LESSON 1A: Introduction to Historiography

HISTORY
 a meaningful record of human achievement. It is not merely a list of chronological
events but a truthful, integrated account of the relationships between persons, events,
times and places. (Khan and Best, 1995)
 According to Hirst (2019), History is the study of the human past as it is described in
written documents left behind by humans. The past, with all of its complicated choices
and events, participants dead and history told, is what the general public perceives to
be the immutable bedrock on which historians and archaeologists stand.
 But if you look deeper into the meaning of the word it tells more than what happened in
the
past. It may also pertain to what’s the importance of the past
 ‘SAYSAY’ in Kasaysayan means "importance", "meaning",or "relevance ".
 the concern of History as a discipline is not just about events that took place in the past
but rather events they have meaning and importance to a particular group of people or
to a culture.
 History is used to understand the past and to unravel the present in the light of past
events and developments.
 Historical research - involves digging into the past in order to re-enact the past in its
entirety, to reconstruct the past events as fully as they must have happened, to explain
the meaning and significance of those events to correct the wrong notions too long
prevalent, if any, and to elaborate, analyze, synthesize and philosophize the ideas in the
light of the knowledge we possess.
Histography
 the study of historical writing – how and why historical accounts and perspectives have
changed over time
Why study history?
 Enable you to participate fully in society
- you will develop an appreciation of the society in which you live and of other
societies, past and present
 Develop you as a person
- you will also develop a greater awareness of your own identity and traditions
- you will learn more about the particular role of women in shaping the past
 Enable you to participate fully in society
- you will develop an appreciation of the society in which you live and of other
societies, past and present
 Develop you as a person
- you will also develop a greater awareness of your own identity and traditions
- you will learn more about the particular role of women in shaping the past
 Prepare you for work
- you are developing yourself personally and preparing yourself more fully for adult
and working life
 This will help you in your other subjects, as well as in life and work later
- History helps you to write in an organized, coherent, logical way, supporting your
views with evidence
 Analytical skills
- you will also develop your ability to think critically, to evaluate the usefulness of
sources, to detect bias or propaganda.

Relevance to careers Employers tends to see those with a history education as:

 Independent thinkers
 Open-minded and objective
 Disciplined
 Good communicators
 Able to analyze issues and problems
 Able to put together logical arguments

 Relevance to careers Historians

are regarded as having had an education that trains their minds to assemble, organize and
present facts and opinions and this is a very useful quality in many walks of life and careers …
history is excellent preparation for very many other jobs [Which? magazine, 2000] Eucharistic
Congress, 1932

 Research skills
Your study of the past will introduce you to many different types of evidence, such as

 Maps
 Photographs
 Political cartoons
 Diary entries
 Memoirs
 Photographs
 Official records
 By exploring these types of evidence you will enhance your research skills
 You will become skilled at locating historical data from different sources, evaluating it
and recording and presenting your findings
 You will also realize the importance of looking at issues from more than one point of
view

“History is who we are and why we are the way we are "(David McCullough)
In conclusion, choosing history allows you to acquire a combination of skills and insights that
will:

 broaden your understanding of the world

 develop you as a person
 prepare you for a future career
 enable you to participate fully in society

1521 – Magellan Battle of Mactan

1763 – pag aalsa gabriela silang and asawa
1896 - Digmaang himagsikang Filipino andres bonifacio
1945 – paglalaban ng filipinong girilya at sundalo
2020 – frontliners in times of covid

 They are all reminders of what should we be: free, sovereign. happy, and
 progressive people of the world.
  History is reminding us once more to hope for the day that our hardships will
 come to an end through grit, love, selflessness, passion, cooperation, and faith.
RECORDS = HISTORY
Not all events that happened in the past is history.

Lesson 1B: Historical Materials and Sources

Definition of HISTORICAL NARRATIVE:
 Nakaraan, Nasaksihan, Naaalala , Naitala, Naratibo
History is an account of events that took place in the past, as related to contemporary persons
in a coherent, easily understandable narrative. (National Diet Library of Japan)
The fact that is often taken to be history a "story" is a result of its aspect as an "easily
understandable narrative." Yet in the past, history used to overlap with literature and religion,
and even today, the line between history and literature is not necessarily so distinct.

