Geographic, Linguistic and Ethnic Dimensions of Philippine History From Pre-colonial

to the Contemporary

BC-1564 - THE PRE-COLONIAL PERIOD

HISTORICAL BACKGROUND
 It happened before Spaniards claimed the Philippines in 1565.
 The pre-colonial Philippine archipelago was home to numerous kingdoms and
sultanates.
 The society was organized in strict social classes, such as Datu, Maginoo,
Maharlika, Timawa, and Alipin.
 The items much prized in the islands included jars, which were a symbol of
wealth throughout South Asia, and later metal, salt and tobacco. In exchange,
the people would trade feathers, rhino horns, horn bill beaks, beeswax, bird's-
nests, resin, and rattan.
 Works of literature were oral in nature.
ORAL IN NATURE - literature that has been passed on by word of mouth
 Subjects of literary works were about life, its blessings, and its consequences;
contained ideas from birth to the grave.
 Its oral characteristic have the possibility for many alterations.
 Many Filipinos still admired pre-colonial literature despite of its many
alterations.
 The living sources of pre-colonial literature were the local native town folk.
 Baybayin was the oldest writing system.

A. ORAL LITERATURE
Forms:
1) Riddles
2) Proverbs/Maxims/Epigrams
3) Tanaga
4) Chants
5) Sayings

1. RIDDLES
  Known as Bugtong in Filipino
 Known as Tigmo in Cebuano
 A battle of wits among participants
 Involves reference to one or two images that symbolize the characteristics of an
unknown objects that is to be guessed
 Made up of one or more measured lines with rhymes and may consist of 4 to 12
syllables.

PURPOSE OF RIDDLES
Riddles during pre-colonial period Philippines were composed of five purposes.
1. To entertain: Before the advent of electricity, families would sit around the fire
and the elders would quiz the younger generation with riddles.
2. To educate: Riddles serve the function of passing down knowledge from one
generation to the next. They require thinking in order to solve them.
3. To titillate: Many old Filipino riddles contain "double entendre' that were
intended to amuse the men and surprise the women html
4. To curse Implicitly. A riddle could be made up against an enemy, rival town, or
suitor
5. To preserve the culture, Riddles communicate the old ways from one
generation to the next.

2. PROVERBS, EPIGRAMS, MAXIMS

 Known as Salawikain or Sawikain in Filipino
 Known as Panultihon in Cebuano
 Short poems that have been customarily been used and served as laws or rules
on good behavior by our ancestors
 Allegories or parables that impart lessons for the young
 Often expressing a single idea, that is usually satirical and had a witty ending
 Maxims - rhyming couplets (5,6,8 syllables)

3. TANAGA
 A short poetic form that is the Filipino equivalent of Japanese Haiku
 Consists of four lines with seven syllables each with the same rhyme at the end
of each line (i.e., mono-rhyming heptasyllabic quatrain, or 7-7-7-7 syllabic verse,
with an AABB rhyme scheme)
 The focus is to express insights and lessons in life and is more emotionally
charged than the proverb, thus, has affinities with folk lyric

4. CHANTS
 Used in witchcraft or enchantments
 Known as Bulong in Filipino
 Used by our ancestors to ask for permission from spirits or supernatural beings
so as not to have bad things happen to them
5. SAYINGS
 Known as Kasabihan in Filipino
 Used in teasing or to comment on a person's actuations

B. FOLK SONGS
 A form of folk lyric that is usually chanted-contain ideas on aspirations, hopes,
everyday life and expressions of love for loved ones and is bounded by learning
of good morals.
 Straightforward and not figurative in nature; often repetitive and sonorous,
didactic and naive
Sonorous: Imposingly deep and full ("Sonorous," 2020)

FORMS:
1. Lullabies
2. Drinking songs
3. Serenade
4. Songs of death
5. Religious songs

1. LULLABIES
 Locally known as Hele or Uyayi
 Sung to put babies to sleep
 Content varies, but is usually sung by parents with ideas on how hard life is and
how they hope that their child will not experience the hardships of life

2. DRINKING SONGS
 Locally known as Tagay
 Sung during drinking sessions

3. SERENADE
 Locally known as Harana in Cebuano and in Filipino These are Courtship Songs
used by young men to capture the heart of the girl they love

4. SONGS OF DEATH
 Locally known as Tagulaylay
 These are lamentations that contain the role of good deeds that the dead
usually done to immortalize his/her good image

5. RELIGIOUS SONGS
  These are songs or chants that are usually given during exorcisms and
thanksgiving during good harvest
 Exorcism was usually done by Babaylans, or Philippine shamans (i.e. almost
always women or feminized men) were shamans of the various ethnic groups of
the pre-colonial Philippines, specialized in communicating, appeasing, or
harnessing the spirits of the dead and the spirits of nature.
 There were also various subtypes of Babaylan specializing in the arts of healing
and herbalism, divination, and sorcery.

