Chapter 6 Pre-Spanish Period (…BC - 1565)

Intended Learning Outcomes: At the end of this chapter, the students are expected to:

1. Trace the historical development of literatures in the Philippines before, during and
after Spanish colonization
2. Describe the Philippine literature during the period.
3. Name the literary genres and literary pieces of the period.
4. Enumerate writers who contributed to the flourishing of literature during the period.
5. Analyze literary pieces.

Pre-Spanish Period (…BC - 1565)

In order to know the history of a nation’s

spirit, one must read its literature. Hence
it is, that to understand the real spirit of a
nation, one must “trace the little rills as
they course along down the ages,
broadening and deepening into the great
ocean of thought which men of the
present source are presently exploring.”

“Literature expresses the feelings of people to society, to the government, to his

surroundings, to his fellowmen and to his Divine Creator.” The expression of one’s
feelings may be through love, sorrow, happiness, hatred, anger, pity, contempt, or
revenge. Brother Azurin.
“True literature is a piece of written work which is undying. It expresses the
feelings and emotions of people in response to his everyday efforts to live, to be happy
in his environment and, after struggles, to reach his Creator.” PANITIKING PILIPINO by
Atienza, Ramos, Salazar and Nazal.
As Filipinos, who truly love and take pride in our own culture, we have to
manifest our deep concern for our own literature and this we can do by studying the
literature of our country.
The Literature of the Philippines dates back Before Christ until 1565 before the
Spaniards came to the Philippines, the people lived in small towns called barangays lead
by a “Datu”. Many barangays would cluster together for safety and protection. This way
of life could have had a great effect on the languages at this time (Bautista).

6.1 Historical Background

Many historians and scientists believe that the first inhabitants of the Philippine
islands emerged during the Pleistocene period. Copyright © 2005-2020 PHILIPPINE-HISTORY.ORG

There are two theories on where the inhabitants (first Filipinos) came from namely:

1. Beyer’s “Migration Theory”

Henry Otley Beyer - noted social scientist, who believes that Filipinos descended
from different groups that came from Southeast Asia in successive waves of
migration. Each group had a distinct culture, with its own customs and traditions.
2. Jocano’s “Evolution Theory”.
Felipe Landa Jocano - renowned Filipino anthropologist, who believes that Asians,
including Filipinos are the result of a lengthy process of evolution and migration.

Successive Waves of Migration (Henry Otley Beyer)

1. “Dawnmen” (or “cavemen” because

they lived in caves), the first migrants,
the Dawnmen resembled Java Man,
Peking Man, and other Asian Home
sapiens who existed about 250,000 years
ago.
- No knowledge of agriculture
- lived by hunting and fishing
 It was precisely in search of food that they came to the Philippines by way of the
land bridges that connected the Philippines and Indonesia.
 Owing perhaps to their migratory nature, they eventually left the Philippines for
destinations unknown.

2. “Aetas’ or “Negritoes”, (dark-skinned

pygmies), second group of migrants -
Negrito woman | Aeta woman About
30,000 years ago, they crossed the land
bridged from Malaya, Borneo, and
Australia until they reached Palawan,
Mindoro and Mindanao. They used
spears and small flint stones weapons.
- pygmies who went around practically naked
- were good at hunting, fishing and food gathering
 They were already in the Philippines when the land bridges disappeared due to
the thinning of the ice glaciers and the subsequent increase in seawater level.
This “forced” them to remain in the country and become its first permanent
inhabitants.

3. “Indonesians”, the third wave of

migrants was necessarily skilled in
seafaring
- who came to the islands in boats
- more advanced than the Aetas in that:
they had tools made out of stone and
steel, which enabled them to build
sturdier houses
- they engaged in farming and mining, and
- used materials made of brass;
- they wore clothing and other body
ornaments.

