Relevance of studying the precolonial forms of literature.

When we were just a kid, there were times that we

joined a competition where the host gave us a “Bugtong,” and
the first one to answer was the winner. In our classroom,
there are times that there are “salawikain” like “Nasa Diyos
ang awa, nasa tao ang gawa”. Studying the Philippines’
precolonial literature is essential for us to know the
foundation of our literature. How can we study something
without knowing its past? It also shows us that we have
something before the colonizer colonizes our country.
Something that we are the inventor of. It shows that not
everything we have right now comes from the colonizer.
Precolonial forms show that we had our literature before the
Spanish came. Studying it will show us the foundation of the
Philippines’ literature. It also shows how tradition is
passed from one generation to the other in a matter of time.
It consists of many tales based on real experiences that
happened in the life of other people before that will give
us a valuable lesson. There are also different languages
provided in the precolonial period. It also shows how people
communicated before and how they understood each other.
It is also used to preserve our ancestor’s
literature for future readers to read. It helps us to
enhance our native vocabulary. It also helps us promote our
culture and tradition to other countries. It is also
important for future work. It is also a way for us to know
how our ancestors lived in the past, how women were treated,
what the laws were implemented, and the things that only
lived in the past.
Therefore I conclude that the relevance of
studying Precolonial Literature is for us to appreciate our
literary inheritance. We cannot appreciate something we do
not know deeply. It shows how things are passed from our
ancestors in the past to us in the future. To continue the
tradition and never let it die.
-Jim Raguindin