The Customs of the Tagalog

Brief Highlights: Customs of the Tagalogs

1. Social Hierarchy:
• The Tagalogs had chiefs known as datos who governed and were
revered. Offenses against them were severely punished.
• Barangays, tribal gatherings, were ruled by chiefs, with each
barangay consisting of a few to a hundred houses.
2. Caste System:
• Three castes existed: maharlica (nobles/free-born), aliping
namamahay (commoners), and aliping sa guiguilir (slaves).
• Nobles accompanied chiefs in war without tribute, sharing in spoils.
They owned lands, and their service included rowing boats and
building houses.
3. Land Ownership and Agriculture:
• Lands were divided among barangays, with irrigated portions
individually owned. Mountain-ridge lands were collectively owned.
• Nobles had fishing rights and market sections. Outsiders paid for
fishing and market privileges.
4. Commoners (Aliping Namamahay):
• Served masters with half of their cultivated lands. They lived in their
own houses, owned property, and could not be sold.
• Accompanied chiefs in expeditions and were free to inherit and pass
on their property.
5. Slaves (Aliping sa Guiguilir):
• Served masters in-house and on cultivated lands. They could be sold
and were granted a portion of harvests for their industry.
• Captives or those in debt could ransom themselves. Ransom price
was never less than five taels.
6. Debt and Ransom:
• Debts could be transferred, leading to potential slavery. Captives
could ransom themselves with gold, becoming commoners.
7. Legal Confusion and Alcaldes-Mayor:
• Alcaldes-mayor were often confused about the classification of
alipins. There was a need to differentiate between aliping
namamahay and aliping sa guiguilir.
8. Caste Inheritance:
 • Maharlicas on both parents' sides remained so forever. Becoming a
slave could happen through marriage.
• Children of maharlicas and slaves were freed, and their status
depended on the circumstances of their birth.

Cultural Practices and Customs

1. Children of Mixed Marriages:
• Offspring of a union between a maharlica and a slave were divided.
The first, third, fifth, etc., belonged to the father, while the second,
fourth, sixth, etc., fell to the mother.
• If the father or mother was free, all their children were free; if a
slave, all were slaves.
2. Movement and Fines:
• Maharlicas, after marriage, paid fines in gold when moving from one
village to another. Failure to pay might lead to war.
• Fines varied but were generally one to three taels, along with a
banquet for the entire barangay.
• This practice maintained obedience to the chief (dato), but
obedience decreased with time.
3. Legal Proceedings:
• Investigations and sentences by the dato occurred in the presence of
the barangay. Arbiters were appointed if needed, often from other
villages, to ensure fair judgment.
• Death penalties were imposed for insults against chiefs' family
members or for accusations of witchcraft.
4. Punishments and Slavery:
• Condemnation to slavery occurred only if death penalty-worthy
crimes were committed.
• Witches were killed, and their children and accomplices became
slaves.
• Fines in gold were imposed for various offenses, and failure to pay
led to servitude to the aggrieved party.
5. Debt and Usury:
• Excessive usury prevailed, leading to a life of toil for debtors and
potential slavery.
• Borrowers became slaves, and children inherited the debt after the
father's death.
 6. Inheritance and Family Structure:
• Legitimate children inherited equally; slight partialities were
considered during partition.
• Illegitimate or natural children inherited one-third.
• Adopted children inherited double what was paid for their adoption.
7. Divorce and Dowries:
• In case of divorce before children were born, dowries and fines were
divided or returned.
• Dowries given by men to women's parents were shared equally
among children after the parents' death.
8. Complexities of Marriages:
• Marriage dowries bestowed by fathers had complex rules, including
immediate payment and penalties for violations.
• Fines were heaviest if children refused to marry upon their parents'
death, with dowries returned.
9. Local Variations:
• Local practices varied, and some practices were driven by piety
rather than being widespread customs.
10.Submission and Request:
• The narrator, acknowledging the need for reform, presents this
information as a clear and concise account.
• The submission concludes with a humble request for the recipient's
favor and blessing.

