PRE-COLONIAL LIFE AND CULTURE

OVERVIEW

During the early period. Filipinos already possessed their own identity. They have their own
culture; they have family-oriented traits and good family ties. There are laws to follow, and the
leaders of the communities are there to guide and to protect its people and they have learned to
organize themselves as a group. In this unit, you will be able to witness the ancient culture of
the Filipino community on how they started as a small group and later on develop into a
community. This will also show the social status of people especially women in the early times.

OBJECTIVES
1. Describe the culture of ancient Filipinos and their cultural development;
2. Be proud of the achievements of early communities;
3. Identify the social hierarchy in early society:
4. Enumerate the differences among the social classes in Luzon and Visayas; and
5. Appreciate the barangay as an early community.

Barangay as an Ancient Community

Filipinos today live in Barangay. The barangay is the smallest political unit of the government
today. But the term barangay originated among the early Filipinos.

The ancient Filipinos lived in communities composed of families. This community was called
barangay. In this barangay, early Filipinos were stratified into social classes that dictated their
status in society.

Early Filipinos had a religion and other belief systems. There are evidences dictating that they
believed in life after death. They also had varied economical activities, a system of writing, a
political system, and oral traditions. These things served as the bases of their civilization.

Origin of the Word 'Barangay’

The migration of Austronesian from Southern China became possible because of their
knowledge of navigation and boat-building. They were able to reach the island through their
boat called balangay. According to historian Jaime B. Veneracion, the concept of barangay as a
community was derived from the concept of balangay since both are composed of families and
both had leaders who guided them in their undertakings. The balangay and the barangay both
require unity and coordination. among members in order to reach their destination and fulfill
their objective. The spirit of unity and cooperation are both alive in the balangay and the
barangay.
According to the Spanish chronicler, Juan de Plasencia, the Tagalogs had their own leader. The
leader was called datu, who also served as the leader in war. Each barangay was composed of
30-100 families. The barangay did not exist under the authority of other barangays but lived
independently in harmony and in relation with one another. There was a social hierarchy within
the barangay where each member belonged to a particular class.

Baranganic Relations

The Barangays carry on trade and commerce among themselves. They concluded a treaty of
friendship and alliance with each other through the ritual, the sanduguan (blood compact).
Some barangay confederations were formed through the marriage of a noble of one barangay.
Barangays also merged for protection against enemies.

Baranganic wars were caused by, among others: maltreated or murder of a member of one
barangay by another, and rape or abduction of the wives and woman.

Barangay Laws

The earliest laws of our ancestors were mostly oral handed down from one generation to
another. These were made up of traditions, beliefs, practices, and customs.

The council of elders together with the wise people in the entire barangay ratified the laws made
by the datu with the help of his advisers. Once approved, the laws were announced to the
people through the umalohokan or town crier.
Our ancestors made a lot of laws. Many of them were recorded but the materials used were not
durable enough to withstand thousands of years. Some of them were burned by the Spanish
missionaries, thus, only a few were preserved. Examples of laws then are the Code of
Maguindanao and the Code of Sulu, also known as Luwaran.

Some of the written laws of our ancestors are:

1. The leader of the barangay should be respected;

2. Creditors should pay on time;
3. Everyone should be hardworking. Those who are found lazy will become slaves;
4. Couples should only have two offspring so that they can sufficiently provide for their needs;
5. The crime of murder is punishable by death; and
6. A finger will be cut from anyone who will be caught stealing.

Duties and Rights of the People

Every member of the barangay had his rights and corresponding duties which wherein
accordance with their beliefs and traditions.

Duties Rights

1. Respect and obey the datu. 1. Choose the livelihood he would like to
2. Be loyal to the datu. engage in.
3. Pay taxes 2. Choose his life partner.
4. Help in farming, hunting, and fishing 3. Acquire properties like house and lot,
for the datu. farm animals, and other belongings;
5. Defend their barangay in times of war. and
4. Defend himself when attacked or
when wrongfully accused.

The Trial

Trials then were public, as they are nowadays. The datu served as the judge. He consulted the
elders and the wise men. People who had conflicts were asked to face each other and explain
what happened. They were allowed to bring in their own witnesses. The one who bought the
most witnesses won the case.