4. “Malays”, the last to migrate to the

Philippines, believed to have come from
Java, Sumatra, Borneo, and the Malay
Peninsula more than 2,000 years ago

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 - Like the Indonesians, they also traveled in boats
- brown-skinned and of medium height
- with straight black hair and flat noses
- Their technology was said to be more advanced than that of their predecessors
o engaged in pottery
o weaving
o jewelry making
o metal smelting
o introduced the irrigation system in rice
planting

Lengthy Process of Evolution and Migration

Jocano’s Theory (Felipe Landa Jocano)

1. Negritoes and Malays - who migrated to the Philippines thousands of years ago.
According to Jocano, it is difficult to prove that Negritoes were the first inhabitants
of this country since based from fossil evidence, he says is that “the first men who
came to the Philippines also went to New Guinea, Java, Borneo, and Australia.

2. The “Tabon Man” is said to resemble Java Man

and Peking Man. (In 1962, a skullcap and a
portion of a jaw-presumed to be a human
origin-were found in the Tabon Caves of
Palawan by archaeologist Robert Fox and
Manuel Santiago, who both worked for the
National Museum. Carbon dating placed their
age at 21,000 to 22,000 years.)
o He gathered fruits, leaves and plants for
his food.
o He hunted with weapons made of stone.
o Capable of using his brain in order to
survive and keep himself safe, (although
further research is still being done on his
life and culture)

3. First people of Southeast Asia were products of

a long process of evolution and migration. His
research indicates that:
- they shared more or less the same culture,
beliefs, practices an even similar tools and
implements.
- These people eventually went their separate
ways;
o some migrated to the Philippines,
o the others to New Guinea,
o Java and Borneo.
 Proof can be found in the fossils discovered in different parts of Southeast Asia,
as well as the recorded migrations of other peoples from the Asian mainland
when history began to unfold, says Jocano.
Instead of the Migration Theory, Jocano advances the Evolution Theory, as a
better explanation of how our country was first inhabited by human beings.

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6.2 Characteristics of Pre-Spanish Philippine literatures

The first period of the Philippine literary history is the longest. Long before the coming
of Spaniards and other immigrants settled on our land, our forefathers enjoyed their
own literature evident in the history of
our race that shows Filipino customs and
traditions as traced in our folk stories, old
plays and short stories.
1.Based on oral traditions
2.Crude on ideology and phraseology
 Our ancestors also had their own
alphabet which was similar to that of
the Malayo-Polynesian alphabet.
 Interesting Narratives were made to
define their world, to account for the realities in it, and to explain their feelings,
beliefs, and judgments in the form of:
- origin myths,
- legends,
- fables,
- tales of the supernatural, and
- humorous accounts about some trickster, like Pusong or Pilandok, or some
bungling character who got by in spite of or because of his lack of wit.
 And there were also metrical accounts of native Filipino gods and their deeds.
 Songs and verses filled early religious practices:
- to express devotion, - to minister to the sick, and
- to atone for sins, - to bury the dead.
- Verses were composed also to pray for abundance and happiness:
- in the home, - on the sea, and
- on the farm, - elsewhere.
- In like manner, verses aired love for and
loyalty to the barangay and its rulers.
- accounts of battle (kudanag),
- songs of victory (tagumpay, talindad),
- songs of hanging a captured enemy
(sambotan, tagulaylay), and
- songs expressive of manliness. From the
people’s social life evolved

- Records of our ancestors left were either burned by the Spanish friars in the belief
that they were works of the devil or were written on materials that easily perished,
like:
- the barks of trees,
- dried leaves and
- bamboo cylinders which could not have remained undestroyed even if efforts
were made to preserve them.

- Collectors, who attempted to compile the folk narratives:

- Fr. Jose Ma. Pavon (Las antiguas leyendas de la isla de Negros) during the
Spanish period
- Fay-Cooper Cole (Traditions of the Tinguian, 1915),
- Mable Cook Cole (Philippine Folk Tales, 1916), and

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 - Dean S. Fansler (Filipino Popular Tales, 1921) during the early part of the
American regime, and
- some Filipino and American antropologists and folklorists in more recent times,
(many of the theme still remain in the memory of the folk, uncollected and
unwritten).

Mythology is an interwoven series of myths told by a given race. The word also means
the study of myths in general.
- (from the Greek mythos for story-of-the-people, and logos for word or speech,
so the spoken story of a people)
- it is the study and interpretation of often sacred tales or fables of a culture
known as myths or the collection of such stories which deal with various aspects
of the human condition:
o good and evil;
o the meaning of suffering;
o human origins;
o the origin of place-names, animals, cultural values, and traditions;
o the meaning of life and death;
o the afterlife; and
o the gods or a god.

