Cultural achievements of pre-colonial Philippines

Main article: History of the Philippines (900–1521)

The cultural achievements of pre-colonial Philippines include those covered by the prehistory and the early history (900–1521) of the Philippines archipelago's inhabitants, the indigenous forebears of today's Filipino people. The classical belief systems of many ethnic peoples in the Philippines are centered on values with ingrained inclinations toward an egalitarian society, treating everything through respectful and just means. These values have originated, notably, in the indigenous Anitist religions of the archipelagic people. Among the cultural achievements of the native people's belief systems, and culture in general, that are notable in many ethnic societies, range from agriculture, societal and environmental concepts, spiritual beliefs, up to advances in technology, science, and the arts.

Summary of achievements

See also: Philippine mythology

The following are the notable achievements of the natives of the pre-colonial archipelago between the 16th century to the 9th century, and most likely even farther. Many of the achievements have been lost or retrofitted due to more than three centuries of colonial rule beginning in the middle of the 16th century and ending in the middle of the 20th century.

• Agricultural and aqua-cultural innovations, adaptations, and systems on a variety of landscapes and seascapes which are respectful of the natural world's ecological balance
• Development and expertise in indigenous martial arts, warfare, and the crafts used in them, and respecting the usage of the martial arts for protection of communities and subjugation of what are deemed as discriminatory and hateful
• High respect for the natural world, including the spiritual realms and its beings, which are all seen as part of all the affairs of every life on earth, thus envisioned as an interconnected web, where one action affects the other, whether directly or indirectly
• Development of an organized system of communities, with laws enacted to promote social welfare and to protect nature, the spirits, and the people
• Expansion of indigenous educational systems and writing systems through focusing on belief systems, epics, and other mediums that exhibit good values of an egalitarian society
• Sociable culture based on peace pacts, maritime and land journeys, communal gatherings, and respect towards ethnic differences
• Solving problems and wars through a variety of mediums such as divine intervention, sacred peace pacts, public consultations, and community interference
• Development of craft innovations used for non-agricultural and non-martial tasks such as textiles, pottery and ornaments, with respect to the sustainability of sources and the environment and its wildlife
• Development of indigenous culinary and healing arts, including medicinal practices and its associated objects and ingredients that were sustainably-sourced due to respectful cultures directed to the natural world
• Enhancement of the fine arts focusing on folk literature, calligraphy, performing arts, and craft arts, among many other forms, which highly contributed to the advancement and notice-ability of a variety of values such as wisdom, resiliency, creativity, and respect
• High respect for equal rights, notable in the matriarchal societies of pre-colonial ethnic groups, which includes the legality of divorce, equal stand on decision-making from any gender, retention of names after marriage whether women or men, marriage to any gender, equal suitability of any work for any gender, and equal respect for children and elders

Agriculture

The Banaue Rice Terraces are part of the rice terraces of the Philippine Cordilleras—ancient sprawling man-made structures, 2,000 to 6,000 years old—which are a UNESCO World Heritage Site

Early people of what is now the Philippines were skilled agriculturists. A report during the time of Governor Miguel López de Legazpi noted the great abundance of rice, fowl, and wine, as well as great numbers of carabaos, deer, wild boar, and goats in Luzon. In addition, there were also large quantities of cotton and colored clothes, wax, honey, and date palms produced by indigenous Filipinos.

In the Visayas—according to another early report—rice, cotton, swine, fowl, wax and honey were plentiful. Leyte was said to produce two rice crops a year, and the historian Pedro Chirino commented on the great rice and cotton harvests that were sufficient to feed and clothe the people.

Duck husbandry was also practiced by indigenous Filipinos, particularly those around Pateros and Taguig City. The practice resembled the Chinese methods of artificial incubation of eggs and the knowledge of every phase of a duck's life. This is still practiced today.

The Ifugaos of the region of the cordilleras built irrigation systems, dams, hydraulic works, and the famous Banaue rice terraces as part of their agriculture around 1000 BC.

Martial arts and weaponry

See also: Filipino martial arts and Warfare in pre-colonial Philippines

A recorded drawing of a folklore motif-based karakoa, a type of indigenous ship that was faster than Western-made galleons. The usage of karakoas declined due to Spanish persecution.

Metal casting, artillery, and other metal works have been traditions throughout the ancient Philippines. The smith, or panday piray, of Pampanga was skilled at making weapons, and many individuals with the surnames Viray and Piray are said to be descendants of members of the guild of smiths, who followed the tradition of the panday pira.

Ancient peoples used small arquebuses, or portable cannons made of bronze. Larger cannons, on the other hand, were made of iron and, resembling culverins, provided heavier firepower. The iron cannon at Rajah Sulaiman III's house was about 17 feet long, and it was made from clay and wax molds.

Guns were also locally manufactured and used by indigenous Filipinos. Among these guns was the lantaka, or swivel gun, which allowed the gunner to quickly track a moving target. Some of the weaponry used by indigenous Filipinos was considered less conventional. For instance, one weapon was the prototype of the modern-day yo-yo, returning to its owner after being flung at an opponent.

