Chapter 2

Pre – Colonial
Philippines
Cultural Evolution of the Early
Filipinos
• The peopling of the Phil. Archipelago could
somehow be theorized
• Historians believed that during the Pleistocene
age, the first settlers of the country came from
the Malay archipelago when sea levels were
lower creating land bridges connecting to the
Southeast Asian mainland.
• These hunters may have followed herds of wild
animals across these land bridges to the
Philippine islands.
• Some western historians assume that the
aborigines of the Philippines were the
Australo-Melanesian people who looks like the
Negritos. In fact they were the ancestors of
this group.
Theories on the peopling of the Philippines
1. Mainland Origin Theory by Peter Bellwood and KC
Chang- the early inhabitants originated from South
China and Taiwan, they reached Northern Philippines
by about 5,000 to 4,000 BC…. They gradually replaced
the hunting and gathering populations.
2. Island Origin Hypothesis by Wilhelm Solheim –
believes that the prehistoric people originated and
dispersed from an island in the southeast Asia.
Solheim assumes that Proto-Austronesian developed
primarily in Northeastern Indonesia and Mindanao
Island…
• Historians believed that between 300 and 200
BC, inhabitants of Malay Polynesian descent
settled in the Philippines.. They were the
agricultural and fishing people… there were 30-
100 families in the society which they call the
barangay.
• Tools, clothing, pottery & jewelry are considered
as technological artifacts… this illustrates their
ability to respond to the conditions of their
environment… they adopt for subsistence…
these tech had been a part of the civilization…..
• Culture is learned… a country’s past unveils its
cultural tradition….
Different Prehistoric periods in the Philippines
1. Old Stone Age or the Paleolithic Period (50,000-10,000
BC)
• Era of crude stones and weapons
• Started in Cagayan Valley
• Dominance of flake tools
• No fossil evidence of human beings were found
• Man’s tools were sharp edge stones which is handheld
• Stone Tools used were
a. Core tools – made from the remaining core of a stone
b. Pebble Tools – rounded stones found in rivers
c. Cobble tools- larger rounded stones
d. Flake tools- skillfully edged and shaped
• Way of adopting is by hunting
• Using stone tools, man can smash bones of animals and
shellfish
• Tools are also used for cutting, splitting, stripping and
piercing wooden branches, palm leaves and bamboo..
• Tree barks were used for clothing…
• Abundance of fish for consumption.. Earliest method of
preparing it is kinilaw were vinegar or lime juice were
used to enhance the taste of it.. In Mindanao… tabon2x
is added to the kinilaw to remove the fishy smell… in
Cebu, they use coconut milk…
• The Tabon cave in Palawan is an example of how
prehistoric people adapted to the conditions of the
environment…..the main entrance of the cave is 41
meters long.. Sunlight enters into the interior area
making it habitable and warm… it used to be the habitat
of the Tabon bird and later was adopted as the name of
the cave….
2. New stone age or the neolithic period (10,000-500 BC)
• Also known as the agricultural revolution
• Important crops are taro and ubi
• Upland rice farming has been developed
• Fire was discovered by striking two stones, this paved
the way for the production of clay pots.. People started
to cook their food…. Kaingin system was discovered to
widen areas for agricultural production
• Jars were used as burial coffins…
• Bone painting and bone washing have been practiced..
In El Nido Palawan, bones were placed in small
niches…some corpses are buried in reclining or bent
positions
• Funerary offerings or pabaon to the dead is necessary
with the belief that the dead will use these in the soul
world…
• Other tribal groups cover the face of the dead with thin
sheaths of gold to prevent bad spirits from entering the
body
• The Manunggul jar is an
example of a funerary
vessel.. Dates back 890-710
BC (preserved at the
national museum…)
• Philippine pottery shows a
variety of shapes and
decorative techniques..
Designs were usually
geometric….pottery became
more functional like that of
the palayok, banga,
tapayan… burnay pottery
still exist in ilocos…
3. Early Metal Age (500 BC)
• Tools and weapons were made of metal
• Metal were crudely (unrefined) fashioned
• First metal used was copper
• Bronze emerged late as the result of interisland
movements of people..
