a very
momentous step, and advises him to withdraw if he doubts that he possesses the
necessary resolve.

If the initiate persists in his wish to join the society, he is formally

presented to the assembled brethren and asked to prove his mettle by undergoing
the “trials”. He might be blindfolded, handed a revolver and ordered to shoot
dead a supposed “enemy”, who would of course safely absent himself before the
bullet was fired. He might be led to believe his skin was to be scorched with
naked flames. Pio Valenzuela testified that at his initiation, again whilst
blindfolded, he had been asked to throw himself forwards onto the tip of a dagger
that had been placed on his chest. Then he had been handed the dagger, led to a
man – doubtless an “enemy” or “traitor” - who he found by touch to be seated,
and ordered him to stab him to death.7

Far from being intimidated or repelled by these trials, De los Reyes writes,
initiates were reportedly moved to tears by deep emotion and enthusiasm. They
were overcome because they were joining a society that pledged to liberate their
country from its present lamentable situation, and to win it a brilliant future.

If the initiate passed the trials, finally, he would be led to another “room”
or partitioned-off area, where he would be asked to sign an oath of membership
in blood drawn from his left forearm.

2
Katipunan ritual and Masonry

Katipunan rituals are often described as “quasi-Masonic,” and rightly so.

Their main model, beyond question, was the ritual followed in Manila’s Masonic
lodges. They also blindfolded their initiates, placed daggers at their breasts,
escorted them to the “Chamber of Reflection” for written tests, took them on
symbolic journeys, put them through “trials”, and perhaps ordered them to “kill
the traitor”. They also guided their initiates from “blindness” to “enlightenment,”
and insisted they cast aside “bad desires”. The authors of the Katipunan’s rites,
very likely Masons themselves, even replicated some of the fine detail of Masonic
ritual. One of the signs mentioned by De los Reyes, for instance, “If curiosity has
brought you here, you should depart,” was identical to a sign used in Masonic
initiations. When the candidate Mason was led to the inner door of the Lodge,
for instance, he was expected, as here, to knock in an “irregular” manner, in other
words in the manner of someone who was not yet a brother. Before the
candidate was subjected to the “trials,” he would be advised, as here, to withdraw
if he felt fearful.8

But there were also obvious differences between the Masonic and
Katipunan rituals. In the Masonic lodges, it would appear, the proceedings were
invariably conducted in Spanish, whilst the KKK, at least in Manila, invariably
used Tagalog. The leading officers of a Masonic lodge were known as the
Venerable Maestro, Vigilante (Primero and Segundo), Orador, Secretario and
Tesorero, not as the Pangulo, Taliba etc.9 The questions asked of candidate
masons in the “Chamber of Reflection” were about man’s duties to God, his fellow
men and himself, not about the state of the nation. And when lectured on their
duties as Masons, most strikingly, the initiates were instructed to “observe the
laws of the country”.10 Recruits to the Katipunan, by contrast, were embraced by
their brethren as fellow outlaws.

›››››››››››››››››››››

Tagalog text

Pagbubukas ng Karurukan
------ ng -----
K.K.K.N.M.A.N.B
-------------------------------

Sa paglapit sa pinto ng Karurukan, ay magpakilala sa Taliba,

kung pauang kapatid, alinsunod sa mga hudiatang lihim, sapagkat
kung hindi makapagpakilala, bukod sa di pasukin, ay ibibilango pa.

Ang Tagausig, ang siyang namamahalang maglagay ng mga

tanod sa paliguid liguid ng Karurukan.

Kung narating na ang oras na taning na pagbubukas ng

Mahal na Karurukan, at nakaupo na ang lahat sa kanikanilang
dapat upoan, ang Pangulo ang magsasalita ng gayon:

Pangulo = Kapatid na Taliba, napasiyasat na baga ninyo ayon sa mga

hudiatang lihim, kun ang mga kaharap ay pauang mga Kapatid?

Taliba = Oo po Kapatid na Pangulo, ang mga kaharap ay pauang mga kapatid.

3
Pangulo = Kapatid na Tagausig, guinaua na baga ninyo ang mga karapatan sa
Mahal na Karurukan?

Tagausig = Oo po, Kapatid na Pangulo, may mga kapatid ng tumatanod ng

ating kapayapaan.

Pangulo = Kung gayon, yayamang ganap na ang lahat ng nararapat sa

pagbubukas ng ating Mahal na Karurukan, tayo’y, magsitindig at sumaayos,
Minamahal kong mga Kapatid.