C. FOLK TALES
 Locally known as "Mga Kwentong Bayan", pre-canonical stories contained ideas
about dealing with the power of nature- personified, their submission to a deity-
usually Bathala-and how this deity is responsible for the blessings and
calamities
 Pre-canonical Philippine folk tales also tackle about Irresponsibility, lust,
stupidity, deception, and fallibility that eventually leads to the instilling of good
morals

THEMES OF PRE-CANONICAL PHIL, FOLK TALES

1) Ceremonies to appease the deities
2) Pre-and-post apocalypse
3) Life and Death
4) Gods and Goddesses
5) Heroes and Heroines
6) Supernatural beings
7) Animals

1. MYTHS
 Tackle the natural to strange occurrences of the earth and how things were
created with an aim to give an explanation to things.
 There are many creation myths in Philippine mythology, originating from various
ethnic groups
For Ex. The Story of Bathala, The Visayan Creation Myth, Ang Pag-aaway ng Dagat at
Langit

DEITIES AND PARADISE

 There is presence of different deities, for example:
1. Bathala for the Tagalogs
2. Gueurang for the Bikolanos
 Paradise is known as Maca, while Hell is Kasanaaan
MYTHICAL CREATURES
1. Aswang (vampire, ghouls) - appear at night to prey upon unwary travelers or
sleeping people, with particular liking for the taste of human liver
2. Dila - drawn to those who are ill, this spirit passes through the bamboo flooring
or provincial houses then licks the sick and dying to death
3. Diwata (falries or nymphs) - can be male or female known for being
astoundingly beautiful and ageless and believed to bring blessings upon those
who do good to the forests and mountains, and curses upon those who harm
them.
4. Dewende (goblins, elves dwarves) - believed to provide good fortune or foretell
an ominous fate to people
5. Tikbalang (demon horse) - a half-man and half-horse creature believed to travel
at night to rape female mortals
6. Mangkukulam (witch/wizard, sorcerers) - believed to cast evil spells to humans

2. LEGENDS
 Through legends, the natives understood mysteries around them
 Stories usually come with lessons that give credit to supernatural powers,
supernatural occurrences, and other out-of-this-world native Imagination
. Examples:
1) The Legend of Marla Makiling
2) The Legend of Sampaguita

3. FABLES AND FOLKTALES

 Employ animals, plants, inanimate objects, or forces of nature as characters
 Narrates fantastic stories that deal with underworld characters, including but
not limited to:
a) tiyanak - babies who died before receiving baptism rites and are believed
to transform into evil spirits and eat living victims;
b) aswang; and
c) kapre - or "Agta" in Cebuanos, they are filthy giants who like to smoke huge
rolls of cigars
EXAMPLES
1) Ang Kuneho at ang Pagong
2) Si Juan Tamad

4. EPICS
 These are narratives of sustained length based on oral tradition revolving
around supernatural events or heroic deeds

 IFUGAO
1) Hudhud ni Aliguyon
Tells a daring feat of Aliguyon as he battles his arch-enemy, Pambukhayon
ILOCOS
2) Biag ni Lam-ang
Tells the adventures of Lam-ang who exhibits extraordinary power at a very
young age

BICOL
3) Ibalon
Tells the story of three Bicol heroes: Bantong, Baltog, and Handyong

MARANAO
4) Darangan
Tells the heroic adventures of amythical hero, Darangan.
Darangan, which is written inMaranao (Maranaw) language narrates the heroic
feats of the Maguindanao people-highlighting the bravery and prowess of the
skilled Moro warriors.

PANAY
5) Hinilawod
Considered the oldest and longest epic poem In Panay Burulakal Globintinan,
Tells the exploits of three Sulodnon demigod brothers: Labaw Donggon,
Humadapnon, and Dumalapdap

BAGOBO
6) Tuwaang
Narrates the heroic deed of an attractive, bold, and strong man, Tuwaang

KALINGA
7) Ulalim
A long-chanted stories that tell the exploits of heroes

MANOBO
8) Agyu or Olahing
Tells the heroic deeds of an immortal epic hero of the Manobo people of
Southern Philippines, Manobo

SUBANON
9) Sandayo
Sandayo is born through extraordinary circumstances as he fell out of the hair
of his mother while she was combing it on the ninth stroke.
 Sandayo led his people in the fight against invaders of their lands and
waterways

TAKEAWAY
 Works of pre-colonial Philippine literature were mainly oral, including but not
limited to epics, legends, songs, riddles, and proverbs.
 Our ancestors in pre-colonial era were pagans; hence, subjects of various forms
of literature were about gods and goddesses, spiritual/mythical creatures.