Chapter 1: Starting Points for Understanding of Culture, society, and politics (SPU)

Lesson 1: Human-Cultural Variation and Early Filipino Communities

Human and Cultural Variation

1. Natural Selection. Results in one or more favorable genes to become more common among
a population.
2. Genetic Drift. This term is also known as the Wright effect named after geneticist Sewall
Wright. It refers to the various random processes that affect gene frequencies in small, relatively
isolated populations.
3. Gene Flow. It is a process involving the passing of genes from one population to another
through mating and reproduction.
4. Influence of the Physical Environment. Physical environmental conditions can sometimes
produce variation even in the absence of genetic change.
5. Influence of the Social or Cultural Environment. Modifications made by humans to their
environment may lessen the likelihood of genetic adaptation.

Profile of the Filipino People

1. Early Filipino Communities
-According to Robert E. Fox (Anthropologist), pre-Hispanic Filipino can be classified as
coastal, near-coastal or riverine (near rivers).
-Certain customs and traditions like the death of a family member, they burn and abandon
the dwellings where a family died so as to remove the “scent of death” and prevent another
death in a family too soon.
-Filipinos also adapt to their environment based on the climate patterns such as:
▪ Ivatan – dwellings in Batanes, an area which in known for frequent typhoons and other
weather disturbances.
▪ Ilongots and the Gaddangs – of Northern Luzon, who built houses on trees to
protect them against their enemies associated with headhunting.
▪ Samals – of Sulu built houses on over the water (stilt houses) or fishing.
-There was also the presence of a less rigid social hierarchy comprised of the maharlika,
timawa, and the alipin class and leadership under the datu of a barangay or a sultan of a
sultanate system.
DATU/ TIMAWA ALIPIN
MAHARLIKA
Other Names Gat, lakan, Visayans – Aliping Aliping
panginoon, poon timagua Namamahay Saguiguilid
(male), Dayang- Visayans
dayang (female) oripun**
Extent of Powerful/Rich Free Could own No property
Power property

Head of Common people Live in his or her Lived in the

Barangay own house master’s house
On Taxes Exempted from Paid taxes Could not be Could be sold
paying taxes sold by his or her
master
Services to the Had dependents Defenders of Can become a Could marry
Barangay the datu timawa if he or only with the
she paid his or approval of his
her debts or or her master
married
 someone from
the upper class

- makes and Worked for the Services were

implements law datu especially Services were not paid
- judge/punished during battles paid
those who broke
the law

1. 1 Social Classes
- The early societies of our ancestors usually had three major of social classes: maharlika,
timawa, and alipin.
1.2 Our Ancestor’s Communities
- Early communities were divided into two kinds:
▪ Ilawod – communities were near the shores and beside rivers.
▪ ilaya – communities were located in inland areas, forests, and mountain regions
Skills Taught to Pre-Colonial Filipinos
Lessons Taught to Boys Lessons Taught to Girls
Training for battle Weaving
Fishing Cooking
Farming Sewing
Livestock breeding Other household chores
Hunting Personal hygiene
Making and operating war weapons like Responsible motherhood
spears
Sailing

1.3 Culture of our Ancestors

1.3.1 Education
- Our ancestors had informal education.
- There parents and community elders were their teachers.
- All children were taught by their parents to read, write, count, and the manner of worship,
customs, beliefs and traditions, proper decorum and interpersonal relationships.
- Formal school called bothoan were established in Panay where students were taught reading,
writing, arithmetic, use of war weapons as well as lubus or skills on how to get anting-anting
(charms).

Reading and Writing

\ - The writing system of our ancestors was called BAYBAYIN which was composed of 17
letters: three vowels and 14 consonants.
- Sipol – their writing instruments.
- Until now, the Tagbanuas of Palawan, and the Hanunuo Mangyans of Mindoro use the
baybayin writing system.
-the Muslim also had their own system of writing. They used the Arabic system of writing,
which the Maranao called kirim while the Tausugs called jiut.
The following were some of the excavated artifacts with inscription showing our early writing
system:
a. Butuan silver strip – a small silver, 17.8 cm long and 1.3 cm wide, found in Butuan, Agusan
del Norte with an inscription similar to Javanese script that was used during the 12th – 15th
century.
b. Lagung Copperplate Inscription – was discovered in Lumban, Laguna in 1989.
c. Calatagan Pot Inscription – found in Calatagan, Batangas in 1958 (12 cm high, 20.2 cm in
diameter, and 872 grams heavy).