• Early inhabitants still prefer iron in making
tools..
• Jewelry consist mainly of beads…made of jade,
stones, glass, shells, seeds, twigs and stems
• Jewelry making started as amulets and charms
to drive away bad spirits or give supernatural
powers to the wearer.. Later it has a decorative
value…
4. Developed Iron Age
• Use of iron became widespread
• Metal implements include knives, sumpak,
kalikot (used to pound betel nuts) and
gongs…
• Industries were metalworking, pottery
making, glassmaking and tie and dye
weaving…
• Dominance of cloth weaving… Fabrics and
blankets were used daily and for important
rituals…
5. Age of contact (500-1400 AD)
• Period of trading relations
• People became nomadic because of water
transportation
• Seamanship and boat building skills were
developed
• Balangay is the earliest watercraft, it’s a plank
boat driven by either sailing or paddling
• Balangay remains were first discovered in
Butuan in the late 70s.. Its carbon date is 320..
The other one has a carbon date of 1250 AD
and is now preserved in the national museum..
• Principal language for trading was Malay..Malay
loan words were mostly related to trading like
talaro, upa, tunay, gusali and biyaya.
Foreign traders included:
1. Orang Dampuans – also known as the men
from champa, Indochina… they came around
900-1200 AD….traded with the Buranuns of
Sulu.. Some of them stayed in Basilan and
became the ancestors of the Yakans.
2. Orang Bandjar – also known as the men from
Bandjarmasin, Borneo.. Active in pearl
trading.. They brought their princess with
them which later married the Buranun King…
• These two groups introduced the Indian
culture in Sulu
• Indian influences in religious beliefs, language,
literature and customs
• Bathala from the sanskrit word Bhatarra “Great Lord”
• Universe is filled with good and bad spirits
• Offering religious sacrifices and prayers to these spirits
for help and protection
• Filipino fables like the story of the monkey and the
turtle, the race of the deer and the snail and the
anecdote of the hawk and the hen… folk literature like
the darangan, lam-ang, Ibalon and the alim and hudhod
• The Baybayin script based on the Alibata…system of
writing is horizontal from left to right…. Writing
instrument is called the Sipol..
• Writing pads were bamboo shafts, wooden boards,
leaves, pottery and metal…Evidences includes the :
Butuan silver strip and ivory seal and the Calatagan jar…
• LCI ( Laguna Copperplate Inscription) is the first artifact
that had writing on copper material which dates back
900 AD
• Hindu influences on customs like: flower garlands for a
visitor, giving of a dowry, personal services for the bride’s
parents, throwing of rice grains after the wedding,
offering of buyo to a visitor…
• Superstitions like: singing while cooking means a lady
will marry a widower, cat cleaning its face means a
visitor is arriving, and giving birth to twins after eating
twin bananas
• Clothing influence… wearing of putong and sarong..
• Indian relics includes: gold image of Agusan discovered
in the Wawa River in 1917, copper image of elephant
god Ganesha found in Mactan in 1843 and the pendant
of Garuda, a bird god found in Palawan in 1961..
• Industries were: boatbuilding, cotton cloth weaving and
metal work…
• Decorative arts as in design of gold necklaces and bolo
handles
• Musical instruments like kudyapi
• Flowers like sampaguita, champaka, fruits like mango
and nangka, and vegetables like ampalaya,patola and
malunggay…
3. Chinese (10th century)
• Earliest Chinese relations was in 982 AD, the
naming of Mindoro as Ma-yi..
• Chinese trading to the country was intensified
during the reign of the Yung Lo emperor Zhu Di
• The emperor sent Admiral Zheng Ho to different
parts in Asia.. His trip consisted of 62 ships and
arrived in the Philippines in December
1405…one of his men died and was burried in
Jolo.. His name is Pei-Pon-Tao… every Dec 26,
Chinese in Jolo pay tribute to the Filipino-
Chinese relations…
• Chinese influences includes: manufacture
of gun powder, art of metallurgy, use of
porcelain, gongs, lead, silver, and tin
• blacksmithing and goldsmithing….