Classifications of Mythology

1) Myth: an account of the deeds of a god or of a supernatural being;

: a kind of imaginative precursor of scientific investigation.
- are permanent, they deal with the greatest of all problems – the problems which
do not change because men and women do not change.
- Myths express the beliefs and values about these subjects held by a certain
culture.
- They deal with love (the romantic element), war, sin, tyranny, courage, and faith;
all in the same way in relation to man.

Origin of Bagobo (Mindanao)

In the beginning there lived one man and
one woman, Toglai and Toglibon. Their first
children were a boy and a girl. When they were
old enough, the boy and the girl went far away
across the waters seeking a good place to live
in. Nothing more was heard of them until their
children, the Spaniards and Americans, came
back. After the first boy and girl left, other children were born to the couple; but they all
remained at Cibolan on Mount Apo with their parents, unt il Toglai and Toglibon died
and became spirits. Soon after that there came a great drought which lasted for three
years. All the waters dried up, so that there were no rivers, and no plants could live.
"Surely," said the people, "Manama is punishing us, and we must go elsewhere to find
food and a place to dwell in."
So they started out. Two went in the direction of the sunset, carrying with them stones
from Cibolan River. After a long journey they reached a place where were broad fields of
cogon grass and an abundance of water, and there they made their home. Their children
still live in that place and are called Magindanau, because of the stones which the
couple carried when they left Cibolan.

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 Two children of Toglai and Toglibon went to the south, seeking a home, and they
carried with them women's baskets (baraan). When they found a good spot, they
settled down. Their descendants, still dwelling at that
place, are called Baraan or Bilaan, because of the
women's baskets.
So two by two the children of the first couple left the
land of their birth. In the place where each settled a
new people developed, and thus it came about that all
the tribes in the world received their names from things
that the people carried out of Cibolan, or from the
places where they settled.
All the children left Mount Apo save two (a boy
and a girl), whom hunger and thirst had made too weak
to travel. One day when they were about to die the boy
crawled out to the field to see if there was one living thing, and to his surprise he found
a stalk of sugarcane growing lustily. He eagerly cut it, and enough water came out to
refresh him and his sister until the rains came. Because of this, their children are called
Bagobo.

Examples of Myth:
1. How the World Was Made.
2. The Creation (Igorot).
3. How the Moon and the Stars Came to Be (Bukidnon).
4. Origin (Bagobo).
5. The Story of the Creation (Bilaan).
6. In the Beginning (Bilaan).
7. The Children of the Limokon (Mandaya).
8. The Creation Story (Tagalog).

2) Legend: a widely-accepted but unverified story of the origin of things, persons or

places.
- legends are a form of prose – Its aim is to entertain.
- the common theme of which is about the origin of a thing, place, location or
name.
- the events are imaginary, devoid of truth and unbelievable.
- old Filipino customs are reflected in these legends.

Example of a legend: THE LEGEND OF THE TAGALOGS.

In a certain wide region of Luzon, there was a village frequented

by young men. The town was full of trees, beautiful flowers and a river
where clear waters flowed.
What attracted the young men more than the scenery was a beautiful
nymph- like maiden.
The maiden was Maria and she had lots of suitors who came from
afar and who fought for her hand. But Maria remained unconcerned
and very choosy. Because she was kind, her suitors remained
undaunted so Maria thought of a plan. She called all the men together and told them, "You are
all good and kind and it is difficult for me to choose one among you. Let me decide with a test.
"I'll marry the first man who can bring me a big, live and strong serpent," Maria said in jest. The
young men were dumbfounded.

