PRE- COLONIAL

PHILIPPINES

Prepared by:
SAS Faculty Baby Grace R. Abad, JD.
 The
Philippine Setting
Pre- Colonial Period
Learning Objectives
1. The learners will be able to understand the possible
changes of the total number of Islands.
✓7100 Islands and Islets (Pre- Colonial Period)
✓7107 Islands and Islets (Before)
✓7641 Islands and Islets (Present)
2. The learners will be able to understand the Filipino’s
mixtures of races.
3. The learners will be able to understand the early
customs and traditions of the Filipinos.
4. The learners will be able to understand the mode of
living of early Filipinos.
5. The learners will be able to discussed and
understand what type of government and the leader
during the Pre- Colonial period.
• Archipelago
✓The Philippine Archipelago is an archipelago
consisting of more than 7,000 islands and islets
stretching almost a thousand miles from north
to south.
• People
✓The Filipino belongs to a mixtures of races,
basically a Malay, it because of their brown
skinned.
• If there is an inter-marriage between the
Filipino and the foreigner particularly the
white it is known as metizo class, they are
also called the mestizoisie.
• Filipino’s Common Traits
✓Hospitality
✓Close Family ties
✓Respect for the elders
✓Fatalistics or Fatalism
✓Loyalty
✓Sensitive
✓Indolent
✓Lack of initiative
✓Curious
✓Jealousy
✓Regionalistic
✓Pakikisama
 Before
Conquest
People in the Philippines
• Early 1970’s, it had been assumed that the
Philippines was part of mainland china. That
during the Pleistocene or Ice Age, the waters
surrounding what is now the Philippines fell
about 156 feet below the present levels.
• As a result, a vast are of land was exposed
and became sort of land bridges to the
mainland of Asia. (Theory of Land Bridge).
Land Bridge (Migration)
• Negritos, proto- Malay and people were the
principal people of the Philippine Archipelago in
pre-historic and ancient times.
• The Negritos are believed to have migrated by
land bridge some 30,000 years ago during the
last glacial period.
• Later, migrations were by water and took place
over several thousand years repeated
movements before or after the start of the
Christian era.
• During pre-historic Ice ages sea level dropped
and exposed land- bridges between Asia and
Islands, Philippines, Indonesia and Malaysia.
• When sea level rose, pecan waters covered
this land bridges, cutting off the islands from
the Asian main land. Early settlers in the
Philippines may have also arrives by boat.
Tabon Cave
• The discovery of tabon cave in Palawan in the year
1962 of a skull cap and a portion of a jaw, presumed to
be a human being, shows conclusively that man came
earlier to the Philippines than Malay Peninsula, where
according to the old theory, it is were the Filipinos
came from.
• Also the cave discovered by Dr. Robert B. Fox and a
team from National Museum of the Philippines
between 1962- 1966.
• 22,00 – 24,000 years old.
• Neil McIntosh also undertook the analysis of the Tabon
Skullcap and Mandible in 1975 and discovered that the
early inhabitants of the islands died due to a fall or a
blow to the head. (Tabon Man).
Tabon Cave
• Archaeological discoveries
✓Manunggol Burial Jar – considered as
National Culture Treasure. There are 150
burial jar found in Igang Cave.
✓Skull Cap of the Tabon Man, Earthenware
✓Jade Ornaments, Jewelries
✓Stone Tools, Animal Bones
✓Human fossils dating back 47,000 years
ago.
✓Earliest human remains found in Tabon
Cave
Garuda Gold Pendant
• Were found in Tabon
caves
• An image of a golden
Garuda of Palawan.
• The eagle bird who is
the mount of Hindu
deity Vishnu.
• Discovery of
Sophisticated Hindu
imagery and gold
artifacts in Tabon
Caves.
Barter Trade System
• In, Trade- Barter
derived from “baretor”.
• Barter is a system of
exchange where
participants in a
transaction directly
exchange goods or
services for other
goods or services
without using a medium
exchange of money.
• A barter system is an old method of exchange.
This system has been used for centuries and
long before money was invented.
