Our Early Ancestors

Ages before the coming of the white

men to the asian world, our Filipino
ancestors had their own culture and
life-style, which include their
costums, society, government and
laws, writing and language,
literature, music, religion,
superstitious beliefs, economy , arts
and sciences. All these things, in the
course of time, became the asian
heritage of the Filipino people.
 The Barangays
When the first Spaniards arrived in the 16th century, they
were surprised to see the Filipinos having a civilization of
their own and living in well-organized independent villages
called barangays. The name barangay originated from
balangay, a Malay word meaning "sailboat". Our seafaring
ancestors named their village after their sailboat.
The barangay was a self-sustaining community, ruled
by a datu. Generally, it consisted of from 30 to 100
families. Some barangays were quite large, each
having a population of more than 2,000. Among
them were Sugbu (Cebu), Maynilad (Manila), Bigan
(Vigan) and Maktan (Mactan)
 Houses & Dwellings
The ancient Filiipinos lived in houses in the barangay. These houses were made of wood
and bamboo, roofed by nipa palm leaves and were called bahay kubo (nipa hut). Each
house had a bamboo ladder that could be drawn up at night or when the family was
out. It also had a gallery, called batalan, where big water jars were kept for bathing
and washing purposes. Under the house were kept the rice, firewood and animals
(dogs, cats and chickens.

Some of our ancestors lived in tree-houses which were built on the top of trees for
better protection against the enemy. The Bagobos and Kalingas still live in such houses.

The Badjaos (Sea-Gypsies) of the Sulu Sea still live in boat-houses, as their
forefathers did in ancient times.
 Food and Drinks
The staple food of the early Filipinos was rice. Aside from rice, their
food consisted of carabao meat, pork, chickens, sea turtles, fish, bananas
and other fruits and vegetables. They cooked their food in earthen pots
or in bamboo tubes. They ate with their fingers, using the banana plants
as plates and the coconut shells as drinking cups. They made fire to cook
their food by rubbing two pieces of dry wood which, when heated,
produced a tiny flame. They stored their drinking water in big earthen
jars or in huge bamboo tubes.

 Their most popular wine was the tuba which was taken from
coconut sports. According to Dr. Antonio de Morga, one of the early
Spanish historians of the country, it was "a wine of the clarity of
water, but strong and dry". The other wines they manufactured
were basi, an Ilocano wine brewed from sugarcane; pangasi, a
Visayan wine made from rice; lambanog, a Tagalog wine taken
from the coconut palm; and the tapuy, an Igorot wine made from
rice.
 Mode of Dressing
Long before the coming of the Spaniards the early Filipinos were already
wearing clothes. They were not naked savages like the Old Stone Age people in
Europe or America. The men wore a collarless, short-sleeved jacket called
kangan and a strip of cloth, called bahag, wrapped around the waist and in
between the legs. The jacket (kangan) reached slightly below the waist. It was
dyed (tinina) either in blue or black, except that of the chief which was red.
Instead of a hat, the men used the putong, a piece of cloth wound around the
head. They had no shoes. They had jewels, such as gold necklaces, gold
armlets called kalombigas, and gold anklets filled with agates, carnelians and
other colored glass.


The women wore a wide-sleeved jacket called baro. Their

skirt was called patadyong, a piece of cotton cloth which
they wrapped around their waists and let fall to their feet.
Their jewels consisted of gold necklaces, gold bracelets,
large gold earrings and gold rings. These jewels were filled
with agates, carnelians, pearls and other precious gems.
They tied their long, black hair in a graceful knot at the
back of their heads. Like the men, they went about
barefoot. Both men and women inserted "gold between
their teeth as an ornament".
 Tattooes
The early Filipinos tattooed their bodies with various designs representing
animals, birds, flowers and geometric figures.
The tattooes served two purposes:
(1) to enhance their bodily beauty, and
(2) to show their war record.
The more men a warrior had killed in battle, the more tattooed he was.
The women were less tattooed than men. The children were not tattooed at
all.'
Natural Courtesy and Politeness
Our Filipino ancestors were courteous and polite. When two persons of
equal rank met on the road they removed their putong (turban) as a sign of
courtesy. When a person addressed his superior, he took off his putong, put
it over his left shoulder like a towel, and bowed low. He addressed his
superior with the word po, which is equivalent to "sir".