HISTORICAL MATERIALS - materials that are used to build up that narrative of past event
 Historical documents written on paper soon come to mind, but there are actually
many other forms of historical materials, including oral transmissions, stone
inscriptions,
 paintings, recorded sounds, images (photographs, motion pictures), and so forth. Even
ancient
relics and ruins, broadly speaking, are historical materials.

Primary Source
As eyewitness accounts,
 these are the only solid bases of historical enquiry.
 Good, Barr and Scates (1941) have called them as the first witness to a fact‟.
 These are the life-blood of historical research
PRIMARY SOURCE
 one prepared by an individual who was a participant in or a direct witness to the event
being described. The original documents or remains which come under the category of
primary sources, are available in written, pictorial and mechanical forms as under
(i) Personal Records
 Certificates, diaries, autobiographies, affidavits, declarations, letters,
wills, deeds, contracts, and original drafts of speeches
(ii) Official Record
 includes legislative, judicial or executive documents prepared by central
or state governments, municipalities, baranggay or other local bodies
such as constitutions, laws, charters, court proceedings and decisions
 The data preserved by missionaries and other religious organizations such
as financial records and records of minutes of the meetings of managing
or governing bodies.
 This includes the information complied by central or state education
departments, special commissions, professional organizations, school
boards and administrative authorities in the form of minutes of meetings,
reports of committee and commissions, administrative orders, school
surveys, annual reports, budget, attendance records, cumulative records
of games, musical and athletic events and examination
(iii) Oral Testimony
 Researchers can also conduct oral interviews with people who were a
part of or who witnessed past events
(iv) Pictorial Record
 photograph records of events and tape recordings of interviews,
meetings and speeches.
(v) Remains or Relics:
 fossils, skeletons, tools, weapons, clothing, buildings, furniture, utensils,
art objects, teaching materials, samples of student work and murals
or
(1) Contemporary Records
 (2) Confidential Reports
(3) Public Reports
(4) Government Documents
(5) Public Opinion
(6) Folklores and Proverbs
SOURCES IN ARTICLE IN HISTORY

PRIMARY RESOURCE SECONDARY RESOURCE

 one prepared by an individual who was a participant in
or a direct witness to the event being described. The
original documents or remains which come under the
category of primary sources, are available in written,
pictorial and mechanical forms as under
 may contain secondary information e.g., newspapers are
usually considered primary sources but the information
provided by the newspaper is not all based on primary
sources. Such as certain incidents reported by the paper
may be such which the correspondent saw or in he actually
took part while certain offer information may be based on
official information or sources considered reliable.
 Personal Records
 Official Record
 Oral Testimony
 Pictorial Record
 Remains or Relics
Or
1. Contemporary Records
(2) Confidential Reports
(3) Public Reports
(4) Government Documents
(5) Public Opinion
(6) Folklores and Proverbs
 those that do not bear a direct physical
relationship to the event being studied.
 They would thus be one in which the person
describing the event was not actually present but
who obtained descriptions from another person
or source.
 It is not always possible to obtain primary data. In
such situations the researcher may have to rely
on secondary sources. These sources may help to
bridge the gap between the various pieces of
primary data.
 the evidence of someone who was not present at
the time of occurrence of the event EX. books
written by historians.
 The secondary source is also of great historical
importance to historians.
 secondary source is itself dependent on primary
sources.
(Mamta Aggarwal)
 encyclopedias and other reproduction of material or
information.
The value of these sources should not be
minimized. There are numerous occasions
where a secondary source can contribute
significantly to more valid and reliable
historical research than would otherwise be
the case.
 To quote Mouly “the secondary sources are useful,
but should not be taken as final

SECONDARY SOURCES
 the evidence of someone who was not present at the time of occurrence of
the event e.g., books written by historians. The secondary source is also of
 great historical importance to historians. Although the secondary source is
itself dependent on primary sources
1. quoted materials,
2. textbooks,
3. encyclopedias and other reproduction of material or information.
The value of these sources should not be minimized. There are numerous occasions
where a secondary source can contribute significantly to more valid and reliable
historical research than would otherwise be the case. To quote Mouly “the
secondary sources are useful, but should not be taken as final

