PRE-COLONIAL PERIOD

Filipinos often lose sight of the fact that the first period of the Philippine literary history is the
longest. Certain events from the nation’s history had forced lowland Filipinos to begin counting the
years of history from 1521, the first time written records by Westerners referred to the archipelago
later to be called “Las Islas Filipinas”. However, the discovery of the “Tabon Man” in a cave in Palawan
in 1962, has allowed us to stretch our prehistory as far as 50,000 years back. The stages of that
prehistory show how the early Filipinos grew in control over their environment. Through the
researches and writings about Philippine history, much can be reliably inferred about precolonial
Philippine literature from an analysis of collected oral lore of Filipinos whose ancestors were able to
preserve their indigenous culture by living beyond the reach of Spanish colonial administrators.

The oral literature of the precolonial Filipinos bore the marks of the community. The subject was
invariably the common experience of the people constituting the village-food-gathering, creature and
objects of nature, work in the home, field, forest or sea, caring for children, etc. This is evident in the
most common forms of oral literature like the riddle, the proverbs and the song, which always seem
to assume that the audience is familiar with the situations, activities and objects mentioned in the
course of expressing a thought or emotion. The language of oral literature, unless the piece was part
of the cultural heritage of the community like the epic, was the language of daily life. At this phase of
literary development, any member of the community was a potential poet, singer or storyteller as
long as he knew the language and had been attentive to the conventions of the forms.

Thousands of maxims, proverbs, epigrams, and the like have been listed by many different collectors
and researchers from many dialects. Majority of these reclaimed from oblivion come from the
Tagalogs, Cebuano, and Ilocano dialects. And the bulk are rhyming couplets with verses of five, six
seven, or eight syllables, each line of the couplet having the same number of syllables. The rhyming
practice is still the same as today in the three dialects mentioned. A good number of the proverbs is
conjectured as part of longer poems with stanza divisions, but only the lines expressive of a
philosophy have remained remembered in the oral tradition. Classified with the maxims and proverbs
are allegorical stanzas which abounded in all local literature. They contain homilies, didactic material,
and expressions of homespun philosophy, making them often quoted by elders and headmen in talking
to inferiors. They are rich in similes and metaphors. These one stanza poems were called Tanagra and
consisted usually of four lines with seven syllables, all lines rhyming.
The most appreciated riddles of ancient Philippines are those that are rhymed and having equal
number of syllables in each line, making them classifiable under the early poetry of this country.
Riddles were existent in all languages and dialects of the ancestors of the Filipinos and cover
practically all of the experiences of life in these times.

Almost all the important events in the life of the ancient peoples of this country were connected with
some religious observance and the rites and ceremonies always some poetry recited, chanted, or
sung. The lyrics of religious songs may of course be classified as poetry also, although the rhythm
and the rhyme may not be the same.

Drama as a literary from had not yet begun to evolve among the early Filipinos. Philippine theater at
this stage consisted largely in its simplest form, of mimetic dances imitating natural cycles and work
activities. At its most sophisticated, theater consisted of religious rituals presided over by a priest or
priestess and participated in by the community. The dances and ritual suggest that indigenous drama
had begun to evolve from attempts to control the environment. Philippine drama would have taken the
form of the dance-drama found in other Asian countries.

Prose narratives in prehistoric Philippines consisted largely or myths, hero tales, fables and legends.
Their function was to explain natural phenomena, past events, and contemporary beliefs in order to
make the environment less fearsome by making it more comprehensible and, in more instances, to
make idle hours less tedious by filling them with humor and fantasy. There is a great wealth of
mythical and legendary lore that belongs to this period, but preserved mostly by word of mouth, with
few written down by interested parties who happen upon them.

The most significant pieces of oral literature that may safely be presumed to have originated in
prehistoric times are folk epics. Epic poems of great proportions and lengths abounded in all regions
of the islands, each tribe usually having at least one and some tribes possessing traditionally around
five or six popular ones with minor epics of unknown number.

