ALEXANDER R.

DELA CRUZ BSED-FILIPINO 3A

Guide Questions for Better Understanding
1. What is the historical importance of Sucesos de las Islas Filipinas among Filipinos the light of their
search for self identity and cultural integrity?
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2. How did Antonio de Morga describe the Filipinos in terms of the following:
a. Clothing and ornaments
 The apparel and clothing of these natives of Luzon before the entrance of the Spaniards into the country
were generally, for the men, certain short collarless garments of cangan, sewed together in the front, and
with short sleeves, and reaching slightly below the waist, some were blue and others black, while the
chiefs had some red ones, called chinanas. They also whore a strip of colored cloth wrapped about the
waist, and passed between the legs, so that it covered the privy parts, reaching half-way down the thigh;
these are called banaques. They go with legs bare, feet unshod, and the head uncovered, wrapping a
narrow cloth, called protong just below it, with which they bind the forehead and temples. About their
necks they wear gold necklaces, wrought like spun wax, and with links in our fashion, some larger than
others. On their arms they wear armlets of wrought gold, which they call calombigas, and which are
very large and made in different patterns. Some wear strings of precious stones- cornelians and agates;
and other blue and white stones, which they esteem highly. They wear around the legs some strings of
these stones, and certain cords, covered with black pitch in many foldings, as garters.
b. Housing
 Morga described the precolonial Filipinos as "barbarians, and have little capacity. They possess no fixed
houses or settlements, but wander in bands and hordes through the mountains and rough country,
changing from one site to another according to the season."
c. Laws and justice system
 Crimes were punished by request of the aggrieved parties. Thefts were punished with greater severity,
the robbers being enslaved or sometimes put to death. The same was true of insulting words, especially
when spoken to chiefs. The natives have many expressions and words which they regarded as the
highest insult, when said to men and women. These were pardoned less willingly and with greater
difficulty than personal violence such as wounding and assaulting.
d. Social stratification
 The three (3) social classes of pre-hispanic Filipinos are: (a) the chiefs, who are rulers and nobles; (b)
the timaguas, who are equivalent to plebeians or freeman; and (c) the slaves, those of both chiefs and
timaguas with classes such as saguiguilires and namamahays.
e. Practice of slavery
 The slaves were of several classes. Some were for all kinds of work and slavery, like those which we
ourselves hold. Such are called sagigilid; they served inside the house, as did likewise the children born
of them. There are others who live by their own houses with their families, outside the house of their
lord; and come, at the season, to aid him in his sowings and harvests, among his rowers when he
embarks, in the construction of his house when it is being built, and to serve in his house when there are
guests of distinction. These are bound to come to their lord’s house whenever he summons them, and to
serve in these offices without any pay or stipend. These slaves are called namamahay, and their children
and descendants are slaves of the same class. From these slaves- sagigilid and namamahayan- are issue,
some of whom are whole slaves, some of whom are half slaves, and still others one-fourth slaves. It
happens thus; if either the father or the mother was free, and they had only child, he was half free and
half slave. If they had more than one child, they were divided as follows: the first follows the condition
of the father, free or slave; the second that of the mother. If there were an odd number of children, the
last was half free and half slave. Those who descended from these, if children of a free mother or father,
were only one-fourth slaves, because of being children of a free father or mother and of a half-slave.
These half slaves or one-fourth slaves, whether sagigilid or namamahay, served their masters during
every other moon; and in this respect so is such condition slavery.
f. Economic system
 Bartering was the precolonial's customary method of trading in which they exchange one thing for
another, such as food, cloth, cattle, fowls, lands, houses, fields, slaves, fishing-grounds, and palm-trees
(both nipa and wild). Sometimes a price intervened, which was paid in gold, as agreed upon, or in metal
bells brought from China.
g. Religion
  In matters of religion, the natives were pagans and they worshipped the spirits called anitos. They had
no priests or religious leaders to attend to religious affairs, except certain old men and women called
catalonas. These were experienced witches and sorcerers, who kept the other people deceived.
3. "There is no good or bad culture. A culture is good if it has some usefulness to the individual as well as
to the society." In this context, do you agree that the ancient Filipinos lived the way they do because it
was their way of surviving in their own environment? Do you think their culture served their own
purposes in life, i.e. , in their individual and societal life?
 I agree that

4. Do you agree that pre-hispanic Filipinos had their own unique culture before the coming of the
Spaniards? Why?
 I agree that pre-hispanic Filipinos had their own unique culture before the colonization of the Spaniards.
They already had a form of traditions, clothing, laws and justice, religion and even economic system
which is the barter system as form of trading.
5. Based on his historical account, in what way was there a "clash" or "conflict between the culture,
religion, and social life of Antonio de Morga and the early Filipinos? Cite examples of this "clash" as
evidenced in his writing.