Kung sila’y, nakatindig na at nakaayos magsasalita ang

Pangulo ng susunod:

Pangulo = Sa ngalan ng Bayang pinaghahadugang lubos ng Ating linalayon,

ipinauunawa kong bukas na Ang Mahal ng Karurukan ng M.A.N.B.

Kung matapos mauika ito, ang Pangulo ay magsasaysay muli

ng gayon:

Pangulo = Tayo’y magsiupo, mga kapatid, at simulaan nating pagtalakayan

ang mga bagay bagay na ikalalauig at ikaaayos ng K.K.K. natin.

Kung pagkabukas ng Karurukan ay dahil lamang sa

karaniwan (Junta Ordinaria) ang Pangulo ay maguiuika:

Pangulo = Kapatid na Kalihim, mangyari ngang basahin ninyo ang kasulatang

ibinangon sa kahuli huliang pagkapulong natin.

Kalihim = Sa bayan ng -----------------------------------etc etc ---------------ika

--------ng ------------- ng taong -----------------------etc etc

Pangulo = Mga kapatid, napagtalastas na baga ninyo ang nasasabi sa

kasulatan ng ating huling pagkatipon? ¿Uala na bagang dapat idagdag o alsin
?

Dito nila pag-uusapan, ang kung ualang dapat bagohin,

kanilang pagpipilmahanan; ngunit kung mayroroon, ibobota [?] ng
Kalihim sa dulo ng kasulatan, at saka nila pagpipilmahanan.

Kung matapus na ang bagay na ito, ay kanila ng sisimulaan

ang pag-uusap sa mga bagay na nararapat sa pagka katipong ito,
at kung uala na silang pagtalakayan, bago sila nagsitindig, ang
Tagaingat-yaman, ay igagala niya sa bauat isa sa mga kapatid ang
suput ng saklolo at saka niya bibilangin sa harapan ng lahat ng
matipon. Kung ito maganap na, ang Pangulo ang magsasalita ng
sumusunod:

Pangulo: Kapatid na Tagaingat-yaman, inyo ngang ipahayag ang kabooan ng

salaping inyo ngayon ini-ingatan at gayon din, ang pinaggugulan ng iba’t,
ibang bagay buhat sa huling pagkapulong hangan ngayon.

Ipahahayag lahat ng Tagaingat-yaman ang mga bagay bagay

na ikalilinis ang [?] kaniyang tinataglay na tungkol.

Kung ang pagkabukas ng Karurukan, ay dahil sa may mga

nasang makisanib, pagkatapus masalita ng Pangulo ang “Tayo’y
magsiupo etc. etc., ay maguiuikang sumusunod:

4
Pangulo = Kapatid na Kalihim, inyo ngang ipahayag sa lahat ang mga ngalan
ng mga nagnanais makisanib dito sa K.K.K.N.M.A.N.B.

Kalihim = Fulano etc.

Pangulo = Sino baga sa inyo, mga Kapatid, ang nakatatalastas sa mga taong
itong nakikisanib, kung paano ang kanikanilang buhay at pamumuhay?

Kanilang dadalisaying magaling ang buhay at pamumuhay

ng baua’t isa sa mga nakikisanib, at pagkatapus, magsasalita ang
Pangulo, ng sumusunod:

Pangulo = Ngayon at atin ng napag-unaua ang mga ugali ng mga

makikipagisa sa atin, atin ngang sila’y ipailalim sa mga mahihigpit na subuk
na dinadaanan ng lahat, na sa Katipunang ito’y pumapasok.

Samantalang pinagdadalisayan sa Karurukan, ang mga

buhay at pamumuhay ng mga nakikisanib, ang Mabalasik, ay
tatanung niya ng isa’t, isang sa mga nakikisanib na nakapiring ng
kanilang mga mata, ng mga sumusunod na tanong:

Mabalasik = ¿Ikaw ay sino?

Kasabay ng pagsasalita niya, ay kaniyang ilalagay sa may

lalamunan ng sino mang nakikisanib, ang dulo ng kaniyang taglay
na bararaw.

Nakikisanib = Fulano de tal.

Mabalasik = ¿Ano ang dito’y, iyong hinahanap?

Nakikisanib =

Mabalasik = Napabatid mo baga, kapagkaraka’y, dito iyong matatagpuan ang

hinahanap?

Nakikisanib =

Mabalasik = ¿Sino ang may sabe sa iyo?

Pagkasabi niya nito, ang dulo ng bararaw, ang kaaalsin sa

pinaglalamunan, at ilalagay sa may sikmura.