Concluding Remarks: Limits of Existing National Histories

• Primacy of Political Narratives
 Dominance of Colonial Histories
 Privileging of Elite-centric Perspectives
 Ascendancy of Patriarchal Orientation
 Emphasis on Lowland Christianized Filipinos

LESSON 2: INTERNAL AND EXTERNAL ANALYSIS

HISTORICAL MATERIALS - used to build up that narrative of past events

 Historical documents written on paper soon come to mind, but there are actually many
other forms of historical materials, including oral transmissions, stone inscriptions,
paintings, recorded sounds, images (photographs, motion pictures), and so forth. Even
ancient relics and ruins, broadly speaking, are historical materials
HISTORICAL CRITICISM
- Evaluation of historical data and information
HISTORICAL EVIDENCE
- reliable data yielded by the process historical criticism
- Historical evidence is derived from historical data by the process of criticism, which
is of two types -external and internal.
Internal Criticism - higher criticism
  Internal criticism which is also known as higher criticism is concerned with the validity,
 credibility, or worth of the content of the document. Both the accuracy of the
information
 contained in a document and the truthfulness of the author need to be evaluated.
 Internal criticism has to do with what the document says (Frankel and Wallen, 1998) .
 Besides the textual criticism; it also involves such factors as competence, good faith,
bias and general
 reputation of the author
characteristics of INTERNAL CRITICISM
 Looks at content of the source and examines the circumstances of its production
 Looks at the truthfulness and factuality of the evidence by looking at the author of the
source, its context, the agenda behind its creation, the knowledge which informed it,
and its intended purpose
 Entails that the historian acknowledge and analyze how such reports can be
manipulated to be used as a war propaganda
 Validating historical sources is important because the use of unverified, falsified, and
untruthful historical sources can lead to equally false conclusions
 Without thorough criticisms of historical evidences, historical deceptions and lies will all
be probable

Was the author present at the event he or she is describing?

o In other words is the document a primary or a secondary source?
  Was the author a participant in or an observer of the event?
  Was the author competent to describe the event?
  Was the author emotionally involved in the event?
External Criticism - lower criticism
 External criticism is concerned with establishing the authenticity or genuineness of data.
 It is also called lower criticism. It is aimed at the document itself rather than the
interpretation or
 meaning of them in relation to the study.
 The tasks of establishing the age or authorship of a document may involve tests of
factors such as signatures, handwriting, scripts, type, style, spelling and place names.
 According to Mouly, “the purpose of external criticism is not so much “negative‟ (the
detection of fraud) as it is the “establishment of historical truth‟
 The practice of verifying the authenticity of evidence by examining its physical
characteristics; consistency with the historical characteristic of the time when it was
produced, and the materials used for the evidence
  Examples of the things that will be examined when conducting external criticism of a
document include the quality of the paper, the type of ink, and the language and words
used in the material, among others
With regard to the contents of the document:-

  Do the contents make sense?

  Could the event described have occurred at that time?
  Would people have behaved as described?

INTERNAL CRITICISM - credibility EXTERNAL CRITICISM - authenticity

 Involves finding out if the source
material is genuine and if it possesses
textual integrity (Gay, et al., 1972)
 establishing whether a document can
be traced back to the purported
originator, establishing whether it is
consistent with known facts, and
studying the form of the document
 Concerned with the accuracy and
meaning of the data contained in the
document.
 Textual criticism
 trying to establish the author’s
meaning and making a judgment as to
the intentions and prejudices of the
writer
 (Tosh 2000).

 When Written? Eyewitness or Secondhand Account? Why

 Where Was It Writen? Was IT Written? Literal Meaning? Meaning in
 Why Did It Survive? Context Internal Consistency? Connotations?
 Authentic? authenticity of the evidence
 Who Was the Real Author?
Travers has listed those characteristics commonly considered in making evaluation of writers.

 Were they trained or untrained observers of the events?

 What were their relationships to the events?
 To what extent were they under pressure, from fear or vanity, say to distort or omit
facts?
 What were the intends of the writers of the documents?
 To what extend were they experts at recording those particular events?
 Were they too antagonistic or too sympathetic to give true pictures? How long after
the event did they record their testimonies?
 And were they able to remember accurately?
 Finally, are they in agreement with other independent witnesses?