The system was different when it came to criminal cases. In such cases, the accused were
asked to undergo tests. For example, they were asked to put their hands in a pot of boiling
water and the one who got the most blisters was convicted. Another form of test was when the
accused were asked to dive under the sea or river and the one who surfaced first was
considered guilty.
SOCIAL HIERARCHY IN LUZON

The Scholar William Henry Scott studied the chronicles or records of the first Spaniards in the
Philippines. Based on Spanish records, Scott concluded that there were three social classes in
pre-Spanish Luzon and Visayas. The first was the maginoo in Luzon and the datu in Visayas.
The second was composed of the Maharlika and timawa. Belonging to the third class were the
slaves who could be aliping namamahay or aliping saguiguilid among the Tagalogs and oripun
in general among Visayans.

Maginoo

The maginoo class was the highest among all classes. This is composed of datus and their
families. The babavlans were also members of this prestigious class. The datu was the political
and economic leader while the babaylan or katalonan was the spiritual leader. Babaylan is the
Visayan term for the spiritual leader and katalonan is its Tagalog counterpart

As political leader, the data was the one who implemented the laws. One of the traits that he
needed to possess was knowledge of the adat or customary laws in his barangay. In case
where new laws needed to be formulated, the council of advisers (usually the elders in a
barangay) were conculted by the date and whatever was agreed upon was announced to his
subjects through an umalohokan, the one who announces the edicts of the datu.

According to historian Zeus A. Salazar, the datu was responsible for political administration,
military duties, and the economy of the barangay in general. He further said that the datu was
not merely political leader but more of an administrative of the barangay as an economic unit
since economics activities during that time were done at the level of barangays. He also served
as mediator in case of conflict among members of the barangay

The babaylan or katalonan was the spiritual leader in a barangay. This position was usually held
by an elderly woman, proof that women held an important status in pre- Spanish Philippine
society. If the man wished to be a babayalan or katalonan, he had act, dress, and speak like a
woman. In Visayas, male babaylan were call hayog or bayoguin

As spiritual leaders, the babavlan presided over different rituals such as the rituals dine before
planting and after harvest. The destruction of crops due to calamities

was interpreted as the work of angry gods that must be appeased.

The babaylan also served as healer, mediator between the gods and the people, as well as
between the dead and their living relatives, and keeper of oral traditions such as legends, epics,
and songs of the barangay.

MAHARLIKA
The Maharlika class was next to the maginoo class. This class was composed of warriors who
served as protectors of the harangay from its enemies. It was the duty of the Maharlika to keep
peace and order in the barangay.

According to Plasencia, the Maharlika did not pay taxes but they were obliged to accompany the
datu in times of war. Before they went to war, the datu usually held a festivity for them. After
winning a war, the datu and Maharlika divided among themselves the spoils of war which they
acquired from the vanquished. When datu had to build a house, the maharlika helped him. In
exchange for their help, the datu would feed the Maharlika. The Maharlika also rendered military
services to the datu. When datu went on a maritime trip, he could summon the Maharlika to row
the boat for him as comrade-in-arms. In general, the maharlika enjoyed numerous privileges in
exchange for all the support he rendered to the datu.

TIMAWA

The expression "para kang timawa" has a negative connotation at present. It means "patay-
gutom" or being gluttonous, selfish, self-centered, or greedy. This definition is very different from
the original definition of timawa in the precolonial period which means "free people".

According to the study of historian Nancy Kimuell-Gabriel on the timewa, the change in the
meaning of the term can be traced back to the Spanish colonial system when the concept of
slavery was abolished since everyone had become atimawa or a free person. During the
Spanish perio, being a timawa meant being free to be exploited and enslaved by the Spaniards.

During the pre-Spanish society, the timawa, as the free people, composed the main bulk of the
population. They engaged in different economic activities such as agriculture, fishing, basket
making, pottery, weaving, and other activities. Since they were the ones who derived profit from
these activities, they had the obligation to pay taxes to the datu. They could also be summoned
by the datu to row his boat or accompany him on his trip.

According to the chronicle of Miguel de Loarca, it had become customary for the timawa to drink
from the pitarilla (wine vessel) of the datu before the datu drank from this. As recognition of the
timawa's goodwill to the datu, the datu had the duty to protect the timawa in times of danger.
The panday (blacksmith) also belonged to the timawa class. The panday took care of making
weapons and tools made of metal.