Nakikisanib =

Mabalasik = Sino ang nagbunsod sa iyo at nagkaroon ka ng gayong hangad?

Nakikisanib =

Mabalasik = Di mo baga nababatid na kapagkarakang ikao’y, masanib sa

Katipunang ito, ikaw ay mabibingit sa katakot takot na kapahamakan, gaya
ng matapon sa iba’t, iba o malayong lupa, o ang maualay, kaya sa piling ng
iyong pinakaguiguiliw na asaua’t, anak o kapatid kaya ¿hindi ka baga
natatakot?

Nakikisanib =

5
Mabalasik = Di ka nalalaguim na dumaluhong sa gayong karami’t ualang pag
itan na kamatayan?

Nakikisanib =

Mabalasik = Ikaw ay magtapat.

Nakikisanib =

Mabalasik = Kung gayon na ikaw ay napapumilit mapakisanib sa Katipunang

ito, ikaw ay sumama.

Kung matapos na niya ang lahat, at pag kauay ng Taliba sa

kaniya, ay kaniyang akayin ang mga nakikisanib at pagdating sa
pinto ng Karurukan, ay tutuktok ng paano paano, sa makatuid,
tuktok ng hindi nasasanib pa.

Ang Pangulo pagkarinig [?] niya ang gayong pagtauag ay

magpasalitang .....[?]... ng sumusunod:

Pangulo = Kapatid na Taliba sa pinto ng Karurukan may tumatauag na di

kakilala. Mga kapatid, ihanda ang inyong mga sandata, at tila may sasalakay
sa atin na di kaalam.

Silang lahat ay magsisitindig at bubunutin nila ang kanilang

mga bararaw, at sa ganitong anyo, magsasalita ang

Pangulo = Kapatid na Taliba inyong tingnan kung sino, at tuloy itanong kung
ano ang ibig.

Paparoon ang Taliba at pagdating niya sa may pinto, ay

magsasalita ng gayon.

Taliba = ¿Sino kayo?

Mabalasik = Ako po Kapatid na Taliba, may akay na mga taong buhat sa lusak
ng pagkaalipin, inagaw sa kuko ng bulag, kapagkatapos ay naglagos sa
balabalaking kapansanan at kapahamakan, ngayo’y, naririto’t, tumatauag sa
Mahal na pinto ang na [?] iyo pong tinatanuran at hinahanap ang Kalayaan.

Taliba = Kung gayon, kayo’y, magantay.

Paparoon sa harap ng Pangulo at kaniyang ipagsasaysay ang

kaniyang narinig ng sagot; [?] matapus niyang masabi, ay
magsasalita ng susunod ang

Pangulo = Kung gayon, inyong papasukin, si Kapatid na Mabalasik at hingian

ng hudiatang lihim, at kung siya’y, tunay na kapatid, ay kaniyang ipasok dito
ang mga akay, kaya kaya [?] po Kapatid na Tagausig ng [?] pakingang [?]
akbayan si Kd. na Taliba at ng [?] may aagapay [?] sa mga taong kasama
sapagkat kung ang nagdala rito ay di makapagpakilala, nahiya’y [?] tunay na
Kd. siya at kasamahan niya, inyong ibilango, at ng mautas natin ang
kanikanilang mga hininga, at sinisira ang ating kapanatagan.

Gagawin nilang lahat ang natatagubilin, at kung ipasok na

nila, ay itutuloy sa harap ng Pangulo, at ito maguiuika ang
sumusunod:

6
Pangulo = Kapatid na Kalihim, inyong hubaran ng mga baro, itong mga taong
naririto, at inyong itala ang kanilang pangala’t mga pangalawang pangala
sampu ng tandang pagkakilanlan sa katauan nila.

Aakayin ng Kalihim ang mga nakikisanib at ilalayo sa harap

ng Pangulo at saka niya gaganapin ang natatagubilin sa itaas nito,
at pagkagawa, sa harap [?] naman niya sa Pangulo ang lahat ng
taong nakikisanib at tuloy iyayabot niya ang talaan ng ngala’t,
tanda ng baua’t, isa, at sa pagaabot ay mag-uiuika ang

Kalihim = Naganap ko na po ang inyong itinungkol sa akin at naito na silang

lahat pati talaan ng kanilang mga ngala’t, mga pangalawang pangalan pati
tandang nakita ko sa kanilang mga katauan.

