Pre Colonial Philippines

PRE-COLONIAL PHILIPPINES

The Philippines is an archipelago of 7,107 islands in the South China Sea situated between Taiwan to the north and Borneo to the south.

The largest are Luzon in the north (40,420 sq mi; 104,687 sq km), Mindanao in the south (36,537 sq mi; 94,631 sq km), and Samar (5,124 sq mi; 13,271 sq km). The islands are of volcanic origin, with the larger ones crossed by mountain ranges. The highest peak is Mount Apo (9,690 ft; 2,954 m) on Mindanao

Land area: 115,124 sq mi (298,171 sq km); total area: 115,830 sq mi (300,000 sq km)

Population (2007 est.): 91,077,287 (growth rate: 1.8%); birth rate: 24.5/1000; infant mortality rate: 22.1/1000; life expectancy: 70.5; density per sq mi: 791

Capital and largest city (2003 est.): Manila, 10,677,000 (metro. area), 1,581,082 (city proper)

The Philippines had cultural and trade relations with India, China, Japan, and Islamic merchants as early as the 9th to the 12th century.

People of Malay stock came from the south in successive waves, the earliest by land bridges and later in boats called barangays. The Malays settled in scattered communities, also called barangays, which were ruled by chieftains known as datus/hari or rajah.

SULTANATEFrom the 13th century onwards Arab

missionaries began to arrive In tile Sulu Islands aboard Chinese ships, starting the Islamization of the south-west.

Sulu's first Islamic sultanate was established in 1450 under Sayyid Abu Bakr, a refugee prince from Sumatra.

Islam then spread northwards into Mindanao, the sultanate of Maguindanao being established at the end of the 15th century.

POWERS OF THE CHIEFTAIN

1.Chief Executive2.Chief Judge3.As a lawmaker, he got counsel and advice from village elders (Ruma Bichara)4.In time of war, he was the Supreme Commander

LAWS

1.Oral Laws2.Maragtas Code

JUDICIAL PROCESS THRU TRIAL BY ORDEAL

Within that unit, there were three broad classes: the datu and his family and the nobles, the freeholders and the dependents. Under dependents, there were sharecroppers, debt peons and war captives

SOCIAL CLASSES

1.THE NOBLES The Chiefs, their families and their relatives. They carried the title GAT or LAKAN.

2.THE FREEMEN Usually free born persons or freed slaves

3.THE DEPENDENTS OR THE ALIPINSa. Aliping Namamahay - owned house and

propertiesb. Aliping Saguiguilid – had no right, could be

sold anytime by their masters

The social and political organization of the population, in the widely scattered islands, evolved into a generally common pattern. Only the permanent-field rice farmers of northern Luzon had any concept of territoriality.

The Filipinos before the arrival of the Spaniards were basically hunters, fishers, and cultivators. These tribes were groups of highlanders who barely had access of seawater. And because of the presence of rice terraces, only the central mountains of Luzon had well structured livelihood that resulted to a more fixed territory

Economic Life

Other industries were:

1.Mining2.Shipbuilding3.Lumbering4.Weaving5.Poultry and Livestock

There was no consistent religious heirarchy that time, however animism constituted beliefs and ritual practices.

RELIGION

Ancestral spirits = Anito/Diwata

Priests/Priestesses = Babaylan/ Katalona

In pre-colonial Philippines women were accorded the highest degree of respect.

They were often the spiritual leaders of the community.

Mother Earth was given the highest degree of respect as well.

the male attire was composed of the upper and lower parts, the upper, called kanggan, was a black or blue collarless jacket with short sleeves. It seems that the color of the jacket indicated the rank of the wearer, for the chief wore a red jacket, while those below his rank wore either blue or black depending upon their position in society. The lower part of the attire, called bahag, consisted of a strip of cloth wrapped about the waist, passing down between the thighs. Such method of dressing naturally left one’s thighs and legs exposed.

TRADITIONAL COSTUMES

The woman’s dress, too, was composed of the upper and lower parts. The upper, called baro or camisa, was a jacket with sleeves, while the lower part, called saya by the Tagalogs and patadyong by the Visayans, was loose skirt. A piece of red or white cloth, called tapis, was usually wrapped about the waist.

Men, women and children walked about barefooted, for sandals and shoes were Spanish innovations.

The male had a headgear consisting of a piece of cloth, called putong, which was wrapped around his head. The color of the putong showed the “manliness” of a man; a red putong for instance, signified that the wearer had killed a man in war. But he who had killed at least seven was privileged to wear an embroidered putong.

The woman, on the other hand, had no putong, but wore her hair gracefully knotted at the back of her head.

TRADITIONAL COSTUMES

Pintados

Tattooing was very prevalent among the people in the so-called "interior" or heartland of the mountains of Northern Luzon, Central Visayas, and South ern Mindanao.

women underwent tattooing on their legs, arms, and breasts to enhance their beauty.

The men, on the other hand, did so to mark age, bravery, and tribal seniority. In some tribal communities, it was claimed that tattoos had magical qualities; thus, designs of scorpions, centipedes, snakes, and bats were often repeated.