THE PHILIPPINES IN

Ancient Times

Presented by: Syntyche Gail Carredo

Topics
EARLY SETTLERS
ECONOMIC LIFE
SOCIAL LIFE
THE GOVERNMENT
CULTURE
(200,000 B.C. – 1300 PHILIPPINES Lack of knowledge of
A.D.) our ancestry led to
emotions of inferiority

had a unique culture that

was comparable with dependence on outside
those of Southeast Asian influences as sources of
and other Asian our identity as a people
civilizations.
 both material and PHILIPPINES
nonmaterial shows that the nonmaterial
ancient Filipinos were a (language, literature,
productive and creative arts, and belief system)
people.

material already civilized

(economic, social, and people before coming
political structures) into contact with the
West.
Early Settlers
According to prehistoric Philippine theories, human
evolution may have taken place on the islands of
Southeast Asia and the Philippines between 200,000
and 30,000 years ago.

The first people in the Philippines were hunter-

gatherers.
The earliest stone tools and animal fossils found
dated back to at least 200,000 years ago
called Cagayan Man or homo erectus
philippinensis
Early Settlers
In 1962, a skull cap of man was discovered in the
Tabon caves of Palawan.
From this skull, archeologists learned that man
had been in the Philippines for at least 22,000
years.

They wore clothing made from materials that

they got from nature
people learned to farm
practiced dry agriculture similar to the kaingin
system
Tools were made out of stones
Life in Philippines before Spanish regime
Early Settlers
The early Filipinos were skilled in producing
copper and bronze tools around 500–800 B.C.
They created the first rice terraces in the
Philippines by irrigating their rice fields.

From the 10th AD century Filipinos traded

with China and by the 12th Century AD
Arab merchants reached the Philippines and
they introduced Islam.
Economic Life
Economic life in the early Philippines
consisted mainly of farming, fishing,
raising pigs and chickens, gold mine,
and trade.
Economic Life
The ancient Filipinos practiced agriculture,
which was the main source of their
sustenance such as:

Rice, coconut, sugar cane, cotton, banana,

hemp, orange, and many kinds of fruits and
vegetables were raised
Economic Life
Land cultivation was done in two ways: the
kaingin system and tillage.

Kaingin system- the land was cleared land

was then planted to crops.
Tillage system- the land was plowed and
harrowed, then followed by planting.
Kaingin System
Tillage System
Economic Life
Fishing was a common industry because
most of the settlements were along the
river and seas.

Methods of catching fish used:

use of nets, bow and arrow, lance or
spear, the wicker basket, hook and line,
corrals, and fish poison
Economic Life
Filipinos engaged in industries such as:
poultry and livestock raising, logging,
pottery, and weaving.

Also domesticated chickens, native ponies,

carabaos, pigs, and goats.
Economic Life
Mining was also another important industry
before the coming of the Spaniards.

Miguel Lopez de legazpi reported to the

victory of Mexico that there was “more or
less gold in all these islands; is obtained
from rivers and, in some places, from mines
which the natives work.”
Economic Life
Shipbuilding and logging were also thriving
industries since Filipinos were proficient in
building ocean going vessels.
Spaniards later classified these boats into
banca, lapis, caracoa, virey, prau, and
vinta.
carried products between Manila in Luzon
and Cebu in Visayas and as far as Butuan
and the rest of Mindanao.
Economic Life
Goods were bought and sold, through the
barter system called baligya.
Social Life
The ancient Filipinos were divided into social
classes. These were the:

Nobles
Freemen
Dependants (slaves)
Social Life
Nobles
composed of the chiefs and their families,
were the early society’s upper class. They
were highly respected in their community.

In the Tagalog region, the nobles usually

carried the title of Gat or Lakan
Social Life
Freeman
regarded as the society’s middle class
during the ancient period of Philippine
history

They belonged to the lower nobility class

similar to the Timawa of the Visayan
people.
Social Life
Dependants (slaves)
the members of the lowest class were the
dependents called alipin among the
ancient tagalogs.

Low social standing was brought on by

being taken prisoner in combat, failing to
pay a debt, by inheritance, by purchase, or
being found guilty of a crime.
Social Life
The dependents were classified into aliping
namamahay and aliping sagigilid.

Namamahay - had a home of his own and

a family. Provided service to his owners by
planting and harvesting crops, rowing their
boat, and aiding in the building of their
home.
Social Life
The dependents were classified into aliping
namamahay and aliping sagigilid.

Sagigilid - did not own a home; shared a

home with his master and was unable to
get married without his permission.
Social Life
WOMEN'S POSITION IN SOCIETY
Before the Spanish arrived, Filipino women had
a high position in society. They could:
own and inherit property and sell it
engage in trade and industry
succeed to chieftainship of her community
or barangay in the absence of a male heir.
Social Life
WOMEN'S POSITION IN SOCIETY
Men treated women with respect.
In to show their respect, men typically
walked behind them when they were with
them.
Not only was this done out of respect for
the women, but also served to shield them
from any potential harm coming from behind.
 Social Life
MARRIAGE CUSTOMS Exceptions:

In most cases, a woman when a man showed

of one class married into bravery and courage
the same class. in battle
when he had become
Noble - noble powerful enough to
Freeman - freeman lead the people of his
low class - low class community.
 Social Life
MIXED MARRIAGES Example:
dependent(woman) - freeman(man)
marriages between a
man and a woman result in the division of
belonging to different their children into two
social classes, were not classes.
common the 1st, 3rd, 5th, 7th,
and so on, belonged to
father’s class
 The Government
Barangay - was the basic unit of government.
It consisted of 30 to 100 families.