Aabutin ng Pangulo, at tatauaguing niya ang isa sa kanila,

kung sila’y marami, at ang iba’y, ilalayo muna ng Taliba hangang
di niya tauaguin, at sa tinauag, ay tatanungin ng Pangulo ng gayon
mga sumusunod, at isusulat naman ng Kalihim ang mga sagot.

Pangulo = Ikaw baga, kababayan, tunay na si...............

Nakikisanib =

Pangulo = Alin bagang bayan at hukuman dito sa Filipinas ang iyo pong
tinuboan?

Nakikisanib =

Pangulo = ¿Ano bagang mga pangalan ang inyo [?] pong mga magulang?

Nakikisanib =

Pangulo = Buhay po baga ang iyo pong ama’t, ina.

Nakikisanib =

Pangulo = May kapatid po kayong buhay? At kung mayroroon ano po ang

pangalan?

Nakikisanib =

Pangulo = Ikao po baga ay ano ang kalagayan at ilan ka pong taong edad?

Nakikisanib =

Pangulo = Ikao po baga murong bumasa’t, sumulat?

Nakikisanib =

Pangulo = Ano po bagang pinagkakakitaan ng ikabubuhay?

Nakikisanib =

Pangulo = Ano bagang pinananaligan ninyong religion?

Nakikisanib =

Pangulo = Ano pa ang inyong pakay at kayo’y, maparito?

7
Nakikisanib =

Pangulo = Uala baga kayong kinasasanibang ibang Katipunan, gaya baga ng

Masoneria?

Nakikisanib =

Pangulo = Sa pakikisanib sa Katipunan ito, ay marami at sarisaring hirap na

pagdadaanan, at lalot higuit kung nasasanib na, ¿Ano kababayan, na hahanda
baga ang inyong loob sa magdauas ng hirap?

Nakikisanib =

Pangulo = Kung gayon, humanda kayo. Kapatid na Mabalasik gawin ninyo

ang inyong tungkol sa dito [?] kababayang nakikisanib sa K.K.K. natin.

Kukunin ni Mabalasik at kaniyang pasusutin sa isang lunga o

paduluksulim [?] kaya sa isang maluat na [?] ilog o balou [?], at
pagkatapus niya nito, kaniyang papasukin sa silid ng panilayan, at
doon niya iiwan, ngunit kaniyang ipagbibiling [?] na aalsin ng
taong nakikisanib ang piring ng mga mata niya, pagkasiya
nakarinig ng apat na tuktok sa pinto.

Ang tinatauag na Silid na Panilayan, ay isang maliit na

natatabuigan, ang boo niyang paliguid liguid, ng itim na damit, at
nagbitin dito, ang ilang cuadro:

Ang sa isa’y, makikitang [?] napipinta ang isang punong

malpabong na mangga na humihitik ng bunga, at sa may puno ay
ang karamihang taong mukang tagalog na lahat, at sa baba [?] nila
mababasa ang ganito:

Ang sa ikalaua ay ang punong manga ring nakilala [?] sa

unang cuadro, ngunit ang mga na sa silong niya, ay mga mukang
kastilang lahat at sila’y, nagsisikainan ng bunga at ang mga inu-
upoan at yinayapakan, ay mga taong tagalog: makabasa sa
cuadrong ito ang sumusunod:

Ang ikatlo ay isang mag-asauang tagalog; na ang babae ay

nasa sinapupunan ng isang Frayle nakayapos na totoong mahigpit
at pinipilit, ay dito mababasa ang sumusunod:

Ang ikapat ay isang bunong may namamarko ang tama ng

bala sa noo, at dito mababasa ang sumusunod:

At ang na sa harapan ng isang dulang na munti, ay isang

taong taganas na buto na uala nang balat ni man man [?] pati ulo,
at namamasdan sa kaniya, ang mga butas na dinaanan ng bala,
ang nangabaling buto sa hampas na tinangap ng siya nabubuhay
pa, at dito mababasa ang mga sumusunod:

Sa ibabaw ng dulang na munti o mesita na siya ang

pinakaaltar bukod sa may tintero’t, pluma [?] papel na doon ay
nakalagay na gayon ang mga nasasabi:

Ano ang kalagayan nitong ating lupa noong uala pa ang mga
kastila?
8
 -------------------------------
-------------------------------
¿Paano ang mga pasunuran ng mga tao baga mat di pa sila
binyagan noon?
-------------------------------
-------------------------------
Ano ang lagay nitong Sangkapuluang Filipinas ngayo’t, nasa
kapangyarihan ng mga kastila ?

