- Early Relations with Arabia- Come to our archipelago were merchants in the course of their trading voyages to china. Later, followed by Arab missionaries who introduced Islam in Sulu and Mindanao.
- EARLY CONTACT WITH ASIA’S GREAT CIVILIZATIONS
The Negritos- The first inhabitants of our country. They came from the mainland of Asia about 25,000 years ago by landward migration.
They are the smallest people in the world. They are below 1.5 meters in height. Because of their dwarfish stature, they are called “Pygmies”
- Early Relation with India- As early as the 9th century A.D, the Indianized Malay immigrants and traders began to come to Philippines sores from Indochina, Malay Peninsula, and Indonesia. Many years later, the immigrants form Bandjarmasin, Borneo settled in Sulu and engaged in the rich pearl trade.
- CULTURE OF THE EARLY FILIPINOS
- Food and Drinks- Staple food of the early Filipinos was rice, carabao meat, pork, chickens, sea turtles, fish, bananas, and other fruits and vegetables. They cooked their food on pots of bamboo tubes. They eat with their fingers. Using banana plants as plates and coconut shells as drinking cups. Made fire to cook their food by rubbing. They stored water in big earthen jars or in huge bamboo tubes.
- Mode of Dressing- for men, they wore a collarless, short-sleeve jacket called kangan and strip cloth, called bahag wrapped around the waist and in between the legs. They use the putong, a piece of cloth wound around the head. They had jewels, gold neckalces and armlets called kalombigas. For women, they wore a wide-sleeve jacket called baro. Their skirt was called patadyong, it was a piece of cotton cloth which they wrapped about their waits and let fall to their feet. They wore gold necklaces, bracelets, earrings, and rings.
The Indonesians- The second group of Asian immigrants to reach our country. They arrived by boats from the mainland of Southeast Asia. They were tall, their height ranged from five feet six inches to six feet two inches.
Possessed more advanced primitive culture belonging to the New Stone Age. They lived in organized settlements. They wore clothes, tattooed their bodies with various designs, made fire by rubbing two pieces of dry sticks and cooked food in bamboo tubes.
- Marriage Customs- Before marriages, the groom must give dowry to the family of the bride; consisted of gold, land, slaves, or anything else of value. The groom had to work in the house of the girl for a certain period of time.
- Wedding Ceremony- the wedding ceremony would take place at the groom’s house. The friends of the groom went to bride’s house to bring her to the home of the groom. The Priestess, joined the hands of the couple over a bowl of uncooked rice and pronounced them man and wife.
The Malays- they left their homelands in Java Sumatra Borneo using sailboats called balangay. Populary known as barangay. The Malays in the first migratory wave were the head hunting Malays. They were the ancestors of the Bontoks, Ilongots, Kalingas, and other head-hunting tribes in Northern Luzon.
The second migratory wave the alphabet-using Malays. They were the ancestors of the Bisayans, bicolanos, Ilocanos, Pampangueño, Tgalogs, and other Christian Filipinos.
Those who arrived in the third wave were the ancestors of the Muslims of Mindanao and Sulo who the Spaniards called Moros.
- Tattoos- to enhance their bodily beauty and to show their war record.
- Houses- houses were made of wood, bamboo, and palm leaves.
- Natural Courtesy and Politeness- when two persons of equal rank met on the road, they removed their putong as a sign of courtesy. When a person addresses his superior, he took off his putong, put it over his left shoulder like a towel, and bowed low. He addressed his superior with the word “po”
- Cleanliness and Neatness- Filipinos bathed daily and washed their hair with gugo and water. They anointed it with coconut oil and other lotions. They chewed buyo which made their teeth colored but strong.
- Amusements- Filipinos held banquets to celebrate a good harvest, a wedding, a religious sacrifice, and a victory in a war. It were celebrated with eating, drinking, singing, and dancing.
- Music- They’re instruments are kudyapi, kalaleng, kulintang, tultogan, Bisayan bamboo drum, silbay, and surcan.
Folk dances are kumintang, dandansoy, paujalay, and tadok. Songs expresses all aspects of life.
- Government- each ruler of barangay was called datu, he was also known as hari or raja. He was the chief executive, legislator, and the judge, he was the commander of the barangay warrior.
Writing
Early Filipinos used sharp pointed iron instrument called sipol as pen. They wrote on banana leaves, tree-barks, and bamboo tubes. They write from left to right. Asian alphabet consisted of three vowels and 14 consonants.
- Laws- There were two kinds of laws: Oral and written laws. Oral laws are customs of the race which were handed down orally from generation to generation. Written laws were promulgated by the datus with the help of the elders, and were put into writing.
Literature
Early Filipinos had two kinds of Literature: Oral and written. Oral is consisted of myths, and legends, songs, poems, fables, proverbs, and riddles. Written includes tarsilas-surviving pre-spanish specimen.
- Religion- Ancient Filipinos believed in Bathala, creator of heaven, earth, and men. They also worshipped anitos or diwatas.
- Burial and Mourning Customs- The corpse was embalmed and was buried amidst deep sorrow near his home, in cave or on a headland overlooking the sea. During the period of mourning, relatives wore rattan bands around their necks, arms, and legs. They abstained from eating meat and drinking wine.
Domestic and Foreign Trade
Usual method of trading with foreign merchants was by barter in which they offered their own products in exchanged for the products of other countries.
Agriculture and Industries
Two methods are the kaingin method and the tillage using plows and harrows drawn by carabaos.
Education
Children studied in their own homes with their parents or with some
Old me in barangays as tutors. They were taugh how to read, write, and perform simple arithmetic operation and use of weapons.
Weight & Measures
For wighting things are talaro, kaban, salop, kaguitna, gating, dipa, tumuro, sandamak & sandal.
Arts
Composed of architecture, painting, and sculptures.
Calendars
Filipinos used calendars contained seven days a week, twelve months a year. Each month contained 30 days or total 365 days a year.
Sciences
They knew medicinal plants and herbs, astronomy, engineering and perform arithmetic operations.
Filipinos believed in witches such as the aswang, mangkukulam, tianak, tikbalang. They believed also in magical powers of amulets or charms, such as the anting-anting & gayuma.
Languages
Early Filipinos had different languages and dialects originated from the Malayo-Polynesian Language, mother tongue of the Pacific races.
Title: The Philippines before the coming of Spaniards