The women were shown courtesy everywhere. When a man and a woman
walked together, the man was always behind the woman. It was
considered impolite for a man to walk ahead of his woman companion.
Whenever the entire family went out, the mother and daughters walked
ahead, while the father and son followed behind.
 Cleanliness and Neatness
Our Filipino ancestors were clean and and la neat in their personal habits. They bathed
daily. Their favorite hour every for bathing in the river was at sunset when they had
finished their daily toil. They washed their hair regularly with gogo and water. They
anointed it with coconut oil and other lotions. They washed their mouths and cleaned their
teeth upon waking up in the morning. They filed their teeth to make them even. They chewed
buyo which made their teeth colored but strong.

They kept their homes clean. According to the Jesuit historian, Father Francisco Colin: "They
keep a vessel full of water at the door of every house, and every person, whether belonging to
the house or not, upon entering, takes water from this vessel and washes his feet, especially
during the rainy seasons."
 Family Life
The family was the basis of society in ancient Philippines. Family ties then, as they are
today, were close and strong. The children were given considerable attention, affection, and
discipline by their parents. They were trained to be loyal to the ancestral gods, to respect the
elders, to love their parents and to obey the datu and the barangay laws.

The parents took good care of the children. The father was the head of the family. His word
was law to the children. The mother, on the other hand, was the housekeeper. She enjoyed the
sole privilege of naming the children. The names she chose for them were usually based on
certain circumstances. If she gave birth to a baby girl who showed traces of beauty, she named
her Maganda (Beautiful); if the baby happened to be a boy who showed signs of physical
strength, she named him Malakas (Strong).

 Society and Social Classes

Pre-Spanish society was divided into three social classes: (1) nobles, (2) freemen and (3)
slaves. The noble, called maharlikas, constituted the barangay aristocracy, the highest social
class. This class was composed of the affluent slave-owning families, including the datu, his
family and relatives and the rich people. The member of this social class enjoyed political and
social privileges which were denied to the freemen and the slaves.
The freemen, called timawas, constituted the middle class in the s barangays. They were
free-born persons and emancipated slaves. By and large, the freemen formed the majority
among the inhabitants of every barangay
The slaves, called alipin, belonged to the lowest social class. The causes of
slavery in pre-Spanish Philippines were: (1) birth, (2) captivity in war,
(3) purchase, (4) failure to pay debts and (5) penalty for crimes
committed. Unlike in India there was no caste system in the country. A
noble could become a slave in ancient Philippines, a freeman could rise to
the nobility and a slave could become a freeman.
 Emancipation of Slaves
In pre-Spanish times a
Filipino slave could
emancipate himself and
become a freeman. The
various ways of
emancipation were as
follows: (1) marriage, (2)
purchase and (3) voluntary
action of the master.
A slave woman who married a
freeman or a noble automatically
becomes free. A slave man could
become free by paying his master
a certain sum of gold. And a
slave-owner, according to
customary laws, might
emancipate his slave for saving
his life in the war or having
served his family faithfully for
many years.
 Kinds of Slaves
Among the ancient Tagalogs,

there were two kinds of slaves: On the other hand, the

(1) aliping namamahay and aliping saguiguilid owned
(2) aliping suguiguilid: The no property; they lived in
aliping namamahay lived in their master's house; they
their own houses. They owned
could not marry without
their property. They could
his consent; and they
marry without their master's
could be sold anytime.
consent. And they could not be
sold.
 Women's Position in The Early Society
Women occupied a high
position in ancient Philippines.
Tribal laws and customs
recognized them as the equal of
men. The could own and
inherit property. They could
engage in trade and industries.
If they were daughters of
datus, who had no sons, they
could inherit the chieftaincy
and rule barangays.
Many women became famous in
songs and story. Among them,
were Sibabae, the legendary
first woman in the world;
Lubluban, the legendary
lawgiver of the Visayans;
Lalahon, the Visayan goddess
of fire and volcanoes; and
Kalangitan, the sultana of the
Pasig and Lakan Dula's
grandmother.