SLAVES

The slave class was the lowest class in early Philippine society. Among the Tagalogs, this was
divided into two subclasses the aliping namamahay and aliping saguiguilid.

The aliping namamahay lived in their own houses and were called only by the datu to help in
building a house or in farming. In contrast, the aliping saquiquilid lived in the datu shouse
because of a large debt he had incurred which was payable by serving the datu. Because the
aliping saguiguinid lived in the house of datu, they could be summoned anytime and be made to
do any kind of work. But they can become aliping namamahay when they have already paid
their debt by serving the datu for a certain period of time.

A citizen became a slave if he/she was:

1. Bom to slave parents;

2. Captured during war;
3. Sold as payment for a loan; and 4. Bought or punished for a crime.
A slave could be set free if he/she:
1. Was freed by his or her master;
2. Paid a certain amount to his or her master,
3. Married somebody who belongs to an upper societal class; and
4. Displayed bravery during war.

SOCIAL CLASSES IN THE VISAYAS

The social hierarchy in the Visayas was very similar with that of the Tagalogs. There were only
some differences in terms and in types of slaves. There were three social classes in Visayans
society: datu, timawa, and oripun.

Datu
The highest class was the datu. The datu refers to the position of the leader and also to the
highest social class. The leader of the barangay was the datu. The authority of the datu
emanated from his family and ancestry.

But his power depended on his wealth, number of subjects or slaves, and physical and
intellectual prowess. As a social class, the datu was composed of the political leader, his family,
and those who belonged to their class.

Timawa
Among the Tagalogs, the timawa belonged to the second class and were known as free people.
In the Visayas, the timawa accompanied the datu during war, served as the datu's
representative in arranging the wedding of the children of the datu, and the food taster who
sampled the datu's wine.

Oripun

The oripun was the lowest class. They could be bought and sold. There were many kinds of
oripun. Here were those who served the families of their masters. Some were engaged in
farming and were given their share of the profit. The oripun who lived in their own houses and
farms were called namamahay ot tuhay while those who lived in their maters' house were
ayney. The lowest oripun was called hayohay or those who lived in their masters' houses,
received clothing and food from them, and had one out of four days allotted for themselves only.

There were oripun who could be linked to the timawa. There were oripuns who were warriors
and there were those who rowed the boat for the datu. It is believed that the most Visayans
were oripuny during the pre-Spanisg period.

SOCIAL MOBILITY IN PRE-COLONIAL PHILIPPINES

The existence of social mobility in pre-colonial Philippine society makes it very different from
other societies in the world. For example, under the caste system in India, belonging to a
specific social class was a lifetime and interclass marriages were strictly prohibited.

In the Philippines, one could be promoted or demoted in terms of social status due to some
factors. For instance, an aliping saguiguilid could become an aliping namamahay if the aliping
saguiguilid had already paid his or her debt to the datu. The aliping namamahay could become
a timawa after marrying Maharlika.

On the other hand, a datu could become a slave if captured by another datu during a war or if
the datu committed a serious crime and he was not able to pay the penalty for it. The nature of
the ancient social class system encouraged the people to strive harder and be promoted to a
higher class or to maintain their dignity in order to retain their social class.

The Status of Women

Women were highly regarded in our society before the Spaniards came to our country. Our
women even enjoyed a high societal status way before the women in other countries like China,
England, USA, India, and the others. In the Philippines, They had equal standing with men.
They were accorded respect by our men.

1. A suitor had given service to the family of his beloved for a period of time to win her hand in
mariage. In some remote areas, the man was required to serve the family for months or even
years. He chopped wood, fetched water, and did other chores that were asked of him. When the
family of the girl agreed to him as an in- law, he had to meet further conditions. He was to give a
dowry or bigay-kava to the family of his beloved. This may consist of land, farm animals, or any
valuable items. He was also required to give money to the girl's parents called panghimuyat, as
payment for the mother's efforts for rearing the girl..

2. High regard for women could also be seen in the way the man gave all of his earnings to his
wife. The woman took care of budgeting and spending the money as she saw fit.

3. The mother took care of all the needs of her family. She was also the one who allocated
money to the family members. She was always consulted regarding any important matter.