------------------------------
------------------------------
¿Paano ngayon ang pagpapasunuran ng mga tagalog sa
kapua tagalog?
------------------------------
------------------------------

Paano naman ang pagsunod ng tagalog sa mga kastila?

------------------------------
------------------------------
Kung sakalit maalis sa mga kastila itong Filipinas at mapa sa
pamamahala ng tagalog na siyang tunay na may are, ¿ano
kaya ang maguiguing kalagayan?
----------------------------
----------------------------
¿Mag-iringan po kaya ang mga tagalog kung sila ang may
boong kapangyarihan sa tunay at sarili niyang pagaare?
---------------------------
---------------------------
Kung inaakala ni Mabalasik na tapos na sa pagnilaynilay, ay
kukunin [?] buksan ang pinto ng Silid ng Panilayan, ay magsasalita
ng gayon:

Mabalasik = Kababayan ikao po baga ay natapos na ng pagdinilaynilay at

nakapiring na baga ang inyong mga mata?

Nakikisanib =

Mabalasik = Kung gayon, kayo sumama.

Pagkalabas sa pinto, ang Tagausig ay ituturok niya ang dulo

ng kaniyang bararaw sa may sikmura ng nakikisanib at tatanungin
ng sumusunod:

Tagausig = Kayo ba’y, lalake o babae?

Nakikisanib =

Tagausig = Kung gayon ang inyong mga salita at gaua, ¿gawang baga ng
lalake?

Nakikisanib =

Tagausig = Kung gayon, ¿nahihia baga kayong [?] di ninyo matupad o

magawa ang inyong masabi o maypangako?

Nakikisanib =

Tagausig = Ituloy ninyo, Kapatid na Mabalasik sa dapat pangiharapan [?] pa.

9
 Ang Tagausig ay papasok sa Silid ng Panilayan at titingnan
ang guinawa ng nakikisanib at kung nasagot ang mga tanong na
nasa ibabaw ng alta, ay kaniyang kukunin at ihaharap sa Pangulo,
at si Mabalasik ay ihaharap din sa Pangulo ang taong nakikisanib.

Mabalasik = Natapus na po Kd. na Pangulo ang pagganap ko ng tungkol dito

sa kababayang nakikisanib.

Pangulo = Sa mga pahirap na inyong guinawa sa kanila, uala baga kayong

namasdang ano mang ikinaudlot ng kanilang loob?

Mabalasik =

Pangulo = Kung gayon sila’y, kinakaila magdaan pa sa isang [?] bagay

nadapat pagkakilanlan sa kanila; kaya kababayan, inyong uliniguing mabuti
itong aking ipagsasaysay:

Sa Katipunang ito ay baual na baual na ang kaniyang mga

kalihiman ay ibabandual ng sino mang nasasanib, sa kanino
pamang di kaalam at huag namang akalain na di malalaman ng
Katipunang ang magtataksil, sapagkat may mga palagay ding
naguusig na lubhang mahihigpit na kasamahan: ngayon may isang
nasasanib, na nabibilango, dahil sa dalas ng kaniyang dila at
paharosharos ng gawa, ¿may pangangako baga ninyong mapatay?

Nakikisanib =

Pangulo = Mapipilmahan baga ninyo ang kasulatang ibabangon sa pagpatay,

at ng may lubos na panghauakan itong Katipunan, hindi lamang sa inyo kundi
sa pagkapagbigay ng tapat na parusa sa kaniyang kataksilan?

Nakikisanib =

Pangulo = Ilabas nga ninyo, Kd. na Taliba, ang taksil na Kd. na nasa bilangoan
at inyong ipahipo ang kaniyang katauan, dito sa kababayang nakikisanib.

Gagagawin ng Taliba at tuloy magsasalita ng gayon:

Taliba = Ito ang nasasanib na nababandual ng mga kalihiman nitong

Katipunan at ibig ipahamak ang iba pang mga kasamahan, iyo pong hipoin [?]
at nakagapos at may pakagat [?] pa sa bibig ng huag na siyang makasigaw.

Pangulo = Kapatid na Mabalasik, inyong ihatid ang kababayang nakikisanib

pati itong nabibilango sa lugal na pinagpapatayan at doong ganapin ang
parusang nararapat.

›››››››››››››››››››››

English translation

Opening of the Lodge

------ of the -----
K. K. K. N. M. A. N. B
-------------------------------

10
 At the door of the Lodge, everyone will make themselves known
to the Sentinel by giving the secret signs. Anybody who is not
recognized, aside from not being admitted, will be imprisoned.