 Evidence should be collected from a wide range of sources, each of which will have their
own strengths and weaknesses (Tosh 2000).
  Any source material collected should be subjected to both external and internal
criticism.
 The authenticity of the evidence is determined by external criticism, credibility
whereas is established by internal criticism (Shafer 1980).
 The use of external criticism involves establishing whether a document can be traced
back to
the purported originator, establishing whether it is consistent with known facts, and
studying the form of the document (Tosh 2000).
 Internal criticism consists of trying to establish the author’s meaning and making a
judgment as to the intentions and prejudices of the writer
(Tosh 2000).

Lesson 3: Local History & Oral History in Philippine Setting

One of the major problems in the writing of Philippine history stems from inadequate
knowledge of historical conditions in the rural Philippines. The problem is further complicated
by a tendency to treat society as a monolithic structure susceptible to outside influence and
change at a uniform rate. Consequently, it has proved difficult to judge accurately the impact
on Philippine society of such phenomena as colonialism, the Revolution of 1896 and national
politics in the twentieth century.
Concluding Remarks: Limits of Existing National Histories
• Primacy of Political Narratives
 Dominance of Colonial Histories
 Privileging of Elite-centric Perspectives
 Ascendancy of Patriarchal Orientation
 Emphasis on Lowland Christianized Filipinos
a) Local History & Oral History in Philippine Setting
 b) Sources of Local & Oral History and Their Importance
c) Local History & Oral History as Narrative and Methodology
Local History
 Local history contains a wealth of details and stories that help reveal how societal
changes impacted the lives of ordinary people.
 It can be seen as a ‘microcosm’ or representation of large patterns on a small scale.
 History writ large can tell you about events like the Long Depression of the late 19th
century, while local history can show the impact of this crisis on individuals that turns
the grand patterns of historical change into concrete stories that tell of the lives of
individuals.
 It is thus vital to increasing one’s understanding of historical processes.
Oral Testimony
 These include folk tales, family stories, ceremonies, myths, tales, legends, charts, songs
and other forms of oral expression that have been used by people down through the
ages.
ORAL HISTORY - a special form of historical research. Researchers can also conduct oral
interviews with people who were a part of or who witnessed past events. (Fraenkel and
Wallwn, 1998).

The importance of oral history was discussed by Ma.Luisa Camagay, she said that
ORAL HISTORY

 is important in recording and documenting memories of people and interviews have

richer details and content compared to that of a diary or letters.
 The spoken word plays an important part in the construction of life stories.
 The early practice of life history approach was done
 through interviews.
 Even now, oral history is the main technique in the construction and Collection of life
stories (Kintanar et. al 2006, 249)

 Everyday life according to their stories

 The importance of personal narratives in understanding history was discussed in a
guideline released by the State Government of Oregon about the standard of writing
oral history. The paper was based on Columbia River Gorge Oral History Project:
Operating Plan, a seminal work of Dennis Griffin in 1995.
  The document argued that personal life histories and the collection of memories and
stories of events associated with a particular place and circumstances offer insights
often not available in written records.
 The importance of hearing the stories from direct participants of an event was discussed
by John Shea O’Donnell. According to him most of the time we learn about historical
events from texts or books that were written after piles of primary documentation have
been scoured clean of the participants' voices, analyzed and the stories were structured
and formalized.
 Local History teaches you about your Community
 Locations and objects in your community, sometimes things as mundane as names of
streets, can reflect the long heritage of past generations where you live.
 Few of us know the origins or histories behind our community, but learning the stories
of a region’s past can change the way you think about the present
What is ORAL HISTORY? .
 A research methodology that records oral stories drawn from memories of first person
witnesses." - Lived Practice
 Teaching Practice
 Archival Practice
 Dissemination Practice
 Research Practice (Sean Field, "Oral History Methodology" (2007)

Why do we do ORAL HISTORY?

A. To "Retrieve" the Past
B. For Posterity
What is the ORAL HISTORY METHOD?

 Preparation
 Recorded Interview: Structured, Semi-Structured, Unstructured.
 Transcription
 Verification
 Interpretation
Assessment of the Methodology

 Cultural Context
 Interdisciplinarity
 Digital Revolution
Conclusion

 Oral History can greatly contribute to historical understanding.