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 After a while, the voice of Ilog broke the silence. "I promise to bring you one, Maria. Even if I
have to risk my like, I'll bring you what you wish." Ilog was a man known for his bravery. He left
immediately to fulfill his promise.
The men whispered among themselves. They were sure that Ilog would never be able to
return. They waited for a long while but Ilog had not returned. Even Maria was saddened
because she also grieved the loss of a man as brave and accommodating as Ilog.
After many hours, Ilog returned. They crowded to see how Ilog would prove his bravery.
Ilog held a big snake by its nape and tail. While the men were thus occupied, two Spaniards
passed by. Their attention was caught not by what Ilog held but by the beauty of Maria.
"Maria," heroically called Ilog. "I've brought you the
serpent you wished for. What else do you want me to do to make
you happy?" The Spaniards were startled. They asked the people
around where they were and in what place they were in but nobody
paid attention for their attention were focused on the snake and on
Maria. When Maria saw that the snake was still struggling, she
shouted. "Taga, Ilog! Taga, Ilog!" (Cut, Ilog! Cut, Ilog!) which she
addressed to Ilog so he would cut the snake up again.
The two Spaniards, thinking that this was in answer to their
question repeated the words TAGAILOG, TAGAILOG which later
became TAGAL.

Myths and legends deal largely with

- gods,
- their deeds,
- adventures,
- dealing with supernatural beings and
- culture heroes with origins and explanation of things and phenomena in the
surrounding world.

3) Folktale: Pure fiction that seems to have no other origin than a desire to amuse and
interest.
– bring knowledge and understanding of men’s motives and tolerance that
recognizes faith where ignorance would only see superstition.
o It is especially necessary to have this knowledge now when modern science
and invention have brought the world into a closer community of nations.
– widely disseminated through all places in the world might bring to reality what we
all bring about our world.
– the folktales are shaped by the thoughts and the actions, the aspirations and fears
of a people.
o Often the outline of a story and sometimes even the characters are
common to several characters (epic and folklore).
- Folk tales– a tale or legend originating and traditional among a people or folk,
especially one forming part of the oral tradition of the common people.
- Folk tales are made up of stories about
o life,
o adventure,
o love,
o horror and
o humor where one can derive lessons about life.
o These are useful to us because they help us appreciate our environment,
evaluate our personalities and improve our perspectives in life.

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 Example: THE MOON ANDTHE SUN.
Filipino folktale (features 61 folktales from the Philippines_
by Mabel Cook Cole (1916) A.C. McClurg & Co., Chicago

The Sun and the Moon were married, but the Sun was very ugly and
quarrelsome. One day he became angry at the Moon and started to
chase her. She ran very fast until she was some distance ahead of him,
when she grew tired and he almost caught her. Ever since he has been
chasing her, at times almost reaching her, and again falling far behind.
The first child of the Sun and Moon was a large star, and he was like
a man. One time the Sun, becoming angry at the star, cut him up into
small pieces and scattered him over the whole sky just as a woman
scatters rice, and ever since there have been many stars.
Another child of the Sun and Moon was a gigantic crab. He still lives and is so powerful that every time
he opens and closes his eyes there is a flash of lightning. Most of the time the crab lives in a large hole in
the bottom of the sea, and when he is there, we have high tide; but when he leaves the hole, the waters
rush in and there is low tide. His moving about also causes great waves on the surface of the sea.
The crab is quarrelsome like his father; and he sometimes becomes so angry with his mother, the
Moon, that he tries to swallow her. When the people on earth, who are fond of the Moon, see the crab
near her, they run out of doors and shout and beat on gongs until he is frightened away, and thus the
Moon is saved.

Folk Narratives were compiled by such collectors as:

- Fr. Jose Ma. Pavon (Las antiguas leyendas de la isla de Negros) during the
Spanish period
- Fay-Cooper Cole (Traditions of the Tinguian, 1915),
- Mable Cook Cole (Philippine Folk Tales, 1916), and
- Dean S. Fansler (Filipino Popular Tales, 1921) during the early part of the
American regime, and some Filipino and American anthropologists and folklorists
in more recent times, many of the theme still remain in the memory of the folk,
uncollected and unwritten.

6.3 Literary Forms - Oral Literature

Riddles (bugtong or Palaisipan) – battle of wits among participants. These are made up
of one or more measured lines with rhyme and may consist of four to 12 syllables.
- a question or statement so framed as to exercise one’s ingenuity in answering it or
discovering its meaning;
- conundrum - these are made up of one or more measured lines with rhyme and may
consist of four to 12 syllables.