Amusements
The early Filipinos were not
always busy fighting or
working. They also had their
leisure time. They held banquets
to celebrate a good harvest, a
wedding, a religious sacrifice
and a victory in war. These
banquets were celebrated with
much eating, drinking, singing
and dancing. Although they
drank much wine, they seldom
lost their senses.
They only became more lively
and talkative. After the party,
they could find their way
home without any help. Aside
from the enjoyment they
derived from barangay
banquets, they had other
forms of amusements. They
had games, such as carabao
races, wrestling, fencing, boat
races and stone-throwing
contests.
Music
The early Filipinos were lovers of music. They had various musical instruments
and numerous dances and songs for different occasions. Among their musical
instruments were the kudyapi, Tagalog guitar; the kalaleng, Tinggian nose-
flute; the kulintang, Muslim xylophone; the tultogan, Visayan bamboo drum;
the silbay, Ilocano reed flute; and the suracan, Subanun cymbal.

Among their folk dances were the following: the kumintang, the
Tagalog love dance; the mahinhin, Tagalog courtship dance; the
dandansoy, Visayan tuba dance; the kinnoton, Ilocano ant's dance;
the panjalay, Muslim wedding dance; and the tadek, Tinggian love
dance.
 Their songs expressed all aspects of life — love, war, labor, religion and death.
Among them were the tagumpay, Tagalog song of victory; the dallu, Negrito
religious song; the ayeg-klu, Igorot serenade song; the bactal, Tagbanua death
song; the dal-lot, Ilocano ballad song, which recounts the exploits of Lam-ang,
mighty hero of Ilocandia; the kuilay-kuilay, Tinggian wine song; and the
tudob, Agusan harvest song.

Marriage Costums
It was customary among the ancient Filipinos to marry within their rank, that is,
for a nobleman to marry a noblewoman, a freeman to marry a freewoman and a
slaveman to marry a slavewoman. However, the was no strict prohibition against
intermarriages between the nobility and the commoner and between the rich and
the poor.
Before marriage, the groom gave a dowry to the family of the an bride. This
dowry was called bigaykaya. It consisted of gold, land, slaves or anything else of
value. Aside from this dowry, the groom had to work in the house of the girl for a
certain period of time. He carried water and firewood to the house. He assisted
the girl's father to in plowing the field. And he helped in the planting and
harvesting of rice.
Early Filipinos practiced divorce.
The grounds for divorce were;
(1) adultery on the part of the wife
(2) desertion on the part of the
husband
(3) loss of affection
(4) cruelty
(5) insanity and
(6) childlessness.
Barangay Government
The barangays of pre-Spanish Philippines were virtually independent village-
kingdoms like the city states of ancient Mesopotamia. Each barangay was ruled
by a chieftain or king called datu. The rulers of bigger barangay kingdoms
assumed the title of raha, hari or lakan.
The datu exercised great powers. In time of peace, he was the chief executive,
legislator, and judge of the barangay; and in time of war he was the commander of
the barangay warriors. He obtained his position by inheritance, being a son or
daughter of a datu. In case a datu died without any legitimate son or daughter, the
people of the barangay choose their new datu - he had to be the strongest, richest
or wisest man in the barangay.
 The barangay government contained the seeds of democracy. The datu,
despite his great powers, was not an absolute ruler. In matters of importance,
such as the declaration of war with an enemy barangay, the marriage of the
barangay lakan (prince) or lakambini (princess), and the negotiation of a
political alliance with another barangay, the datu had to consult the
barangay elders and obtain their approval. These barangay elders also took
part in judicial trials of persons accused of certain crimes and the datu's
decisions could not be binding without their approval. Furthermore, the datu
had to seek the advice of the elders in making new laws for the barangay. In
case a datu died without any heir or heiress, all freemen and maharlikas met
together and elected a new datu.
 Confederation of
Barangays
Some barangays in pre-Magellanic times united and formed a confederation.
The causes for the emergence of such confederation were (1) for better
protection against enemies and (2) the marriage of a lakan of a barangay
with the lakambini of another barangay. By their marriage, the two
barangays catalogue might merge into a confederation
 There were some historical examples of a confederation of the
barangays. At the time of Legazpi's arrival in the country, the
barangay around Manila as far as Laguna and Pampanga
recognized the authority of Raha Sulayman of the Islamic kingdom
of Maynilad. The Sugbu Confederacy existed then under the overall
rule of Raha Tupas.
 Baranganic Relations
Normally, the ancient barangays had peaceful relations among them. They
carried on trade and communication with one another. Persons of one
barangay married in other barangays. Barangays also concluded treaties of
alliance and friendship with each other, sealed by the traditional ceremony
of the blood compact called sandugo (one blood).
Sometimes wars broke out between the barangays. The causes of
these baranganic wars, according to Captain Miguel de Loarca
were as follows: "The first is when an Indian [Filipino — Z,]
goes to another village and is put to death without cause; the
second, when the wives are stolen from them; and third is when
they go in peace to any village, and they are wronged or
maltreated.
 Laws
The early Filipinos had both oral and written laws. The oral laws
were their customs (ugali) which had been handed down orally from
generation to generation. According to legend, the lawgiver in pre-
Spanish Philippines was a woman named Lubluban, the great grand-
daughter of the first man and the first woman in the world. The
written laws were promulgated by datus with the help of the next wo
elders and announced to the people by a barangay crier known as
umalohokan. Unfortunately, because of the destruction of ancient
Filipino writings by Spanish colonizers and by the ravages of time, we
do not have an authentic example of early Filipino laws.
 Religion
With the exception of the Moros (Muslims) in Mindanao and Sulu, the early
Filipinos were pagans. Their supreme god was Bathala, creator of heaven, earth
and men. Below him were other gods and goddesses - Idianale, Tagalog
goddess of agriculture; Lakam-pati, Tagalog god of harvest; Sidapa, Visayan
god of death; Apolaki, Pangisinan,:wargod; Kidul, Kalinga god of thunder;
Dal'ang,Ilocano goddess of beauty; Malyari, Zambal god of power and
strength; Poko, Tagbanua god of the sea; and Kolyog, Ifugao god of
earthquakes.
They worshipped ancestral spirits called anitos (Tagalog) or diwatas (Visayan). To
these anitos the sacrifices, called maganito, were offered. The ritual was performed
by a priest or priestess, called katalona or babaylan. They also worshipped nature
- rivers, mountains, old trees, crocodiles and fields - in the belief that such natural
objects were the habitats of spirits.

