Week 2 - Pre Spanish Era Flashcards
Philippines was a prosperous land that consists of small political units called
Barangays
This refers to a type of government with primarily maritime
realms.
Thalassocracy
As it was surrounded by huge bodies of water, it was only natural
that the Philippines thrived in maritime trade, particularly with fellow
Southeast Asian kingdoms, China, and Japan. In fact, it was recognized as a
major center of trade, with merchants coming from different parts of Asia
and visiting the King of Sugbu (now Cebu) to seek permission to trade in
their waters.
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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).
household slaves that are granted homes
and can own property
namamahay.
slaves that do not have the right to
own property
Saguiguilid
These social classes are hereditary, but can be shifted by
means of certain circumstances. For instance, a timawa can turn into an
alipin as a punishment for committing a crime. The alipin can also become a
freeman by means of marriage, repayment through labor, or being set free by
their own masters.
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The Spanish, and other colonists thought of Filipinos and
other colonized groups
barbaric and illiterate people.
In fact, they have
already established a centralized government, have their own legal system,
and most importantly, their own alphabet, which is called
Baybayin
This 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.
Baybayin
A lot of people incorrectly name the ancient writing system Alibata, but that was a term coined by ____ after the arrangement of letters of the Arabic alphabet (alif, ba, ta, “f” having been eliminated for
easier pronunciation).
Paul Rodriguez Verzosa
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
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And contrary to the mindset of their colonizers, Filipinos have a rich
collection of literature. From folk songs to epic tales, there is a number of
remarkable works that showcase the rich culture of the Philippines in the
pre-Spanish period. Moreover, it is not just the Tagalogs who have come up
with their contributions to Philippine Literature: from the Ilocanos to the
T’boli, every cultural group have their own stories to share.
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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 some kind of practice, rite, or phenomenon of nature.
With the exception of Muslims, Filipinos during pre-colonial times believed
in a lot of different deities.
The Tagalogs, for instance, believe in the supreme deity called Bathala
being the creator of heaven and earth, and all living things. Under Bathala are
a pantheon of gods and goddesses. The good deities are divided into three
generations:
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the Tagalog god of the sea, he was originally the
god of hunters.
Amanikable
the goddess of labor and good deeds
Idiyanale
the goddess of fertility
Lakapati
the god of seasons and husband of Lakapati
Mapulon
the goddess of the moon and one of the three
daughters of Bathala by a mortal woman.
Mayari
the goddess of the stars and sister of Mayari
Tala
the goddess of the morning; sister of Mayari and Tala
Hanan
The son of Idiyanale, he’s the strong and agile
guardian of the mountains
Dumakulem
the goddess of wind and rain, she was the sister
of Dumakulem
Anitun tabu
the goddess of lost things and wife of Dumakulem
Anagolay
the god of sun, he is the chief patron of warriors.
Apolaki
the goddess of love, conception and
childbirth. She’s the youngest of all deities.
Diyan masalanta
Other groups have their own pantheon of gods and goddesses. The
Visayans call their supreme god
Kaptan or captan
The Bikolanos believe in
their supreme god called
Gugurang
The myths revolve around these deities,
from creation stories to how certain being came into being. There were
various creation stories from various groups in the Philippines.
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One of the famous creation myths in the Philippines was the story of
the origin of man, the story of Malakas (The Strong One) and Maganda (The
Beautiful One).
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This 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.
Epic
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
Biag ni lam ang
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. He grew up with supernatural
strength and has a pet cock and a dog
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The epic was divided into four parts:
Prologue: The Birth of Lam-ang (line 5-108)
The Quest for the Father (lines 109-192): Lam-ang’s quest to find
the Igorots who murdered his father and seek revenge
The Quest for a Wife (line 455-1300): The story of Lam-ang and his
love interest Ines Cannoyan, as well as Lam-ang’s encounter with
Sumarang and Saridandan, and the wedding
Epilogue: The Death and Restoration of the Hero (lines 1301-
1477): tells the death and resurrection of Lam-ang.
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.
Aliguyon
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.
Labaw donggon
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.
The agyu
These are 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.
Folk songs