Example: MAY BINTI, WALNG HITA MAY TUKTOK, WALANG MUKHA.

- Tigmo –Cebu
Baboy sa lasang, ang tunok puro lansang.
……….LANGKA……
- Paktakon – Ilonggo
Ang dagat gin putos sang langit
Ang langit gin putos sang tul-an
Ang tul-an gin putos sang bulbol
Ang bulbol gin putos sang panit
…….. NIYOG……

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- Patotdon – Bicol
Kun basog, tindog
Kun gutom, dup-og
…...….SAKO……
Proverbs (salawikain) – wise sayings that contain a
metaphor used to teach as a food for thought etc. This
echo the values of the Philippines
- a piece of common-sense wisdom expressed in
practical, homely terms
Example:
o “A stitch in time saves nine”.
o Kung ano ang itinanim, siyang aanihin (you reap what you sow)
o Kapag maikli ang kumot, matutong mamaluktot (when the blanket is short, learn
to curl up)
o Daig ng maagap ang masipag (punctuality beats diligence)
o Matibay ang walis, palibhasa'y magkabigkis. People gain strength by standing
together.

Tanaga - a mono-riming hepta -syllabic quatrain expressing insights and lessons on life is
"more emotionally charged than the terse proverb and thus has affinities with the folk
lyric."

Folk Songs - is a form of folk lyric which expresses the hopes and aspirations, the
people's lifestyles as well as their loves.
- are one of the oldest forms of Philippine
literature that emerged in the pre-Spanish
period.
- a song originating among the people of a
country or area, passed by oral tradition
from one singer or generation to the next,
often existing in several versions, and
marked generally by simple, modal melody
and stanzaic, narrative verse.
- These are often repetitive and sonorous,
didactic and naïve
 Hele or oyayi – lullaby
 Ambahan (Mangyan) – 7-syllable per
line poem that are about human relationships and social entertainment
 Kalusan (Ivatan) - work songs that depict the livelihood of the peopled.
 Tagay (Cebuano and Waray) – drinking song.

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  Kanogan (Cebuano) – song of lamentation for the dead
-These songs mirrored the early forms of
culture. Many of these have 12 syllables.
Here are the examples:
o Kundiman – song of love
o Kumintang o Tagumpay – war song
o Ang Dalit o Imno – song to the God
o Ang Oyayi o Hele – lullaby
o Diana – wedding song
o Talindaw – boatman’s song
o Soliraning – song of the laborer

Characteristics of Pre-Spanish Era Music

- More conservative style of sacred music.
- They play music by using indigenous musical instruments.
o (bamboo canes, palm leaves, and bark of trees)
- Religious and musicality-salvation of self-expression
- Recitative: mostly simple two note music, music was composed of few notes.

Epics are long narrative poems in which a series of heroic achievements or events,
usually of a hero, are dealt with at length.
– noting or pertaining to a long poetic composition, usually centered upon a hero, in
which a series of great achievements or events is narrated in elevated style.
- Aside from the aforementioned epics, there are still other epics that can be read and
studied like the following epics.
o Bidasari-Moro epic o Parang Sabir-Moro epic
o Biag ni Lam-ang-Ilokano epic o “Dagoy” at “Sudsod”-Tagbanua epic
o Maragtas-Visayan epic o Tatuaang-Bagobo epic
o Haraya-Visayan epic o Indarapatra at Sulayman
o Lagda-Visayan epic o Bantugan
o Hari sa Bukid-Visayan epic o Daramoke-A-Babay – Moro epic
o Kumintang-Tagalog epic in“Darangan”

Tuwaang
Hero of theTuwaang epics of the Bagobo
TUWAANG is the hero of several epics or songs of
the Bagobo, indigenous group of southern Mindanao,
which has several sub- groups. Anthropologist E.
Arsenio Manuel was able to acquire and publish two
songs in the late 1950s to 1970s, The Maiden of the
Buhong Sky, A Complete Song from the Manuvu Bagobo
Folk Epic Tuwaang and Tuwaang Attends a Wedding,
with key informant Saddani Pagayaw, who learned the epics from the bard Inuk.

