INDICATORS OF CIVILIZATION

INDICATORS OF
CIVILIZATION

1. Population Centers Our natives lived in the coastal areas and riverbanks where
trading by the use of ship became easy as well as getting marine
resources such as pearls, shells, fish etc.
2. System of Government There was no central government before. Group of kinships
forming small scattered settlements called “barangays” were
established. Each barangay has a datu, the one who ruled the
people. He has the power to legislate, execute laws and also
possesses the judicial power.
Laws:
a. Customary- laws handed down orally from generation to
generation.
b. Written- promulgated by the chieftain and elders (“Maginoos”)
as necessity arose.
-Recidivist or habitual criminal was punished more severely than
the one who committed a first offense.
-Major crimes such as rape, incest, witchcraft, insult, trespassing,
sacrilegious acts and larceny were punished with death and heavy
fine.
-Minor crimes such as adultery, cheating, petty theft, perjury,
disturbance of peace at night by singing and destroying documents
owned by a chief were punished by exposure to the ants, by small
fine, by flogging, by cutting the fingers of one hand or by
swimming for a certain number of hours.
Judicial Process: The datu was the judge and the Maginoos were
the jury. Conflicts arising between subjects of different barangays
were resolved by arbitration where the arbiters were the elders
from neutral barangays.
Buwis: People paid tribute in the form of crops to the datu. The
chief’s descendants and relatives were exempted from tributes and
services.
3.System of Religion Each town has god of its own generally called “diuata”. They
believed that their environment was full of spirits which are more
powerful than men. Some spirits were good, some evil but all
needed to be appeased by sacrifices which are offered by the help
of priests or priestesses called “baylana” or “katalona”. Disease or
illness was attributed to the temper of the environmental spirits
and the soul-spirits of the dead relatives.
People worshipped/adored:
 Bathala- host of other deities (equivalent of Spanish Dios)
 Idiyanale-god of agriculture
 Sidapa- god of death
 Balangaw- rainbow god
 Mandarangan- war god
 Agni- fire god
 Magwayen- god of the other world
 Lalahon- goddess of harvest
 Siginarugan- god of hell
 Diyan Masalanta- god of love
  Nature: suns, moon, animals etc. (Ex. Tigmamanukin- blue bird
that people worshipped)
 (etc.)
Ancient Filipinos also adored idols called “anitos” in which they
offered food and prayers. They also believed in the immortality of
the soul and in life after death. Their religious beliefs brought
them to learn values such as respect, loyalty, love for peace and
freedom and many more.
4. Trading System Merchants and traders were calling usually/regularly at Palawan
and Calamianes group. There was also active trade in Ma-i/island
of Mindoro and Sulu.
Domestically:
 They used ship and sailed from different regions and islands.
They go as far as Calilaya, Balayan and Mindoro (etc) where
they hope to make a sale. Many boats from Luzon sailed to
Visayas and Mindanao laden with goods to be bartered for those
necessities not found in the Luzon barangays.
Foreign:
 Foreign traders arrive at any of the barangay, they live on board
ship venturing to on the shore, their ships being anchored in
mid-stream, announcing their presence to the natives by beating
drums. Natives take their goods in exchange to the natives’
goods.
 Natives traded with the Chinese who exchanged their pottery
products, porcelain, black damask, silks, beads and tin to the
natives’ yellow wax, cotton, pearls, tortoise-shell, betel-nuts and
yuta cloth.
 They also traded with other neighboring countries like Japan,
Siam, Cambodia, Borneo, Sumatra, Java and other islands of old
Malaysia.
5. Social Classes It was consisted of:
Nobility- the chief/ datu ( usually called datu, lakan or gat), the
leader and the ruler of the barangay; and the datu’s family. The datu
was in the beginning the patriarchal head of a family and his
dependents and passed his headship on to his descendants but later
on, ability and prowess became the considerations of being a datu.
He may be lowly birth, but if he exerts himself and be recognized
and acknowledged him by his kinsmen or even strangers as their
chief, the authority is conferred on him not by anyone but solely by
his own ability and prowess.
Maharlikas- they paid neither tax or tribute to the datu, but were
bound to follow him to war bringing their own weapons and gear.
(The datu, for his part, gave them feast before setting out)
Commoners- are the aliping namamahay, the householders who
serve a lord. They can own their own houses and properties. This
estate is hereditary and permanent (nor can their lords sell them).