Filipinos had a culture that linked them with the Malays in the Southeast Asia, a culture with traces of
Indian, Arabic, and, possibly Chinese influences. Their epics, songs, short poems, tales, dances and
rituals gave them a native Asian perspective which served as a filtering device for the Western
culture that the colonizers brought over from Europe.
10 Reasons Why Life Was Better In Pre-Colonial Philippines

 Women enjoyed equal status with men.
 Society was more tolerant in pre-
colonial Philippines.
 The people enjoyed a higher form of
government.
 We were self-sufficient.
 We had smoother foreign relations.
 Our forefathers in the pre-colonial
Philippines already possessed a
working judicial and legislative system.
 They had the know-how to make
advanced weapons.
 Several professions already existed.
 The literacy rate was high.
 We already had an advanced
civilization.

Women enjoyed equal status with men.

During this time, people also traced their heritage to both their father and mother. In fact, it
could be said that pre-colonial Philippines was largely matriarchal, with the opinions of
women holding great weight in matters of politics and religion (they also headed the rituals as
the babaylans)
As a show of respect, men were even required to walk behind their wives. This largely
progressive society that elevated women to such a high pedestal took a serious blow when
the Spanish came. Eager to impose their patriarchal system, the Spanish relegated women to
the homes, demonized the babaylans as satanic, and ingrained into our forefathers’ heads
that women should be like Maria Clara—demure, self-effacing, and powerless.
Society was more tolerant in pre-colonial Philippines.

While it could be said that our modern society is one of the most tolerant in the world, we owe
our open-mindedness not to the Americans and certainly not to the Spanish, but to the
precolonial Filipinos.

Aside from allowing divorce, women back then also had a say in how many children they
wanted. Sexuality was not as suppressed, and no premium was given to virginity before
marriage. Although polygamy was practiced, men were expected to do so only if they could
support and love each of his wives equally. Homosexuals were also largely tolerated, seeing
as how some of the babaylans were actually men in drag.

Surprisingly, with the amount of sexual freedom, no prostitution existed during the pre-
colonial days. In fact, some literature suggests that the American period—which heavily
emphasized capitalism and profiteering—introduced prostitution into the country on a
massive scale.
We were self-sufficient

In terms of food, our forefathers did not suffer from any lack thereof. Blessed with such a
resource-rich country, they had enough for themselves and their families.
Forests, rivers, and seas yielded plentiful supplies of meat, fish, and other foodstuffs. Later
on, their diet became more varied especially when they learned to till the land using farming
techniques that were quite advanced for their time. The Banaue Rice Terraces is one such
proof of our ancestors’ ingenuity.

What’s more, they already had an advanced concept of agrarian equity. Men and women
equally worked in the fields, and anyone could till public lands free of charge. Also, since they
had little-to-no concept of exploitation for profit, our ancestors generally took care of the
environment well.

Such was the abundance of foodstuffs that Miguel Lopez de Legaspi, the most-successful
Spanish colonizer of the islands, was said to have reported the “abundance of rice, fowls, and
wine, as well as great numbers of buffaloes, deer, wild boar and goats” when he first arrived
in Luzon.
We had smoother foreign relations

We’ve all been taught that before the Spanish galleon trade, the pre-colonial Filipinos had
already established trading and diplomatic relations with countries as far away as the Middle
East.

In lieu of cash, our ancestors exchanged precious minerals, manufactured goods, etc. with
Arabs, Indians, Chinese, and several other nationalities. During this time period, many
foreigners permanently settled here after marvelling at the beauty of the country and its
people.

Out of the foreigners, it was the Chinese who were amazed at the pre-colonial Filipinos the
most, especially when it came to their extraordinary honesty. Chinese traders often wrote
about the Filipinos’ sincerity and said they were one of their most trusted clientele since they
did not steal their goods and always paid their debts.