SYNOPSIS OF TUWAANG ATTENDS A WEDDING

After finishing some work, Tuwaang calls his aunt aside and informs her that the wind has brought
him a message. He is to attend the wedding of the Maiden of Mo:nawon. The aunt tries to dissuade him
from going because she foresees trouble. Tuwaang, however, is determined to go.
He picks the heart-shaped costume made by the goddess, arms himself with a long bl ade and a dagger,
and takes his shield and spear. He rides on a flash of lightning and arrives at the kawkawangan grassland.
While resting there a while, he hears a gungutan bird crowing. He decides to catch the fowl, but soon
sees the gungutan with a dagger-like spur. The gungutan tells Tuwaang he came to know of his coming in

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a dream and that he wants to go with him to the wedding celebration. Tuwaang agrees to bring the
gungutan along. The two shake their shoulders and are carried into space.
Upon arriving at Mo:nawon, Tuwaang is admitted into the hall. He sits on a golden stool, while the
gungutan perches on a cross-beam. In the meantime, enchanting sounds from
afar and flowering trees signal the arrival of the Young Man of Panayangan.
Other gallants— the Young Man of Liwanon and the Young Man of the Rising Sun
—arrive.
Finally, the groom—the Young Man of Sakadna—arrives with a hundred
followers. He haughtily asks the owner of the house to clear the house “of dirt,”
implying the people in the house who do not count. To this insult, Tuwaang
answers there are “red leaves” (i.e. heroes) in the house.
Preliminaries of the wedding ceremony start. The savakan (bride-wealth
consisting of articles and wrapped food to be paid for by the groom’s kinsmen) are
offered one by one until two of the costliest remain. One is given the value of an ancient gong with ten
bosses and nine relief-rings; the other is redeemable only by a golden guitar and a golden flute.
The groom confesses his inability to redeem these articles. Tuwaang saves the groom from the
embarrassing predicament by taking his place. Through his magic breath, he produces a more ancient
gong, which is accepted by the bride’s family. He also produces the golden flute and golden guitar.
The bride is now asked to come out of her room and serve the guests some areca nut chew. She
commands her areca nut box to serve everyone. Magically, the box obeys, with the areca nut chew
jumping into the mouths of the guests. After two areca nut chews leap into the groom’s mouth, the box
moves on to Tuwaang before whom it stops altogether. Tuwaang brushes it away, but the box doesn’t
budge. The bride decides to sit beside Tuwaang.
The groom blushes; he is shamed. He decides to challenge Tuwaang to a fight. He goes down the
house and challenges Tuwaang to ome down to the yard. After the bride unrolls and combs his hair,
Tuwaang goes down to fight. The gungutan, meanwhile, has been fighting the groom’s men and has slain
a number of them until only the six gallants remain. Tuwaang and the gungutan engage the six gallants.
Finally, only Tuwaang and the Young Man of Sakadna are left. Tuwaang is thrown against a boulder,
which turns into dust. Trees get bent and topple. Tuwaang gets hold of his foe and throws him down so
hard that he sinks into the earth.
The Young Man of Sakadna resurfaces quickly and confronts Tuwaang once more. Tuwaang is thrust
into the earth and sinks into the underworld where he talks to Tuhawa, god of the underworld, who tells
him the secret in overcoming his foe.
Tuwaang surfaces and summons the golden flute in which the Young Man of Sakadna keeps his life.
Tuwaang asks his foe to become his vassal in exchange for his life. The groom prefers death. Tuwaang
therefore destroys the golden flute, ending his life.
Accompanied by the gungutan, Tu- waang takes the bride home to Kuaman, where he rules forever.
—E. Arsenio Manu- el, Tuwaang Attends a Wedding, (Ateneo de Manila University Press, Quezon City, 1975), recorded in 1957 as
told by Saddani Pagayaw

6.4 OTHER FORMS OF PRE-SPANISH POETRY

Epigrams (Salawikain).
– a short, often satirical poem dealing concisely with a
single subject and usually ending with a witty or
ingenious turn of thought.
- These have been customarily used and served as
laws or rules on good behavior by our ancestors. To others, these are like allegories
or parables that impart lessons for the young.
Example: AANHIN PA ANG DAMO KUNG PATAY NA ANG KABAYO.
- Ngipin sa ngipin
Mata sa mata
Kahulugan: ito ay hustisya, kapag gumawa ka ng masama, ang kaparusahan ay
naaangkop sa iyong krimen.
- Ang batang palalo at di napapalo
Pag lumaki ang kahalubilo
Sa mundo ng magugulo