The Fiscal is in charge of posting look-outs around the Lodge.

At the agreed hour for the opening of the Respected Lodge, and
when everybody is seated in their designated places, the President
will speak thus:

President = Brother Sentinel, Have you checked by means of the secret signs that
all those present are brothers?

Sentinel = Yes Brother President, those present are all brothers.

President = Brother Fiscal, have you done what is necessary as regards the
Respected Lodge?

Fiscal = Yes, Brother President, there are brothers on watch to safeguard our
peace.

President = In that case, everything necessary has been done for the opening of
our Respected Lodge. Let us stand and come to order, my dear Brothers.

Once they have stood and come to order, the President will say
the following:-

President = In the name of the Nation to whom we fully dedicate our endeavors, I
declare open the Respected Lodge of the Sons of the People.

After saying this, the President will speak further, thus:

President = Let us be seated, brothers, and commence our discussion of various

matters concerning the expansion and good order of our K. K. K.

If the Lodge has been opened solely for an ordinary meeting

(Junta Ordinaria) the President will say:

President = Brother Secretary, could you read the report arising from our
previous meeting.

Secretary = In the town of --------etc. etc -------- -------------on the -------

of--------- of the year ------------------ etc. etc.

President = Brothers, do you approve what is said in the report of our previous
meeting? Is there anything that should be added or deleted?

Discussion then ensues; if nothing needs to be changed, the

report is duly approved, but if there is anything, then the Secretary
will make a note at the end of the report, which they will then
approve.

Once this matter has been dealt with, they commence

discussion on the matters that need to be considered at this meeting.
After the discussion has concluded, and before the brothers rise from
their seats, the Treasurer will pass round the pouch for contributions

11
to each of the brothers, and will then count the sum collected in the
presence of everyone gathered. Once this has been done, the
President will speak as follows:

President: Brother Treasurer, please announce the total of the cash that is now in
your care, and likewise the expenses that have been incurred on different items
since the previous meeting.

The Treasurer will then give an accurate account of the matters

for which he has responsibility.

If the Lodge has been opened to consider some candidates for

membership, the President – after saying “Let us stand, etc. etc. “ -
will say the following:

President = Brother Secretary, you shall announce to everyone the names of

those here who wish to join the K. K. K. N. M. A. N. B.

Secretary = Juan etc.

President = Who among you, Brothers, knows about the lives and livelihoods of
these people who wish to join?

They verify that the lives and livelihoods of each candidate are
honest and genuine, and afterwards the President will speak as
follows:-

President = Now we have gained some idea of the character of those who wish to
unite with us, we shall subject them to the arduous trials that lie in the path of all
those who enter this Katipunan.

Whilst the Lodge is vetting the lives and livelihoods of the

candidates, the Terrible will ask each of them, their eyes now
blindfolded, the following questions:

Terrible = You are who?

Whilst he speaks, he will put the tip of his dagger to the candidate’s throat.

Candidate = Juan de la Cruz.

Terrible = What are you looking for here?

Candidate =

Terrible = Have you found here what you are searching for?

Candidate =

Terrible = Who was it who told you?

As he says this, he takes the tip of his dagger away from the
throat and places it against the stomach.

Candidate =

Terrible = And who revealed this to you, so that you came to have this purpose?

12
Candidate =

Terrible = Do you not know that once you have joined this Katipunan you will be
at the threshold of the most frightful dangers, such as being exiled to various
faraway places or being separated from your most beloved spouses, children,
brothers and sisters. So, are you not afraid?

Candidate =

Terrible = Do you not dread rushing to the attack in the face of certain death?

Candidate =

Terrible = Be truthful.

Candidate =

Terrible = If that is so, and you still insist upon joining this Katipunan, follow me.

Once [Brother Terrible] has finished [questioning all the

candidates], and the Sentinel has given him a wave, he will lead the
candidates to the door of the Lodge, upon which they will knock in an
irregular manner, that is to say, in the manner of those who are not
yet members.

The President hears the knocking, and will speak as follows:

President = Brother Sentinel, there are strangers at the door of the Lodge.
Brothers, prepare your weapons. These people who we don’t know might attack
us.

They all stand and draw their daggers, and then says the

President = Brother Sentinel, see who is there, and ask them what they want.

The Sentinel will go there, and when he is at the door, he will

speak thus.

Sentinel = Who are you?

