Chapter 4
Our early
ancestors
The Barangays
• The smallest political unit in the early Philippine society
• The name originated from the Malay word “balangay” meaning
“sailboat”
• It usually consisted of about 30-100 families under the leadership of
the datu
• The datu was the headman of the community
• The position of the datu was obtained through;
a. inheritance c. wisdom
b. physical strength d. wealth
Mode of dressing
• Male dress consisted of :
a. kangan- a collarless short-sleeved linen jacket
b. bahag- a piece of cloth wrapped around the waist and in between
the legs.
c. putong- (head gear) a piece of cloth wound around the head
d. salakot- a native hat
• Female dress consisted of:
a. baro-wide sleeved jacket
b. saya-loose skirt (Tagalogs) patadyong—(Bisayans)
c. Kalombigas- body ornaments such as gold necklaces, armlets, anklets.
Society and Social classes :
3 Social classes:
1. Nobles- (Maharlika) constituted the barangay aristocracy. The class include the datu and his family, the relatives and
rich people.
2. Freemen-(Timawa) constituted the middle class in the barangay. They were free-born persons and emancipated slaves.
they were free to engaged in trade, cultivate their land, etc.
3. Slaves (alipin) belonged to the lowest class. They were under the control of a master.
Tagalog slaves:
a. Aliping Saguiguilid –donot enjoy any right; cannot own property, cannot marry without the consent of his mater, can be
sold anytime.
b. Aliping namamahay-enjoyed certain rights like the right to marry, the right to own property, they could not be sold
Bisayan slaves:
a. Ayuey-most exploited like the saguiguilid
b. Tumarampok- works three days for himself and one day for his master
c. Tumatabang- occasional slaves, summoned by the master on certain occasions only like feasts in the master’s house.
Causes of slavery:
• Birth or inheritance
• Captivity in raids or wars
• Non-payment of debts
• Penalty for major crimes
• Purchase
Emancipation from slavery:
1. Marriage- a slave woman who marries a noble automatically becomes free
2. Payment of debt
3. Show of heroic deed
4. Voluntary action on the part of the master
5. Purchase
The social stratification was not rigid. A noble can become a slave, a freeman could rise to the nobility, and a slave could
become a freeman.
Laws and Law making process:
Two kinds of pre-colonial laws:
1. oral- these laws consisted of customs (ugali)
2. Written laws-promulgated by the datu with the help of the elders.
Subjects of pre-colonial laws:
a. Inheritance
b. Crimes and punishment Punishment for major crimes:
c. Family relations 1. death’ slavery’ heavy fines
d. Loans Minor crimes:
e. Usury 1. cutting of fingers, exposure to the ants, long hours of swimming,
f. Partnership flogging, etc.
g. Divorce
Major Crimes include: Minor Crimes:
• Murder 1. theft
• Rape
• Incest witchcraft
• Tresspassing
Law making Process
• The datu was the law maker.
Steps in precolonial law making process:
1. Datu summons the elders
2. Datu explains the necessity of passing a new law
3. Elders approve the datu’s plan
4. Putting the law into writing
5. Announcement of the new law
Umalahokan-the towncrier who announces the new law to the people.
Judicial process- the datu was the judge and the elders the jury. Both party litigants the complainant and the accused come
before the Datu and present their case. Whoever presented more proof or evidences was declared the winner. Whenever
the party litigants come from different barangays the datu of a neutral barangay sit as judge to avoid being bias. In case the
datu and elders are in doubt as to who among the litigants was at fault they resort to trial by ordeal, where the parties are
subjected to a series of ordeals to determine the winner.
Common forms of ordeal:
1. River ordeal
2. Boiling water ordeal
3. Candle ordeal
Religion: Animism (nature worship)
• With the exceptions of the Muslims, the early Filipinos were animists (nature worshippers). They worship various forces of
nature like the sun, moon, thunder, lightning, rain, rainbow, etc. Anything in nature which they cannot explain is
attributed as an act of god.
• Supreme God-Bathala anito-spirits
• Idianale-Tagalog goddess of agriculture babaylan-native priests
• Lakampati-tagalog god od harvest catalonan or baylana- priestess
• Sidapa-Visayan god of death sonat- supreme priest
• Apolaki-Pangasinan war god kasamaan-place where the souls od the wicked go (tagalog); solad, (visayans),
kaluwalhatian-place where souls of the righteous go (tagalog);
• Kidul- kalinga god of thunder ologan(Bisayans)
• Dal’lang-Ilocano goddess of beauty maglahe-mourning for a dead man
• Malyari- Zambal god of power and strength morotal-mourning for a dead woman
• Poko-tagbanua god of the sea larao-mourning for a datu
• Kolyog-Ifugao god of earthquakes
Writing and Literature:
• The ancient Filipino alphabet is the baybayin or alibata consisting of 17 letters, 3 vowels and 14 consonants.
• Sipol- a pointed stick or iron stylus used as pen.
• With this instrument they engraved words on bamboo tubes, wooden boards, barks of trees and leaves which were used
as paper.
• Literature consisted of both written and oral.
• Oral literature includes: Written literature: Early Philippine epics:
1. Awit (songs) 1. poems 1. Ifugao---Hudhud and Alim 9. Tausug-Parang Sabil
2. Riddles (bugtong) 2. dramas 2. Ilocano—Biag ni Lam-ang
3. Proverbs (sawikain) 3. Bicol-------Handiong
4. Myths 4. Kalinga----Ullalim
5. Legends 5. Bisayan----hinilawud
6. Epics 6. Maranao---Bantugan
7. Lullabies 7. Maguindanao—Indarapatra at Sulayman
8. Iranun----Agyu
Music and arts.
• Early Filipinos had songs for various occasions. They had festival songs, religious songs, folk songs, ballads, heroic songs
etc. Among them are:
1. kundiman-tagalog love song Early Philippine Dances:
2. Tagumpay—tagalog song of victory 1. Kumintang- tagalog love dance 7. itik-itik
3. Dallu-Negrito religious song 2. mahinhin---tagalog courtship dance 8. tinikling
4. Ayeg-klu---Igorot serenade song 3. dandansoy---visayan tuba dance 9. maglalatik
5. Bactal—Tagbanua death song 4. kinnotan—Ilocan ant’s dance 10. singkil
6. Dal-lot---Ilocano ballad song 5. panjalay---Muslim wedding dance 11. sagayan
7. Kuilay-kuilay---Tinggian wine song 6. tadek—tinggian love dance
8. Tudob---Agusan harvest song
Musical instruments:
1. kudyapi—Tagalog guitar 8. plantiles—Cebuano cymbal
2. Kalaleng—tinggian nose flute 9. lantoy---Visayan flute
3. Tultogan—visayan bamboo drum 10. subbing-Visayan bamboo harp
4. Silbay---Ilocano reed flute 11. paiyak--Visayan water whistle
5. Suracan-subanun cymbal 12. bugtot—Bisayan guitar
6. Kulintang---muslim xylophone
7. Gangsa---Igorot gong
Marriage customs:
• 2 requisites of marriage:
1. Dowry (bigay-kaya)
2. Lover’s servitude (Paninilbihan)
Grounds for divorce:
1. Adultery on the part of the wife
2. Desertion on the part of the husband
3. Loss of affection
4. Cruelty
5. Insanity
6. childlessness
