Early Filipino Culture and Way of Life

• Manunggul Jar - a type of pre-colonial tribal coffin topped with two figures in a banca or boat. The front figure is the deceased man while the rear figure holding a steering paddle is the sundo.
• Hanging Corpse - a burial way of wrapping the deceased child with the mother's clothes before hanging them with a rope/string on a large tree branch
• Hanging Coffins - is an adult burial custom for hanging corpse. The dead are placed in a coffin and hung from mountain cliffs.
• Tree Trunk Burial - in this method dying person is to choose a tree beforehand, thus when he/she dies, the deceased's corpse is then entombed vertically inside the hollowed-out tree trunk.
• Wrapped Corpse Burial - is a common for the datu or rajah. They were wrapped with fine cotton cloth before burying them near the riverbanks or seashores. Banana leaves are common wrapping material used for freemen or timawas.
• Witch Tribe Burial - in this burial, when the babaylan or tribal witch dies, the deceased is layed down on a bamboo made boat in a fine noble attire surrounded by flowers before sending it throughout sea.

Burial Customs

The burial way of the dead underwent careful preparation in different tribes...

Modes of Dressing

Laws

Ornaments are commonly used by filipinos to enhance their physical appearance and clothes are commonly made up of cotton, silk and plant fibers...

Our ancient laws were products of our customs that had been handed down from generation to generation. These laws were strictly implemented,There were also written laws like the Code of Kalintiaw and Maragtas.

• Kangan - colarless and short sleeved jacket worn by men
• Bahag - a cloth wrapped around the waist and between legs
• Putong - a piece of cloth around the head
• Lihin-Lihin - can be a blouse or tunics mostly worn by women
• Malong - a light blanket wrapped around by women. Most commonly a maharlika

Tattoo is also one of the popular ornament of the body. It symbolizes strength and bravery. For men, it served as a war record for the number of man he killed in a fair fight.

Housing

The Barangay

Our ancestors used to live in kubo or nipa huts. They were made up of bamboo, woods and palm leaves. A house also had basements or cellars were animals were kept. Ladders in every home were also made of bamboo.

• Barangay, a term of Malay origin which means "Banca" or "boat".
• A barangay was composed of 25 to100 families.
• The head chief was called a Datu or Rajah, who wielded vast powers over his continuants.

Religion

Our early ancestors had their own beliefs regarding home, the world in general and life after death. Early Filipinos also worship different Gods. They are as follows...

• Bathala. Ruler of heaven and earth
• Anito or Spirits of Departed Ancestors. They were considered as their redeemers and mediators.
• Priests or Babaylans. They preside rituals and ceremonies commonly in regards of communicating with the Spirits of the Earth.

I. Political Order

Social Order

Is composed of:

Society divided into three classes...

• Maharlika
• Timawa or Freemen
• Alipin or Slaves

Roles of Datu or Rajah

• The Barangay
• Laws
• Social Order
• Religion
• Modes of Dressing
• Housing

They are what we call...

Alipin or Slaves are composed of third class and divided into two...

• Law Enforcer and a Land Administrator
• Chief Warrior in times of war with the neighboring barangays.
• They stood as the defender of the weak and innocent.
• Stood as a Judge

• Aliping Namamalay. They are servants to a Datu and Timawa and have the right to own property.
• Aliping Saguigilid. Enjoyed no freedom and were considered property of their masters for the rest of their lives.

In the beginning, the position of datu was inherited by the eldest son or daughter. Eventually, it went to anyone with the following qualities...

• Wealth
• Intelligence
• Love for the country or kabayanihan

II. Economical Customs

Is composed of:

• Courtship and Marriage
• Burial Customs

Courtship and Marriage

It is an aspect of life regarded seriously by our ancestors. The choice of a partner is based on a parent's wishes...

• A man must first give a dowry to a girl's family before he may ask for her hand in marriage
• He must also first serve in the house of the girl he wishes to marry before they can proceed to marriage and start living on their own

In terms of Marriage Ceremony is simple. The Babaylan, the tribe witch, performs the ceremony which was witnessed by the relatives of the bride and groom. Celebrations after the wedding were also a common practice.

The Early Filipinos

The cultural way of life of the early Filipino ancestors were composed into two:

Political Order and Economical Customs

Early Filipino Culture and Way of Life

The Cultural Life of our Filipino Ancestors

The First Group of Malays who landed in the Philippines had their own culture. They led quietly and orderly lives and had their own system knowledge. These natives built small communities by the rivers, seashores and inland waters, and were easy to adapt their life to the new environment.

Overview

Many historians and scientists believe that the first inhabitants of the Philippine islands emerged during the Pleistocene period.

Jocano’s Theory

Renowned Filipino anthropologist Felipe Landa Jocano disputes Beyer’s belief that Filipinos descended from Negritoes and Malays who migrated to the Philippines thousands of years ago.

Thus, the study for the "Neolithic Age" came into view.

The First “Filipinos”

There are two theories on where the inhabitants (first Filipinos) came from namely:

Beyer’s “Migration Theory” and Jocano’s “Evolution Theory”

Migration Theory

The first migrants were what Beyer called the “Dawnmen” or “Cavemen”.

The Dawnmen resembled Java Man, Peking Man, and other Asian Home sapiens who existed about 250,000 years ago.

This phase can also be called the "Paleolithic Age"

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