PHILIPPINE HISTORY

EARLY LIFE OF FILIPINOS

 o s  Propagation of Christianity in the
i n
li ip OR ng Philippines
F O di
hy e P an ast  Early Filipinos prefer verbal
W a v r st p
h de eir communication
n
u n t h
i  Lack of interest in understanding
culture

 Filipinos have different priorities

EARLY FILIPINO
ANCESTORS
ANCIENT TIMES
(200,000 B.C -1300
A.D.)
1.CAVEMEN
• Java Man, Peking Man, and other Asian Homo sapiens

• 250,000 years ago

• lived by hunting and fishing

2. NEGRITOS
• 25,000 years ago, first settlers

• naked and were good at hunting, fishing

and food gathering

• features: dark skin, thick lips, curly hair,

5 ft in height, round eyes, flat nose
3. INDONESIANS
• skilled in seafaring, by boats

• tools made out of stone and steel ( more

advanced )

• materials made of brass; they wore clothing

and other body ornaments

• painted their bodies

• 500 years ago

4. MALAYS
• more than 2,000 years ago

• engaged in pottery, weaving, jewelry making and

metal smelting

• introduce irrigation system

• They lived in larger villages, had government, arts

and sciences and an advanced agriculture, mining
and trading

• features: brown-skinned and of medium height,

with straight black hair and flat nose
 Communities before are mostly
lived near bodies of water and were
Early lined along coastal areas or near
rivers, bays or lakes.
Shelter Reasons:
Food from water resources
Water system for agriculture
Means of transportation
Strategic defense against enemies or
wild animals
1. Caves

-early Filipinos believed caves were the

safest place to settle.

-but later, they moved in plains for

farming and coastal areas for fishing.

a. cave plains – inhabited for easier

access to the fields.
b. coastal caves – inhabited for easier
fishing.
2. Nipa Huts

-made of nipa leaves, wood and

bamboo having a square shape
and about 1 meter above
ground.

-it was the most common type

of house early Filipino used for
shelter
3. Tree Houses

-used to provide safety from

attacking enemies and wild
animals.

-ladder or ropes are used to

access this type of shelter.
4. Houses on Stilts

-these are houses near coastal

areas which is connected by a
pathway.

-these type of shelter was

commonly used by merchants in
ancient times.
Early Male:
Clothing Bahag – a strip of cloth wrapped
around the waist and between the legs.
Putong – cloth wrapped in the head
Red – killed a lot of people in war
Weaved – killed people not less than 7
Kangan – a sleeveless coat
Red – datu and Maharlika
Blue- average male
Female:
baro - is the upper clothing
saya - is the lower covering of women.
Livelihood
1. Agriculture – main source of living
a. Kaingin System – land was cleared by burning shrubs and
bushes.
 b. Tillage System – land was plowed and harrowed, then
followed by planting.
2. Industries
a. Fishing – most common industry.
- methods: use of nets, bow and arrow, lance or spear,
the wicker basket, hook and line and fish poison.
b. Mining – one important industry.
- 1569, Miguel Lopez de Legazpi reported that there was more or less
gold in the island.
c. Shipbuilding and logging
Birey – boats made for
50 to 100 people

Biroco – boats made for

more than 100 people
d. Barter system – goods were brought goods and sold thru trading
- Borneo, Thailand, Cambodia, Sumatra and India
3. Hunting and Gathering

-men were trained to hunt animals for

the tribe and women were taught to
gather vegetables and fruits and to do
household chores.

-the food were divided among the

members of the tribe. The biggest part is
given to the leader and his family.
SOCIAL LIFE

Datu

Maharlika/Tumao

Timawa

Alipin/oripun
Datu

-he was the tribe leader and the

chieftain.
In Tagalog region, he was known as
Lakan or Gat.

-can declare war and made

important tribal decision-making.
Dayang-dayang - wives of the
datu.
Maharlika (tumao)

-considered as the noble and

free people.

-they always travelled with the

chieftain.

-they are merchants in nature.

Also, they were assigned to
meet foreign traders.
3. Timawa (Timagua)

-they were composed of soldiers,

rowers of boat and datu’s guards.

-they could live in other barangays

as a privilege.
Alipin (Oripun)

-they have the lowest status in the

society before.

3 Types:
Horo-han – they served their
masters as warriors
Namamahay (freeman) – They can
acquire a house and have a family.
Saguiguilid – They are considered
as possession. (war prisoners)
Political System
Barangay
– standard unit of government
-it consisted of 30 to 100 families.
-it was ruled by a chieftain.

Powers and Functions of a Datu:

Implementing laws and regulations
Ensuring peace and order
Giving protection to his subjects
Act as judge during trials
Trial by Ordeal

- ancient judicial practice by which the guilt

or innocence of the accused was determined
by subjecting them to a painful, or at least
an unpleasant, usually dangerous experience.
The proof of innocence was survival.
Taxation

-the chieftain’s family,maharlika and timawa were exempted

from paying taxes.
-people pay taxes to the chieftain in exchange of protection
they will receive. (Alipin class)
-non- payment of taxes was punishable.

War Declaration

-before declaring war against other tribes, the datu and the
katalonan were the people making decisions.
System of Writing
Baybayin
– the most common system of
writing widely used by the Tagalogs.

-it literally means “to spell”

-these was commonly taught to the

children of the datu and maharlikas.

-it was mainly used for trading near

coastal areas.
BURIAL CUSTOMS

Manunggul jar
– bones of the deceased are buried.

- two human figures that represent

souls on a journey to the afterlife.
Hanging corpse – practiced by the Manobos.

- wrapped the corpse in mat and bamboo slats to

hang up on the tree.
Hanging coffins – practice in Sagada, Mt.Province.

- believed to bring the deceased closer to

heaven.
Tree trunk burial – practiced by the Caviteños.

- a dying person chooses the tree beforehand

when he or she becomes terminally ill, the corpse is then
entombed vertically inside the hollowed-out tree trunk.
Wrapped corpse burial – practiced by the Apayao’s.

- wrap the deceased person in a mat and

buried.
 THINGS
USED
1.SURVIVAL

a) nipa palm and bamboo – building houses.

b) jar – storing foods to preserve it for a long time.
c) pot – cooking foods.
d) gold – trading
e) stones (grounded and smoothened type) – carving woods.
f) flake stone – cutting, slicing and grating.
g) leaves and bamboos – “paper”
2. WEAPONRY

a) balaraw – a dagger with a single-edged leaf shaped blade and a cross

shaped hilt.

b) kampilan – long and straight with a single edge which widens to a dual
point.
 CONTROVERSIES AND CONFLICTING VIEWS IN
PHILIPPINE HISTORY

1. First Site of the First Mass in the Philippines –

Butuan or Limasawa
2. Declaration of Independence – June 12 or not
3. Battle of Mactan – Spanish perception or Filipino
perception
4. Cry of Balintawak or Cry of Pugadlawin