Terrible = It is me, Brother Sentinel. I have led some people from the mire of
bondage, snatched from the claws of blindness. Having passed many obstacles
and dangers, they are now here, calling at the esteemed door you are guarding, in
search of Liberty.

Sentinel = In that case, wait.

[Brother Sentinel] goes back to the President and relates the

answers he has heard. After he has spoken, will say as follows the

President = If that is so, you shall let the Brother Terrible enter, and ask to see
the secret signs. If he is truly a brother, he may enter here with those he is
leading. Brother Fiscal, put your arm around Brother Sentinel’s shoulder and
stand together with the others, because if those brought here are not recognized
the Brother [Terrible] and his companions will be shamed, you shall imprison
them, we shall extinguish their breath, and our tranquility shall be destroyed.

13
 These instructions will be implemented. If [the candidates] are
permitted to enter they will go and stand before the President, who
will say the following:

President = Brother Secretary, strip the shirts from these people here, and record
their names, second names, and any identifying marks on their bodies.

The Secretary will lead the candidates away from the President
and fulfill the above instructions. Then, standing before the
President again, he will hand over the list of names, the marks of each
one, and thereafter will say the

Secretary = I have now completed the task you gave me, and here is the list of all
their names, second names and the marks that I have seen on their bodies.

The President will take the list, and call each of them in turn. If
they are many, the Sentinel will keep the others at a distance until
they are called. The President will ask each in turn the questions that
follow, and the Secretary will write down the answers.

President = Are you, compatriot, truly...............?

Candidate =

= From which town and province here in the Philippines do you come?

Candidate =

President = What are the names of your parents?

Candidate =

President = Are your father and mother still living?

Candidate =

President = Do you have any siblings? And if you do, what are their names?

Candidate =

President = What is your marital status, and how old are you?

Candidate =

President = Do you know how to read and write?

Candidate =

President = What is your means of livelihood?

Candidate =

President = What is your religious persuasion?

Candidate =

President = Are you not a member of some other organization, like Masonry?

14
Candidate =

President = What is your purpose in coming here?

Candidate =

President = Applying for membership in this Katipunan entails many and

diverse hardships along the way, and even more should you become a member.
And so, compatriot, have you readied yourself to endure these hardships?

Candidate =

President = If that is so, you are ready. Brother Terrible, do your duty in relation
to these compatriots who wish to join our K.K.K.

The Terrible will take [the candidate] into a deep pit or tunnel,
across a raging river or down a water well. After this, he will let the
candidate enter the Chamber of Reflection, and there he will leave
him, instructing him to remove the blindfold from his eyes when he
hears four knocks on the door.

The so-called Chamber of Reflection is a small screened-off area

that is completely draped in black cloth. In it are hanging some
pictures.

In the first, will be seen depicted a luxuriant mango tree laden

with fruit, and by the tree there are many people who all look like
Tagalogs. Beneath [the picture the candidates] will read this:

The second one is also a mango tree like in the first picture, but
the people under it all look like Spaniards, and whilst they are eating
the fruits they are sitting and treading on the Tagalog people. On this
picture may be read the following:

The third shows a Tagalog couple; the woman is in the lap of a

Friar, who is holding her very tightly and roughly, and here may be
read the following:

The fourth shows a dissenter whose forehead has been marked

with a target for bullets, and [beneath this picture] may be read the
following:

And [a picture] in front of a small table shows a person who is

nothing but bones, who has no skin nor even a head. On him may be
seen holes where bullets have penetrated, and yet there is still life in
his fractured, bludgeoned bones. And here may be read the
following:

Upon the small table or desk, which is the high altar, there is a
pen, ink, and paper on which is written the following:

What was the condition of this land of ours when the Spaniards
were not yet here?
-------------------------------
-------------------------------
How did the people become subordinated when they were not
yet baptized at that time?
-------------------------------
15
 -------------------------------
What is the condition of these Philippine Islands now, under the
rule of the Spaniards?
-----------------------------
------------------------------
How should the Tagalogs now follow their fellow-Tagalogs?
------------------------------
------------------------------
And how should the Tagalogs follow the Spaniards?
---------------------------
------------------------------
If it happened that the Spaniards departed from the Philippines
and the Tagalogs came to govern the land that is truly theirs,
what would be their condition?
----------------------------
----------------------------
Would the Tagalogs be hostile if they governed the land that is
truly their own?
---------------------------
---------------------------
If the Terrible believes the time of reflection is finished, he will
open the door of the Chamber of Reflection, and will speak thus:

Terrible = Compatriot, have you now finished your reflection, and has the
blindfold now been removed from your eyes?

