Lecture 2

• Why is it difficult to study the Precolonial Philippines compared to other historical periods?

  Due to lack of written sources
• What are the materials produced by the Spanish in the early 16th century which historians are compelled to rely?

  Diaries, dictionaries, and illustrations
• Scholars utilize sources from archaeology, folklore, and oral tradition in studying Precolonial Philippines. What are the two types of these archaeological sources?

  Fossils (biological) and artifacts (manmade)
• Mythology can describe how people view and perceive the world.
• The Waves of Migration Theory used only pieces of artifacts and categorized them according to level of sophistication.
• The Waves of Migration Theory is proposed by Henry Otley Beyer, the founder of UP Department of Anthropology, in 1947.
• The categories of artifacts according to sophistication for the Waves of Migration Theory are (a) least sophisticated, e.g., stone, (b) sophisticated, e.g., polished stone, and (c) most sophisticated, e.g., wood and metal.
• According to the Waves of Migration Theory, there were three distinct waves of migrants in the Philippines, corresponding to each category of artifacts:

  • Negritos - least sophisticated
  • Indones - sophisticated
  • Malay - most sophisticated
• What makes the Waves of Migration Theory problematic?

  We cannot conclude about their physical appearances based just from the sophistication of artifacts.
• The Waves of Migration Theory was the very first attempt to explain the peopling of the Philippines.
• The Core Population Theory was proposed by Felipe Landa Jocano in the 1960s.
• The Core Population Theory recognized the scarcity of pertinent sources, i.e., artifacts, debunking the conjecture of the Waves of Migration Theory.
• C. P. Theory proposes that a "core population" is developed independently in the Philippines under three phases before external influences:

  1. Formative - stone
  2. Incipient - bronze
  3. Emergent - iron
• The problem of the C. P. Theory is that it's "too simplistic."
• The Austronesian Migration Theory proposed that all-present day native Austronesian speakers came from a single ancestor called the Proto-Austronesians.
• The family of Austronesian languages was discovered due to the categorization of languages according to linguistic similarities.
• The A. M. Theory explains the peopling of the following places:

  • Philippines
  • maritime Southeast Asia
  • Taiwan
  • Madagascar
  • Pacific Islands
  • portions of New Zealand
  • Chile (Easter Island)
• The main proof of the A. M. Theory is the linguistic similarities of Austronesian languages, i.e., shared vocabulary and patterns of repetition.
• The A. M. T is also supported by cultural evidences such as staple food and domesticated animals.
• The A. M. Theory is also supported by similar traditions like:

  • tattooing,
  • stilt houses,
  • jade,
  • rice terraces, and
  • a strong maritime orientation.
• What are the two hypotheses that attempt to locate the origin of proto-Austronesians?

  "Out of Taiwan" Hypothesis and Island Origin Hypothesis
• The "Out of Taiwan" Hypothesis, proposed by Peter Bellwood, states that the proto-Austronesians came from Southern China and sailed out due to overpopulation.
• The Island Origin Hypothesis, proposed by Wilhelm Solheim, proposes that the Austronesian homeland is the islands of Mindanao and Indonesia, spreading due to trading.
• What is the most accepted theory in explaining the peopling of the Philippines?

  Austronesian Migration Theory
• Barangay - "balangay," Austronesian word for sea vessel
• Baragay - sociopolitical organization that existed in precolonial Philippines
• Barangay (Luzon, Vizayas) = Kampong (Mindanao)
• Battasan - set of laws in a barangay
• A barangay typically had 30-100 families.
• Pangangayaw - slave raiding
• The alliance building of barangays via marriages is through the binukot.
• Kasi-kasi - blood compacts
• Barangay Nobility - Luzon: maginoo :: Visayas: kadatoan
• The population of the barangay was stratified according to one’s economic standing.
• Barangay Commoners - Luzon: maharlika:: Visayas: timawa
• Bagani - soldiers
• Panday - craftsman
• Babaylan - priestess
• A ritual to appease the precolonial deities called anito or diwata

  Pag-aanito
• Barangay Slaves - Luzon: alipin:: Visayas: oripun