GOVERNING SYSTEM LEAD BY DATOS

 Governs only few people between 30- 100

 This tribal gathering is called barangay
 They don’t settle far from others
 They are not subject to one another, except friendship and relationship
 The chief (datu) help one another in wars

THE CASTE

 Commoners
 Slaves
 If Maharlica marries a slave, the first child goes to the father and so on.
 The children will inherit the status of the parent it belonged.

SLAVES

1. Namamamahay
a. Can’t be sold
b. Can’t be transferred to other barangay unless by inheritance, provided they stay in
the same village
2. Saguiguilid
a. Can be sold

MAHARLICA – no moving from one village to another without complying the following:

 Fine and gold ( depend from barangay to barangay)

 A banquet to the entire barangay
 If they marry from other barangay the children will be divided •
 Sentences are passed by the datu
 They condemn a man at low caste who disrespect his daughter or wife of datu.
 The children of the accomplices are turned to slave

WITCHES - As for the witches, they killed them and their children and accomplices became slaves of the
chief after he had made some recompense to the injured person. Other offences are punished by fines
in gold which not paid with promptness, exposed the culprit to serve until the payment should be made,
person aggrieved to whom the money was to be paid.

PUNISHMENTS WERE DONE IN THE FOLLOWING WAY:

 Half the cultivated lands and all their products belonged to the master. The master will provide
the culprit with food and clothing thus enslaving him and his children.
 The master will have the possession of the children if ever the payment could not be met by the
father.
 Aliping Saguiguilid - service within the house; serve the master to whom the judgement
applied.
 Aliping Namamahay - living independently; served the person who lent them wherewith to pay.
  LOANS – The same way goes to a debtor concerning loans wherein he will give half of his
cultivated lands and profits until the debt has been paid or else he's condemned to a life of toil
and becomes slave. After the father's death, the children will continue to pay the debt or the
payment will be doubled.

INHERITANCES – Legitimate children of a father and mother will be inherited equally not unless the
father and mother showed a slight partiality by gifts such as 2 to 3 taels or a jewel.

DOWRY - should be greater than the sum given to the other sons.

TWO OR MORE LEGITIMATE WIVES – If one had children by two or more legitimate wives, each child
will receive the inheritance and the mother's dowry with its increase and share of his father's estate.

SLAVE WOMAN – If a man had a son from one of his slaves as well as legitimate children, the former will
have no share in the inheritance. If he had a child with a slave woman, that child will also receive some
of his share.

UNMARRIED WOMAN (ISAANAVA) – If ever he had children by an unmarried woman, she will still
receive a dowry but is not considered as a real wife and her children are said to be natural children. If
the father has a legitimate wife but did not have a son but had children to the unmarried wife called
Inaasava, the latter will inherit all.

FREE MARRIED WOMAN – In case of a child of a free married woman which was born while she was
married, if the husband punished the adulterer and was considered a dowry, that child will also have a
share in the inheritance.

ADOPTED CHILDREN'S INHERITANCE

Dowry:

 Upon divorce before the birth of the children

 Upon the death of the wife/ husband
 Upon engagement
 Arranged marriage

THE WORSHIP OF THE TAGALOGS

 There was no temple for their idols, SIMBAHAN means a place of adoration; because when they
wish to do feast, called PANDOT or WORSHIP in a large house of chief. There it's constructed to
provide shelter, with sheds for on both sides called SIBI, means roof. On each posts there's a
small lamp called SORIHILE; in the center of three column divided for people to gather, a large
lamp with leaves of white palms into many designs.
 The use of drums which beats the feast until it ends for usually four days. During this; the
barangay or family unite to worship which they called NAGAANITOS.
 Among their many idols, there was named BATHALA, means signify "all powerful", or "maker of
all things", which they worship the most.
 They also worship the sun, for its beauty. Also they worship the moon, especially when it sets to
be new.
 Some of them adored the stars, knowing it to be the morning star, which they called TALA.
  Also, they knew the "seven little goats" [THE PLEIADES], and the change of season called
MAPULON and BALATIK, happens when the GREAT BEAR [URSA MAJOR].
 They have many idols named LICHA, which comes in many forms. They had another idol called
DIAN MASALANTA, who was the patron of lovers and of the generations. The called LACAPATI
and INDIANALE, patron of cultivation of land and husbandry.
 Honoring the crocodiles, named BUAYA, fear from being the harmed.
 Moreover, they tend to look at omens at what they encounter. For example, a bird called
TIGMAMANUGUIN which sings from the tree, they consider good or bad omens may come in
their journey. They also practice divination as to show their luck.
 These natives determine time; by cultivation of soil, counted by moons, and other more effects
of the nature: all these helps to make the year. The winter and summer were named as SUN-
TIME and WATER-TIME.
 The years of the advent of the SPANIARDS, seasons were determined by names, and have been
divided into weeks

FEAST

 Their Manner of offering sacrifice.

 They offer to devil what they had to eat.
 Done in front of the idol.

CATOLONAN – The officiating priest.

 Devil sometimes liable to enter the body of the Catolonan.

 Objects of the sacrifice were goat, fowls and swine.

THE REASON FOR OFFERING THIS SACRIFICE AND ADORATION WAS:

 The recovery of sick person

 The prosperous voyage
 Propitious result in war
 Good harvest
 Successful deliver of childbirth
 Happy outcome in married life
 The girls who had their monthly courses had their eyes blindfolded for four days and four
nights. At the end of the period, the Catolonan took young girls to the water. The old men said
that they did this for girls to have a fortune of finding their husband.

DISTINCTIONS OF DEVILS ACCORDING TO THE PRIEST

 CATOLONAN – this office was an honourable one among the natives.

 MANGAGAUAY – wishes who deceived by pretending to heal the sick.
 MANYISALAT – had the power of applying remedies to lovers that they would abandoned and
despise their own wife.
 MANCOCOLAM – its duty was to emit fire from himself at night.
 HOCLOBON – without the use of medicine, and by simply saluting or raising the hand, they
killed whom they chose.
  SILAGAN – if they saw anyone in white, they’ll tear out its liver and eat it, thus causing his
death.
 MAGTATANGAL – her purpose was to show herself at night without his hear or entrails.
 OSUANG – (sorcerer) they say that they have seen him fly, and that he murdered men and ate
their flesh
 MANGAGAYOMA – they made charms for lovers out of herbs, stones, and wood which would
infuse the heart with love.
 SONAT – which is equivalent to “preacher.” It was his office to help one to die, at which time he
predicted the salvation or condemnation of the soul.
 PANGATAHOJAN (babaylan) – is the spiritual leader of the tribe in pre-colonial Philippines.
They are also soothsayers, and predicts the future.
 BAYOGUIN – signified a “cotquean,” a man whose nature inclined toward that of a woman.

MANNER OF BURYING

 The deceased was buried beside his house, and if they were a chief, he was placed beneath a
little house of porch which they constructed for his purpose. Before entering him, they mourned
him for four days, and afterwards, placed him in a boat which served as a coffin or bier. In place
of rowers, various animals were place at the oar by twos - male and female. It was the slave's
care to see if they were fed.
 If the deceased is a warrior, a living slave was tied beneath his body until it is wretched way he
died. And for many days, the family of the dead man bewailed him. Until finally they wearied of
it.
 The Aetas or Negrillos (Negritos) had also a form of burial, but different. They dug a deep,
perpendicular hole, and placed the decease within it leaving him upright with head or crown
unburied on top of which they put half a coconut which was to serve him as a shield.

SUPERSTITIOUS BELIEFS

 Believes in aswang, dwende, kapre, tikbalang, patyanak/tiyanak.

 They also believe in magical power of amulet and charms such as anting-anting, kulam and
gayuma or love potion.
