DIMENSIONS OF

PHILIPPINE
LITERARY
HISTORY
MARIA LOVELLA S. BATARA
Subject Teacher
REVIEW OF THE PAST LESSON:
◦What is literature?
◦What are the importance of studying
literature?
◦What are the different Literary
Standard?
PHILIPPINE LITERARY
HISTORY
◦ Pre-Colonial Period – (__ to 1564)
◦ Spanish Period – (1565 – 1897)
◦ American Period – (1898 – 1945)
◦ Contemporary Period – (1945 – present)
Pre-Colonial Period
(__- 1564)
 PRE- COLONIAL PERIOD
I. How Philippine Prehistoric/Pre-colonial Literature Got
Rediscovered

◦ Philippine pre-colonial literary history is the longest (…-1564)

◦ Filipinos have the misconception that Philippine literary history
began with the coming of the Spaniards in 1521.
With the discovery of the Tabon Man in 1962, we learned that the
history of the Filipinos dates to as far back as 50,000 years ago,
suggesting also the possible length of existence of Philippine
literature.
This human skull cap was
discovered by Dr. Robert B. Fox,
American anthropologist of the
National Museum, inside Tabon
Cave Palawan, on May 28, 1962.
This human relic was called the
"Tabon Man".
According to scholar William Henry Scott, “there is a discrepancy between what
is actually known about Philippine prehistory and what has been written about
it” many chroniclers possessed biases towards early Filipinos and these were
reflected in their accounts/writings.

William Henry Scott,

renowned historian who
authoried 15 books in
Philippine history
including The Discovery
of the Igorots, is dead.
He was 72 years old.
◦Discovery of the Igorots by the
renowned historian William Henry Scott
, 
◦They were intelligent, well-built, light-skinned,
naked save for G-strings, and estimated to number
between 18 and 20 thousand.
◦They were headhunters frequently at war with their
neighbors, held the most successful collectors of
these trophies in high regard.
◦ They worked their mines mainly by panning gold in
placers in the streams and bartered it, at qualities up to 22
carats, with particular trading partners in Pangasinan for
rice, pigs, and carabaos, driving these animals back on the
hoof.
◦ Igorot gold fields are regularly referred to in 16th-century
accounts as the wealthiest in the archipelago.
PRE-COLONIAL PEOPLE
◦ Today, it is easier for scholars to do an analysis of
Philippine pre-colonial literature for a wealth of
oral lore has been collected.

◦ These indigenous literature were preserved by

Filipinos whose ancestors stayed beyond the reach
of colonial forces.
CHARACTERISTICS OF PHILIPPINE
PRE-COLONIAL LITERATURE
1. Communally owned
Subject matter was common experience of a
group of people (food gathering, work in the
home, caring for children, nature…)
Common in riddles, proverbs and songs
RIDDLES/ BUGTONG
◦ Hindi hari, hindi pari
Ang damit ay sari-sari

         
May puno, walang bunga
May dahon, walang sanga
 CHAVACANO RIDDLES/
ADIVINANZA
◦ Tiene un pono, ta comé de suyo mismo cuerpo.
◦ De negro si vivo, de colorao si muerto.
◦ Ya parí ya, pero no hay pa salé el anak.
◦ Cielo arriba, cielo abajo agua entremedio.
◦ Binili ko nang mahal, isinabit ko lamang
◦ Isang prinsesang maganda, punong-puno ng mata.
◦ Bawat dahong itinatapon ay lumilipas na panahon.
◦ Limang magkakapatid, laging kabit-kabit.
◦ Heto na si Kaka, bubuka-bukaka.
◦ Maliit na bahay, puno ng mga patay.
◦ Lumuluha walang mata, lumalakad walang paa.
◦ Isa ang pasukan, tatlo ang labasan.
◦ Sa maling kalabit, may buhay na kapalit.
◦ Dalawang batong itim, malayo ang nararating.
◦ Magandang prinsesa, nakaupo sa tasa.
SALAWIKAIN/ PINOY
PROVERBS
◦ In general, a Pinoy will resort to quoting proverbs if he
wishes to express himself eloquently, or if he wishes to fancy
himself as a sage of wisdom.
◦ Defined interchangeably as
◦ "ornament to the language,“
◦ "words of our ancestors,"
◦ "wisdom of experience”
◦Salawikain are sayings that are steeped in
traditional Filipino culture and wisdom.
◦ They are forceful expressions cloaked in
poetry, and are basically euphemistic
passages that not too infrequently enter daily
conversations.
◦Ang hindi lumilingon sa pinanggalingan
Hindi makararating sa paroroonan.