• History of barter dates back 6000 BC.
• It was introduce by Mesopotamia tribes,
bartering was adopted by Phoenicians bartered
goods to those located in various other cities
across oceans.
• Goods were exchanged for food, tea, weapons
and spices.
• Salt was another popular item exchanged.
Laguna Copperplate Inscription
• The history of the
Philippines between 900
AD and 1965 begins with
the creation of the
Laguna Copperplate
Inscription in 900 AD and
ends with Spanish
Colonization in 1565.
• The inscription records
its date of creation in the
year 822 of the Hindu
Saka calendar,
corresponding to 900 AD
on the Gregorian System.
• The recovery of this document marks the end
of prehistory of the Philippine archipelago.
• This document is the earliest record of a
Philippine language and the presence of
writing in the islands.
• Its contents also suggests the existence of
political dominion and long-distance trade in
the Philippine Archipelago in the 9th century.
 Early
Customs and Practices
Male Clothing
• Male attire was
composed of the upper
and lower parts.
• Upper Parts – Kanggan
✓ Was a black or blue
collarless jacket with short
sleeves.
✓ The color of the jacket
indicated the rank of the
wearer.
✓ Chief/ Datu – wore red
jacket
✓ Below his rank – blue or
black/ depending upon the
position in society.
• Lower Parts - Bahag
Female Attire
• Was composed of the
upper and lower
parts.
• Upper – Baro or
Camisa
✓ was a jacket with
sleeves.
• Lower – Saya by the
tagalog and
patadyong by the
Visayan.
Putong
• Male had a head gear
consisting of a piece of
cloth called “Putong”,
which was wrapped
around his head.
• The color of the Putting
showed the manliness of
a man.
• Red Putong- the wearer
had killed a man in a war.
• Embroidered Putong- a
man who killed at least 7
man in a war.
Ornaments
• It is an armlet- called
Kalumbiga.
• Pendants, bracelets,
gold rings, earing's,
and even leglets.
• These ornaments
were made of gold.
Tattoo
• Adornment of the body.
• As an exhibit of a man’s
war record.
• The more tattoos a man
the more he was looked
up in the society.
• Tattoo- considered as a
man’s war medal.
• Writers called them
Pentados or the painted
ones and their islands
Islas del Pentados or
Islands of the Painted
Ones.
Houses/ Bahay Kubo
• Built to suit tropical
climate, the ancient
house was made of
wood, bamboo and
nipa palm.
• Antonio de Morga – a
Spanish jurist and
chronicle described
the average house,
as he saw it at the
beginning of the 17th
century.
Badjaos
• Badjaos or sea
Gypsies of Sulu,
made their houses in
their boats, for they
were a sea- roving
people whose life
depended upon the
wealth of the seas.
Balangay
• Balangay also known
as- Barangay.
• Is a type of lashed-lug
boat built by joining
planks edge- to edge
using pins, dowels and
fiber lashings. They are
found throughout the
Philippines and were
used largely as trading
ships up until the
colonial era.
Social Classes
• The Philippine Society were divided into three (3)
classes.
1. Noble – the noble consisting of the chiefs and their
families, wielded tremendous influence in the barangay
and enjoyed rights that were not usually enjoyed by the
other members of society. In the Tagalog region they were
usually carried the title of Gat or Lakan, (Lakan Dula or
Gat Maitan).
2. Freeman – called Maharlika by the tagalogs. They were
composed of free men likewise dependents who had
earned their freedom.
3. Dependents – occupied the lowest stratum known as
Alipin among tagalogs, acquired low status in society by
inheritance, by captivity in war, by failing to pay his debts,
by purchase or by committing a crime for which he was
duly sentenced.
• Among the Tagalogs; the dependents were
either: (Tagalog Dependent);
• Aliping Namamahay or Aliping Sagigilid.
✓Aliping Namamahay
1. Had his own family and house;
2. Served his master during planting and harvest
season, rowed for him;
3. Helped in the construction of his house
4. Served his visitors.
✓Aliping Sagigilid
1. Had no property of his own;
2. Lived with the master;
3. Could not marry without the masters approval.
Visayan Dependent;
✓Three Kinds
1. Tumataban – worked for his master
when summoned to do so;
2. Tumarampuk – worked for one (1) day
for his master;
3. Ayuey – worked three (3) days for his
master.
