Pre-Colonial Period - Spanish Colonization

Question 1

Literature

Answer 1

• from the latin word littera which mean a letter of the alphabet
• Brittanica defines literature as a body of writing belonging to a given language or people
• “writings having excellence of form”

Question 2

Importance of Literature

Answer 2

1. Reading great literature exercises our imagination.
2. Reading literature transports us out of our current situation into other periods and places.
3. Reading literature enables us to see the world through the eyes of others.
4. Great works of literature have played a fundamental role in shaping society
5. Reading literature encourages contemplation, and improves our language and vocabulary skills.
6. Reading literature helps us understand humanity.

Question 3

3 Dimensions of Philippine Literature

Answer 3

1. Geography - place where the literary piece originated.
2. Language - a system of conventional spoken, manual or written symbols in which human beings express themselves.
3. Ethnicity - customs, tradition, belief system from where the piece originated.

Question 4

Pre-Colonial Period (Early Times-1564)

Answer 4

• No form of writing existed back then. The only way to transmit knowledge was through observation, imitation, and practice.
• Pre-colonial literature explains how life and the world were created in the form of legends and myths.

Question 5

Houses

Answer 5

• Houses were made of light materials like wood, bamboo, and nipa palm.
• Some built tree houses to protect themselves against their enemies or from being attacked by wild animals.

Question 6

Clothing for male

Answer 6

Kangan - the upper part, a jacket w/ short sleeves
Bahag - the lower part, a strip of cloth wrapped around the waist and in between legs.
Putong- headgear, symbolizes the wearer had killed.

Question 7

Clothing for female

Answer 7

Baro / Camisa - the upper part, a jacket w/ sleeves
Saya - the lower part

Question 8

Social Classes

Answer 8

Nobles (Maharlika) - the highest and upper class, composed or rulers & their families; adressed as Gat, Lakan, Raja, or Datu.

Freemen (Timawa) - the working class

Slaves (Alipin) - classified into two;
aliping namamahay - not a full-pledge slaves, had own families, works only during HARVESTING & PLANTING season.
aliping sagigilid - real slaves, homeless, forbidden to form a family, stays in their masters, used as payment for debt.

Question 9

Government System (Barangay)

Answer 9

• No national government.
• Each barangay is headed by a ruler called “Datu” or “Raja”.
• Some brgys joined together to form confederations; the sharing of goods and services between one brgy to another.
• Alliances - for trade, peace, and mutual protection. It is sealed through blood compact “sanduguan” to ensure commitment of the chieftains.

Question 10

Baybayin (Alphabet)

Answer 10

• An abugida writing system consisting of 14 consonants and 3 vowels.

Question 11

Power and Functions of Datu

Answer 11

• Implementing laws
• Maintaining peace and order
• Giving protection to his subjects
• Making laws with the assistance of elder
• Acting as a judge

Question 12

Taxation

Answer 12

• also called as “Buwis”
• Filipinos pay taxes as a payment for the protection they received from the datu.
• The family members of the datu were exempted from paying the taxes.
• Non-payment of taxes was already punishable.

Question 13

Trials and Determination of Guilt (Judicial Process)

Answer 13

• The manner of determining guilt of the accused showed religiosity.
• For example, holding lighted candles. The whose candle died out first will be the culprit.

Question 14

Courtship and Marriage

Answer 14

• The groom is required to give a “Dowry”- the wealth that a groom’s family should give to the bride as part of the arrangement.
  1. Bigay-Kaya - consisted of a piece of land
  2. Himaraw - groom’s perents gift to the bride as a payment for raising the baby (infancy period).
  3. Panghimuyat - the groom’s parents gift
  4. Bigay-Suso - a payment to the bride’s wet nurse

Question 15

Ornaments

Answer 15

The natives wore ornaments made of gold and precious stones. Women including men wore armlets, leg lets, bracelets, gold rings, and earring. Putting tattoos in their body was practiced.

