RPH 2

• Before the arrival of the Spaniards in 1521 and their subsequent invasion in 1565, the people living in the archipelago had already established their own civilization
• There was no "Philippines" yet before the Spaniards arrived
• The archipelago was composed of several forms of communities that had differing social and political practices
• Barangay


  The dominant form of community in lowland areas near riverbanks and seashores
• Barangay


  Refers to the people themselves living together in a community, not a specific place
• Haop or dolohan


  Equivalent terms for barangay in Visayan communities
• Balangay


  The boat that transported the inhabitants to their settlements, the word barangay came from this
• Barangay


  • Usually composed of thirty to a hundred households whose inhabitants were closely related by blood
• Datu


  The chieftain who headed the barangay
• Datu


  • Had executive, legislative, and judicial powers
  • Responsible for protecting the barangay and promoting its welfare and interest
  • Had a staff to assist him in his duties
• Datu's duties


  • Collection of tributes
  • Maintenance of jails
  • Communication with the barangay residents
• In return for a datu's services


  He received respect, labour, and tributes from his people
• The datu did not act as if he was an absolute ruler, his powers were checked by the customs and laws of the barangay
• The datu can be replaced by a better and stronger datu who can better protect the barangay
• Barangay


  Independent political unit within the archipelago, with no central government
• Barangays


  • Formed networks of alliances with nearby barangays or larger political entities outside the archipelago
  • In some areas, multiple nearby barangays lived together to form a larger community
• Larger community formation


  Datus leading each barangay formed a council to unify decisions for the community
• Pangulo


  More economically powerful datu who controlled trading ports and was led by subordinate datus
• Kaponoan


  More economically powerful datu who controlled trading ports and was led by subordinate datus
• Rajah


  More economically powerful datu who controlled trading ports and was led by subordinate datus
• Lakan


  More economically powerful datu who controlled trading ports and was led by subordinate datus
• Subordinate datus paid respects and tributes to the more powerful datu to gain personal favors and access to trade
• Despite the arrangement, each barangay remained politically independent as the more powerful datu only had authority over the datus supporting him on the basis of personal patronage, not their respective communities
• Groups of people in a barangay


  • Nobles
  • Freemen
  • Dependents
• Nobles


  Datu and his relatives who belong to the noble lineage
• Nobles


  • Ruling class of the barangay who wielded vast influence
  • Guarded their lineage by only marrying those of their rank
  • Limited the number of heirs through birth control and kept their daughters and sons secluded
• Freemen


  Offspring of inherently free people, descendants of mixed marriage of nobles and commoners, and dependents who earned their freedom
• Freemen


  Personal followers of the datu whose role was to help him in activities that involve the welfare of the barangay
• Freemen


  Called timawa or maharlika
• Dependents


  People who were not able to pay their debts, cannot pay their legal fines, were captured in battle, or born to dependent parents
• Dependents in Tagalog communities


  Alipin, with two primary types: namamahay and sagigilid
• Dependents


  • Could be sold to other owners, especially in the case of the bihag or those who were captured during battles
  • Served the members of the barangay, specifically the creditors, as a sort of payment for their freedom
  • Status was not permanent and could end once the service rendered to the creditor was already equivalent to the debt owed
• It is a misconception to equate the dependents as slaves from a Western point of view
• The social stratification during the pre-colonial period was not strict, meaning members of a group could move from one group to another given a certain circumstance
• Barangays


  • Located on seacoasts or banks of rivers and lakes
  • Main means of transportation were boats
  • No evidence of wheeled vehicles or domesticated animals to draw heavy loads
  • Road systems only started to exist during the Spanish period
• Even though the geography was archipelagic, it was actually the rivers and seas that connected the barangays to each other
• It was through water that people transported trades, communicated, and expanded their population
• It was also the seas that connected the communities of the archipelago with other civilizations abroad
• There was rich maritime trading between the barangays and other major communities located within Southeast Asia
• The Chinese and Japanese were also leading trading partners of the barangays even before the arrival of the Spaniards