Our Early Ancestors

The Filipino people originated from the blending of three Asian

races during prehistoric times.
1. The Negritos –were the first people from Asia to settle in our land
who came about 25,000 yrs ago when our country
was connected by land bridges with the continent
of Asia. They had primitive culture, thus, they had
and lived by hunting, fishing and gathering wild
fruits and roots. They had no government, system
of laws, no writing, no literature, no arts and
sciences and schools. They were expert in the use
of the bow and arrow.
2. The Indonesians – They came in by boats being the first sea-
immigrants to reach our shores. They were
the tallest people to settle in our land in
prehistoric times. Their height ranged from 5
feet and 6 inches and 6 feet and 2 inches. The
Indonesians had a more advanced culture
than Negritos. They obtained their food by day
farming, hunting and fishing. They cooked
their food in bamboo tubes and tattooed their
bodies.
3. The Malays - were the third Asian people to settle in our archipelago. The
Malays crossed the seas in sailboats, called barangays.
They were also maritime people like the Indonesians with
medium in height and brown skin , dark eyes, flat noses and
straight black hair. Their culture is more advanced than that
of the Negritos and Indonesians for they lived in permanent
homes and wore clothes. They had government, laws,
writing , commerce and industries and also tattooed their
bodies like the Indonesians. Malays came in 3 migratory
waves :
a. The headhunting Malays
b. The Alphabet –using Malays
c. The Muslim Malays
 The vast majority of filipinos consist of Tagalogs, Bisayans.Ilocanos,
Bicolanos, Pampanguenos, Pangasinenses, Ibanags and zambalino. They are
the descendants of the Islanders who had been conquered by the Spaniards
and later bythe Americans and were consequently Christianized , Hispanized
and Americanized.
Also forming part of the filipinos are the Non-Christian minorities like
the Muslims i Mindanao and Sulu, the Ifugaos Bontoks, the Apayaos, Benguets
and Kalingas in the Mountain Province, the Mangyans in Mindoro, the
Tagabanuas i Palawan, the Bagobos, Manobos,, Isamals and Subanums in
Mindanao, the Badjaos in the Sulu Sea and Negritos in hinterlands. The non-
Christian filipinos were not fully conquered by either Spain or America,hence
they remained their ancestral heritage. Athough they differ from Christian
brethren in religion, culture, language, dress and customs,they are
nevertheless Filipinos.