Philippine Prehistory

RECONSTRUCTING PREHISTORIC CULTURE

Reconstructing Prehistoric Culture

In this part of our study, we shall trace the different phases in the development and growth of our prehistoric culture. There are five such phases, namely:
Mythic Formative Incipient Emergent Baranganic

Reconstructing Prehistoric Culture

Except for the Mythic Phase, all phases are reconstructed on the basis of recognizable and dominant features of technological artifacts and cultural elaborations. The supportive data come from the findings of the archeologists and the accounts by the early Spanish chroniclers. Dates assigned to each of these phases are based on Robert Fox s 1968 chronological chart.

MYTHIC PHASE
(From the Beginning of Time)

MYTHIC PHASE (From the Beginning of Time)

Each society has its own story of origin an idea of how things began. Apparently, humans all over the world ask the same questions:
Who are we? Where did we come from? How long ago was that?

Our ancestors must have asked the same questions because they told stories about how their own forebears were created and what happened to them thereafter.

MYTHIC PHASE (From the Beginning of Time)

It would therefore be instructive if we begin the reconstruction of our prehistoric society and culture with myths of origin. One of the functions of myths is to explain the nature of things and events in the environment. As such, myths form part of the people s core knowledge, which they use to create, develop, and rationalize their culture as a way of life. Unless this core knowledge is understood, the local ways of life cannot be appreciated well.

MYTHIC PHASE (From the Beginning of Time)

We know that myths are not true accounts of real events. But they serve a historical purpose:
They tell us about the creative genius of our ancestors, How they perceive their world and adapted to it.

Myths also provide us with sets of symbols and meanings to sacralize our religious beliefs and legitimize our social practices, including the exercise of political power.

MYTHIC PHASE (From the Beginning of Time)

When matched with the findings of science, the knowledge we gain sharpens our insights into the creative genius of our ancestors to carve out of their precarious prehistoric surroundings a heritage we can be proud of.

FORMATIVE PHASE
(Cultural Developments ca. 50,000-500 BC)

FORMATIVE PHASE (Cultural Developments, ca. 50,000-500 BC)

We have called this the Formative Phase because it was during this time that a discernible patterned way of life started to emerge. This way of life revolved around two major industries:
Stone-tool making Ceramic manufacturing

Aside from these industries, our ancestors were also involved in other economic activities, like foraging, hunting, and horticulture.

FORMATIVE PHASE (Cultural Developments, ca. 50,000-500 BC)

STONE-TOOL INDUSTRY Early Stone-Tools (ca. 10,000-8,000 BC); the early tools manufactured by our ancestors.
Pebble or cobble tools made from rolled river stones, they are crudely shaped into pointed instruments, and used to obtain the marrow of large bones or breaking up the skull of an elephant for its brain. Flake tools they are smaller stones with sharp edges, used to skin bagged animals or to scrape wooden objects to form digging sticks or spears.

FORMATIVE PHASE (Cultural Developments, ca. 50,000-500 BC)

STONE-TOOL INDUSTRY Polished Stone Tools (ca. 8,000-500 BC); new tool types started to appear in various parts of the archipelago.
Early Polished Tools tools during the early phase of this development included roughly flaked tools, with ground blades or cutting edges. At this time, only the cutting edges were polished. Our ancestors found this innovation efficient and effective in harnessing the environment for survival. Late Polished Tools next to appear were the oval-shaped, cross-section tools with bodies and blades that were ground and polished.

FORMATIVE PHASE (Cultural Developments, ca. 50,000-500 BC)

CERAMIC INDUSTRIES (CA. 1,500 BC) Method of Manufacture the process of pottery making involved kneading, molding, drying, and firing. Fine sand was plastered around the pots before drying as additional material. Apparently, the whole process was initially done by hand. Later paddles made of wood were used to achieve the desired shape.

FORMATIVE PHASE (Cultural Developments, ca. 50,000-500 BC)

CERAMIC INDUSTRIES (CA. 1,500 BC) Pottery Types some pots are plain, others were decorated, others were varnished probably with almaciga. Simple flat-bottom bowls were common. Different forms were known, these included numerous chalice and goblet-like wares. Jar Coffins Early ceramics, particularly jars, were associated with burial practices before they were used for other purposes. Archeological materials recovered in many parts of the country reveal two types of burials practices; primary and secondary.

FORMATIVE PHASE (Cultural Developments, ca. 50,000-500 BC)

OTHER ECONOMIC ACTIVITIES Foraging and Gathering They roamed around the nearby forests, streams, rivers, and seashores looking for food. It was an idyllic type of existence. They were part of their surrounding world, the original nature lovers. Hunting and Fishing Our ancestors were also great hunters. The most common technique was stalking and ambush They were also fishermen. Their technique was simple, they caught fish either by hand or by spearing with pointed sticks.