Candidate =

Terrible = If so, follow me.

Outside the door, the Fiscal puts the tip of his dagger to the
stomach of the candidate and asks the following:

Fiscal = What are you, a man or a woman?

Candidate =

Fiscal = If that is so, are your words and actions those of a man?

Candidate =

Fiscal = If that is so, will you be ashamed if you fail to accomplish or undertake
whatever you pledge or promise?

Candidate =

Fiscal = Proceed, Brother Terrible, with the presentations.

The Fiscal will enter the Chamber of Reflection and look at what
the candidate has done. If he has answered the questions upon the
altar, [the Fiscal] will bring [the paper] and present it to the
President, and the Terrible will bring the candidate before the
President.

Terrible = Brother President, I have now completed what I had to do here in

relation to the compatriots who wish to join.

President = During the hardships you inflicted upon them, did you notice any
16
wavering of their resolve?

Terrible =

President = In that case, they still need to pass one further test of their resolve.
So, compatriots, listen carefully to what I have to tell you:

In this Katipunan it is strictly forbidden for any member to disclose its secrets to
any stranger. To pass information to anybody outside the Katipunan is an act of
treachery which it is believed should be punished collectively with the utmost
severity. Here today there is a member who we have detained because of the
looseness of his tongue and his despicable deeds. Will you promise to kill him?

Candidate =

President = Do you approve the report that decrees the sentence of death, upon
which this Katipunan, not you alone, fully relies in meting out the due
punishment for his treachery?

Candidate =

President = Brother Sentinel, bring out the traitorous Brother from the prison
and deliver him here to the compatriots who wish to join.

The Sentinel will do as bid, and then speak thus:

Sentinel = This is the member who betrayed the secrets of this Katipunan and
wanted to cause harm to fellow members. Tie him up and gag his mouth so that
he cannot shout out.

President = Brother Terrible, bring the compatriots who are candidates together
with this prisoner to a place of execution and there carry out the due penalty.

17
1
Some leading Katipuneros had wanted to curtail the ritualistic aspects of the society long before 1896, and the
issue had been much debated. Even the second president of the Supreme Council, Roman Basa, reportedly
wanted to do away with “the tedious process of initiation,” but Bonifacio resisted the move. E. Arsenio Manuel,
Dictionary of Philippine Biography, vol. I (Quezon City, Filipiniana Publications: 1955), 93.
2
It is interesting to note that the document calls the country’s inhabitants “ang mga tagalog”, but calls the
country itself “Filipinas” rather than “Katagalugan”. This may be a further indication that the text originates
prior to 1896.
3
See for example, Gregorio F. Zaide, History of the Katipunan (Manila: Loyal Press, 1939), pp.6-7: and Teodoro
A. Agoncillo, The Revolt of the Masses: The story of Bonifacio and the Katipunan (Quezon City: University of
the Philippines Press, 1956), 48–50.
4
Isabelo de los Reyes, La sensacional memoria de Isabelo de los Reyes sobre la revolución Filipina de 1896-97
(Madrid : Tip. Lit. de J. Corrales, 1899), 75–7. De los Reyes obtained his information mainly from conversations
with Katipuneros.
5
De los Reyes renders these messages in Spanish; the Tagalog versions here, perhaps copied from a primary
source, are taken from Manuel Artigas y Cuerva, Galeria de filipinos ilustres (Manila: Imp. Casa Editora
“Renacimiento”, 1917), 397–8.
6
A photograph of one of the printed slips bearing these questions may be seen in Teodoro A. Agoncillo, The
Revolt of the Masses: the story of Bonifacio and the Katipunan (Quezon City: University of the Philippines Press,
1956), 57.
7
Testimony of Pio Valenzuela y Alejandrino, October 21, 1896, in Appendix L to Minutes of the Katipunan, with
a preface by Carlos Quirino (Manila: National Heroes Commission, 1964), 167.
8
R.W.Bro. Leon Zeldis, “The Initiation in the Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite,” Pietre-Stones Review of
Freemasonry; http://www.freemasons-freemasonry.com/zeldis26.html. Accessed December 23, 2010.
9
No reference has been seen to the equivalent of Brother Terrible existing in the Manila lodges of the 1890s,
though such an office has existed in Masonic lodges in other times and places.
10
“Discurso del Orad. al neofito de una Iniciación,” undated manuscript, c.1890s. Archivo General Militar de
Madrid, Caja 5393, leg.4.53.