A person who does not remember where he/she

came from Will never reach his/her
destination.
Ang lumalakad nang mabagal, kung matinik
ay mababaw. Ang lumalakad nang matulin,
kung matinik ay malalim

Thorns bury shallowly into one who walks

slowly. Thorns bury deeply into one who
walks fast.
Ang umaayaw ay di nagwawagi, ang
nagwawagi ay di umaayaw.

He who quits does not succeed, he who

succeeds does not quit.
◦ Para qué el compay si muerto ya el caballo?
◦ El pono del cahel hende ta prutá guayabas.
Ang puno ng suha ay hindi magbubunga ng bayabas.
◦ El vida del gente igual rueda, Ahora abajo, mañana
arriba.
◦ El dalaga guapa, demonio na bolsa.
(A beautiful maiden is a devil’s pocket.)
MAXIM/ SAYINGS
◦ Si ta hablá vos malo con otros, malo también vos el oí.
(If you speak evil of others, you shall hear evil in return.)

El malo para con vos, no dale con otros. (Ang masamá sa

inyo, huwag mong gawin sa kapwa mo.)
1.Pag makitid ang
kumot, magtiis
kang
mamaluktot.
2. Ang taong
nagigipit, sa patalim
man ay kumakapit.
◦ Pagmakitid ang kumot, magtiis kang
mamaluktot.

Kung nakakaranas ng kakulangan sa buhay ang isang

tao ay dapat
siyang mamuhay ng naaayon sa kanyang kakayahan.
Matutong
magtipid at maging payak sa pamumuhay.
Pagkahaba-haba man ng prusisyon, sa
simbahan din ang tuloy.

Sa tinagal-tagal man ng samahan ng

magkasintahan, sa bandang
huli ay humahantong din eto sa kasalan.
Ang taong nagigipit, sa patalim man ay
kumakapit.

Ang taong nagigipit kung minsan ay napipilitang gumawa

ng mapangahas na bagay na maaaring maging dahilan
upang lalu lamang siyang magipit. Halimbawa, ang taong
may mabigat na pangangailangan ng pera ay nagagawang
mangutang ng patubuan, tulad ng five-six, na nagiging
dahilan upang lalu pa siyang mangailangan ng pera.
 GROUP ACTIVITY
◦By group explain the chosen proverb
through a short skit.
(Use your local language. If necessary, have
someone translate it in a language
understood by the whole class.)
CRITERIA
◦The group provides a clear example/situation
that best explains the proverb.
◦The presentation is smooth flowing, at the
same time entertaining.
◦Members play their part/role very well.
. May tainga ang lupa, may pakpak ang balita.
1

2. Kung may isinuksok, may madudukot.

3. Kung ano ang puno, siya rin ang bunga.
4. Lahat ng gubat ay may ahas.
5. Kung ano ang itinanim,  siya rin ang aanihin.
6.Nasa tao ang gawa,  nasa Diyos ang awa.
 CHARACTERISTICS OF PHILIPPINE
PRE-COLONIAL LITERATURE
2. USES LANGUAGE OF DAILY
LIFE
◦This is except for the epic, the epic singer must have
good memory and be musically creative.
◦Any member of the community can be a poet as long
as he knew the language
CHARACTERISTICS OF PHILIPPINE
PRE-COLONIAL LITERATURE
3. ORALLY TRANSMITTED
◦ It was because folk literature was orally transmitted from
one generation to another that they exist up until now.
◦ Conventions of oral literary form: formulaic repetitions,
stereotyping of characters, regular rhythmic and musical
devices.
 III. Ways in which Indigenious Culture Survived

1. Resistance to colonial rule

◦ Done by Maranaws, Tausugs of Mindanao and Ifugaos and Bontocs of Mountain
Province
2. Isolation from colonial power
◦Done by Mangyans, Bilaans and etc.