In fact, some Chinese—out of confidence—were known to simply leave their items on the
beaches to be picked up by the Filipinos and traded inland. When they returned, the Filipinos
would give them back their bartered items without anything missing.
Our forefathers in the pre-colonial Philippines already possessed a working judicial
and legislative system.
Although not as advanced (or as complicated) as our own today, the fact that our ancestors
already possessed a working judicial and legislative system just goes to show that they were
well-versed in the concept of justice.

Life in pre-colonial Philippines was governed by a set of statutes, both unwritten and written,
and contained provisions with regards to civil and criminal laws. Usually, it was the datu and
the village elders who promulgated such laws, which were then announced and explained to
the people by a town crier called the umalohokan.
.
The Datu and the elders also acted as de facto courts in case of disputes between individuals
of their village. In case of inter-barangay disputes, a local board composed of elders from
different barangays would usually act as an arbiter.

Penalties for anyone found guilty of a crime include censures, fines, imprisonment and death.
Tortures and trials by ordeal during this time were also common. Like we’ve said, the system
was not perfect, but it worked.
They had the know-how to make advanced weapons.

A lantakan or (rentaka in Malay), a type of bronze cannon mounted on merchant vessels

travelling the waterways of the Malay Archipelago. Its use was greatest in precolonial
Southeast Asia, especially in the Philippines, Malaysia, and Indonesia.

Our ancestors—far from being the archetypal spear-carrying, ‘’bahag-wearing’’ tribesmen we

picture them to be—were very proficient in the art of war. Aside from wielding swords and
spears, they also knew how to make and fire guns and cannons. Rajah Sulayman, in particular,
was said to have owned a huge 17-feet-long iron cannon.
Aside from the offensive weapons, our ancestors also knew how to construct huge fortresses
and body armor. The Moros living in the south for instance often wore armor that covered
them head-to-toe. And yes, they also carried guns with them.

With all these weapons at their disposal and the fact that they were good hand-to-hand
combatants, you’d think that the Spanish would have had a harder time colonizing the country.
Sadly, the Spanish cleverly exploited the regionalist tendencies of the pre-colonial Filipinos.
This divide-and-conquer strategy would be the major reason why the Spanish successfully
controlled the country for more than 300 years.

If a native vessel was unarmed, it was usually regarded by the local populace as improperly
equipped and poorly decorated.Whether farmers, fishermen or headhunters, the villagers who
lived in the longhouses along Borneo's rivers lived in fear of being taken by pirates who used
both vessel-mounted and hand-held cannons Villages and tribesmen that were armed with
mounted or handheld cannon had a distinct advantage over those who could only rely on bows
and arrows, spears, blowguns and krises (swords).
Several professions already existed.

Aside from being farmers, hunters, weapon-makers, and seafarers, the pre-colonial Filipinos
also dabbled—and excelled—in several other professions as well.
To name a few, many became involved in such professions as mining, textiles, and smiting.
Owing to the excellent craftsmanship of the Filipinos, locally-produced items such as pots,
jewelry, and clothing were highly-sought in other countries. In fact, it is reported that
products of Filipino origin might have even reached as far away as ancient Egypt. Clearly, our
ancestors were very skilled artisans.

The ancient Filipinos were a predominantly an agricultural society with large tracts of land
having both animal and crops. This made them self-sufficient in terms of food. Do not,
however, be fooled that they were only agriculturalists. They had very many other professions
that saw them create a well-rounded society. These professions included mining, seafaring,
hunting, weapon making, smiting and even textiles.

This made them produce a lot of items that they could use and trade in. This as well made
them one of the richest and most-skilled pre-colonial settlements known to man. Many
foreigners came to settle within the Filipinos because of their skill-set and their friendly and
honest lifestyle.
The literacy rate was high.
Eager to evangelize and subjugate our ancestors, the missionaries exploited the baybayin for
their own ends, learning and using it to translate their various works. Consequently, the pre-
colonial Filipinos became more easily susceptible to foreign influence.