• Duck culture around Pateros and
Taguig….artificial incubation of eggs..
• Kiteflying, mahjong and gambling like
jueteng..
• Improved culinary art like cooking lechon,
brewing tea, and cooking pancit, lumpia,
chopsuey and okoy…the use of toyo and
tahuri… vegetables like bataw, petsay and
upo…
• Clothing… sleeved jackets with loose
trousers, use of slippers and bakya, fans
and umbrellas
• Social customs like arranged marriages,
employing a go between for marriages,
honoring departed ancestors, professional
mourners…
• Blasting of firecrackers, beating of gongs,
collection of tong, haggling between
merchants and customers
• 1,500 loan Chinese words… examples..
ate, kuya, suki, gunting, hiya, pakyaw,
susi…
4. Japanese (13th century)
• Japanese pirate traders arrived in the
Philippines
• Taught us the manufacturing of arms and
tools and tanning of deer skin..
• In the 1400s, they established a trading
post in Aparri
5. Muslims/Arabs (14th century)
• Muslim traders from Malaysia arrived..
They introduced Islam… Tuan Masha’ika
brought it to Sulu… established the first
Muslim community in the archipelago…
• Karim ul Makdhum , a noted judge and scholar
from Mecca…. Arrived in Sulu in 1380 AD…he
built a mosque in the island of Simunul…he had
won many converts….
• Rajah Baginda from Menangkabau, Sumatra
arrived in Buansa, Sulu in 1390…he
overpowered native resistance because his
warriors fought with firearms…
• Sharif ul Hashim (Sayid Abu Bakr) an Arab
authority in Islam arrived in Sulu from Johore
Malacca in 1450 AD… He married Paramisuli, the
daughter of Baginda…he founded the Sultanate
of Sulu..he received the title Sultan Sarif… had
reign for 30 years…he died in 1480..
• Sharif Muhammad Kabungsuwan, a Johore
Muslim arrived in Malabang Cotabato in 1475..
He married a native princess…those who refused
to be converted to Islam fled to the mountains
and became Blaans, Manobos and
Subanons….he founded the Sultanate of
Maguindanao in 1515..
• Siat Saen introduced Islam in Balayan, Batangas
• Alawe Balpake, an Arab Sharif from Sarawak,
Borneo introduced Islam in the 17th
century…Northern Mindanao and the Lake Lanao
region.. He then moved to Basilan and became
its first Muslim Sultan.. His grave was discovered
in Taguima, Basilan in 1956…
The five Pillars of Islam:
1. Shahada- there is no other god but Allah
2. Salat – praying 5x a day facing Mecca
3. Zakat – giving a portion of one’s income to the needy
or for a religious cause
4. Hajj – pilgrimage to Mecca, mandatory , once in a
lifetime… Hadji is the title given to a Muslim who
performed the Hajj
5. Sawm- fasting which is done during the Ramadan
(refrain from eating, drinking and sexual intercourse
from daybreak to sunset)… those exempted are the
sick, travelers, menstruating women…but should make
up in days later…
• Eid ul Fitr is the Festival of Breaking the Fast…
• Jihad – is considered as the sixth pillar.. It means to
struggle…in order to please God…it is living a virtuous
life… preaching Islam and helping other Muslims… but
lately evolved to holy war which focused on the
militant interpretation of the Jihad…
• Mosque is a special place of worship…
• Muezzin calls the faithful to public prayer…
• Footwear is removed before entering the
mosque and align themselves in rows…
• An imam leads the recitation of the verses from
the Qur’an
• They brought their political system.. Which is the
Sultanate form.. Titles like sultan, raja, dayang
and kali are still used…
• Led also to the intro of Arabic alphabet, Islamic
holidays and Arabic arts
• The famous Singkil dance…relates the story of
Princess Gandingan which was played upon by
the diwatas…
• Okir or Okkil designs are curvilinear flower
designs… can be seen in the borders of
the qur’an,furnitures, boats, farm
implements, silverware, brassware,
jewelry and ceramics… also in ancestral
houses called “Torogan”
• Indigenous bird motif.. The Sarimanok
have been developed by the Maranaos…
• The kris (sword with a straight or wavy
blade) and lantaka (swivel gun)
Traditional Filipino Communities
• The Barangay – is the unit of social organization
with broader political, economic and religious
features than the family
• Headed by the datu or the rajah
• Barangays are situated near each other to assist
in cases of war or any emergency
• Consolidation of barangays are formed through
marriages and blood compact…
• Sandugo is a process where blood is drawn from
the leaders of each barangay and mixed with a
local wine and will be drank and shared by the
leaders
Social classes:
1. Datu or ruling class
2. Maharlika or aristocracy
3. Timawa or the common class
4. Alipin or the dependent class

• The Datu ruled the Barangay…. His old function was the
captain of the Balangay…the Datu’s power depends on
the faithfulness of his followers.. Exercises
administrative, legislative and judicial powers…
• The Datu calls upon his people for their consent… he
had a council of elders to advise him especially in the
enactment of laws… his duty includes the protection of
the community..
