Pre-Colonial Literature

 The literature of a formative past by the various groups of people who inhabited the
archipelago
 A literature of varying human interest
 Close to the religious and political organizations of the ancient Filipinos
 The verses were addressed to the ears rather than the eyes

 Verses composed and sung were regarded as group property

Versification:
 Octosyllabic
 Legendary and religious poems
Dodecasyllabic
 Romance
Examples of Ancient Filipino Poetry
 Dalawang Balon
Hindi Malingon
 Sa araw ay Bunbong
Sa gabi ay dahoon
 Sang dalagang marikit
Nakaupo sa tinik
 Kung bayaa’y nabubuhay
Kung himasi’y namamatay
1. Riddles (bugtong)
 Made up of one or more measured lines with rhymes and may consist of 4 to 12
syllables
 Showcase the Filipino wit, literary talent, and keen observation of the surroundings
 Involves reference to one or two images that symbolize the characteristics of an
unknown object that is to be guessed
2. Purpose of Bugtong
 To entertain. Living in remote areas, before the advent of electricity, families would sit
around the fire and the elders would quiz the younger generation with riddles.
 To educate. Riddles serve the function of passing down knowledge from one generation
to the next. They require thinking in order to solve them.
 To titillate. Many old Filipino riddles contain double entendres that were intended to
amuse the men and shock the women.
 To curse, without expressly cursing. A riddle could be made up against an enemy, rival
town, or suitor.
 To preserve the culture. Riddles communicate the old ways from one generation to the
next.
3. Salawikain and Sawikain (Epigrams/maxims/proverbs)
 Short poems that have been customarily been used and served as laws or rules on good
behavior by our ancestors
 Allegories or parables that impart lessons for the young
 Often expressing a single idea, that is usually satirical and had a witty ending
Maxims-rhyming couplets (5,6,8 syllables)
 Example of salawikain
Ang matapat na kaibigan, tunay na maaasahan. - - -You will know a true friend in time of
need.
Example of Sawikain
kumukulo ang dugo
"blood is boiling" = is very angry
isulat sa tubig
"write on water" = forget about it
Example of Maxims
Pag hindi ukol,
Hindi bubukol.
-means
What is not intended for one will not bear fruit.
4.Bulong or Chants
 Used in witchcraft or enchantments
Example:
Sa hinaba-haba ng prusisyon
Sa simbahan din pala ang tuloy
Hele hele
Bago kyeme
Example:
Tabi, tabi po, Ingkong
Makikiraan po lamang.
4. Kasabihan (Sayings)
 Used in teasing or to comment on a persons’ acutations
“Catitibay ca tolos
Sacaling datnang agos
Aco’ I momonting lomot
Sa iyo’ I popolopot”
Nag-almusal mag-isa
Kaning lamig, tinapa; Nahulog ang kutsara
Ikaw na sana, sinta
5. Tanaga
 A quatrain with seven syllables each with the same rhyme at the end of each line
 No title
7-7-7-7
AABB
Ex. “Tahak ng tingin, tulak ng sulyap, yakap, lapat ng titig sa balikat. hatak pa, kindat, hakat”
6. Ambahan
 traditional poetry of the Hanunoo Mangyans of Oriental Mindoro which is normally
inscribed on bamboo using a pre-Colonial syllabic writing system called the Surat
Mangyan .
 seven-syllable metric lines
 can be composed of more than four lines
 usually chanted
 teaches lessons about life
 recited by parents to educate their children, by the youth to express their love, by
the old to impart experiences, or by the community in tribal ceremonies
 on some occasions like burial rites, the ambahan is used for entertainment

Sugot nga maaw kunman

 Tangdayan no ma-amban
Sabungan no manuywan
Impad las yami daywan Hanggan buhok timbangan
Hanggan sa balod pangdan
Bugkat di way yamungan
Bilang dayi bunlagan
No kang tinaginduman
Kang magpahalimbaw-an
Ga bugtong ti bilugan

(Isn't this the truth with all:

If the wife is good and kind,
the husband reasonable,
you have always friends around,
like long hair drooping so nice.
Till the final burial mount,
you'll be sleeping on one mat.
You don't want to separate
Putting down my thoughts like this:
An example very clear,
being TWO, you're only ONE.)
7. Myths
 derived from Philippine folk literature, which is the traditional oral literature of the Filipino
people. This refers to a wide range of material due to the ethnic mix of the Philippines
 There are many different creation myths in Philippine mythology, originating from various
ethnic groups.
Examples:
Story of Bathala
Visayan version
The legend of Maria Makiling

Presence of different deities

Ex. Bathala
Lakambakod
Mythical creatures
Aswang
Dila
Diwata
Dwende
Tikbalang
Mankukulam
Ancient Metrical Tales
Ifugao – Hudhud hi Aliguyon
Ilocos – Biagni Lam-ang
Bicol - Ibalon
Mindanao – Darangan
Panay – Hinilawod
Bagobo - Tuwaang
Kalinga – Ulaliim
Manobo – Agyu or Olahing
Subanon – Sandayo
 Aliguyon
 the exploits of Aliguyon as he battles his arch-enemy, Pambukhayon
Biagni Lam-Ang
 tells of the adventuresvof Lam-Ang who exhibits extraordinary powers at a very early age.
Ibalon
 the story of three Bicol heroes: Baltog, Handiong, Bantiong
Hinilawod
 oldest and longest epic poem in Panay the exploits of three Sulodnon demigod brothers,
LabawDonggon, Humadapnon and Dumalapdap of ancient Panay
8. Folk Songs
 a form of folk lyric which expresses the people’s hopes, aspirations, and lifestyles
repetitive and
 sonorous, didactic and naïve
 traditional songs and melodies
 inspired by the reaction of the people to their environment
uyayi – lullaby
komintang – war song
kundiman – melancholic love song
harana – serenade
tagay – drinking song
mambayu – Kalinga rice-pounding song
subli – dance-ritual song of courtship /marriage
Tagulaylay- songs of the dead