Divie Anne P.

Barde
Renilyn B. Camarillo
BSME 1B

LESSON 3

Excerpt from the Boxer Codex

 The Boxer Codex is a comprehensive account of the Philippines and the other
parts the Asia-Pacific in the late Sixteenth Century.
 Charles R. Boxer (1947) – British Scholar, found the Boxer Codex.
 National Artist Carlos Quirino and Scholars, Ma. Luisa Garcia and Mauro
Garcia – Translated the Manuscript
 The Boxer codex has excerpts of the early Filipino belief, system, and customs.
 It is now housed in the Lilly Library of Indiana University, USA
 Fourth Chapter – “Customs, Ceremonials Usages, and Rites of the Bisayans”
where the focus is on the Tattooing and Clothing Tradition of the Visayans.
 Indigenous groups throughout the Philippine Islands have been practicing the
art of tattooing for centuries, but after the arrival of the Spanish, Americans, and
the advent of Christianity, traditional practices such as tattooing were evidently
on the verge of extinction.
 Spaniards first arrived in the Visayan Islands in 1521, they labeled the natives
as “pintados”, meaning “painted people” or “painted ones”, as most of their
bodies are covered in tattoos leaving their hand and feet bare.
 Several tribal groups practiced headhunting, being one of the main reasons
behind tattooing. the believed tattoos possessed spiritual powers and magical
qualities which gave them strength and protection.
 Tattoos are also used to distinguish or reward a warrior after a successful
headhunt expedition and marked their social statues within their community.
 105-year-old Whang-Od is the oldest tattoo artist in the world, she started
tattooing when she was 15 years old. She was the first female in her tribe (But-
but tribe) to become a tattoo artist, she is still tattooing tourists and locals to this
day.
  Methods and tools used in ancient Filipino tattooing differs between the groups
throughout the regions. Some methods involve attaching a sharpened object
(metal, thorn, wood, or a bone) to the end of a stick and is either tapped or
poked repeatedly into the skin to apply the ink. Another method involved cutting
or pricking the skin prior to rubbing black powder into the wound.
 Women’s tattoos are for enhanced beauty, fertility, and to serve as means of
clothing.
 To men, their tattoos serve as clothing and usually go around naked with
nothing but a bahaque (cotton cloth wrapped around the waist and between the
legs to cover private parts).
 Mentions elegance every time describing tattoos.
 There is another type of clothing called “kanggan”, which consists of cotton
blankets used as morning wear.
 “Purones” which is a Multi colored scarf is worn by young men with strips of
gold.
 The garments and dresses of Bisayan women consists of some blankets with
diverse colored stripes made of cotton and other are made from plants.
 There are some who wear plain taffeta and damask that came from China.
 Female attire consisted of baro (Pezuelo) and saya or patadyong (a long skirt),
some women wore a piece of red or white cloth on top of their skirt called tapi.
 The women wear crowns and garlands on their heads made of tinsel imported
from China.