Swords were also part of Filipino weaponry. Making of swords involved elaborate rituals that were based mainly on the auspicious conjunctions of planets. The passage of the sword from the maker entailed a ceremony that was coupled with spiritual beliefs of the makers. The lowlanders of Luzon no longer use the bararao, while the Moros and animists of the South still continue the tradition of making kampilan and kris.

In addition to weaponry, indigenous Filipinos made armor for use in the battlefield and built reinforced fortresses called kota or moog to protect their communities. The Moros, in particular, had armor that covered the entire body from the top of the head to the toes. The Igorots built forts made of stone walls that averaged several meters in width and about two to three times the width in height around 2000 BC.

Education and writing

Laguna Copperplate Inscription (c. 900), a thin copperplate document measuring less than 8×12 inches in size, shows heavy Hindu-Malayan cultural influences present in the Philippines during the 10th century

See also: Ancient Philippine scripts and Enrique of Malacca

Prehistoric people devised and used their own system of writings from 300 BC, which derived from the Brahmic family of scripts of Ancient India. Baybayin became the most widespread of these derived scripts by the 11th century.

Early chroniclers, who came during the first Spanish expeditions to the islands noted the proficiency of some of the natives, especially the chieftain and local kings, in Sanskrit, Old Javanese, Old Malay, and several other languages.

Maritime culture and aquaculture

Native boats and outriggers as depicted in The history and conquest of the Philippines and our other island possessions; embracing our war with the Filipinos by Alden March, published in 1899. Caption (cropped out) read: "Boats of the upper type were used to land the U.S. troops at Manila. One of those in which the Astor Battery landed sank in the surf just before reaching shore. The natives carried the men ashore on their shoulders. The lower boat is a fisherman's craft used by the Negritos, who shoot fish in the clear water with bows and arrows."

Indigenous people of the Philippines, being descendants of the balangay-borne Austronesian migrants from Maritime Southeast Asia, were known for their navigational skills. Some of them used compasses similar to those used among maritime communities of Borneo and traders of China, although most had no need for such devices. In modern times, some fishermen and traders in the Visayas, Mindanao, Sulu and Palawan are still able to navigate long distances over open water without the use of modern navigational instruments. Philippine ships, such as the karakao or korkoa were of excellent quality and some of them were used by the Spaniards in expeditions against rebellious tribes and Dutch and British forces. Some of the larger rowed vessels held up to a hundred rowers on each side besides a contingent of armed troops. Generally, the larger vessels held at least one lantaka at the front of the vessel or another one placed at the stern. Philippine sailing ships called praos had double sails that seemed to rise well over a hundred feet from the surface of the water. Despite their large size, these ships had double outriggers. Some of the larger sailing ships, however, did not have outriggers.

Communities of the ancient Philippines were active in international trade, and they used the ocean as natural highways. Ancient peoples were engaged in long-range trading with their Asian neighbors as far as west as Maldives and as far as north as Japan. Some historians proposed that they also had regular contacts with the people of Western Micronesia due to it being the only area in the Oceania that had rice crops, tuba (fermented coconut sap), and a tradition of betel nut chewing when the first Europeans arrived there. The uncanny resemblance of complex body tattoos among the Visayans and those of Borneo also suggest some connection between Borneo and ancient Philippines. Magellan's chronicler, Antonio Pigafetta, mentioned that merchants and ambassadors from all surrounding areas came to pay tribute to the king of Sugbu (Cebu) for the purpose of trade. While Magellan's crew were with the king, a representative from Siam was paying tribute to the king. Miguel López de Legazpi also wrote how merchants from Luzon and Mindoro had come to Cebu for trade, and he also mentioned how Chinese merchants regularly came to Luzon for the same purpose. People from the region enjoyed extensive trade contacts and immigration with other cultures, such as Indians, Arabs, Koreans, Japanese, Vietnamese, Cambodians, Thais, Malaysians, and Indonesians.

Aside from trade relations, indigenous Filipinos were also involved in aquaculture and fishing. The natives made use of the salambao, which is a type of raft that utilizes a large fishing net which is lowered into the water via a type of lever made of two criss-crossed poles. Night fishing was accomplished with the help of candles made from a particular type of resin similar to the copal of Mexico. Use of safe pens for incubation and protection of small fry from predators was also observed, a method that interested the Spaniards at that time.

Mining and Adornment

Mining in the Philippines began around 1000 BC. Early Filipinos worked in various mines containing gold, silver, copper and iron. Jewels, gold ingots, chains, calombigas and earrings were handed down from their ancestors and passed from generation to generation. Gold dagger handles, gold dishes, tooth plating, and huge gold ornaments were also used. Death masks made of gold dating back to precolonial times have also been discovered in the Philippines. In Laszlo Legeza's "Tantric elements in pre-Hispanic Philippines Gold Art", it is mentioned that gold jewelry of Filipino origin was found in Ancient Egypt. According to Antonio Pigafetta, the people of Mindoro were skilled in mixing gold with other metals, giving it a natural appearance that often deceived even skilled silversmiths. Indigenous Filipinos were also known for the jewelry made of other precious stones such as carnelian, agate and pearl. Some notable examples of Filipino jewelry include necklaces, belts, armlets and rings placed around the waist.