FORMATIVE PHASE (Cultural Developments, ca. 50,000-500 BC)

Because they were foragers, gatherers, hunters and fishermen, our ancestors moved a great deal. Yet they seldom ventured far from their campsites or from places already familiar to them.

FORMATIVE PHASE (Cultural Developments, ca. 50,000-500 BC)

USE OF FIRE How fire was discovered is not known. But many archeological sites, dated as early as 5,000 BC, have yielded empty edible shells mixed with charcoal, indicating the use of fire in preparing food. In fact, it is apparently due to the use of fire that other complexities in group life were formed.

FORMATIVE PHASE (Cultural Developments, ca. 50,000-500 BC)

HORTICULTURE

Archeologists argue that agriculture developed about the later part of the Formative Phase. It was during this time that other plants (like tubers) and animals (like pigs and chickens) were domesticated for carbohydrates and protein respectively. Agriculture was horticultural. Small patches of soil close to the campsites were planted with edible crops thereby assuring early men of food, lessening their long tiring travels As this took place, the people became semi-sedentary. They moves about hunting and gathering only during certain seasons of the year.

INCIPIENT PHASE
(ca. 500 BC-AD 1 Millennium)

INCIPIENT PHASE (ca. 500 BC-AD 1 Millennium)

CULTURAL CONFIGURATION This marked the beginning of the general leveling off of local and regional socio-cultural differences and the breakdown of isolation, especially among communities along the coastal areas throughout the archipelago.

INCIPIENT PHASE (ca. 500 BC-AD 1 Millennium)

CORE INDUSTRIES The Incipient Phase may best be understood in terms of two important developments:
The use of metal;
The first phase refers to the initial appearance of metal. The second phase refers to its utilization as an implement for food production and for protection.

The improvement of pottery;

INCIPIENT PHASE (ca. 500 BC-AD 1 Millennium)

CORE INDUSTRIES Appearance of Metal
The first metal said to appear in the country was copper. However, copper was not used extensively as material for tools but for ornaments. Bronze (an alloy of copper and tin) emerged almost simultaneously with copper. Because there is no local source of tin, archeologists have argued that bronze was brought to the country by traders coming from other parts of Southeast Asia.

INCIPIENT PHASE (ca. 500 BC-AD 1 Millennium)

CORE INDUSTRIES Early Use of Metal
Tools in response to the demands of expanded economic activities, our ancestors improved their knowledge and skills in metal work. Iron tools, ranging from small knives to elaborately forged weapons have been recovered from various archeological sites.

INCIPIENT PHASE (ca. 500 BC-AD 1 Millennium)

CORE INDUSTRIES Ceramic Technology
The most impressive innovation during the developed phase of the metal industry was pottery. Pottery highlighted in many ways the creative genius of ancient Filipinos. It enabled them to develop a radically efficient technology and to find a medium of expressing their artistic potentials.

INCIPIENT PHASE (ca. 500 BC-AD 1 Millennium)

ASSOCIATED DEVELOPMENT
Weaving - One of the associated developments during the later part of the Incipient Phase was weaving. In fact, scholars argue that the four great technological complexes during this time were weaving, pottery, metalworking, and glassmaking. Population Growth Another development during this time is the growth in population size. The widespread distribution of burial sites can indirectly tell us the growth of population as well as the presence of a community close to the mouths of rivers, hillsides, or caves.

INCIPIENT PHASE (ca. 500 BC-AD 1 Millennium)

ASSOCIATED DEVELOPMENT Emerging Social Class Another factor that tells about the emerging social class is the type and quantity of grave furniture recovered from ancient graveyards.
The wealthy generally had more pabaon buried with their loved ones. Others do not have any. It can be inferred therefore that graveyards having expensive artifacts belonged to economically and socially well-placed members of society.

INCIPIENT PHASE (ca. 500 BC-AD 1 Millennium)

PROGRESS IN TRADE As material progress resulting from improved economy took place, communities became bigger and interaction among them intensified. Local trade became an important source of economic life. This trade increased and later became one of the motive forces of further cultural development.

INCIPIENT PHASE (ca. 500 BC-AD 1 Millennium)

1. The development of new tools demonstrates that our ancestors were able to adapt to their environment effectively. 2. The transition from stone to metal tools altered much of the local life ways. 3. Pots of different types, sizes, and possible uses appeared. The decorations show the growing aesthetic tastes and preferences of the customers. 4. They could also mean symbolic representations associated with religious rituals.