• He could also render judgment in any dispute… he
listens to the testimony of the claimants before giving
the verdict.. His decision could be appealed to an arbiter
of the claimants choice from another community
• The Datu controls the disposition of the real
property.. Receives the agricultural produce,
personal services and respect from his people….
Took his share of the harvest tribute except from
the Maharlika…
• The Maharlika group includes the family,
relatives, and elders of the datu.. They are the
descendants of mixed marriages between a
ruling dynasty and one with no power…
• The Timawa enjoyed rights to a portion of the
barangay land…obligation includes agricultural
labor, catching fish, joining expeditions, paddling
boats, supporting feasts and building houses
Barangay laws were:
1. Oral – customs that had been handed down
from generation to generation
2. Written- promulgated by Datus with the help
of council elders, may be changed by
consensus among ruling Datus, these were
announced to the people by the Umalohokan
• Written codes were strictly obeyed
• Those who will refuse to observe the laws
were punished accordingly
• In a public trial, it is customary to say : sana
matamaan ako ng kidlat kung akoy
magsisinungaling….
• Trial by ordeal or combat is resorted to when
one pleads innocent….
• A person becomes an Alipin if he is indebted to
another and if he was born an Alipin or a Gintubo
• his subordination is obligatory.. An Alipin inherits the
debts of his parents…the degree of indebtedness
vary…
• The gradation of an Alipin includes full dependent, half
dependent and quarter dependent…
Two kinds of Alipin:
1. Namamahay- have land rights, owned a house, came
at his master’s call to work on the fields and other
services… one can become a Namamahay by means of
inheritance, dropping down from a Timawa status or
rising from the Sagigilid status…..
2. Sagigilid – members of the master’s household, ate
from their master’s pot, may be transferred to another
creditor or may be rewarded by his master… also
included in the Sagigilid status are those purchased
outside the community and captives in battles…
• Slaves were released from dependence by paying back
debts, by marriage, by purchase or by the voluntary
act of the master…
• Ancient Filipinos believed that after death the soul
travels to another world to receive reward or
punishment..
• Good souls will go to kaluwalhatian or ologan while bad
souls will go to kasamaan or solad..
• There was a local form of ancestor worship.. Religion
was animistic (worship of spirits, the dead or nature
deities).. Example is the anito concept…and the
diwata…
• Umalagad –visayan term for ancestor spirits
• Likha/larawan – are sculpted objects
• Bul-ul- ancestral spirits and grananry gods of people
from the Cordilleras
• 1,500 gods among the Ifugaos, examples include:
1. matang-ngulan – god of animals
2. Pil-le- god of properties
3. Minnahu- regulates welfare
4. Bul-ul- guards the harvest
• Tattooing for some, was done as thanksgiving offering
to the gods or protective powers from spirits or
showing courage in battle or war medals
Minor gods include:
1. Lakambini- god of throat
2. Bibit- gives good health to people
3. Lakambacod-guard of the crops
4. Lakapati- god of fields
Major gods include:
1. Bathala or abba for the Tagalogs
2. Lumawig for the bontoks and the kankanays
3. Kabunian for the ifugaos
• Mediums were called upon to communicate with gods
and spirits… rituals are performed followed by
festivities.. Temporary shelters were created for such
occasion…
• Patipat or tagitag – Ifugao ritual to drive away
bad spirits
• Baki- worship service to bring forth good omen…
this is performed by the mumbaki (native
priests)..