Question 16

Literary Genres in the Philippines

Answer 16

• Shaped by the country’s diverse heritage and efforts to uncover and appreciate its pre-colonial roots.

Question 17

Pre-Colonial Literature

Answer 17

• Verbally expressed a wealth of lived experiences through folk speeches, songs, narratives, indigenous rituals, and nomadic dances.

Question 18

Riddle (Bugtong)

Answer 18

• made up of one or more measured lines with rhymes and may consist of 4 to 12 syllables.

Question 19

Salawikain(Proverbs) & Sawikain(Idioms)

Answer 19

Salawikain - the formal term for proverbs of wise saying
Sawikain - refers to a broader range of saying

Question 20

Purpose of Bugtong

Answer 20

1. To entertain
2. To educate
3. To titillate
4. To curse, without expressly cursing
5. To preserve the culture

Question 21

Folk Songs

Answer 21

• A form of folk lyric which expresses the people’s hope, aspirations, and lifestyles.
• Often repetitive & sonorous, didactic & naive

Question 22

Lullaby (Oyayi)

Answer 22

• These are soothing songs often sung to put babies to sleep.

Question 23

Serenade (Harana)

Answer 23

• These are courtship songs used by young men to capture the heart of the girl they love.

Question 23

Folk Tales (Kwento ng Bayan)

Answer 23

• Stories about the personification of nature, their devotion to a deity (Bathala).
• Passed down from generation to generation.

Question 24

Epics

Answer 24

-These are lengthy narratives recounting noble deeds.
- Revolves around supernatural events or heroic deeds.

Question 25

Myths

Answer 25

• Traditional stories passed down orally through generations that explain natural phenomena and societal customs.

Question 26

Legends (Alamat)

Answer 26

• The origin of a thing, place, location, or name.

Question 27

Fables

Answer 27

• Short stories written for indigenous Filipino children.
• The main characters are animals.

Question 28

Spanish Language

Answer 28

• Became the literary language during the Spanish colonization of the Philippines.

Question 28

Ambahan

Answer 28

• Traditional poetry of the Hanunoo mangyans which is inscribed on bamboo using Surat Mangyan.
• 7 syllables, more than four lines
• Teaches lessons about life

Question 28

Tanaga

Answer 28

• A quatrain w/ seven syllables each with the same rhyme at the end of each line.
• AAAA, ABAB, AABB

Question 29

Spanish Period (1565 - 1898)

Answer 29

• The period of Spanish colonization started in 1565 during the time of Miguel Lopez de Legazpi.

Question 31

Ruy Lopez de Villalobos

Answer 31

• He led a Spanish expedition to the Philippines in 1542.
• Credited with giving the name “Las Islas Filipinas” (The Philippine Islands) in honor of Prince Philip in Spain who later became King Philip II.
• His attempt to establish a permanent Spanish colony was unsuccessful due to various challenges, including food shortages and hostile encounters w/ people.

Question 32

Ferdinand Magellan

Answer 32

• Arrived on March 16, 1521, landing on Limasawa and Homonhon Island with three small ships: the Concepcion, Trinidad, and Victoria.
• Magellan’s blood compact with the island’s ruler, Rajah Kulambo and Rajah Humabon; the first blood compact between a Filipino and a Spaniard.
• “First Mass in the Philippines”, March 31, 1521, held on the island of Limasawa.
• He headed to Cebu and claimed it for Spain, also naming it San Lazaro.
• Killed by Lapu-Lapu, chieftain of Mactan in Cebu, the first Filipino hero to oppose Spanish colonialism.

Question 33

Miguel Lopez de Legazpi

Answer 33

• The first governor-general of the Philippines
• A spanish conquistador who successfully established the first permanent Spanish settlement in the Philippines.
• In 1565, he arrived in Cebu and established the first Spanish settlement, making the beginning of Spanish colonial rule.
• Conquered the city, Manila in 1571, establishing it as the capital of the Spanish East Indies.