Excerpts from Cronicas

 Juan Francisco de San Antonio is a missionary of the Franciscan Order and

Coming from the order of zealous and Influential missionaries such as Juan De
Plasencia and Pedro de san Buenaventura.
 Early Comprehensive study of Filipinos, Chinese, and Japanese in the
Philippines during the early colonial period.
 Discusses some parts of Mindanao and even other parts of Southeast Asia
 Gave a detail Discussion of Filipino beliefs San Antonio gives a more detailed
account on superstitious beliefs.
 Also speculates the origins of Filipinos but none were found well-funded.
 Visayas Marriage custom – Marriage Rituals, Ceremonies, and Dowry System
of the Visayans.
 A man belonging to one class married a woman of the same class. Not so
strictly followed.
 A man’s wife is his legitimate wife and is called asawa, concubines are
euphemistically called “friends”.
 The is also usually close related to the husband barring out first degree.
 Only the children of the asawa are the legitimate and legal children of the man,
the “friends” children however are not and are thus barred from inheriting any
property.
 But concubinage is generally seen as normal towards the rich and chiefs and
maybe even done deliberately is their legitimate wives does prove to be fruitful.
 Bigay-caya is not necessary for concubines.
 Dowry – Bigay Caya – A gift turned over by the groom to the bride’s parents
for all the practical purpose in exchange for the bride. Any valuable article will
do in the absence of land, gold, or dependents.
 A dowry is the transfer of parental property to a daughter as her inheritance at
her marriage rather than at the owner’s death.
 Carabao
 Piece of land
 Jewelries
 Cash
 Brass gongs
 Etc…
 The way to repudiate is returning the dowry or if they had children will be given
to them. Then both parties can remarry.
 Catipados (engaged)
 Panhimuyat – Certain amount of money given to the parents of the bride,
particularly to the mother as payment for the efforts in rearing the girl to the
womanhood.
 Bigay-suso – Pansoso – Given to the wet nurse (Chichiva) who fed the bride
during her infancy with milk from her own breasts.
 The Panhimuyat and Pansoso can never be forgotten.
  Himaraw – sum of money given to the parents as reimbursement spent in
feeding the girl during her infancy.
 Sambon – Dowry given to the girls’ relatives.
 Pinaca ama – people who are not related to the bride by blood but consider
themselves as family.
 Dowries are never given back unless the son has won the affection of the
brides’ family by obedience, in case anyone of the couple died.
 Paninilbihan – the beginning of courtship in which in order to win the hand of
his lady the man has to show patience and dedication to both the lady and her
parents. Through doing miscellaneous chores, while being under the deep
scrutiny of the girls’ parents to not have any contact to the girl other than
occasional glances to show his love.
 Pamamalae – Pamamanhikan – Pamumulungan - Once he settled all the
requirements, he brings his parents to meet with the bride-to-be’s parents to
haggle and make the final arrangements.
 Pasonor – bride’s parents asked for more than the ordinary sum of their
classes, then they will have to give a gift.
 Couple of slaves
 Gold jewels
 Plot of cleared land
 The marriage ceremony differs in classes of both parties, however for the
nobles a go-between is employed by the groom to bring the bride to him.
 There are certain steps in which the bride will keep refusing to do simple tasks
such as sitting, only to be coerced by the grooms father with gifts.
 Weddings are officiated by an old priestess.
 Uncooked rice is thrown on the couple after the wedding ceremony.

Coming of Islam

 Islam arrived in Southeast Asia around 700 to 1,000 CE through Arab traders,
missionaries, and Sufi wanderers. Mystics known as Makhdum brought Islam to
Malacca and Johore near to what is known today as Modern Singapore.
 After establishing in these Places, they moved to Borneo and eventually to Sulu
and Southern Mindanao.
 According to the Tarsilas of the Sulu, it was Sharif Awliya Karim al-Makhdum
who consolidated and reinforced Islam in Sulu.
 According to tradition, Islam was introduced by Tuan Masha’ika. Aside from the
Arab traders and missionaries, there were already Islamized Persians,
Gujaratis and Bengalis trading in Sulu.
 Rajah Baguinda (years later 1380 after the arrival of Makhdum) – Muslim
Prince from Minangkabau, Sumatra arrived in Jolo and persuaded the
Inhabitants to accept him as a Leader, with an armed fleet. Settled in Buwansa
and married a local princess, he continues Makhdum’s work of spreading Islam.
 Sayyid Abu Bakr (1450) – was said to be the descendant of the prophet
Mohammed. He married Paramisuli (daughter of Rajah Baguinda) and taught
the people to read and write in Arabic. He established a government patterned
after the sultanate of Arabia.
 Islam spread to Mindanao with the arrival of Sharif Mohammed Kabungsuan in
1475.
 Kabungsuan – also known as Sharif ul-Hashim, son of Sharif Ali Zainal Akadir.
The pioneer of Islam in Cotabato and founder of the settlement.
 He introduced firearms in Mindanao.
 Extended his rule to the Cotabato river valley towards the interior of Mindanao.
 He founded combination of religious and civil authority.
 Had two predecessors, Sharif Awliya and Sharif Maraja.
 By 1500, Manila had a Muslim settlement with strong ties to sulu, Mindanao
and Borneo.
 With the destruction of the Muslim in manila by the Spaniards in 1571, the
Muslims retreated to Mindanao and sulu
 The rapid spread of Islam which took only 191 years from the arrival of
Makhdum to the destruction of Soliman’s Kingdom in manila 1571.
 The Islam’s practices were easy and having one God (Bathala or Abba) is
familiar to the Prehispanic Filipinos. They were not forced to give up their
practices as long as they weren’t contrary to the Islam.
 The Muslim Missionaries married women of Datu class and are inspirations that
helps the natives with various activities.
 Side story