 It must to evolve to suit changing times.
 It remains an important means to democratize historical writing and understanding.
EX: Ang Bayan ng Muñoz sa Panahon ng Digmaan BY SIR MENG
INTERVIEWED:
- Emerenciana Francisco Espiritu - Ipinanganak noong Disyembre 30, 1915 Sa San
Ildefonso, Bulacan
- Macaria Raña Borromeo - Ipinanganak noong Abril 15, 1922 sa Zaragosa, Nueva Ecija
This paper deals with the history of faceless and unknown people of the town. A story of
two civilian women who shared their experiences during the war – and revisited the innocuous
as well as the traumatic episodes in that sad timeline. The town of Muñoz suffered a violent
blow because of the Japanese invasion. The flourishing town needed to start again from
scratch. The same fate had befallen other towns in different islands and provinces of the
country. But more than the sight of lost monuments, dilapidated facades, destroyed roads,
bridges, and buildings are the stories of ordinary folks who made up the majority and who were
alive and with spirit. There are more to it than what it seems to offer, we only have to dig more
and deeper until we discover new treasures forged with blood, heroism, and love.

Lesson 4: Indigenous Practices; Religious Rites & Rituals Folkloric Traditions as Alternative
Source

Folklore
 the expressive body of culture shared by a particular group of people; it
encompasses the traditions common to that culture, subculture or group. These
include oral traditions such as tales, proverbs and jokes. They include material
culture, ranging from traditional building styles to handmade toys common to the
group.
 Historically speaking, The concept of folklore developed as part of the 19th century
ideology of romantic nationalism, leading to the reshaping of oral traditions to serve
modern ideological goals; only in the 20th century did ethnographers begin to
attempt to record folklore without overt political goals.
 Is a general term for the verbal, spiritual, and material aspects of any culture that
are transmitted orally, by observation, or by imitation.
  People sharing a culture may have in common an occupation, language, ethnicity,
age, or geographical location.
 This body of traditional material is preserved and passed on from generation to
generation, with constant variations shaped by memory, immediate need or
purpose, and degree of individual talent.
 The word folklore was coined in 1846 by the English antiquary William John Thoms
to replace the term popular antiquities.
 Other writers attest that folklore is the body of expressive culture, including tales,
music, dance, legends, oral history, proverbs, jokes, popular beliefs, customs, and so
forth within a particular population comprising the traditions (including oral
traditions) of that culture, subculture, or group.
 It is also the set of practices through which those expressive genres are shared.
 The academic and usually ethnographic study of folklore is sometimes called
folkloristics( Eslit, 2012).

Dr. Damiana Eugenio, a renowned Filipina folklorist, says there is still no universally
accepted definition of the word "folklore". But any bit of knowledge handed down from
generation to generation, which describes or depicts the beliefs and lifestyle of the ancestors of
a chosen ethnic group, is rendered unique to that group, and is respected as folklore.

The age of animism in our archipelago is an interesting subject that provides us clues as to
how Filipinos managed to build their spirituality and the countless rituals they observed. From
the most mundane to the most unusual, these rituals were not just a mindless series of
intricate offerings and chanting. Like every religion, be it primitive or modern, rituals were often
just as important as daily tasks performed to survive in their world.
Because of rituals, the most common and important events were elevated and required a
spark of the divine.
Animism
 the belief that everything has a spirit and a consciousness, a soul, from the tiniest
microorganism on earth to the great planets in the heavens to the whole of the
universe itself.
 Animistic faiths usually contain a belief in rebirth & reincarnation either as another
human, an animal, tree, star, or unique spirit.
 Anything, or anyone, can be an ancestor and in a way this is true as even scientists
will tell you every single thing in the universe is created from the same star dust —
all matter gets recycled and reused.
  When it comes to modern views of the universe and our place within it, there is
more natural harmony and more earthly wisdom within animism than almost any
world religion

