PERIOD PHILIPPINES BEFORE SPANISH COLONIZATION Philippines was a prosperous land that consists of small political units called barangays. In the pre- Spanish period, Philippines was thalassocratic.
Thalassocracy refers to a type of government with
primarily maritime realms. The Filipino society back then consists of three distinct social classes: Maharlika (nobles) Timawa (freemen) Alipin (slaves) - namamahay (household slaves that are granted homes and can own property) - saguiguilid (slaves that do not have the right to own property) The Spanish, and other colonists thought of Filipinos and other colonized groups as barbaric and illiterate people. Filipinos were not barbaric people if anything they were already civilized long before the colonization. In fact they have already established a centralized government, own legal system and own alphabet which is called baybayin Baybayin- (from the Tagalog word baybay meaning “to spell”) was the writing system used by Filipinos in the Pre-Spanish period derived from Brahmic scripts of India and was one of the writing systems used in Southeast Asia. A lot of people incorrectly name the ancient writing system Alibata but that was a term coined by Paul Rodriguez Verzosa after the arrangement of letters of the arabic alphabet (alif, ba, ta “f” having been eliminated for easier pronounciation) Long before the Spanish landed on Philippine shores, the Filipinos have already been fond of poetry, songs, stories, riddles, and proverbs.
Unfortunately, when the Spaniards arrived in the
Philippines the Spanish missionary tried to obliterate the previous cultural records, and so only the orally transmitted literature survived today. Filipino have a rich collection of literature. From folk songs to epic tales there is a number of remarkable works that showcase the rich culture of the Philippines in the pre-spanish period. THE MY TH
It was only natural that among the rich
collection of oral and written literature from the Pre-Spanish period of the Philippines were the myths, traditional or legendary stories which featured one or more deities or demigods and explain some kind of practice, rite, or phenomenon of nature with the exception of Muslims, Filipinos during pre-colonial times believed in a lot of different deities. The Tagalogs, for instance, believe in the supreme deity called Bathala being the creator of heaven and earth and all living things. Under Bathala are a pantheon of god and goddesses. The good deities are divided into three generations: FIRST GENERATION:
Amanikable- the tagalog god of the sea, he was
originally the god of hunters. Idiyanale- the goddess of labor and good deeds Lakapati- the goddess of fertility Mapulon- the god of seasons and husband of lakapati. SECOND GENERATION:
Mayari- the goddess of the moon and one of the three
daughters of bathala by a mortal woman. Tala- the goddess of the stars and sister of Mayari. Hanan- the goddess of the morning, sister of Mayari and Tala. Dumakulem- the son of idiyanale, he’s the strong and agile guardian of the mountains. Anitun Tabu- the goddess of wind and rain, she was the sister of Dumakulem. Anagolay- the goddess of lost things and wife of Dumakulem. THIRD GENERATION:
Apolaki- the god of sun, he is the chief patron of
warriors. Diyan Masalanta- the goddess of love, conception and childbirth. She is the youngest of all deities. Other groups have their own pantheon of gods and goddesses Kaptan/captan- visayan Gugurang- bikolanos The myths revolve around these deities from creation stories to how certain being came into being. There were various creation stories from the various groups in the Philippines. Malakas at Maganda -One of the famous creation myths in the Philippines was the story of the origin of man,the story of Malakas (the strongest one) and Maganda (the beautiful one) THE EPIC
Epic- refers to along narrative poem which tells
of heroic deeds or events. It also edify religious tales, animal stories, or philosophical and moral theories. The Philippines has a wide range of epics from different regions. Each have their own marvelous tales of heroes and their adventures which reflect their culture Biag ni Lam-ang One of the epics that were able to survive with the help of oral transmission was Biag ni Lam- ang (Life of Lam-ang). It was said to be a composite work of various poets who passed it from generation to generation and was first transcribed around 1640 by a blind Ilocano bard name Pedro Bucaneg The Ilocano epic consists of 1477 lines and 206 stanzas (this is the Llanes version of the epic, Leopoldo Yabe’s version consists of 305 stanzas) revolved around the main character named Lam-ang who was blessed with the gift of speech the moment he was born. He grew up with suupernatural strength and has a pet cock and a dog. The epic was divided into four parts: The Prologue: The Birth of Lam-ang (line 5-108) The Quest for the father (lines 109-192): Lam-ang quest to find the Igorots who murdered his father and seek revenge. The quest for a wife (lines 455-1300): the story of Lam-ang and his love interest Ines Cannoyan as well as Lam-angs’s encounter with Sumarang and Sarindandan and the wedding. Epilogue: The death and restoration of the hero (lines 1301-1477):tells the death and resurrection of Lam-ang. Aliguyon this ifugao epic follows the adventure of the hero Aliguyon, who fought an epic battle with his arch-enemy Pumbakhayon. This epic is in the form of a hudhud, which is a long tale that revolves around the heroes of native Ifugao people and is typically sung on special occasions. The story of Aliguyon is traditionally sung at harvest time. Labaw-Donggon This visayan epic follows the adventure of Labaw Donggon, the son of the goddess Alinsina and Datu Paubari, a mortal. His adventures include slaying a giant with a hundred arms and facing the Lord of Darkness- all in order to win various maidens The Agyu This is a Manobo/Illianon tale, which was divided into three parts. It follows the adventures of a hero whose people had been driven out of their land. They go on a journey to Nalandangan, a sort of utopia where there are no oppressors. FOLK SONGS:
Folk songs- originated in traditional popular
culture or have been written in such style. They are one of the oldest forms of literature in the Philippines and have been an important part of the Filipino culture since the ancient times. Folk songs originated in traditional popular culture or have been written in such style. They are one of the oldest forms of literature in the Philippines and have been an important part of the Filipino culture since the ancient times.
They have a wide range of folk songs for a variety
ingenious or pointed saying that is tersely expressed. They are memorable, brief, interesting and in the Philippines they served as laws or rules on good behavior or by ancient Filipinos. They are an expression of truths, ethics and good morals RIDDLES (BUGTONG)
Riddle- is a mystifying, misleading or puzzling
question posed as a problem to be solved or guessed. It is rhythmic and parable.
Riddle were form of entertainment among Filipinos
during Pre-Spanish period and even until today. They do not just serve to amuse the Filipinos. Riddle also improves quick thinking and it also helped in broadening the vocabulary. It is usually done during special occasions be it harvest time or a funeral.