Dependents- are the aliping saguiguilid, have no properties on
their own, lived with their masters and could not even marry
without the latter’s consent. Punishment of crime, marriage captive
and debt are usually the reasons why a person can possibly be a
dependent.
6. Creative Arts Literature:
 Classified into floating or oral literature and written literature
 Tagalog Literature: sabi(maxim), sawikain(saying),
bugtong(riddle), suliranin and inulanin(street songs),
 talindaw(boat songs), diyuna(song of revelry), kumintang(war
song which evolved into a love song), dalit and umbay(dirge),
tagumpay, balikungkong, dupayinin and hiliraw(war songs),
uyayi and hele(lullabies), ihiman(bridal song),
tagulaylay(mournful song), tigpasin(rowing song),
tingad(household song) and kutang-kutang(couplets usually
chanted by the blind), epics, alamat/myth (etc)
 Maranao Literature: largely floating. It was deeply inspired by
Islam and consisted in tutul(folk tale), tubad-tubad(short love
poems), pananaro-on(sayings and proverbs), sowasowa-
i(drama), antoka(riddle or puzzle) and darangan(epic poetry)
 Ilocanos: “Biag ni Lam-Ang”, whose origins dated from the pre-
Spanish period
 Ifugaos&Northern Luzon: “Hudhud”(glorifies Ifugao history,
the story centering around the hero Aliguyon) and “Alim”(delas
with the gods and resembles the Indian epic, (“Ramayana”)
Music, Dance and Drama:
 Songs were accompanied by dancing, together with the drama,
developed almost simultaneously.
 The plays were staged in open spaces, in the houses of the nobles
and in the places of worship/ sambahan; staged to the
accompaniment of music and the dance, it dealt with love, war,
legends, the memory of deceased relatives and war heroes.
 Kudyapi (almost found throughout the country),
 Negritos of Bataan and Zambales: Jew’s harp made of
bamboo, “bansic” made of mountain cane, bamboo violin with
abaca strings, gangsa(sort of guitar) are their favourite
instruments s and with these, they dance their “Potato” dance(in
which a man was represented as stealing sweet potatoes in the
field)
 Bontok Igorots: bamboo flute, abafii(primitive Malay
instrument), gangsa, Jew’s harp and bamboo flute. With these,
they dance to their “Mang-ay-u-weng”, a laborer’s song.
 Tagbanuas: “macasla”-one of their colourful dances
 Ilocanos: “kutibeng”-sort of guitar with five strings;
“kinnotan”, ants’ dance and “kinnallogong”, dance of man and
woman
Arts
 Tools and weapons which are polished and formed along the
lines of leaves and petals of flowers.
 Artistic improvements in the form of beads, amulets, bracelets
and other body ornaments made of green jade, red cornelian and
other stones.
 Dyeing of cloth with designs of attractive colors.
 Tattoos of various designs in their bodies
 Woven textiles with attractive designs
 Pottery with incised designs and images of wood, bone, ivory or
horn were carved.
7. Exact Sciences Chemistry- is used in making their liquors such as tuba, basi and
lambanog which uses the process of fermentation.
Agriculture- Ancient Filipinos were cultivating lands and planting
crops to provide products
8. Technology Irrigation ditches/system- increased the productivity and the
Banaue Rice Terraces is one of the evidences.
Lumbering and Shipbuilding- shipbuilders constructed all kinds
 of boats for travel, war and commerce made from hardwoods that
are from the thick forests.
Fishing- they used various methods in catching fish such as the use
of fishing nets, the bow and arrow, fishing spear, wicker basket,
hooks and lines etc.
Mining- natives collected mineral products through washing and
placer-mining. Some mineral products like gold and silver were
used to form jewelries and as trade goods.
9. Warfare They have kris(kalis) and dagger hilts and scabbards that they
used as their tools and weapons.
Wooden shields were commonly used in Sulu and Mindanao and
in the Mountain Province
Shipbuilders were also making ships and boats designed for wars.
10. Megalithic Monument  “Ato”- platforms communal megalithic stones of Igorots used
for religious ceremonies. These platforms paved with very large
flat stones are surrounded by a stone wall erected over one
meter high.
 Ancient pyramid near Mt. Tenongchol, Benguet.
 Megalithic structures in Pagadian, Zamboanga revealed that
the ancient rock structure in Dumalinao were natural columnar
basalt with a unique structure believed to have been used by
early man. Such discovery, in turn, had set off a series of
researches which confirmed presence of megalithic structures
and survivals in other areas of the country.

References on Megalithic Monument:

https://earthistheaim2.wordpress.com/2012/07/15/part-3-the-tocharian-chapter-21-the-tocharian-of-
the-philippines/

http://www.nationalmuseum.gov.ph/nationalmuseumbeta/Anthropology/AnthroHistory3.html