They also believed in life after death. According to them, man was composed
of an ethereal body and an eternal soul. After death, the soul would travel to
the next world to receive its due reward or punishment. The good soul would
go to heaven, called kalwalhatian by the Tagalog and ologan by the Visayans,
while the bad soul would go to hell, called kasamaan by the Tagalogs and
salad by the Visayans
 Burial and Mourning Customs
Because of their belief in the next world,
the early Filipinos took great care in
burying their dead. The corpse was
embalmed as in ancient Egypt, and was
buried near his home, in a cave or on
headlands overlooking the sea. Clothes,
food, weapons and, sometimes, slaves
were buried with the dead.
 During the period of mourning, the relatives of the dead wore rattan
bands around their necks, arms, and legs; used white garments; and
abstained from eating meat and drinking wine.

During the period of mourning, the relatives of the dead wore rattan bands
around their necks, arms, and legs; used white garments; and abstained from
eating meat and drinking wine. Mourning for a dead was called maglahe; for a
dead woman, morotal; and for a datu, larao.
No colored clothes were worn by the grieving people. All wars and quarrels were
suspended. And singing in boats returning from the sea was prohibited. All
warriors carried their spears with points downward and their daggers with
hilts reversed.
 Superstitions

The ancient Filipinos, like all other people on earth, had their
superstitions. They believed in witches, such as the asuang, who assumed
the form of a dog, a bird or any other animal and devoured human flesh;
the mangkukulam, who caused people to die or be sick by pricking a toy
with his magic pin; the tianak, who sucked the baby's entrails by means of
his elongated proboscis; and the tikbalang, who appeared in the form of a
dog, a horse or an old man to deceive his victims.