◦Their settlements were also

geographically inaccessible
IV. HOW INDIGENOUS
CULTURE DISAPPEARED
◦ Filipinos became Christianized resulting to indigenous
literature being set aside.
◦ Written literature were written on easily perishable
materials.
◦ Indigenous literature intentionally destroyed by Spanish
missionaries for they considered these pagan.
 V. Forms of Oral Literature
1. Simple forms
Riddles and Proverbs which contained talinhaga
(metaphor)
Vocabulario de la lengua tagala by Pedro Sanlucar
and Juan de Noceda, collection of early riddles and
proverbs directly obtained from the people during
the Spanish time.
2. Poetry
◦ Much of pre-colonial poetry were monoriming and
heptasyllabic
◦ Example ambahan of Hanunoo-Mangyans
◦ Tanaga, like a Hispanized version of ambahan and has
four lines
3. Lyric Poetry
◦ Tagalogs have 16 species of songs for different occasions
4. Prose Narratives
◦ Consisted of origin myths,
hero tales, fables and legends.
FUNCTIONS OF PROSE
NARRATIVES
1. Explain natural phenomena, past events and
contemporary beliefs to make the world more
comprehensible and less fearful.
2. Make idle hours less tedious.
TANAGA
Katitibay ka, tulos You may stand sturdy
Sakaling datnang agos, But when the waters flow
Ako’y mumunting lumot, I, the humble moss
Sa iyo’y pupulupot Can strangle you.
AMBAHAN
Ako mana manrigsan I would like to take a bath
sa may panayo scoop the water with a plate
pinggan wash the hair with lemon juice;
sa may tupas balian but I could not take a bath,
ako ud nakarigsan because the river is dammed
inambing bahayawan with a lot of sturdy trunks
sinag-uli batangan
 5. DRAMA
◦ Philippine drama as a literary form did
not exist yet but existed in the simplest
form.
◦ Mimetic dances imitating natural cycles
and work activities
◦ Most sophisticated prehistoric/pre-colonial drama
were participated in by priest/priestess and the
entire community.

◦ To Lumbera, if no colonial interference in the

development of indigenous Philippine drama,
Philippine drama may be dance-drama like those of
other Asian countries.
6. EPICS
◦ To E. Arsenio Manuel, the Philippines does not have a
national epic but has several ethnoepics.
◦ Manuel listed in his study in 1962, 13 epics from pagan
Filipinos, 2 from Christian Filipinos and 4 from Muslims.
Epics that can be read and studied:
a. Biuag at Malana – Cagayan Valley Epic
b. Bidasari-Moro epic
c. Biag ni Lam-ang-Ilokano epic
d. Maragtas-Visayan epic
e. Haraya-Visayan epic
f. Lagda-Visayan epic
g. Hari sa Bukid-Visayan epic
h. Kumintang-Tagalog epic
i. Parang Sabir-Moro epic
j. “Dagoy” at “Sudsod”-Tagbanua epic
k. Tatuaang-Bagobo epic
l. Indarapatra at Sulayman
Characteristics of Philippine Ethnoepic:
1. Narratives of sustained length
2. Based on oral tradition
3. Revolving around supernatural events or heroic deeds
4. Verse form
5. Sung or chanted
6. Certain seriousness of purpose which embodies beliefs,
customs, ideals of people
FOLK SONGS
◦ A form of folk lyric which expresses the hopes and aspirations, the
people’s lifestyle as well as their loves.
◦ These are often repetitive and sonorous, didactic, and naïve as in he
children’s songs.
Ida- ida (Maguindanao)
Tulang pambata (Tagalog)
Cansiones para abbing (Ibanag)
FUNCTIONS OF SONGS

1. Political
- taught people of their membership to the
community
2. Religious
- used to give praise to the divinities
Panawagaon and balitao- Ilongo
Harana or serenade- Cebuano
Bayok- Maranao
Ambahan- Mangyans
- this is about human relationships, social entainment and also serve as a tool in
teaching the young.
Kalusan- Ivatan
- work songs that often sung to go with the movement of workers
Soliranin- Tagalog rowing song
Mambayu- a Kalinga rice –pounding song
Duplo- for wakes
Parang -sabil- Tausug of Mindanao
- it tells of a Muslim hero who seeks death at the hands of non- Muslims.
MABBALO!