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 Kahulugan: kapag hindi marunong mag-disiplina ang magulang sa kanilang anak,
lalaki itong barumbado.
- Gawing gabay sa buhay
Ang aral ni nanay
Kanyang payo at mga turo
Nawa ay hindi maglalaho
Kahulugan: kahit na ang bata ay balang-araw tumanda na,
huwag kakalimutan ang mga payo ng magulang.

Chants (Bulong).
– a short, simple melody, especially one characterized by
single notes to which an indefinite number of syllables
are intoned, used in singing psalms, canticles, etc., in
church services.
- Used in witchcraft or enchantment.
- ito ay isang matandang katawagan sa orasyon noong sinaunang tao sa kapuluan ng
Pilipinas, anyong padasal. Example:
- Bulong ng mga Bagobo ng Mindanao - Tabi tabi po apo, alisin mo po ang sakit ng pamilya
"Nagnakaw ka ng bigas ko, ko
Umulwa sana mata mo, - Lumayo kayo, umalis kayo, at baka mabangga
mamaga ang katawan mo, kayo
patayin ka ng mga anito" - Huwang kayong maiinggit, nang hindi kayo
- Bulong sa Ilocos magipit
"Huwag magalit, kaibigan, - Pagaling ka, amang, mahirap ang may
aming pinuputol lamang karamdaman
ang sa amiy napagutusan" - Lumakas-sana sana ang ulan, upang mabasa ang
- Bulong sa Bicol lupang tigang.
"Dagang malaki, dagang maliit, - Huwag mananakit nang di ka rin mamilipit
ayto ang ngipin kong sira na't pangit. - Huwag manununtok nang di ka rin masapok
sana ay bigyan mo ng kapalit" - Ingat po sa biyahe.
- Pakabait ka.
- Pagpalain ka nawa.
- Kung lagi kang payapa, sakit mo'y di lulubha.
- Puso'y sumusulak, sa praning ang utak

Sayings (Kasabihan) A saying is a short, clever expression that usually contains advice
or expresses some obvious truth.
- Often used in teasing or to comment on a person’s actuations.
Example: maitutumbas sa “Mother Goose Rhymes”…maiigsing pahayag ng mga
pangkalahatang katotohanan, mga batayang tuntunin, o mga alituntunin ng
kaasalan. Maaaring patula o tuluyan, may himig pagbibiro o panunukso sa unang
panahon.
o PUTAK, PUTAK BATANG DUWAG MATAPANG KA’T NASA PUGAD
o BATA, BATA PANTAY LUPA ASAWA NG PALAKA
o TIRIRIT NG MAYA, TIRIRIT NG IBON, IBIG MAG ASAWA’Y WALANG IPALAMON
o TIRIRIT NG IBON, TIRIRIT NG MAYA, KAYA LINGON NG
LINGON HANAP AY ASAWA
Sawikain (Sayings with no hidden meanings)
Example: NASA DIYOS ANG AWA NASA TAO ANG GAWA.
- Ginintuang tinig
Kahulugan: Maganda ang boses
Halimbawa: Kung ako lang ay may ginintuang tinig,
tiyak na lagi akong sasali sa mga kompetisyon ng awitan.
- Guhit ng tadhana
Kahulugan: Itinakdang kapalaran