The Aswang Project

Ancient Philippines: Rituals for Land, Weather and Sailing
Rituals and practices performed by early Filipinos which shows us how simple activities like
farming and fishing were intertwined with the oldest beliefs of our ancestor and and continue
to flow from the consciousness of one generation to the next.
Pre-colonial life lacked the complexities of the modern era where needs and vices overlap with
one another.
The survival of the whole community, or barangay, was the primary concern of everyone – so
they worked on their land in order to produce crops, fruits and grain to cover a large portion of
their basic necessity. Agriculture became an important part of most ethnic communities in the
early Philippine.
Ex: anting anting
Tamblan

 Before tilling and cultivating land for their crops, Cebuanos were known to perform the
ritual of Tamblan. Consisting of meat from a white chicken or white pork along with
wine or Buyo, these offerings would be set on a table in the open field as gifts for the
unseen owner or spirit of the land.
taga-taga

 Certain taboos were also avoided depending on the crop that would be planted. For
rice, one must kill an insect called taga-taga which was believed to possess the soul of
the palay. When planting corn, the first three rows should be done at sundown.
 Coconut seedlings were placed on the open ground during a full moon and planted at
noontime when sun is directly overhead.
Isneg alipugpug

 The Isneg were watchful for a small whirlwind called alipugpug which was an indication
that their harvest would be good.
 They also tied an uprooted species of fern called takkag to the stalk of their palay which
acted as an amulet for their crops.
Kankanaey - Legleg
  The Kankanaey of western Mountain Province also practiced a ritual sacrifice called
Legleg to appease spirits that may otherwise hinder the growth of their plants.
 A chicken would be killed as an offering to all surrounding spirits that might cause the
deterioration or stunted growth of their plants – especially their Bonabon seedling.
 Four or five long feathers of the sacrificial chicken would be planted in the site where
the Bonabon seed is located. The ritual was repeated if the growth still remained poor.
Lakan-bakod

 Tagalogs called upon their gods such Lakan-bakod , who they worship for an abundant
harvest of their fruit bearing plants and trees. Their rituals were often celebratory in
nature where they held a feast in the fields under a canopy. T
 hey would build an altar and wooden statue of Lakan-Bakod wherein its genital was
gilded and sized to represent the desired rice stalk height. They would give these statues
food offerings and wine for assurance of a bountiful harvest season.
ANITO (tagalog and Pampanga regions)
Mga diwata na inatasa ng bathala na mamuhay kasama ang mga mortal
Lakambini – God of purity
Lakan bakod – Lord of fences
Lakan danum – ruler of the waters
The Magbinukid is a ritual performed in a river by the Baylan (shaman), where they set a stalk
of bamboo and place at the top a saucer where an egg sprinkled with apog (powdered
limestone), rice, and a portion of chicken meat. Those who attended the ritual would also bring
egg, rice and chicken while the Baylan danced to the sounds of a gong.
Kanobiton is another ceremony which is meant for ceasing a dry spell or drought. This can be
done anywhere in the community but must be attended by everyone. The Baylan offers a pig or
chicken to the spirits of nature to help them ease the drought.
Tagalogs conducted a Kibang ritual (meaning the rocking motion of boat when traversing
waves) wherein the movement of the boat was a message delivered by spirits which tells
whether their sea raid or fishing activity would be successful.
Similarly, the Visayans had their Guibang ritual where they chanted the following before they
went fishing or raiding on the sea: “Guibang, guibang cun magtoto cami” (Sway, sway if we
should proceed). When their boat swayed after reciting it, it meant their plans will be blessed
with good fortune. The greater the swaying motion of the boat, the better. Intoning the name
of a deity, or one of their ancestor’s names, would give them an answer as to who is the one
swaying their boat.
There was a ritual in Caraga, Mindanao known as Bacalag, which came from the word ‘calag’
(soul). According to documentation in Historia de las islas de Mindanao, etc., by Francisco
Combés, S.J., in order for the boats to obtain good fortune, a person (usually a slave) is given to
the boat as a sacrifice. “In Caraga there was a barbarous custom to make their ships lucky,
namely, to vow to them the first time upon some name, which was generally the name of one
of their captives.”
In Masbate, blood sacrifice was also made for their boats, although in a lesser and more
‘acceptable’ manner. The prows of their boat would be painted with the blood of chicken
before it would be used for sailing. This ritual was also believed to bring good luck to the boat.
Fishermen from Batanes offered a pig where it was believed all the bad fortune from the boat
would be transferred
Stories of creation contain scattered references which indicate the early Filipinos’ conception of
the universe.

