STS

• A product of indigenous knowledge perfected by man through life experiences

  
  

  Indigenous science
• Indigenous technology


  Product or process resulting from the continuous pursuit of indigenous science
• Indigenous science is a product of indigenous knowledge perfected by people through life experiences
• Indigenous knowledge may connote traditional and non-scientific knowledge because it includes superstitious beliefs and practices which maybe products of human imagination
• These products may also become the foundation of people's creativity, originality and inventiveness in defining the world where we live in
• Areas covered by indigenous science

  • Metaphysics
  • Philosophy
  • Practical technologies
• Examples of indigenous science

  • Knowledge in observing animal behavior to predict weather conditions and seasons
  • Traditional health habit practices
  • The use of herbal medicines
  • Knowledge on preserving food
  • Preservation and selection of good seeds for planting
  • Building irrigation system
  • Classifying different types of soil for planting
  • Making wine and juices from fruits
• Indigenous technologies are processes or products which are the results of studying indigenous science
• These technologies are now parts of our lives when they come to medicine, food products, industry, and other aspects of human existence
• Yoyo


  A toy consisting of an axle connected to two disks and a string looped around the axle, used by people then to fight against intruders and Spaniards
• The yoyo was a product of the creative mind of Pedro Flores, an undergraduate law student at that time, but it was the Americans who mass produced the product which became one of the most distinct toys in the history
• Medical Incubator


  Equipment invented by Dr. Fe del Mundo, the first Asian student at the Harvard University's School of Medicine, made from two laundry baskets placed one inside the other with hot water all around to regulate the body temperature of newborn babies
• Barangay


  A geographically distributed, self-sufficient autonomous community
• Erythromycin


  Antibiotic discovered in 1949 by Dr. Abelardo Aguilar, produced by the bacterium Streptomyces erythreus found in the soil from his own province in Iloilo
• Colonization


  The occupation by a nation of an area from which it was formerly absent
• Reduccion system


  A strategy of grouping far-flung, scattered barangays into fewer but larger and more compact towns
• Patis or fish sauce

  Condiment accidentally discovered in the 1940s by Ruperta David, popularly known as Aling Tentay, when she noticed that some of the salted fish she stored turned into liquid which tasted like the patis we use today
• Spaniards arrived in the Philippines

  1521
• Information on the society, culture and technology prior to the arrival of Spaniards was only based on archaeological findings, accounts by early traders, and narratives from first Spanish missionaries as there were only few reliable written information available
• The country used to have a number of geographically scattered, self-sufficient autonomous communities (called barangays) which were more of a kinship or social unit rather than political group
• Banana Catsup


  Condiment created by Maria Orosa y Ylagan after discovering tomato catsup, a popular condiment for fried food in the Philippines
• Early settlers of the country about 50,000 years ago were modern men (Homo sapiens) who came over from mainland Asia and had reached and lived in Palawan and Batangas by passing over land bridges
• Anticancer cream


  Cream developed by Filipino scientist Rolando de la Cruz from cashew nuts and other local herbs to treat basal skin carcinoma, winning him a gold medal in the International Inventors' Forum in 2005
• They then subsequently formed communities in other parts of the country including Sulu, Negros, Samar and regions in Luzon where they learned to make simple tools by sawing, drilling and polishing hard stones
• They also produced seashell ornaments and pottery of various designs which over time were replaced by imported Chinese porcelain
• 16-bit Microchip


  Developed by Diosdado Banatao, the first single chip graphical user interface accelerator allowing for faster computer processing using a small chip instead of a large board
• These early communities gradually learned to manufacture tools made of copper, gold, bronze and iron as evidenced by iron slags and tools excavated from numerous local graves and work sites
• Mole Remover


  Cream formulated by Rolando de la Cruz in 2000 to remove warts and moles on the skin
• However, similar to the Stone Age pottery, these metal implements did not survive with cast iron from other countries
• Caracoa


  A refined plank-built warship best suited for inter-island trade raids
• By the 10th century A.D., Butuan and Mindoro inhabitants started trade relations with Champas of Vietnam and locals of China, respectively
• Mindanao and Sulu inhabitants traded with Borneo, Malacca and other parts of Malay peninsula even before the arrival of Spaniards in the country and this trade relations were further strengthened by marriage between Manila and Brunei rulers
• Coastal areas such as Manila, Mindoro, Cebu, Sulu and Southern Mindanao had more sophisticated technology compared to other areas due to their exposure to foreign trade and cultural influences
• An example would be the house of Raja Soliman which was reported to contain trade articles such as 'money, copper, iron, porcelain, blankets, wax, cotton and wooden vaults full of brandy
• Agriculture was being practiced throughout the country where people were growing crops (e.g. rice, cotton, vegetables), raising farm animals (e.g. swine, goats, fowls) and producing wine, vinegar, salt and bee products
• There were Filipinos who were also mining gold
• People during this time lived in wood, bamboo or nipa houses but wore colorful clothes, self-made jewelry and even teeth ornamented with gold
• They had their own writing and measuring systems and counted the years by moons and from one harvest to another
• In more remote areas such as mountain settlements, many Filipinos were still hunter-gatherers
• In terms of religious beliefs, precolonial Filipinos were believers of superstitions and there were no worship areas discovered during this time