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 Halimbawa: Ito na yata talaga ang aking guhit ng tadhana.
- Halang ang bituka
Kahulugan: Salbahe, desperado, hindi nangingiming pumatay ng tao
Halimbawa: Usap-usapan sa baryo na halang ang bituka ni Tonyo.
Maxims. Some are rhyming couplets with verses of 5, 6 or 8 syllables, each line having
the same number of syllables.
- To qualify as a maxim, a statement must contain a truth that is revealed in a terse
way.
- Writers, politicians, philosophers, artists, sportsmen, and individuals use such
sentences in their respective fields.
- These maxims bring a pinch of wit, making statements more appealing to the
audience.
- It is also that these adages, proverbs, clichés, and maxims are different types of
aphoristic sayings that become relevant to many people and situations, turning into
everyday sayings with the passage of time.
- Everyday Examples of Maxim
o It’s better to be safe than sorry.
o You’re never too old to learn.
o Opposites attract.
o You can’t teach an old dog new tricks.
o Nothing ventured, nothing gained.
o One man’s meat is another man’s poison.
o We promise according to our hopes, and perform according to our fears.
o It is easier to be wise for others than for ourselves.
Example:
(Francis Bacon has been very famous for compact, aphoristic, and concise
sayings as given above. All of these sayings have deep thought and ideas.)
Of Friendship
“For a crowd is not company and faces are but a gallery of pictures.”
Of Truth
“A mixture of lie doth ever add pleasure.”
Of Marriage and Single Life
“He that hath wife and children hath given hostages to fortune … Unmarried men
are best friends, best masters, best servants but not always best subjects.”
Romeo & Juliet (By William Shakespeare)
“Wisely and slow. They stumble that run fast …”
(The speaker suggests that it is wise to not be in hurry. Rather, one should look where he is going,
otherwise he might fall flat.)
Mending Wall (By Robert Frost)
“He will not go behind his father’s saying,
And he likes having thought of it so well…
Good fences make good neighbors.”
(This statement carries a moral code that serves to characterize a relationship history of
two neighbors or two men, who are brought together every spring by re-building the wall.)
Maxims during Pre-Hispanic Philippines
PAG HINDI UKOL HINDI BUBUKOL.
SA MARUNONG UMUNAWA SUKAT ANG ILANG SALITA.
SA PAGHAHANGAD NG KAGITNA ISANG SALOP ANG NAWALA
UTOS NA SA PUSA UTOS PA SA DAGA
ANG MANIWALA SA SABI SABI AY WALANG BAIT SA SARILI
MAY TAINGA ANG LUPA MAY PAKPAK ANG BALITA

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Module 2 (Lit 111) Name: ____________________________________________
Activity No. 6 Program/Year: ____________Date Submitted: ___________

I. What are the literary forms and themes during Pre-Spanish period?

II. Illustrate a simple literary map on the forms/genre of literature during the
Pre-Spanish period.

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 References

Books

Cagalang, JL, et.al. (2014). Philippine Literature. Jimcyzyville Publications, Malabon City,
pp. iv-xi.
Hudson, WH., (2011). An Introduction to the Study of Literature (Barnes & Noble Digital
Library) ebook, 436 pages.
Esperon, RM, et.al. (2004). World Literature,.Bulacan: Trinitas Publishing, Inc.
Kahayon, A &Zulueta, C. (2000). Philippine Literature Through the Years. @2000, reprint
2008, National Bookstore ISBN 971-08-6078-X
Tan, AB. (1987). Introduction to Literature. National Bookstore, Inc. Manila
University Code (Student Handbook)

Other References (Web)

Benson, Eugene; Connoly, L.W. (2005). Encyclopedia of Post-Colonial Literatures in

English. London: Routledge. p. 1680. ISBN 0415278856.

"Biag ni Lam-ang: Summary / Buod ng Biag ni Lam-ang". August 28, 2017.

Go, Bon Juan (2005). "Ma'l in Chinese Records – Mindoro or Bai? An Examination of a
Historical Puzzle". Philippine Studies. Quezon City: Ateneo de Manila University. 53 (1):
119–138. Retrieved October 16, 2012.

Hawley, John Charles; Nelson, Emmanuel (2001). Encyclopedia of Postcolonial Studies.

Westport, CT: Greenwood Publishing Group. pp. 177. ISBN 0313311927.

McFerson, Hazel (2002). Mixed Blessing: The Impact of the American Colonial
Experience on Politics and Society in the Philippines. Westport, CT: Greenwood
Publishing Group. p. 99. ISBN 0313307911.

Scott, William Henry (1994). Barangay: Sixteenth Century Philippine Culture and Society.
Quezon City: Ateneo de Manila University Press. ISBN 971-550-135-4.

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