Position of a Women
• Customary Laws
✓gave them the right to be the equal of
men, for they could own and inherit
property, engage in trade and industry,
and succeed to the chieftainship of a
barangay in the absence of a male heir.
Marriage Customs
• A man’s wife was his legitimate wife and
was called “asawa”. While the other
women were euphemistically called
“friends”.
• Before the marriage, the man must meet
several conditions;
✓To give a dowry- called “bigay-kaya”, consisting
of land, gold or dependents.
✓Must give the bride-to-be’s parent a certain
amount of money, known- as “panghimuyat”, as
payment for the mother’s nocturnal efforts in
rearing the girl to womanhood.
 ✓Another form of bribe called “bigay-suso” was to
be given to the girl’s wet-nurse who fed the bride
during her infancy with milk from her own-
breast.
✓The man must also give the girl’s parents
another sum of money called- “himaraw”, as
reimbursement for the amount spent in feeding
the girl during her infancy.
✓Another bribe that the man must give to the
girl’s relatives, it was called- “sambon”.
• The state of the courtship immediately
before the marriage was and is still called-
“pamumulungan” or “pamamalae”.
Marriage Customs of the Muslims
• The first stage of courtship known as-
“panalanguni”, or betrothal, a group of a
tribesmen of the groom paid the girl a
visit.
• The second stage was set. It was called
“pedsungud” or settlement of the dowry.
• Third stage was set;
✓Consisted of the wedding festival known as-
“pegkahawing”.
✓The “Hadji or Judge” – read the so called
instruction to the couple.
• The dowry was of (7) seven kinds;
1. Kawasateg- consisting of a big amount of money
to be given to the close relatives of the bride;
2. Siwaka- consisting of brassware or a few hundred
pesos to be given to those who had helped in
arranging the wedding;
3. Enduatan- consisting of brassware or money or
animals to be given to the village chief;
4. Pangatulian- consisting of jewelry to be given to
the girl’s mother and aunts;
5. Tatas- consisting of a blade to be given to the girls
uncle;
6. Langkad- consisting of a special sum of money to
be given to the girl’s parents as a sort of a fine for
having by passed the elder sister of the bride, if
she had any; and
7. Lekat- consisting of an amount equivalent to ten or
more pesos to be given to girls attendant.
Mixed Marriages
• A marriage between a freemen and a
dependent.
• If the married couple belong to a different
classes, let say a freemen and a dependent,
their children were equally divided among
the parents in so far as social status is
concerned.
• If the father was a freemen- the eldest, the
third and the fifth, the seventh and soon,
whether male or female belonged to the
father. The second, the fourth, the sixth and
so on, belonged to the mother.
Barangay as a Government Unit
• The barangay was the unit of government and
consisted of from 30 to 100 families.
• The tagalog word “barangay” was derived from
the Malay or Balangay, means a boat, which
transported them to these shores.
• Each barangay was independent and was ruled
by a “chieftain” or “datu”.
• It was the prime duty of a chieftain to rule and
govern his subjects and to promote their welfare
and interests.
• Chieftain had wide powers, for he exercised all
the functions of government. He was the
executive, the legislature and the judge. He was,
the supreme commander in time of war.
Blood Compact
Inter- Baranganic
Relations
✓Consisted in carrying
on commerce
between barangays
and agreements
concerning friendship
and alliance.
• They started a treaty of friendship and alliance;
✓This treaty of friendship by means of the
“blood compact” or “sanduguan” in which the
contracting parties drew blood from their
arms and mixed the blood, drawn with the
wine in the cup, the parties then drink the
same cup, making them blood- brothers.
Barangay Laws
• Laws either customary or written.
• Customary Laws- were handed down orally
from generation to generation and
constituted the bulk of the laws of the
barangay. Example: Inheritance, divorce,
usury, partnership, crime and punishment,
property rights, family relations, adoptions
and loan.