Tagalog Worship, Gods, Burials, and Superstitions

1. No Temples for Idolatry:
• No dedicated temples for sacrifices or idol worship were found in
Tagalog villages or the Philippines.
• The term "simbahan" was used for large houses where festivals
(pandot) were celebrated.
2. Idols and Deities:
• Notable worshiped deities included Badhala, the sun, the moon
(especially during the new moon), and stars.
• Various idols, such as Lacapati and Idianale, were patrons of
cultivated lands and husbandry.
 • Water-lizards (buaya) were revered, and offerings were made to
avoid harm from them.
3. Superstitions and Divination:
• Auguries were sought in encounters with animals (serpents, rats,
birds, etc.), sneezing, and other events.
• Divination methods were used to determine the effectiveness and
luck associated with weapons.
4. Time and Seasons:
• Years, months, and days were determined by agricultural cycles, tree
behaviors, and the effects on cultivated lands.
• Seasons were identified as sun-time and water-time (representing
winter).
5. Sacrifices and Adoration:
• Sacrifices involved feasts where offerings were made to the devil,
anointed with fragrant perfumes.
• Offerings included goats, fowls, and swine, and participants became
intoxicated during festivities.
• Sacrifices were made for various reasons, such as sickness recovery,
safe sea voyages, good harvests, war success, childbirth, and marital
happiness.
6. Coming of Age Rite for Girls:
• Young girls experiencing their first menstruation had their eyes
blindfolded for four days.
• Catolonan bathed and washed the girl's head, emphasizing fertility
and finding suitable husbands.
7. Priests of Devil and Witches:
• Catolonan, the highest priest, was an honorable position held by
people of rank.
• Mangagauay deceived as healers, and manyisalat manipulated lovers'
relationships.
• Mancocolam emitted fire and was associated with filth.
• Hocloban and silagan were witches with deadly powers.
• Magtatangal appeared at night without a head or entrails, and
magtatangal showed themselves headless.
• Events described in Catanduanes included priests tearing organs,
emitting fire, and walking without heads.
Tagalog Beliefs and Customs (Continued)
8. Osuang - The Sorcerer:
• Osuang, equivalent to "sorcerer," was said to have the ability to fly,
murder, and consume human flesh.
• Predominant among the Visayas Islands but not present among the
Tagalogs.
9. Mangagayoma - Love Charm Witches:
• Mangagayoma practiced witchcraft to create charms for lovers using
herbs, stones, and wood.
• Deception through charms, sometimes influenced by the devil.
10.Sonat - The Preacher:
• Sonat, equivalent to "preacher," assisted individuals in facing death,
predicting the soul's salvation or condemnation.
• Exclusive to people of high standing.
11.Pangatahojan - The Soothsayer:
• Pangatahojan was a general soothsayer predicting future events.
12.Bayoguin - The Cotquean:
• Bayoguin referred to a man with feminine qualities.

Burial Customs:
• Location: The deceased was buried beside their house, with chiefs placed
beneath a special porch.
• Mourning Period: Mourned for four days before placing the body on a boat
serving as a coffin.
• Boat Contents: Various animals, male and female, were placed in the boat
alongside the deceased.
• Slave Sacrifice: A living slave might be tied beneath a warrior's body until
their death.
Beliefs in the Afterlife:
• Tagalog Views: Believed in another life of rest called "maca" for the just
and virtuous.
• Casanaan: A place of punishment, grief, and affliction for the wicked,
sometimes referred to as hell.
• Various Infernal Ministers: Categorized various practitioners of magic and
witchcraft.
 • Ghosts and Phantoms: Vibit (ghosts) and Tigbalaang (phantoms) were part
of their belief system.
• Patianac: Belief that a woman who died in childbirth, along with the child,
suffered punishment.
Transformation Through Gospel:
• The influence of the holy gospel banished these beliefs and customs among
the Tagalogs.