Using the ancient system of writing called the baybayin, the pre-colonial Filipinos educated
themselves very well, so much so that when the Spanish finally arrived, they were shocked to
find out that the Filipinos possessed a literacy rate higher than that of Madrid!

However, the high literacy rate also proved to be a double-edged sword for the Filipinos once
the Spanish arrived. Eager to evangelize and subjugate our ancestors, the missionaries
exploited the baybayin for their own ends, learning and using it to translate their various
works. Consequently, the pre-colonial Filipinos became more easily susceptible to foreign
influence.

Baybayin is a pre-Spanish Philippine writing system. It is a member of the Brahmic family and
is recorded as being in use in the 16th century. It continued to be used during the Spanish
colonization of the Philippines up until the late 19th Century. The term Baybay literally means
“to spell” in Tagalog.
We already had an advanced civilization.

Contrary to foreign accounts, our ancestors were not just some backwards, jungle-living
savages. In reality, precolonial Philippines already possessed a very advanced civilization way
before the coming of the Spanish.

Our ancestors possessed a complex working society and a culture replete with works of arts
and literature. When the colonizers came, everything contradictory to their own system had
to go. Sculptures, texts, religious ceremonies, and virtually anything else deemed obscene,
evil or a threat to their rule were eliminated.
Conclusively, we can only speculate what would have happened had our ancestors never been
colonized in the first place. Although the Spanish era (and the American period by extension)
did have their good points, would it have really been worth it all in the end?
 My REFLECTION:
Pre-colonial period was a very liturgical in a manner that it has the so called “abundant
history”. I feel fulfilled when I were informed that the Philippine Literary history has the
highest span of time. Even though if we were colonized by many countries, still, our country
came out with its own cultures, tradition, and discoveries. I believe that there are many
beliefs, wisdom, and traditions were brought to us by those colonizers. I agree that present
day students of Philippine Literature are fortunate in that they no longer have to go by “myth”
of Pre-colonial Philippines, thanks to researches and writings about Philippine Prehistory
which have appeared during the past two decades. The dances and rituals now found among
Filipinos in the hinterlands suggest that indigenous drama had begun to evolve from attempts
to control the environment.

Most of the literary works during the Pre-colonial times seems to be based on the categories
of nature such as seas, oceans, trees, mountains, and falls. As I had observed, the claims
during present times was just a revise that shows progress from the Pre-colonial times.
Even if I didn’t experienced the gripped of the colonizers, for me, maybe experiencing it was
a very great one. I’m not saying that I wanted to be colonized but I want to feel how to fight
in our own stand. Being a proud and brave Filipino citizen is all I can give for this country of
us. Bringing out the goodness and greatness of our country is formidable but the pleasure sure
gives us the confidence on lifting this fruitful and loving country, the Philippines.

Precolonial Literature in the Philippines by one means or another gave us an illustration from
the past. It underscores on how our literature began in the country which is the Philippines.
From that point forward, we Filipinos do truly have beautiful and awesome literature that we
can some way or another be pleased with. Philippines indeed, without a doubt a nation that is
rich in custom and tradition through having diverse characteristics. It was evident that each of
the tribes we have had their own specific manner of living which some way or another make
them stand-out from others. As what have aforementioned, their folk speeches, folk songs,
folk narratives, indigenous rituals and mimetic dances really affirmed our ties with our
Southeast Asian neighbors. Even when their lifestyle before was not the same as we have
now, they really have these techniques and ways on preserving their traditions for them to be
able to pass it from generation to another generation. The differing qualities and abundance of
Literature in the Philippines advanced next to each other with the nation’s history. This can
best be acknowledged in the sense that the nation’s precolonial cultural traditions are very
much abundant. Through these things, I can truly say that Philippines is a home of diverse
and unique culture, norms and tradition

Prepared by: ENRICO L. MERCADO