The Tagalog word “barangay” was derived from the

Austronesian balangay, a boat which transported the
Austronesian immigrants to the Philippines.
 The Government
Each barangay was independent and was ruled by a
chieftain
The subjects supported their chieftain during conflicts
with neighboring barangays and assisted in cultivating
and sowing the land.
The chieftain was powerful and exercised the power of
the executive, the legislative, and the judiciary. In
war, he was the supreme commander.
 The Government
Sometimes, alliances were concluded between
barangays for mutual protection against a common
enemy.

An alliance was sealed through a ritual called

Sanduguan or blood compact.
 The Government
This involved taking blood samples from each party's arms,
combining the blood samples with a cup of wine, and
drinking the resulting mixture. The parties to the agreement
became "blood-brothers" after consuming each other's
blood.
 The Government
HOW A LAW WAS MADE?

The laws of a barangay were created by the chieftain.

He asked the council of elders for advice whenever he had a
law in mind.
The chieftain instructed Umalohokan, a town crier, to inform
the population if the elders had approved the law.
 The Government
DECIDING CASES

In the past, most disagreements were resolved peacefully.

The barangay elders served as members of the "JURY" in the
court of justice, which was chaired over by the chieftain.
If conflicts arose between members of different barangays,
the differences were resolved by arbitration.
 The Government
DECIDING CASES
The case's trial was often open to the public. Both the
accuser and the accused stood in front of their respective
witnesses.
Often, the witnesses swore an oath to attest to their
honesty. The oath was expressed in phrases like, "May the
crocodile devour me if I tell a lie," "May I die here and now if
I do not tell the truth," and so on.
 The Government
DECIDING CASES
Typically, the man with the most witnesses was declared the
winner.
If the defeated person disagreed with the chieftain's
judgment, the latter openly supported the winner and forced
the loser to accept it. The loser is left with no choice but to
accept the chieftain's judgment.
 The Government
THE TRIAL BY ORDEAL
Ancient Filipinos were not the only ones to undergo an
ordeal-based trial. It was also done in Europe to determine
who of the disputants was right or telling the truth. Trial by
ordeal in the Philippines involved ordering the suspects to
put their hands in a pot of boiling water in the event of a
theft. The suspect with the most severely burned hand
received the guilty verdict.
 The Government
THE TRIAL BY ORDEAL
Another type of trial by ordeal involved commanding the
accused to use their lances to jump into a deep river. It
was decided that the person who surfaces first is guilty.

Another from was ordering the suspects to chew

uncooked rice. The one whose saliva was thickest was the
culprit.
 Culture
CLOTHING

When the first Spaniards came to the Philippines in 1521, they

found the early Filipinos with a culture that was different from
their own.

Among the ancient Filipinos, the male clothing consisted of the

upper and lower parts. The upper part was jacket with short
sleeves called Kangan, the color of the jacket indicated the
rank of the wearer: the chief wore a red jacket, while those
lower in rank wore either black or blue.
 Culture
CLOTHING

The lower part of clothing was called Bahag, which consisted

of a cloth wound about the waist, passing down between the
thighs.
 Culture
CLOTHING

The women were usually naked form the waist up. They wore a
Saya or skirt. Among the Visayans, this lower part was called
Patadyong.
A piece of white or red cloth, called Tapis, was usually
wrapped around the waist or the chest.
 Culture
CLOTHING

The ancient Filipinos had no shoes. They walked about

barefooted.

Men usually wore a headgear called Putong, a piece of cloth

wrapped around the head. The color of the putong showed the
number of persons the wearer had killed. Thus, a man wearing
a red putong had killed at least one man, and the one wearing
an embroided putong had killed at least seven men.
 Culture
ORNAMENTS

The ancient Filipinos wore ornaments made of gold and precious

stone.
Women as well as men wore armlet called kalumbig, pendants,
gold rings, earrings, leglets, and bracelets.
Gold was common, so the ancient Filipinos used it not only in
making rings, armlet, and bracelets, but also as fillings in
between the teeth.

The body as also adorned by tattooing including the face.

 Culture
ORNAMENTS

According to the first Spaniards missionaries who wrote about

the ancient Filipinos, the Visayans were the most tattooed
people of the Philippines.