4. Respect for women was also illustrated in the way they walked. Women always walked
ahead of men. Men who were ahead of women were considered disrespectful. If members of a
family walked together, the mother and daughters walked ahead of the father and sons. This
was to ensure their protection and safety.

Rights of Women

1. They could be datus of their tribe and lead men to fight wars like Princess Paramisuli.
2. They were given the right to possess and inherit properties.
3. They could engage in trade and industries.
4. They could be priestesses or spiritual leaders..
5. They had an exclusive right to name their children.
6. They could be leaders of their barangay.

Our ancestors had an innate respect and value for women. We did not inherit these traits from
foreigners.

Religion

The early Filipinos believed in immortality of the soul. They also believed in life after death. They
worshiped a Supreme Being they called Bathalang Maykapal. Other minor deities they
worshiped are:

● Idianale-God of agriculture;
● Sidapa- God of death;
● Agni- God of fire;
● Mandarangan- God of war
● Lalahon- goddess harvest
● Siginarugan- God of Hell

The pre-Spanish Filipinos worshipped nature, the sun, the moon, the animals, the birds and
even old trees. Even crocodiles and some types of birds were venerated.
They believed in ancestral spirits called anitos by the Tagalogs and diwatas by the Visayans.
The anitos were either good or bad spirits and early Filipinos offered food and animal sacrifices
to appease or win the goodwill of these spirits.

The ritual offerings of sacrifice were performed by early priests and priestesses called as the
babaylan and katalona.

EDUCATION

The education of Pre-Hispanic Filipinos was fit for the needs of their times. There was no formal
schooling. Parents trained their children. informally. Mothers educated their female children in
housekeeping, weaving, basket- making and other agriculture-related activities. Fathers trained
their male children in hunting, carpentry, agriculture, shipbuilding and mining. Skills taught
would vary on their industries and locations, i.c., whether highland, lowlands or along
seashores. Education was oral, practical and hands-on.

While controlled by colonial rule for several years, once the Philippines gained their
independence, they took over control of the educational system and began to move it in their
own direction. Children in the Philippines are educated in the primary and secondary school
systems for about thirteen to fourteen years, depending on when they start, after which they
complete the College Entrance Examinations, that allow them to qualify for one of the many
institutions of higher learning. There are both private and public schools in the Philippines, and
on the whole the education provided by the private schools is much more comprehensive than
that provided by the public-school system. In fact, the Philippines was home to the first modern
public schooling system in Asia. It is also home to the oldest universities, colleges, and
vocational schools. Education has been a priority in the Philippines for decades, and this is
evidenced in the fact that many of the advancements in education in Asia have been pioneered
in the Philippines.

During the Pre-Spanish period, education was still decentralized. Children were provided more
vocational training but lesser academics, which were headed by their parents or by their tribal
tutors. They used a unique system of writing known as the baybayin. Pre-Spanish Period
BAYBAYIN. The term Baybay literally means "to spell "in Tagalog. It is also known as the
alibata, where in it is the ancient writing system that was used before by the Filipinos.

LANGUAGE

Before the Spanish colonization of the Philippines in the late 16th century, Tagalog was
primarily spoken by the people in the central and southern parts of Luzon, the largest island in
the Philippines. It was one of several languages in the region and was used in a rich oral
tradition of poetry, song, and epic storytelling.

Tagalog is part of the Austronesian language family, which is one of the world's largest
language families, both in terms of geographical spread and number of speakers. The
Austronesian languages are believed to have originated from Taiwan, with migrations occurring
over 4,000 years ago. The speakers of Proto-Austronesian languages spread southwards,
reaching the Philippines approximately 4,000 years ago. Tagalog, like other Philippine
languages, developed from this Proto-Austronesian base.

MARRIAGE AND WEDDING

The traditional marriage proposal takes the form of the pamanhikan or pamamanhikan or the
"parental marriage proposal", a formal way of asking the parents of the woman for her hand.
The would-be groom and his parents go to the would-be bride's home, and ask the parents for
their consent. Once the woman's parents accept the proposal, other matters will be discussed
during this meeting including among other things, the wedding plan, the date, the finances, and
the list of guests. The expenses for the wedding are generally shouldered by the groom and his
family. Pamamanhikan enforces the importance of the familial nature of the wedding, as
traditionally a marriage is the formation of an alliance between two clans as well as the joining of
individuals. This is sometimes further expressed in how the whole extended family goes with the
groom and his parents, using the occasion as a chance to meet and greet the other clan. In this
situation, there is a feast held at the bride's family home.