 This universe consists of the Skyworld, the Earth or Middleworld, and the Underworld.
 From the reports of early chroniclers, we know that the ancient peoples of the
Philippines had a notion of a powerful being (or beings) who was responsible for the
creation of the earth and of everything on it, the trees, the animals, and man.
 The name of the creator-god (or gods) varied with each region or tribe.
 The supreme being is generally taken to be very good and kindly, very powerful, and
dwelling in the sky. To him is invariably credited the work of creation
- Apolaki, Bathala, Amanikable, Idiyanale
- Mayari
- Hanan
- Dumangan
- Ikapati
- Anitun Tabu
- Anagulay Mangkukulam
- Mapulon
- Galang kaluluwa
- Dumakuler
- Mangagaway
- Sitan
- Dian Masalanta
- Ulilang kaluluwa
- Paniki
- Tikbalang
 To this day, Philippine myths still have an active role in the lives of rural Filipinos. The
countless myths circulating throughout the Filipino countryside contain a large variety of
 mythical creatures. Although there is no scientific evidence for any of these creatures, there
is also no shortage in the rural parts of the Philippines of people who believe firmly in their
existence.
 This discrepancy is sometimes rationalized by the explanation that only pure and good
mortals are able to see these creatures.
 There are obvious problems with the use of oral/folkloric traditions. Critics easily point out
that they lack absolute chronology, are extremely selective in their content, and are
compromised by possible human errors.
 William G. Clarence-Smith argued that the value of using oral traditions has been not for
their intrinsic worth but sentimental.
To Forget or To Remember?
Unfortunately, many of these old rituals and practices are used to showcase how
‘ignorant’ our people were when it came to dealing with the natural world and explaining the
unexplained. Many might make fun of their irrational and ‘savage’ way of life in comparison to
today’s highly logical and scientific means of living. What seems to be forgotten, and what
makes these rituals worthy of remembering and understanding, is that it points us back to the
original essence of existence – making every actions and everything that happens in our life
sacred and harmonious with our surroundings. The Philippines has always been a truly spiritual
nation, but perhaps we can open our minds to the past and recapture some of the caring,
cautionary and sustainable thinking of our early ancestors where our community came first.

LESSON 5: The Arts as Alternative Source of History

 Before photography, before television, before the Internet, the only visual
representation that could mimic the human condition was ART.
 Historians use art paintings, posters, architecture, sculpture, even graffiti and doodles -
as one of their tools in imagining life in past eras.
 We will use art, as well as photography to unlock the past. The following are some
suggestions for using art as a primary source document, as well as some sample to get
you thinking.

 Similar to art philosophers who define art as “art object,” historians have used art as
evidence to learn about the physical and mental worlds of the past.
 Peter Burke (1991) notes that only during the last three decades have historians
broadened their interests to include not only the history of political events, economic
trends, and social structures, but also the history of culture, everyday life, and ordinary
people.
Scholarly Framework (Yonghee Suh, 2013)
 1. The first focuses on the “ART OBJECT” itself, for example, a painting or sculpture. Both
ancient and contemporary art philosophers argue that art as art object represents the
physical and mental world of human beings that is not only personal but also associated
with society in general (Bell, 1914/1930;Dewey, 1934; Dickie, 1971; Langer, 1953;
Levinson, 1998).

 Cultural historians, such as Jacob Burckhardt, Johan Huizinga, Phillip Aries, and
Simon Schama, have used art as evidence to learn about the culture and
mentalities of people in the past.
 Burckhardt (1840/1995) and Huizinga (1919/1996) identified the characteristics—
respectively—of the Italian and Dutch Renaissances by examining visual arts and
literature as critical sources.

2. The second approach focuses on the PROCESS OF CREATING ARTWORK. In other words,
while the first approach emphasizes the product of artistic creation, the second
emphasizes both the creative process and the artist who created the artwork.
 Social historians have used art to learn about the culture of socially invisible
people (often women or other marginalized groups), many of whom were
illiterate and, therefore, not as well-represented in written and recorded
artifacts (Bravati, Buxton, & Seldon, 1996; Burke,1991).