• Paniwata- thanksgiving ritual/curing the sick..
Performed by the katalonan or babaylan
(healers)
• Pandot –offering food and precious objects to a
tree
• Maganito- month long celebration.. A pretty girl
will be asked to stab an animal offering...the
meat will be shared by the guests…
• Ordinary meal for early Filipinos included root
crops, fruits and fish….staple food was rice..
Eats with bare hands using banana leaves as
plates and coconut shells as cups…
• Wine making is an age old enterprise…their local wine includes
1. Tuba
2. Basi (Ilocano sugarcane wine)
3. Pangasi (Visayan rice wine)
4. Lambanog (Tagalog wine from distilled tuba)
5. Tapuy (Igorot wine)
• Both of the parents teach their sons and daughters variety of
work…
• Bothoan- a barangay school in ancient Panay.. The teacher is an
old man…
Musical instruments include:
• Olibaw/barimbaw/kubing-bamboo jaw harps of the
Kalingas,Tagalogs and Mindanaons
• Kudyapi-Tagalog guitar
• Kalaleng- Tinggian nose flute
• Babandil- Muslim gong
• Kulintang –Muslim xylophone
• Tultogan- Visayan bamboo drum
• Silbay- Ilocano reed flute
• Suracan- Subanun cymbal
• Tambuli- trumpet made of Carabao horn
• Bungkaka- bamboo buzzer
Ancient songs include:
1. Tagumpay- tagalog song of victory
2. Ayeg-klu- igorot serenade song
3. Bactal – tagbanua death song
4. Tudob – agusan harvest song
Ancient dances:
1. Mahinhin- tagalog courtship dance
2. Dandansoy –visayan tuba dance
3. Sua-sua- sulu courtship dance
4. Paunjalay- a muslim wedding dance
• Dances among highlanders were more energetic, while
lowlanders were slow and tender.. Dances vary
depending on location.. Near the sea, abundance of
coconuts, rice region…fast moving dances depict
abundance while slower and emotional dances for
areas were life is difficult….
• Kali or arnis – method of self defense using bamboo
canes
In Business, some terms used were:
1. Talaro- weighing scale
2. Kaban-equal to 25 gantas
3. Salop-one ganta
4. Kaguitna-half ganta
5. Gatang- one chupa
6. Dipa- outstretched arm
7. Tumuro- tip of thumb to the forefinger
8. Sandamak- width of hand , fingers pressed together
9. Sandali- width of one finger
10. Piloncitos- ancient gold coins, conical shape
11. Tampipi- produced baskets by the Ilocanos
• Bronze and gongs were used as money
• Barter is the method of trading
• Early Filipinos knew math.. They can count up to
100,000,000 (bahala).. They can add, subtract, multiply
and divide…
• Numerical terms:
1-isa
10- puo
100-daan
1,000-libo
100,000- yuta
1,000,000- angao
• Early or late flowering of certain plants indicates dry or
rainy seasons…
• Ifugaos were the first to devise a calendar.. Had 13
months… 28 days… the tribal keeper is called the
Tumunoh.. Each day he ties a knot… 364 days ….
• Knowledge in medicine… application of roots, leaves, flowers,
fruits, branches, pistil of plants….
• Clothing includes:
1. Kanggan and bahag for men
2. Baro,patadyong or saya and tapis for women
3. Putong- headgear for men
4. Kalombigas –gold armlets
5. Salakot-native hat.. Serves as protection from heat and rain..
Made of anahaw…
• Houses were: the bahay kubo, tree houses, boats…the bahay
kubo were higher.. It has a silong and hagdan .. The wall is made
of nipa shingles and the floor made of bamboo slats…the
windows have a tukod or mast… bulwagan is the principal space
of the house… very minimal furnitures…table is called dulang and
a built in seat is papag….there is also the batalan where water
jars are placed…
• They also keep pets…dogs,cats and monkeys…