A typical ancient traditional Filipino wedding, during pre-colonial times, is held for three days
and was officiated by a babaylan, a tribal priest or priestess. The house of the babaylan was the
ceremonial center for the nuptials. On the first day, the couple was brought to the priest's home,
where the babaylan blesses them, while their hands are joined over a container of uncooked
rice. On the third day, the priest would prick their chests to draw a small amount of blood, which
will be placed on a container to be mixed with water. After announcing their love for each other
three times, they were fed by the priest with cooked rice coming from a single container.
Afterwards, they were to drink the water that was mixed with their blood. The priest proclaimed
that they are officially wed after their necks and hands were bound by a cord or, sometimes,
once their long hairs had been entwined together. In line of the babaylan, the datu or a wise
elder may also officiate a pre-colonial Filipino wedding.

After the ceremony, a series of gift-exchanging rituals was also done to counter the negative
responses of the bride: if asked to enter her new home, if she refuses to go up the stairs of the
dwelling, if she denies to participate in the marriage banquet, or even to go into her new
bedroom, a room she would be sharing with her spouse.

HOUSES
Pre-spanish houses were typically made in bamboos, wood, and nipa palm. It was above the
ground enclosed with stakes called "haligi". These stakes were made also in bamboo where the
house was set on. Fowls were placed inside the enclosure. There was a ladder one had to
ascend in order to go up the house. "Batalan" was a sort of gallery where household work was
done. "Silid" was near the "sala" where mats, pillows, and baskets of rice were kept.

Kalingas in Northern Luzon, Mandayans and Bagobos in Mindanao were places in the
Philippines who made tree houses. Sea houses were built by Badjaos or sea gypsies of Sulu.
Badjaos were a sea loving people.

MODE OF DRESSING

Clothes for male were divided into two parts: upper and lower. The upper part was a jacket
which consisted of colors. The red jacket was merely worn by the chief and black or blue jacket
was worn by people below the chief. "Bahag" was the term known to the lower part of a male
clothing. It was composed of a cloth wound about the waist and passing down between the
thighs.

Female clothing also had a division: its upper and lower parts. The upper part was called "baro"
or camisa while the lower part was called "saya" or skirt. In Bisayans, "patadyong" was what
they were called to the lower part. The piece of white or red cloth usually wrapped about the
waist was called "tapis".

ORNAMENTS

In terms of ornaments, ancient Filipinos used gold and precious stones. Kalumbiga, pendants,
gold rings, earrings, leglets, and bracelets. Whether men or women wore such ornaments. In
order to adorn their teeth, fillings were made. Not only the teeth but also the body and faces
were adorned. Mostly in men, body ornaments were not only gold but they tattooed themselves.
Tattooing, for them, had another meaning. It was a man's war record. If a man had more
tattooed the more he was admired by the people for his bravery in the battle. The most tattooed
people in the Philippines were the Bisayans, that was, according to the first Spanish
missionaries who wrote about the ancient Filipinos. The painted or tattooed people of Bisayans
were called "pintados" by the Spanish missionaries.

ECONOMIC LIFE

Agriculture as the main source of livelihood. Two types of cultivation: kaingin or slash-and-burn
and wet rice farming. Less arable lands were public property while productive lands were private
properties of datus and nobles. Aside from fishing and agriculture, other industries were poultry,
stock-raising, lumbering and boat-building, mining, pottery making, and weaving.

Prior to the arrival of Spaniards in the Philippines in 1521, trade among the early Filipinos and
traders from China, Japan, and other neighboring lands was performed using the barter system.
Cowry shells then were adopted as a medium of exchange due to the inconvenience of the
barter system. Piloncitos, which are small pieces of gold, became the first form of coinage. It
had a flat base engraved with an inscription of the letters "MA" or "M" that resembles the
Javanese script of the 11th century. It is believed that this inscription was used by the Chinese
traders to identify the Philippines during the pre-Spanish era.

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