For this reason, the Spanish missionaries called the visayans,

Pintados or painted people.
 Culture
THE HOUSES

The ancient house was built of bamboo, wood and nipa palm.
This kind of house was (and is) suited to the tropical climate of
the country.
The house was set on stakes called haligi, which were made of
bamboo. This held the house above the ground.
What is called the sala now was used not only as an area for
receiving visitors, but also as a place to sleep in, a small room
near the sala, called silid, was a place where mats, pillows, and
baskets of rice were kept.
 Culture
EDUCATION & SYSTEM OF WRITING

There were no formal schools but children of school age were

taught in their own homes by their mother who their first
teachers.
Based on the testimony of the Spanish Jesuit missionary, father
Pedro Chirino, there was hardly a man or woman who did not
know how to read and write.
Ancient Filipinos were generally literate.
 Culture
EDUCATION & SYSTEM OF WRITING

Our ancestor possessed a system of writing or alphabet called

a syllabary, baybayin or alibata where every letter is
pronounced as a syllable.
consisted of seventeen symbols, three of which are vowels
(patinig) and fourteen are consonants (katinig).
Early Filipinos wrote on large leaves of plants and trees, and
sometimes on barks of trees and bamboo tubes.
Used the colored saps, of trees as ink, while they used pointed
stick or iron as pencil.
 Culture
EARLY LITERATURE

Ancient Filipinos had a literature that may be

classified into written and oral.
Among the Tagalog, the oral literature
consisted of sabi (maxims), bugtong
(riddles), talindaw (boatsong), tagumpay
(victory songs) and many others.
 Culture
EARLY LITERATURE

In 19th century, kumintang became a love

song.
During the revolution it disappeared and was
replaced by the kundiman.
 Culture
EARLY LITERATURE

Early Filipinos had also written literature.

Ifugaos of Northern Luzon, for example, had
epics which were originally recited but later on
written down.
Their epics are the Hudhud and the Alim.
 Culture
EARLY LITERATURE

Hudhud glorifies ifugao history and its hero,

Aliguyon.
Alim tells the story of god that resemble the
Indian gods in the epic Ramayana.
 Culture
MUSIC AND DANCE

Filipinos are considered born musicians because

many of them play two or more musical
instruments.
Natives of Sugbu (Cebu) played such musical
instruments such as the timbal, the cymbal, the
drum, and other instruments, most of which were
made of wood or bamboo.
 Culture
MUSIC AND DANCE
An officer to the Spanish explorer Villabosvisited
Samar in 1543 and observed locals playing a
stringed instrument known as the Kudyapi.

Among the Negritos of Zambales and Bataan, the

favorite musical instruments were the kulibaw,
which resembled the Jew's harp and was made of
bamboo, the bansic, a short bamboo flute, and
the gangsa, a type of guitar.
 Culture
MUSIC AND DANCE
Negritos performed their potato dance in which a
man was represented as a thief stealing sweet
potatoes in the farm.
They had also the torture dance which
commemorated the capture of an enemy;
the duel dance which represented a duel
between two warriors; and
the lovers dance in which a man danced around a
woman to show his love for her.
 Culture
THE ARTS

The earliest Filipino works of art may be seen in

their tools and weapons.
Tools and weapons were at first rough, but as
time went on, the Filipinos began to polish them.
Beads, amulets, bracelets, and other ornaments
were used to improve their appearance.
 Culture
THE ARTS

With the introduction of bronze, certain

instrument were manufactured like bronze gongs,
bells, and even drums. This indicates that the
social arts such as dance and music were already
developed in ancient times.
Muslims art, in particular, deals with plant and
geometrical designs, while Ifugao art deals with
animal and human representations.
 Culture
RELIGIOUS BELIEFS

The prehistoric Filipinos believed that the soul was

immortal.
They believed in one supreme being they called
bathalang may kapal or simply bathala.
Also worshipped minor deities whose function
were closely related to the daily life of the people
 Culture
RELIGIOUS BELIEFS

the god of agriculture was called Idiyanale; the

god of death, Sidapa; the god of fire, Agni; the
god of raindow, Balangaw; the god of war,
Mandarangan; the goddess of harvest, Lalahon;
the god of hell; Siginarungan and other gods of
goddesses.
 Culture
RELIGIOUS BELIEFS

The soul-spirits called anito were venerated.

Called the “cult of the dead” the memory of dead
relatives was kept alive by carving images made
of gold, stone, and ivory.
The image was called larawan or likha among the
Tagalogs, diwata among the visayans, and bulol
among the Ifugaos.
 Culture
RELIGIOUS BELIEFS

People offered prayers and sacrifices to these

images or symbols in order to win their sympathy.
Not all anitos were good; some were bad.
Whether good or bad, people prayed to it and
offered various sacrifices to win its goodwill if it
were good and to placate its anger, if it were bad.
 Culture
BURIAL

Ancient Filipinos believed in the life hereafter and

the relationship between the living and the dead,
which made them respect the memory of the
dead.
When a relative died, he/she was placed in a
coffin and burial under his/her blouse. The living
relatives placed his/her cloth and other valuables
in the coffin.
 Culture
BURIAL

Mourning for a woman was distinguished from

that of a man such that the former was called
morotal laraw.
When his death had been announced, all quarrels,
and even petty wars, were stopped.
Spears were carried with the tips pointing
downwards; the wearing of “loud” clothes was
also prohibited.
Thank you
for listening!