Caraga state university

Ampayon, Butuan City 8600, Philippines

URL: www.carsu.edu.ph

THE INDIGENOUS PRACTICES

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INDIGENOUS PRACTICES

 Are practices of the people living in the

same community and share common
culture.

 Practices that is distinct from the other

group and pass on from generation to
generation.

 Are practices of the people deeply

rooted from their culture which includes
ways of doing something from womb to
tomb.

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ANCIENT FILIPINOS

 Ancient Filipino were living in one

community with their houses made of
wood, bamboo, roofed with nipa palm
leaves.

 Some Filipinos built their house in the

top of the tree for better protection
against their enemy (as Bagobo and
Kalingas).

 Some were living in the caves, like

“Dawn Man” – cave man or the Tabon
man in Palawan

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 MODE OF DRESSING

 Bahag is a strip of cloth worn by men which is

wrapped around his waist and in between
the legs, and a piece of cloth called “turban”
which was wound around his head instead
of hat.

 Women wore “baro” – wide-sleeved jacket

worn by women, and “Patadyong” – a piece
of cloth, which they wrapped about their
waists and let, fall to their feet.

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 NATURAL COURTESY AND POLITENESS

 When two person of equal rank met on

the road, they have to remove their
turban as a sign of courtesy.

 Removing of turban and put it on the

left shoulder like a towel and bowed
low with the word po which is
equivalent to “sir” if he addressed to
his superior.

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BODY ORNAMENTS

 Filipinos tattooed their body of various

design representing animals, birds,
flowers, and geometric figures to
enhance their body beauty and to
show their war record, the more a
warrior had killed in battle the more
tattooed he was.

 To Both men and women inserted gold

between their teeth as an ornament.

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 MARRIAGE CUSTOMS

 Early Filipinos had a practice of

“endogamy” – to marry of the
same rank, or same category or
tribe.

 Before the marriage, the groom

gave a “dowry” or “bigay kaya”
to the family of the bride, it
consisted of gold, land, slaves
and anything else of value.

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 Aside from the dowry, the groom had to
work in the house of the girl for a certain
period of time, carried water and
firewood to the house, assist in plowing
the field, planting and in the harvesting.

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BURIAL AND MOURNING

 Filipinos were taking care of burying

their dead, thus it embalmed and
buried amidst deep sorrow near his
home, in a cave, or on a headland
overlooking the sea.

 Clothes, foods, weapons, wares and

sometimes slaves buried with the
dead.

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 Ancient Filipinos believed in god and
goddesses and the supreme God
the creator of heaven and earth
called “Bathala”.

 They also worship nature – rivers,

mountains, old trees, crocodiles and
fields that inhabited with spirits.

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 They also worship ancestral spirits called
anitos (Tagalog) diwatas (Visayan)

 Maganito – to offer sacrifices to the anitos

or diwatas

 Katalona or babaylan – the priest of

priestess who made the ritual of sacrifices
to the anitos or diwatas.

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 Katalona or babaylan communicates the
spirits of their ancestors for guidance.

 He or she communicates also the dwelling

spirits for protection of their crops and
during harvest time he will also offer
thanksgiving to the spirits for good harvest.

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 Like people of Ifugao, they refrain from
cutting century-old endemic trees such as
dipterocarps because they believe that
these trees harbour the spirits of their
ancestors; and

 Before cutting old trees, a shaman or

baylan locally known as mumbaki
conduct rituals to seek the permission of
their ancestors.

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 Though indigenous practices or cultural practices of the
people were handed down from generation to generations,
but it goes to the process of change. Since culture of the
people is dynamic, changes may happen and it is
inevitable for it is said that the only constant in this world is
“change”. May some of those practices was lost and
replace by a new one.

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 REFERENCES

Dr. Sonia M. Zaide, Philippine History and Government Third Edition.

All-Nations Publishing Co., Inc. Pp. 36 – 43
https://www.bing.com/images/search?q=ancient+filipino+houses&qpvt=a
ncient+filipino+houses&form=IQFRML&first=1&tsc=ImageBasicHover
https://www.bing.com/images/search?q=Igorot+Clothes&form=IRBPRS&first
=1&tsc=ImageBasicHover
https://www.bing.com/images/search?q=Filipino+Cultural+Dress&form=RES
TAB&first=1&tsc=ImageBasicHover
https://www.bing.com/images/search?q=ancient%20filipino%20burial&qs=
n&form=QBIRMH&sp=-1&pq=ancient%20filipino%20burial&sc=0-
23&cvid=59696CD2674C4135BF3B2837E21D673B&first=1&tsc=ImageBasicHo
ver
https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/21513732.2015.1124453

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