• Written Law- were those that the chieftain
and his elders promulgated from time to
time as necessary. Example: Code of
Kalantiaw- and Muslim Law.
How Law was made in the
Barangay
✓When a chieftain of a barangay wanted a
law to be enacted in order to prevent a
commission of a serious or minor crimes,
He called the elders of the community and
told them what he had in mind.
✓The elders approved his plan, for it was
meant to protect the society from the
incursions of the bad elements.
✓Chieftain then made the necessary
regulations or rules, which the elders
immediately approved.
✓A public announcers- called Umalohokan,
was summoned and ordered to go around
the barangay to announce the promulgation
of the new rules and regulations, with a
“bell” in one hand, the Umalohokan called
the attention of the subjects by ringing the
bill furiously.
✓The Umalohokan will tell the crowd about
the provisions of a new law.
✓Anybody violating the law will be arrested
and brought before the chieftain to be
judged according to the merits of the case.
Judicial Process in the Barangay
• A court- was
composed of the
“chieftain” as “judge”
and the “barangay
elders” as a “jury”.
• Conflicts arising
between subjects of a
different barangays
were resolved by
arbitration in which a
board composed of
elders from neutral
barangays acted as
“arbiter”.
Trial by Ordeal
• The purpose is to
determine the guilt
of a person.
• The trial by ordeal
was resorted to in
order to show that
God in his infinite
wisdom always
took side of the
innocents.
• Another Example:
Bultong
• Bultong is an intense
style of wrestling that
is widely used
throughout the
Philippines.
• Bultong is the Ifugao
name for their sport of
traditional wrestling. It
is often played during
town and provincial
fiestas.
Religious Belief
• The ancient Filipinos believed in the immortality
of the soul and in life after death.
• Their rituals were based on beliefs in a ranking
deity whom they called- Bathalang Maykapal, and
a host of other deities in the environmental spirits
and in soul- spirits.
• Bathala the equivalent of the spanish dios, was
supposed to be the creator of the earth and man
and therefore superior to all other deities.
• Idiyanale- also known as god of agriculture.
• Sidapa- also known as a god of death.
• Balangaw- also known as a rainbow god.
• Mandarangan- also known as a war god.
• Agni- a fire god.
• Magwayen- a god of the other world.
• Lalahon- a goddess of harvest.
• Siginarugan- a god of hell.
• Diyan Masalanta- a god of love.
Burial
• Belief in life after
death and in the
relation between the
dead and the living
made the ancient
Filipinos respectful of
their dead.
• The deceased
relatives was placed
in a wooden coffin
and buried under the
house, complete with
cloth, gold and other
valuable things.
Languages
• There are more than a
hundred languages and
dialects in the
Philippines, eight of
which may be considered
major languages. They
are tagalog (made the
basis of the National
Language); Iloko,
Pangasinan,
Pampangan,
Sugbuhanon, Hiligaynon,
Samarnon or Samar-
Leyte and Maguindanao.
At iba pa.
System of Writing (Baybayin)
• The Filipinos before
the arrival of the
Spaniards had a
syllabary which was
probably of Sanskrit or
Arabic provenance.
• The syllabary
consisted of seventeen
(17) symbols, or which
three (3) were vowels
standing for the
present five (5) vowels
and fourteen (14)
consonants.
Literature
• The literature of the
early Filipinos may
be classified into
floating or oral
literature and
written literature.
• The literature of the
tagalog; example:
Sawikain, Bugtong,
Suliranin,
Kumintang.
Music and Dance
• The Filipinos are born
musicians, for they
easily learn tunes by
ear.
• Many Filipinos who
play two or more
musical instruments
have never been in
music academies, nor
have they any
knowledge of the
musical notations
except what they
know by ear.
Copper
• Copper an ancient
metal.
• The first metal to be
widely used by the
early Filipinos.
Sources
Book:
Teodoro Agoncillio. 8th Ed. (1990). History of the
Filipino People. Garotech Publishing.
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_Inscription

-SOAR HIGH EMILIANS-