Arts
- Our ancestors showed their knowledge of art in different ways.
- They used grass, leaves, and fibers of abaca, ramie, pineapple and cotton in weaving and dyed
their cloths in bright colors.
- Our precolonial ancestors also wore woven clothing like kangan, bahag, and putong for the
males and the saya and patadyong for the females.

1.3.2 Science and Technology

- Our ancestors had a broad knowledge of science.
- They knew the importance of medicinal plants.
- They also knew astronomy and they used sun, moon, and stars to find their way when traveling.
- They also had knowledge in engineering. They built their farmlands like Banaue Rice
Terraces made by the Ifugaos.
- They could count up to one angaw to one million.
- they also used their own hands, feet, and fingers to measure length used their own hands, feet,
and fingers to measure length like dipa, dangkal, and hakbang.

1.3.3 Music, Dance and Literature

- Our ancestors had a rich heritage of literature divided into oral and written literature.
Oral Literature consisted of:
▪Salawikain (proverb) ▪Bugtong (riddle) ▪Alamat (legend) ▪Epiko
(epic)
Written Literature consisted of poems and play accompanied by music and dance about love,
war, heroes, or beloved relatives.
▪oyayi is a cradle song to put babies to sleep
▪dallang is the love song of Ilocanos
▪tagumpay is the song of remembrance of victory in battle
▪dung-aw is the mourning song of Ilocanos
There were also songs and dances for every occasion like:
▪kanyaw (victory dance of the Igorots)
▪ binayloan (courtship dance of the Manobos)
▪panjalay (war dance of the Maranaos)

1.3.4 Religion and Belief in the Afterlife

- The early Filipinos were paganistic and animistic in their beliefs. They worshipped many gods
in all their activities.
- The supreme god was called Bathala by the Tagalogs, Laon or Abba by the Visayans, Ikasi by
the Zambals, Gugurang by the Bicolanos, and Kabunian by the Ilocanos.
- A female priest called katalona or babaylan performed the ceremony.

1.3.5 Family Customs

Courtship and Marriage
▪ Paninilbihan – a man had to devote time and effort in order to win the lady being courted by
serving the lady’s parents through chopping
▪ Bigay-kaya or dote – similar to a dowry or any material things given by the man to the family
of the lady before their marriage.
Status of Women
▪The women were given equal rights as the men in the barangay. They could own a property and
can be a head of the barangay if the datu had no son.
▪They were highly respected due to their capacity to bear children.
▪They were tasked to manage farmlands because early Filipinos believed that crops grew better if
women planted them.
▪They were also intermediaries to the spirits and leaders of religious ceremonies (babaylans);
▪They were given the right to give names to their children and were always in front of the men
while walking.
Family and Community Amusements
▪They held festivities to celebrate good harvests, weddings, victory at war, and when offering or
sacrificing during religious rites. They were much eating, drinking, singing, and dancing.
▪During festivities, wine like lambanog(coconut wine-Tagalogs), tapuy (rice wine-Igorots), basi
(sugarcane wine – Ilocos), and pangasi (rice wine - Visayans) were served.
▪Games like bugtungan, carabao racing, and palo cebo were also enjoyed as pastimes.

1.4 System of Government

1.4.1 Barangay System
▪The term barangay came from the word balangay or boat.
▪Ruled by a leader called datu, raha, gat, or lakan
▪They were self-sufficient, self-supporting, autonomous and independent from other barangays;
▪The leaders performed blood compacts or sanduguan to settle agreements.
▪Powers and duties of the datu: religious leader, administrator, maintains peace and order in the
community, defends his people from enemies, gives advice to those who come to him, rules with
justice in accordance to their tradition and beliefs and helps the sick and the needy;
▪The position of the datu was inherited although even an ordinary person could become a datu if
he had proven that he was the oldest, wisest, strongest warrior, richest, bravest, and good leader;
▪The datu was assisted by his advisers usually composed of the elders in the community and
were collectively called the atubang sa datu.
▪During trials of criminal cases within the barangay, the datu served as a judge. The accused were
asked to undergo tests.
1.4.2 Sultanate
▪A form of government introduced by the Muslims composed of 10-12 barrios each with its own
leader.
▪Duties of sultan: aside from his political and civil responsibilities it is his duty to look after the
religious beliefs and practice of the people within his jurisdiction; the datu is under his authority.
▪He was assisted by the ruma bichara (council of datus), kali (religious adviser), panglima
(governor), nakura (military chief), wazir (prime minister), and raja munda (sultan’s heir); and
▪Women could not be sultans and could not lead a spiritual activities because of the beliefs that
they were weak.