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The pre-colonial Philippines was a complex society with a rich history and cultural heritage.
In
the past, centuries ago, the early Filipinos were able to possess an elaborate civilization that was highly
developed, given that there was still primitive technology and science. Waves of migrants who settled in
the Philippines contributed to the progress of civilization in the country and formed various groups. These
groups had their own unique cultures, languages, practices, and traditions. Moreover, the sociocultural
aspect of Filipinos during the pre-colonial period covers areas like social and political organizations,
religion, and living conditions.
One aspect of the pre-colonial culture of the Philippines that is often studied is the social and
political organization of the various indigenous groups. Many of these groups were organized into small
villages or communities, with each village having its own leader or council of leaders. The early Filipinos
belonged in settlements called barangay and were headed by a datu, and were independent of other
groups. The datu is responsible for leading and protecting the members of his barangay. Moreover, the
datu is accompanied by a council of elders to advise him, especially when the datu wants to enact a law.
Furthermore, some larger groups, such as the Tagalog and the Visayan, were organized into more
complex chiefdoms with a central leader and a hierarchy of officials.
Additionally, caste systems governed society, with the royal family, aristocracy, warrior class,
commoner/merchant class servants, and slaves at the bottom. The caste structures among non-coastal
tribes differed depending on the ethnic group. Some were more straightforward plutocracies or
gerontocracies, where power is mostly held by the richest families or the village's senior citizens.
Commonly, the social structure is composed of the datu who govern and is revered; an intermediate class
of freemen called the maharlikas who are free-born who have enough land for their livelihood, and are
free of paying taxes. There were also slaves who worked for the nobles without having any definite share
in the harvest. Those who had their own home or quarters were called the aliping namamahay while those
who lived in their master's house were the aliping sagigilid. Early Filipinos were able to acquire the social
status of a slave due to reasons such as failure in paying debts and tribute, by inheritance, or through the
commissions of crimes.
Religion also played a significant role in pre-colonial Philippine society. The indigenous peoples
of the Philippines had their own complex belief systems, which often involved the worship of nature
deities and the belief in spirits and ancestors. The arrival of Hinduism and Buddhism in the Philippines
through trade and cultural exchange also had a significant influence on the development of indigenous
religious practices.
Generally, the pre-colonial Filipinos were described to be animistic. Heaven and hell weren't even
ideas. The majority of ancient Filipinos believed that the physical and spiritual worlds coexisted side by
side and frequently interacted. Many local spirits or gods, who typically served as stewards of a particular
object, idea, or location, as well as the ghosts of departed family members, were given a great deal of
reverence. They believed that the circumstances they go through in their daily lives have a connection to
how they respect the spirits and supernatural entities, both good and bad, inhabited in our world. In
addition, these spirits are what they have known to be the anito or diwata which they believed to be good
and bad. The spirits of their relatives are known to be the good spirits, while the bad were believed to be
their enemies' spirits. Early Filipinos used to worship specific deities such as Bathala, a supreme god for
the Tagalog, and Laon or Abba for the Visayan. Aside from those supreme deities, they worship other
gods such as Idayanale, the god of agriculture, and Balangaw, the god of the rainbow. Meanwhile, others
also worship inanimate objects such as mountains, rivers, plants, trees, and animals as they believe it has
value in their lives.
Magic, chants, and prayers were frequently required and used throughout the pre-colonial era due
to the broad range of animistic traditions that occurred in different ethnic groups. The shamans, healers,
witches, warlocks, and babaylans were its practitioners, and they were both greatly revered and feared in
the community because they were responsible for maintaining the community's spiritual and traditional
life.
On the other hand, the way of living of the ancient Filipinos was progressive. Large swaths of
land were used for both farming and raising livestock in the ancient Philippines, which was primarily an
agricultural culture. They became food-self-sufficient as a result of this. Not only that, but they had a
wide variety of other occupations that helped them build an inclusive society. These jobs included those
in mining, navigation, hunting, manufacturing weapons, smithing, and even textiles. They were able to
use and trade a lot of the things they produced as a result. Due to this, they became one of the most
prosperous and highly trained pre-colonial communities ever.
Furthermore, since the pre-Hispanic era, our indigenous people have lived in Bahay Kubo or Nipa
Huts, which are native homes. This particular house style is still the one that is most associated with
Filipino culture. Bahay Kubo was made to withstand the regular tropical weather in the nation. At the
same time, the bahag, which is commonly referred to as a "G-string" in English, was the standard clothing
item for men throughout the majority of the Philippines. A bahag was literally a piece of cloth that was
four to five meters long and almost a meter wide in certain places. Women wore wrap-around or tube
skirts. In early Filipinos, both men and women had the choice of partial nudity. Men from the Visayas, in
particular, would have wanted to flaunt their hard-earned tattoos. On formal occasions, headdresses,
shirts, tunics, scarves, or ankle-length robes were worn, and both men and women wore various types of
skirts. Abaca, cotton, and silk were among the imported and local materials used to make clothing.
In conclusion, the pre-colonial period of the Philippines was a time of great cultural and
economic growth. This period saw various civilizations and cultures develop and create their own unique
ways of life. Trade flourished between neighboring islands and faraway lands, religious systems such as
Hinduism, Buddhism, and Islam were introduced, and advancements in technology, oracle practices,
clothing, and engineering flourished. This period was highly influential in developing the cultural identity
of the Filipino people, laying down the groundwork for the development of the nation through the
colonial period and beyond.

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The pre-colonial Philippines was a complex society with a rich history and cultural heritage.

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