They believed in the magical power of amulets or charms, such as the anting-
anting, which was believed to make its possessors invulnerable; gayuma, a love
potion which can arouse an adamant woman's affection; odom, Bicol magic herb
which makes its possesor invisible to the human eye: and uiga, a Visayan charm
which enables any man to cross a river without getting wet.
Many of these ancient superstitious beliefs survive to the present day. Among them are the
following: (1) The appearance of a comet is an ill omen, for it is a harbinger of war,
pestilence, or calamity; (2) if a pregnant woman cuts her hair, she will give birth to a
hairless child; (3) a pregnant woman should not eat twin bananas, otherwise she will
give birth to twins; (4) a girl who sings before the stove while cooking will many an old
widower; and (5) when a cat wipes its face with its paw, a visitor is coming to the house.
 Languages
The early Filipinos had different languages and dialects. But by learning one Filipino
language, it was comparatively easy to know the other languages because all of them
originated from a common linguistic source - the Malayo-Polynesian language, the
mother tongue of the Pacific races. Thus wrote Father Pedro Chirino in 1604: 'There
is no single or general language of the Filipinos extending throughout the islands, but
all of them, though there are many and different tongues, are so much alike that they
may be learned and spoken in a short time".
Of all the native languages, the Tagalog was regarded by the
early Spanish writers as the best. "I found in this language,"
wrote Father Chirino, "four qualities of the four greatest
languages of the
world, Hebrew, Greek, Latin and Spanish: it has the
abstruseness and obscurity of the Hebrew; the articles and
distinctions in proper as well as in common nouns, of the
Greek; the fullness of elegance of Latin, and the refinement,
polish and courtesy of the Spanish"
 Writing
The ancient Filipinos had their own system of writing. According to Father
Chirino, almost all of them knew how to read and write. Their alphabet, called
baybayin, originated from the Asokan alphabet of India. It consis of three
(serving as five) vowels and fourteen consonants — a total of 17 letters
They used as pen a sharp-pointed iron instrument called called sipol. With
this iron instrument, they engraved words on bamboo tubes, wooden boards
and leaves of plants which were use as a paper. The direction of their
writing was horizontal, from left to right, unlike Chinese or Japanese
writing, which runs vertically from right to left.

Their ancient writing is still preserved by the Mangyans of Mindoro and

the Tagbanuas of Palawan, both of whom still use the ancient alphabet.
 Literature
The early Filipinos had both oral and written literature. Fortunately, their oral
literature which has been handed down from generation to generation is still
preserved as a priceless heritage of the race. It consists of awit (songs), bugtong
(riddles), salawikain (proverbs), myths, legends and poetry (lyric and epic.)
Unfortunately, most of this written literature of the past has been lost.

Of the interesting folk epic of pre-Spanish literature, the following have, fortunately,
been preserved: the Ifugao Alim and Hudhud, the Ilocano Lam-ang, the Bicol
Handiong, the Kalinga Ullalim, the Maranao Bantigan, the Maguindanao
Indarapatra and Sulayman, the Illanon Agyu and the Taosug Parang Sabil.
 Education
The children in ancient Philippines were given the rudiments of education.
Such education was both academic and vocational. The father trained his
son to be warriors, hunters, fishermen, miners, lumbermen and shipbuilders.
The mother, on the other hand, trained her daughters in cooking,
gardening, sewing and other household arts.

It is said in ancient Panay there was a barangay school called bothoan

under the charge of a teacher, usually an old man. The subjects taught to
the children in this barangay school were reading, writing, arithmetic, the
use of weapon and lubus (acquiring kinaadman or amulets.)
 Arts
Architecture in pre-Spanish Philippines was expressed in the bahay kubo style of
dwelling, which was cool, cozy, and well-adapted to the tropical climate. In naval
architecture, ancient Filipinos excelled; they built various kinds of boats from the
one-man canoe called banka, to the 230-man warboat, called karakao (caracao).

Their early painting was the tattoo. Skilled tattoo artists using human bodies as
canvases, dagger points as brushes and black soot and plant saps as colors, painted
gorgeous designs on human bodies, representing the sun, moon, stars, flowers, animals
and geometric figures.


Sculpture was manifested in the anito statues of stone, wood, and gold made by
tribal carvers. The handles of weapons and bolos were usually fancifully-carved,
expressing primitive sculptural art. Clay pots and jars with beautiful designs were
skillfully done.
 Sciences
Although their medical lore was associated with magic, early Filipinos had some
knowledge of medicine. They knew the curative power of many medicinal plants.
There were herbalists who were experts in the use of poisons.