6. Cite examples of biases and prejudices in the accounts of Antonio de Morga regarding the early
Filipino people. Do you think these biases and prejudices spring from his own perspective as a foreigner
interpreting the Filipino realities from this own "frame of reference"? Why?


7. How do you interpret (content and contextual analysis) the following statements of Morga:
a. "These people are barbarians and have but little capacity."


b. "They had no priests or religious to attend to religious affairs, except certain old men and
women called catalonas. These were experienced witches and sorcerers, who kept the other people
deceived."


c. "In matters of religion, the natives proceeded more barbarously and with greater blindness than
in all the rest. For besides being pagans, without any knowledge of the true God, they neither strove
to discover Him by way of reason, nor had any fixed belief."


d. "They live also on honey from the mountains, and roots produced by the ground. They are a
barbarous people, in whom one cannot place confidence."


e. "The natives of the islands of Pintados, especially the women, are very vicious and sensual. Their
perverseness has discovered lascivious methods of communication between men and women; and
there is one to which they are accustomed from their youth."


f. "As long as these natives lived in their paganism, it was not known that they had fallen into the
abominable sin against nature.

 g. Single men are called bagontaos and girls of marriageable age, dalagas. Both classes are people
of little restraint, and from early childhood they have communication with one another, and mingle
with facility and little secrecy, and without this being regarded among the natives as a cause for
anger.


8. Why did Morga describe the ancient Filipinos to be Pintados or Painted People? What does this convey
about Filipino arts and culture?
 Morga describe the ancient Filipinos to be Pintados or Painted People, especially the Bisayas which was
considered as "The Land of the Painted People (or Pintados, in Spanish)" because the natives had their
bodies decorated with tracings made with fire, somewhat like tattooing. And this conveys that even
before the colonization occurs, Filipinos already had a rich traditions in terms of arts and cultures.

9. In what ways can prehispanic Filipinos become slaves? Was the practice of slavery rigid like those
practiced in Europe during those years?
 The social class was not rigid because slaves and freemen can intermarry. Moreover, the timaguas
become slave when they happen to be a captive to inter-village raids or they are convicted of a serious
crime and indebtedness. However, slaves can be redeemed by payment of debt.

10. What evidences in the chronicles of Morga show that the ancient Filipinos were already economically
self-sufficient, had rich tradition and culture, as well as organized government?
 Economically Self-sufficient
o Through the mountains and rough country, changing
from one site to another according to the season. They support themselves in certain clearings,
and by planting rice, which they are very skillful and certain. They live also on honey from the
mountains, and roots produced by the ground.

o Their customary method of trading was by bartering one thing for another, such as food, cloth,
cattle, fowls, lands, houses, fields, slaves, fishing-grounds, and palm-trees (both nipa and wild).
At Sometimes a price intervened, which was paid in gold, as agreed upon, or in metal bells
brought from China.

 Rich Tradition and Culture

o The ancient Filipinos had a diverse culture and history. Prior to the arrival of the Spaniards in the
country, the natives of Luzon wore the following clothing: for men, cangan fabric without a
collar, sewn in front with short sleeves extending down to beyond the waist, some blue and
black, while the headmen wore red chininas and a colored blanket wrapped between the legs to
cover their private parts. The banaque was worn around the waist, exposing the legs and feet and
leaving the head uncovered, with a narrow kerchief called potong knotted tightly around the
forehead and temples.

o They also had long chains and carved gold bracelets known as colombigas on them. Some people
wore chains made of stones that were meaningful to them. They wore garters made from the
strings of these stones, as well as black cords wrapped around their legs several times. This
province's women, on the other hand, wore sayas and varo (sleeveless garments). They, too, are
made of gold and would be seen wearing gold necklaces, bracelets, and rings set with stones.

 Organized Government
o The prehispanic Filipinos lived in a community called barangai. The barangai is ruled by the
chief. There were no kings or lords throughout the Philippine islands like the European
kingdoms and provinces. Instead, every island and province has many chieftains who were
recognized by the natives as datu.