PRE-SPANISH PERIOD

LESSON 2
• Philippines was a prosperous land that consists of small
political units called barangays. In the pre-Spanish period,
Philippines was thalassocratic.
• Thalassocracy refers to a type of government with primarily
maritime realms.
• The Filipino society back then consists of three distinct social
classes: the maharlika (nobles), the timawa (freemen) and the
alipin (slaves), which can either be namamahay (household
slaves that are granted homes and can own property) or
saguiguilid (slaves that do not have the right to own property).
 BAYBAYIN

• Baybayin (from the

Tagalog word baybay
meaning “to spell”) was
the writing system used
by Filipinos in the Pre-
Spanish period. It is
derived from Brahmic
scripts of India. It was one
of the writing systems
used in Southeast Asia.
• Long before the Spaniards landed on Philippine shores, the
Filipinos have already been fond of poetry, songs, stories, riddles,
and proverbs. Simply put, they already have their own form of
literature even before the Spanish colonization. Unfortunately,
when the Spaniards arrived in the Philippines the Spanish
missionary tried to obliterate the previous cultural records, and so
only the orally transmitted literature survived today.
• And contrary to the mindset of their colonizers, Filipinos have a
rich collection of literature. From folk songs to epic tales, there is
several remarkable works that showcase the rich culture of the
Philippines in the pre-Spanish period.
 THE MYTH

• It was only natural that among the rich collection

of oral and written literature from the Pre-Spanish
period of the Philippines were the myths,
traditional or legendary stories which featured one
or more deities or demigods and explain practice,
rite, or phenomenon of nature. Except for
Muslims, Filipinos during pre-colonial times
believed in a lot of different deities.
 FIRST GENERATION

 Amanikable: the Tagalog god of the sea, he

was originally the god of hunters.
 Idiyanale: the goddess of labor and good
deeds.
 Lakapati: the goddess of fertility
 Mapulon: the god of seasons and husband
of Lakapati
 SECOND GENERATION

•  Mayari: the goddess of the moon and one of the three daughters of Bathala by a
mortal woman.
•  Tala: the goddess of the stars and sister of Mayari
•  Hanan: the goddess of the morning; sister of Mayari and Tala
•  Dumakulem: The son of Idiyanale, he’s the strong and agile guardian of the
mountains
•  Anitun Tabu: the goddess of wind and rain, she was the sister of Dumakulem
•  Anagolay: the goddess of lost things and wife of Dumakulem
 THIRD GENERATION

•  Apolaki: the god of sun, he is the chief

patron of warriors.
•  Diyan Masalanta: the goddess of love,
conception and childbirth. She’s the
youngest of all deities.
 MALAKAS AT MAGANDA

• The children who went into the hidden rooms of the house
became the chiefs of the islands (Maharlikas), while those
who concealed themselves became the slaves (Alipins).
The children who hid in the fireplace became the Negritos
and the Aetas, and those who ran outside became the
Timawas or freemen. Lastly, the children who fled to the
sea were gone many years, and when they returned they
became the foreigners
 EPIC

• The epic refers to a long narrative poem which

tells of heroic deeds or events. It also edify
religious tales, animal stories, or philosophical and
moral theories. The Philippines has a wide range
of epics from different regions. Each have their
own marvelous tales of heroes and their
adventures, which reflect their culture.
 BIAG NI LAM-ANG

• One of the epics that were able to survive with the

help of oral transmission was Biag ni Lam-Ang
(Life of Lam-Ang). It was said to be a composite
work of various poets who passed it from
generation to generation and was first transcribed
around 1640 by a blind Ilocano bard named Pedro
Bucaneg.
• The Ilocano epic consists of 1477
lines and 206 stanzas (this is the
Llanes version of the epic;
Leopoldo Yabes’s version consists
of 305 stanzas) revolved around the
main character named Lam-ang,
who was blessed with the gift of
speech the moment he was born
 ALIGUYON

• This Ifugao epic follows the adventure of the hero

Aliguyon, who fought an epic battle with his arch-
enemy Pumbakhayon. This epic is in the form of a
hudhud, which is a long tale that revolves around
the heroes of native Ifugao people and is typically
sung on special occasions. The story of Aliguyon is
traditionally sung at harvest time.
 LABAW-DONGGON

• This Visayan epic follows the adventures of

Labaw Donggon, the son of the goddess
Alunsina and Datu Paubari, a mortal. His
adventures include slaying a giant with a
hundred arms and facing the Lord of Darkness –
all in order to win various maidens.
 THE AGYU

• This is a Manobo/Ilianon tale, which was

divided into three parts. It follows the
adventures of a hero whose people had been
driven out of their land. They go on a
journey to Nalandangan, a sort of utopia
where there are no oppressors.
 FOLK SONGS

• Folk songs originated in traditional popular culture or have been written

in such style. They are one of the oldest forms of literature in the
Philippines and have been an important part of the Filipino culture since
the ancient times.
• They have a wide range of folk songs, for a variety of occasions.
Examples of these are Kundiman (love song), Diana (wedding song),
Oyayi or Hele (Lullaby), and Kumintang o Tagumpay (war song).
 EPIGRAMS (SALAWIKAIN)

• An epigram is a rhetorical device, a witty,

ingenious, or pointed saying that is tersely
expressed. They are memorable, brief, interesting,
and in the Philippines, they served as laws or rules
on good behavior by ancient Filipinos. They are an
expression of truths, ethics, and good morals.
 RIDDLES (BUGTONG)

• The riddle is a mystifying, misleading or puzzling

question posed as a problem to be solved or guessed. It
is rhythmic and parable. Riddles were a form of
entertainment among Filipinos during Pre-Spanish
period, and even until today. They do not just serve to
amuse the Filipinos. Riddles also improves quick
thinking, and it also helped in broadening the
vocabulary. It is usually done during special occasions
be it harvest time or a funeral.