PHILIPPINE SOCIETY

DURING THE PRE-

COLONIAL PERIOD
BURIAL AND DEATH
The early Filipinos gave respect to their deceased relatives
and this could be shown by the different ceremonies that
they attributed to give honor for the dead. They had
primary and secondary burial.
a) Primary Burial-the wooden coffin was considered as
primary and buried under the house of the dead with
his or her properties and chosen cloth.
b) Secondary Burial- the jar was for secondary burial, the
ash or the mummified body was placed in the jar
together with the valuable properties of the deceased.
The following are some of the beliefs of the early Filipinos toward
death and mourning:
1) The dead body should be guarded to avoid the bad spirit from getting
inside the body. And they needed to cover all the openings of the body
with the use of gold plates or gold facial masks.
2) The relatives of the dead would hire professional mourners or moratal
for women and maglahi for men to chant the achievements and
contributions of the dead person.
3) The dead chief would experience laraw or mourning for the head of the
community. And the death of the chieftain was observed by the whole
barangay, all quarrels and wars were ordered stopped, singing was
prohibited and the wearing of the loud dress was also prohibited.
4) The ceremony of mourning was expensive because the relatives
needed to prepare food and drinks for everybody.

5) The observance of balata or the act of avenging the death of the

relative in case he or she was murdered.

6) The ninth day after the death of the person was also celebrated as
pasiyam.
DWELLING
● HOUSE
-Made of bamboo, wood and nipa hut
-Constructed above the ground for they believe that the bad
spirits were under the ground and the lower part of the house was
also used as storage for their animals.
-Stairs made of bamboo
-There was no division inside, it was used for dining, living room,
and also for bedroom.
-The attip or the upper part of the house near the ceiling was used
for storage of food and for their anito.
LITERATURE
The early literature has two classifications, the written and unwritten
literature. The stories usually narrated the story of their hero, their
clans, or the description of their environment. Some of the literature
were the epics, songs, bugtong, folk tales, myth, legends, and chants.
• Indarapata and Sulayman, Bantugan and Darangan are the epic of
Muslims.
• Hudhud and Alim of Ifugao.
• Biag ni Lam-ang of the Ilocanos.
• The life of the early Filipinos became colorful because of numerous
songs for different occasions like kundiman or love song, uyayi and
hele for lullabies, tigpasin for rowing, kumintang for war, tagulaylay
for mourning.
• The written literature was written using their ancient alphabet or
baybayin known as alibata. It was composed of 14 consonants and
3 vowels written in the bark of the trees, bamboo tubes, or leaves
 THE CHARACTERISTICS OF THE
FILIPINO
A) Religiosity
-The turning points in the history of the Philippines like the Spanish
conquest and the revolutions were inclined toward religion.
-The Spaniards used Catholicism and they also adopted the other
practices of Paganism to encourage the early Filipinos to accept their
religion.
B) Fatalism
-The Filipinos believed that everything that happened to them was
the work of fate. And the favorite phrase was Bahala Na or come what
may. Instead of planning ahead or studying all the circumstances, a
Filipino depended on the will of fate.
C) Close Family Ties
-The Filipinos are close to their family not only to the immediate
but also to the last degree. Extended family is very rampant and
sometimes children still depend on their parents even if they were at
the right age and worst even when they already have their own
family, they still seek the support of the parents or relatives. Close
family ties could also lead to the tyranny of the elders in the family
or the triumph of traditions over modernity.
E) Regionalism
-Regionalism is the loyalty of an individual to the region where
he came and this could be a hindrance in attaining national unity.
During an election, a Filipino votes for a person who is his or her
kababayan instead of being objective and vote for the right person.
Regionalism was also one of the reasons behind the failure of the
1896 uprising and the conflict between the factions of KKK.
E) Hospitality
-The Filipinos are also known for their hospitality; they are
willing to share their resources and extend their services to visitors
and foreigners to the extent of losing resources for their own
consumption. “It is more fun in the Philippines”, because the
Filipinos are very accommodating and it could be the reason why the
Philippines is the only nation that became the colony of three
nationalities for a long period of time.
F) Adaptability
-The Filipinos could easily adapt to their environment and
different culture. So in every part of the world, a Filipino can be seen
because other nationalities prefer Filipinos as their workers since
they can learn easily and had the facility of the language. The
Filipinos could also survive in different situations that they are in
since they are resourceful and resilient.
G) Loyalty
-The Filipinos are loyal to the people who gave them even a
little benefit. The recognition of “Utang na Loob” will not cease until
the next generation of the family.
-During the establishment of the Spanish colonization, and the
Spaniards faced challenges against the other nationalities who
wanted to colonize the country, the Filipinos gave their loyalty to the
Spaniards.

H)Respect for Elders and Courtesy

-Filipinos have high regard for their elderly, including their
parents. Even young adults still practice taking their elders’ hands
and saying “mano po” when they arrive at their homes
-Children say “po” and “opo” which means “yes’, when
answering their elders