Pottery

See also: Tapayan

The ancient people of the Philippines had a rich tradition of pottery as verified by the finds at Ayub Cave in South Cotabato and other parts of the islands. Japanese texts mentioned trading expeditions to the island of Rusun (Luzon) for the highly prized Rusun and Namban jars of the area. Japanese texts were very specific about these jars being made in Luzon. The Tokiko, for example, referred to the Rusun and Namban jars as Ru-sun tsukuru or Lu-sung ch'i (in Chinese), which mean simply "made in Luzon." These Rusun jars, which had rokuru (wheel mark), were said to be more precious than gold because of their ability to act as tea canisters and enhance the fermentation process.

Gender Equality

Itneg potters, the person on the right is a mandadawak (Itneg shaman) wearing women's clothes. Feminized male shamans, referred in general as bayok, are common in indigenous religions in the Philippines, especially prior to Western colonization and imperialism. (c. 1922)

The precolonial people of the Philippines have been noted for revering women and feminized men. Women and men enjoyed the same rights and privileges. Additionally, virginity was not an issue and children and elders were given the same respect, as children were also noted as capable of things that an elder can do if given the proper training. Unwed mothers or fathers were not shamed, as many of their gods and goddesses were the same. Divorce was also practiced, and was highly accepted by the common folk, the nobles, and the shamans.

After marriage, women did not lose their name. In fact, if a woman was especially distinguished, either from her own merit or her family's merit, her husband usually took her name as she was seen as far superior to her husband. During this time, women and feminized men were also given high distinction as many of which took on the role of shamans (such as babaylans), who also took on the role as interim head of the domain every time a datu is absent or goes into a journey. Feminized men were also allowed to marry their male partners, and women were also allowed to marry their female partners, the same as any person within precolonial society, thus an early notion of marriage equality, although such distinction of marriage was never made as the unity was simply termed as marriage, as same-sex marriage and heterosexual marriages were viewed as equally the same thing.

When the Spaniards came and started colonizing the Philippine islands in 1521, the colonialists and friars were shocked in the perspective of the natives towards women, feminized men, marriage, divorce, and virginity. The Spaniards acknowledged the "superior quality of the indigenous"; however, they also sought out to remold many precolonial concepts of equality, which led to much colonially-imposed hate crimes, discrimination, and gender inequality in the Philippines.

Effects of colonization

Despite the progressive stature of the ethnic people's cultural achievements, based on values from belief systems, many of these achievements were destroyed upon the imposition of Spanish colonialism from the 16th to 19th centuries. The purge on indigenous belief systems and their achievements was later continued by the Americans in the early 20th century. Within that colonial time frame, many values were replaced by colonially-imposed toxic masculinity, notions that a woman must be "quiet and submissive towards men" locally labelled as the Maria Clara complex, inferiority complex among the commonfolk and children and superiority complex among the elites and perceived adults, backward notions on marriage and virginity, backward notions on divorce and women's rights, religious Christian fanaticism, and disregard for the natural world and its wildlife.

Today, many of the cultural achievements and values of the native people, based on non-colonial belief systems, have been fragmented, but are gradually being revived by more modern generations. Due to progressive waves of social reforms globally, many of the native people's non-colonial achievements based on belief systems have even been falsely branded as "Western notions" such as 'equality for all', when in fact, these beliefs systems have been known to the native people prior to colonization, as far back as the 15th century, and possibly even farther than 900 AD – centuries older than today's "progressive Western notions" – as complex organizations have already developed prior to 900 AD.

Later achievements

Additional cultural achievements of indigenous belief systems that have sprang through practices and patronizations of the ancient times made by modern generations in the late 20th century and early 21st century are as follow:

• Enhancement of content, depth, and character of Philippine culture and fine arts, notably in literature, suyat calligraphy, visual arts, film, performing arts, architecture, fashion, interior design, weaving arts, pottery arts, and theater, among many other art forms
• Concretization of a sense of nationhood, while respecting the different cultural aspects of each ethnic group and their respective cultures and belief systems, including the beliefs on the natural world and its spiritual realms
• Strengthened the Philippine pursuit of equality for all in every facet of society, ranging from women's rights, indigenous rights, LGBT rights, student rights, and the rights of other sectors that have been negatively affected by colonially-imposed and colonially-inspired hateful and bigoted cultures

External links

• Ancient Philippine Civilization tabacofamily.com
• Austronesian migration waves and expansion in the Asia-Pacific writingthirty.blogspot.com
• Burial coffins and Grave furnitures cebu-online.com
• Pre-historic Neolithic Iron Age Culture cebu-online.com
• "The Philippines: Then and Now". Archived from the original on 6 December 2006.
• "Timeline of the history of the Philippines: A Victoria student project". New Zealand: Victoria University of Wellington. Archived from the original on 11 April 2014.