There was some crude knowledge of astronomy. Heavenly bodies were attributed
with god-like powers. The morning star was called Tala by the Tagalog; the
Pleiades, Poyo-Poyo by the Bagobos; and the Dipper, Monbunkol by the Ifugaos.
The early Ilocanos knew astrology, and they called an astrologer mamacta.
They also knew mathematics. Prior to the Spanish conquest, they could
count up to 100,000,000, and could add, multiply, subract, and
divide. They had native terms for numericals, such as isa (one), puo
(ten),daan (hundred), libo (thousand), yuta (one hundred thousand),
angao (one million), kati (ten million) and bahala (one hundred
million).
 Weights and Measures
They had their own weights and measures. For weighing things, they used
the talaro, which was a kind of balance with scales. Their measures of
capacity were the kaban (25 gantas), the salop (one ganta), the kaguitna
(one-half ganta) and the gatang (one chupa). Their measures for length
were the dipa, the length of the outstretched arms, the tumuro, the length
between the tip of the thumb and that of the forefinger when extended; the
sandamak, the width of the hand with the five fingers pressed together; and
the sandali, the width of one finger.
 Calendars
The Ifugaos still use the calendar of their ancestors This Ifugao calendar
contains 13 months in a year, each month having g 28 days." The Ifugaos
have a tribal calendar recorder called tumunoh, who keeps 13 strings
representing the 13 months of the year. At the end of each day, he ties one
knot on a string to show that one day has elapsed. He ties 28 knots per string
to represent one month. The Ifugao calendar contains 364 days a year. In case
of a leap year, one more day is added to the 13th month to make 365 days.

 Domestic and Foreign Trade

Domestic trade existed in ancient with Philippines. Barangay traded with barangay,
island with island. This early domestic trade was carried on by means of barter.
According to Captain Miguel de Loarca, the Filipino of the inland region ex-changed
their rice and cotton for fish, products raised by the dwellers of the coastal district

They also carried on commerce with China, Japan, Siam (Thailand), Malacca, India,
Borneo, Sumatra, Java and other Asian lands. The usual method of trading was by barter
in which they offered their own products in exchange for the products of other countries.
Sometimes they used gold dusts, shells and bronze gongs as money. It was observed by two
early Chinese writers. Chao Ju-kua (1225) and Wang Ta-yuan (1349), that Filipinos were
honest in their commercial transactions.
 Coinage and Gold Coins
It is interesting to not that the early Filipinos knew the art of coinage and had gold coins
which they used as a medium of exchange in their business transactions among them-
selves and with foreign traders. Many of these ancient gold coins have been found in the
country as early as in 1887 when a poor Filipino farmer, when a poor Filipino farmer,
while plowing his field in Mandaluyong, near Manila, accidentally found an old Chinese
jar full of ancient gold coins. Much later, in 1914, another Filipino farmer named Alberto
Ledesma discovered a large pot of ancient gold coins in Bagac, Bataan. It is now
preserved in the collections of Dr. Jose P. Bantug and other coin collectors.

Modern Filipino and foreign numismatists call these ancient Filipino gold coins piloncitos
(little cones) because of their conical shape. Each of these ancient gold coins measures nine
millimeters in diametrical base and six millimeters in height.
 Agriculture and Industries
Farming was the main industry of ancient Filipinos. Two methods of
cultivation were used by the farmers. The first method was the kaingin
method, in which the land was cleared by setting fire to the shrubs and
bushes, after which holes were bored in the ground with pointed sticks and
seeds were then planted there. The second method was the regular means of
tillage using wooden plows and harrows drawn by carabaos. In some regions,
irrigation was used to increase production as evidenced by the famous Ifugao
terraces of northern Luzon.
 Other industries were fishing, mining, lumbering, weaving, metal work, making of
tools and weapons, manufacture of wines, raising of poultry and stock, tanning and
shipbuilding. The existence of agriculture and industries in the Philippines during
pre-Spanish times showed that our Filipino forefathers possessed a relatively high
culture. In the words of Dr. Jose Rizal:
All the histories of those first years, in short, abound in long accounts about the industry
and agriculture of the natives; mines, gold-washings, looms, farms, barter, naval
construction, raising of poultry and stock, weaving of silk and cotton, distilleries,
manufacture of arms, pearl fisheries, the civet industry, the horn and hide industry, etc.,
are things encountered at every step, and, considering the time and the conditions in the
islands, prove that there was life, there was activity, there was movement.

Thank you
for listening!