3. More recently, philosophers of art have provided a third definition of art, which attends
to the AESTHETIC EXPERIENCE, or the quality of experience art objects create.
 Maxine Greene (1991), for instance, discusses the meanings art evokes through
aesthetic experience.
Using Art as a Historical Document
Describe: What do you see? What is happening?
Analyze: What do you know about the national origin of the artist or of the scene depicted?
What do you know about the time period ("the historical context?)
Interpret: What message or statement is the artist trying to make?
Ex:
Landscape with Rainbow (1810) by Caspar David Friedrich
Two Men by the Sea (1817) by Caspar David Friedrich
Kasuotang saya
Bahay kubo
Noli me tangere
El Fili (1891)
Old house made of bricks batanes
THE UNIVERSE OF NOLI AND EL FILI ACCORDING TO ROMMEL BORROMEO CRISTOBAL- MISS
UNIVERSE WITH A HEART
1. Status of Women
2. Environment
3. Society
4. Culture ( food, architecture , everyday life)
5. Religion
The colonial Spanish period's desired image of a Filipina is embodied in the character of
María Clara--beautiful, demure, modest, patient, devoutly religious, cultured, submissive, and
virginal. The blood that runs through her veins is more European than native. Her ancestry is
noted since it has a bearing on the idealized model of a Filipina, the Roman Catholic's Virgin
Mary, European and foreign. María Clara belongs to the elite; her kindness is not to be equated,
however, with social awareness. She is a repressed woman and her weakness and despair over
a lost love overwhelm her, enabling powerful and sinister forces to slowly drive her to death
The character Doña Victorina is a reflection of the triumph of colonialism--the alteration
of behavior and thinking patterned after the character's perception of a superior race. One
hundred years ago, there was a Doña Victorina. Today, the trappings of a colonial mindset
persist, and is expressed in the attraction to look Western and to consume Western goods.
Doña Victorina is a characterization of lost identity. Her frivolity, and that of Paulita
Gómez, who is greatly enamored by the trappings of the elite, who loves the man who could
maintain the needs of her class
Sisa represents the silent victims of an oppression which drove her to madness and
death. There are millions of Sisas in the Philippines today: the unfortunate women who are
scavenging for food in the mountains of trash, the degraded women whose bodies are used as
commodities, and the abused wives who are repeatedly beaten by their husbands.
Julí, emerges as the one character who chooses death over a life in shame. She suffers
abuse and humiliation working as a servant to pay her family's debt. She brings to mind the
women of today who work for starvation wages. Julí refuses to be coerced, her death liberates
her from oppression. Among these characters, perhaps Julí best characterizes a sense of
purpose and identity.
* PIA ALBA, ISABEL
 Long ago, crocodiles were common in the Philippines. In Dr. Jose Rizal’s “Noli Me
Tangere,” Crisostomo Ibarra saved Elias from a rogue beast by the banks of the Pasig River. In
1823, a 27-foot crocodile was shot near the town of Jalajala in Laguna de Bay. Rizal and many of
his era told of animals vicious enough to overturn boats with a flick of a tail.
"It was situated in that section of the city which is crossed by a branch of the Pasig river,
called by some the creek of Binondo, which, like all rivers of Manila at that time, combined the
functions of public bath, sewer, laundry, fishery, waterway, and should the Chinese water-
pedlar find it convenient, even a source of drinking water."
"A wide staircase, green banistered and partly carpeted, rose from the tiled court at the
entrance."
"The dinner guests were gathered in the main reception room which had great mirrors
and sparkling chandeliers. On a pinewood platform stood enthroned a magnificent grand
piano...
On wide platters upon bright-hued sheets of perforated paper are to be seen hams from
Europe and China, stuffed turkeys, and a big pastry in the shape of an Agnus Dei or a dove, the
Holy Ghost perhaps. Among all these are jars of appetizing acharas with fanciful decorations
made from the flowers of the areca palm and other fruits and vegetables, all tastefully cut and
fastened with sirup to the sides of the flasks.

Colonization not only shaped the political and economic landscape of the Philippines,
it also influenced cultural expressions and mental processes.
"I think that one of the most serious injuries inflicted upon us by our colonial masters
has been on our very psyches, in the way we look at the world and the way we look at
ourselves." - Delia Aguilar