EMERGENT PHASE
(ca. AD 1ST
14TH Centuries)

EMERGENT PHASE (ca. AD 1ST 14TH Centuries)

CULTURAL CONFIGURATION It marked the appearance of a definable social organization (political, economic, and religious) and certain dominant patterns of culture (burial practices, ceramic arts, and social statuses) The major stimulus for these internal developments was trade which began during the Incipient Phase. Interisland travel, initially by dugouts, expanded and paved the way for long-distance journeys by larger boats. In due time, traders from other parts of Asia and the Middle East came to do business with local entrepreneurs.

EMERGENT PHASE (ca. AD 1ST 14TH Centuries)

COMMUNITY GROWTH As a result of the foregoing events, small slashand-burn villages, specially at the mouth of rivers and nears the sea, were transformed into large trading centers. Commerce brought about economic affluence. It stimulated the development of craft specialization. These trading activities also stimulated intensive contacts between the inland and coastal settlements.

EMERGENT PHASE (ca. AD 1ST 14TH Centuries)

FOREIGN TRADE Trade with India-Indonesia Trade with China
T ang Traders (AD 618-906) Sung Traders (AD 960-1279) Yuan and Ming Traders (AD 1260 1368)

Trade with the Middle East (9th Century)

BARANGANIC PHASE
(ca. AD 14TH
16TH Centuries)

BARANGANIC PHASE (ca. AD 14TH 16TH Centuries)

CULTURAL CONFIGURATION The barangay was the last phase in the development of Filipino precolonial society and culture. It represented the florescence of indigenous growth before the colonizers came and stopped its momentum as well as changed the course of its development. The current view that the barangay is the smallest sociopolitical unit of precolonial Philippines must be challenged. It was its complex peak.

BARANGANIC PHASE (ca. AD 14TH 16TH Centuries)

CULTURAL CONFIGURATION The barangay was growing bigger, incorporating within its framework the various influences of external cultures, like the Chinese, the Indian, and the Islamic cultures, when the Spaniards came to change the course of its development.

BARANGANIC PHASE (ca. AD 14TH 16TH Centuries)

POLITICAL LEADERSHIP Influential persons, generally coming from affluent and rich families assumed leadership. They were called datus; in some areas, they were known as maginoo.

Being a datu was based on descent. However, it was possible to become a datu through;
Courage and skills in war Accumulation of material wealth Marriage

Even if one belonged to the kadatuan but was weak and inept, he was likely to lose it to another who was more capable.

BARANGANIC PHASE (ca. AD 14TH 16TH Centuries)

POLITICAL LEADERSHIP In Central Philippines, alliances were forged through blood brotherhood called sandugo. Even if different barangays entered into alliances with one another, there was no sovereign datu over them. Each datu ruled his barangay independently. The alliances were limited to mutual protection and assistance in times of needs. The datu who had influence over the other datus was called pangulo. If he were at the same time the founder of the barangay, he was called the pinuno.

BARANGANIC PHASE (ca. AD 14TH 16TH Centuries)

POLITICAL LEADERSHIP Among the duties of the datus were;

To protect the barangay from outside enemies, To maintain peace and order, To lead the warriors in battle, To administer to the needs of the people, To settle family feuds and other family disputes, To serve as intermediary in marriage negotiations, and Many other social activities requiring his presence.

BARANGANIC PHASE (ca. AD 14TH 16TH Centuries)

POLITICAL LEADERSHIP Political powers emanated from the datu s charisma, descent and lineage, courage and prowess in war, as well as wealth and knowledge of local lore. Datus who attempted to rule through coercion were exceptions rather than the normal feature of precolonial political organization. In carrying out his duties, the datu was assisted by a council of elders, known as agorang among the Bisayans.

BARANGANIC PHASE (ca. AD 14TH 16TH Centuries)

POLITICAL LEADERSHIP Next to the council there was a staff of loyal followers or sakop. The head of this unit was called atubang sa datu (one who faces the datu a kind of executive secretary.) In return for his services to the community, the datu received certain privileges;
The people gave him a share in their crop, Helped him prepare, plant, and harvest his fields, Assisted him during hunting and fishing activities, Joined him in religious festivities, and Fought with him in battles.

BARANGANIC PHASE (ca. AD 14TH 16TH Centuries)

SOCIAL CLASSES Economic affluence brought about four distinct social classes, namely;
1. The Datu Class 2. Maharlika Class 3. Timawa Class 4. Alipin Class