The arrival of Tuan Masha’ika, Rajah Baguinda and Abu Bakr in Jolo

 The Moros of sulu preserved an oral tradition predating the arrival of Islam.
 One of these traditions narrate the arrival of three Muslim missionaries and was
recorded in Vic Hurley’s Swish of the Kris published in 1936.
 Jolo was inhabited by Maimbunghanuns in Maimbung, the Baklaynuns and the
Tagaimahanuns.
 Twan Massaik (Tuan Masha’ik) appeared in this time who was believed to have
sprung from a stem of a bamboo. He learned that the religion of the Moros was
not of the Koran and he begun to teach them.
 The group of people called the Samals came from a small island in Johor. They
were taken care of by the natives and gave them the name of Tagidiana.
 Shortly, a man named Kareenul Mahdoom (Karim ul- Makhdum). He arrived in
an iron tub and he was named by the natives as Twan Sharip Awalya (Tuan
Shariff Awliya). He built a mosque for praying.
 Some ten years after Awliya Rajah Baguinda arrived from Minangkabau
(Minangkabau). The chiefs of Jolo tried to sink his boat.
 Baguinda Confronted the natives and asking why do the people sinking their
boat and explained they were storm-driven and wanted to visit their native land.
 After meeting the people, they agreed to let in the new comers and Baguinda
built several mosques.
 Thereafter, Abu Bakr arrived from Palembang in Sumatra, upon arriving from
Borneo he met the people and ask for a place for prayer, he was entertained
and referred to the mosque in Buwansa (in present day Jolo).
 Abu Bakr wore a long white robe.
 He tells to the people the there was a God and he would teach people to pray
to him.
 He made a lot of progress with the children but not in elders and remained
indifferent.
 He taught them to read the Koran, write in Arabic and soon the people living
near the shore were converted into Islam
 But the people in the interior of Jolo remained unconverted.
 Abu Bakr asked the people to pound the rice and make rice cakes and clothing.
Later, they marched inland to a place called Payahan.
 Abu sent later to the people in the interior of Jolo that states he was an Arab
and he’d come to teach them to talk in paper (to write). The headman replied
that he was not interested in changing the customs of his ancestors.
 Abu Bakr persisted and threw rice cakes into the homes of the natives. The
children ate the rice cakes and the elders thought that those were poisoned
and threw them to the dogs. The dogs didn’t die and the children went to the
Abu Bakr’s camp and they were well received. ‘
 Later, the Abu’s followers and the hill people came into an understanding and
welcomed Abu to their community
 Soon after, hill people converted into Islam. The place then called Payahan
means difficult to teach.
 There was a place in Jolo called Budoh means stupid
 Afterwards, the whole population in Jolo converted into Islam. And Abu Bakr
was named sultan. He was called Sariphul Hassim (Sharif ul- hashim). He
married the daughter of Rajah Baguinda and he ordered to divide the land
among the people.
 This was how the present Moros acquired the title to the land and passed it
from father to son.
 ANALYSIS

1. What is the document/ topic all about?

In summary all of the topics is all about the Prehispanic Filipinos, more
specifically the Bisaya’s. Ranging from the once rich culture of the pintados until
the Spaniards came and introduced Christianity which looked down on the
tattoos that “dirties” the body, the old way of marriage where it may look like the
bride is being sold at a glance but what is actually is that the man is working
hard for the hand of the lady he wants to marry, to the introduction of Islam to
the Mindanao until it has gotten to manila and how it has almost been wiped by
the Spaniards in Manila in the year 1571.

2.  How is the document/ topic relevant or significant to Philippine history?

This document/topic is relevant to the Philippine history simply because it

analyzes Philippine's past from multiple perspectives through the lens of selected
primary and secondary sources. it will help us specially us students to broaden
and deepen our understanding of Philippines political, economic, social and
cultural history and to provide to us students the skills required to analyze and
assess various sorts of information from these documents and most important to
become versatile, open-minded, a more responsible citizens and to develop our
historical consciousness about our past.