Chapter III: Early Philippine Society and Culture

Before the advent of Spanish Colonization, the barangay was the primary political, economic, and
sociocultural institution in the Philippines. Among other factors, the archipelagic nature of our country allowed this
localized, independent, and decentralized communities to exist. A barangay can be composed of 300-100 families
living in a not well-defined, but customarily agreed territory. The datu is the highest official of a barangay, the datu
must be from the ruling class because wealth, power, and influence were needed to maintain social position. With
help of the elders and other lesser officials the datu governs the barangay as its primary maker, executor and
adjudicator of laws. He was also responsible in providing protection for the barangay in times of raids and wars as
the leader of the bagani, the warriors of the community. This chapter would focus on culture and society of these
Filipinos to familiarize students history to different cultural and social patterns such as social stratification, marriage
customs, slavery, clothing, and ornaments, and even food and dainties of the barangay.

Excerpt from Labor Evangelica: of the Government and Political Customs of these Peoples, by Francisco Colin, S.J.

In Colin’s Labor Angelica, the most studied groups are the Tagalogs and the Visayans. This excerpt will focus on the
social structure, government and political customs of these two groups of early Filipinos.

There were no kings or rulers worthy of mention, throughout this archipelago; but there were many chiefs
who dominated others less powerful. Continual wars raged against the less powerful. They were divided into
barangays just like Roma that is divided into districts and our cities into parishes or collations. They are called
barangays, which is the name of a boat, preserving the name of the boat that brought them into this island. Their
leader is called Datu/Dato. Seizing the lands, they began to cultivate them and make use of them. They seized as
much river and seas so they can protect their barangay from others. A slave, timaua or freemen could not pass
from one barangay or another, especially a married man or woman, without paying a quantity of gold, and giving
public feast to his whole barangay; where this was not done, it was an occasion of war between barangays. If a
man of one barangay happened to marry a woman of another, the children had to be divided between barangays,
in the same manner as slaves.

The chief is also the judge and the lawmaker with the assistance of some old men in the barangay [just like
our barangay captain today, he/she settle affairs of people in the barangay with the help of the elder people in the
community whom we call as Lupon]. In criminal cases, penalties may be by war until gold settlement will be settled
as payment. The death penalty of death was never imposed by process of law, except when the murderer and his
victim were common men and had no gold to satisfy the murder. In such a case, if the mans’s dato or maginoo did
not kill him, the other chiefs did, spearing him after lasing him to a stake.

There are 3 classes of people:

VISAYANS: datu/dato (upper class); timauas (middle class/ ordinary common people); oripuen (lower class)

TAGALOGS: maginoo (upper class); maharlica (middle class/ ordinary common people); alipin (lower class)

The chiefs attain their position by blood/succession or if not that, because of their energy and strength. Some
because of tyranny that they gain power.

Excerpt from Relacion de las Islas Filipinas by Miguel de Loarca

 Laws of slavery: No Indian in this country is made a slave or is put to death for any crime which he commits-
—except that for each crime there is an established fine, which they have to pay in jewels or gold, and if the culprit
is unable to pay the fine he will borrow the money, and pledge himself to the man from whom he borrows. As a
result he becomes a slave until he shall repay what was lent to him; after that he is free again.

Therefore according to the crime committed, they are slaves and there are 3 classes of slaves. The first,
and the most enslaved, is the bondman of him who is served in his own dwelling; such a slave is called ayuey. These
slaves work 3 days for their master and one for themselves.

Another class of slaves are those called tumaranpoc. They live in their own houses and are obliged to go
to work for their master one day out of four, having the 3 days for themselves. If they fail to work they give the
master each year 10 chicubites of rice.

The other slaves, whom these people hold in most respect are those who are called tomatabans; these
work in the house of the master only when there is some banquet or revel. On such occasions they bring small
gifts, and share in the drinking. But when one of these slaves dies, the property left by the slave is shared with his
children by the master.

Value of the slave: The ayueys are worth among these people two gold taes of labin sian, the equivalent of two
pesos. The tumaranpoques/tumaranpocs are worth the same sum. The tumatabans/tomatabans are worth one
tae or six pesos.

The ayuey women, like their husbands, work in their house of chiefs. The tumaranpoc women, if they have children
serve half of the month in spinning and weaving cotton, which their masters supply; and during half of the month
they work for themselves. The tomataban women spin only one hank of cotton each month for their masters. Only
the ayueys receive food and clothing from their masters; to the others the master gives nothing. When these slaves
die, the masters take away all their property, except from the tomatabans.

The rules which they observe for punishing any one so severely as to enslave him are as follows: for murder,
adultery, and the theft; and for insulting women in rank, or taking away her robe in public and leaving her naked.

In time of famine: when there is famine, the poor who have not the means of sustenance, in order not to perish,
go to the rich- and almost always they seek their relatives and surrender themselves to them as slaves- in order to
be fed.

Excerpts from Cronicas by Juan Francisco de San Antonio

The focus of this excerpt is the early marriage customs.

It was not usual for them to have more than one partner in life, but those who were chief and wealthy
were allowed to have slaves as concubines, especially if their own wives did not prove fruitful. The early Filipinos
practiced the giving of dowry upon marriage. The dowry, which is called as bigaycaya, was always given by the
man. The parents of the girl determines the sum beforehand during the discussion of marriage. The parents of the
bride received the dowry and neither the bride nor her parents contributed any fund. The dowry is not just money,
at times the parents of the bride ask for more like a piece of land, jewelry, slaves and they called it as pasonor. In
this bigaycaya was included what they called as panhimuyat, which was the sum that had to be paid to the mother
of the bride in return for her care and labor in the rearing and education of her child. In it was included also the
pasoso or the sum to be paid to the chichiva, or the nurse who reared her.
Excerpt from the Boxer Codex

The focus of this excerpt is on tattooing and clothing traditions of the Visayans. The bisayans are
accustomed to paint their bodies with some very elegant tattoos. They do this with iron rods the points of which
are heated on a fire. They have artisans who are expert in tattoo who do it in such symmetry and design. The
women paint only the hands very elegantly. To the men, these painting serves as clothing, and thus they look alright
although they usually go around naked only wearing the small cloth that covers their private part which they called
as, bahaque. They have another type of clothing, which consists of cotton blankets that they make into morning
wear. These are closed at the front. The men carry on their heads some multi-colored scarfs which they were like
the Turkish style, and they called it as purones.

The garments and dresses of Bisayan women consist of some blankets with diverse colored stripes made of cotton.
Some wear plain taffeta and damask that come from China. Their clothing is similar to a long skirt and dress that
they wear elegantly. Many wear gold jewelries. When the women are outside they walk slowly, making thousand
movements with their body, with one sleeved arm upraised, because they consider it fashionable to do so. And if
belonging to the principalia, the women wear crowns and garlands on their heads made of tinsel imported from
China or sometimes they wear garlands made of roses and flowers.

Excerpt from Sucesos de las islas Filipinas by Antonio de Morga

This excerpt would focus on the outdated parcel of gastronomic culture of the early Filipinos; the nganga or betel
chew. The fruit or the bonga is cut lengthwise in strips and each strip is put into an envelope or covering made
from leaf and thrown into a powder of quick lime. This compound is placed in the mouth and chewed. It is a strong
mixture, and burns so much, that it induces sleep and intoxication. They consider the juice of it as very beneficial
for strengthening the stomach and keep away from disease. It strengthens and preserve the gums from all
inflammations, decay and aches.