Early Philippine Society and Culture

• who wrote the Laguna Copper-Plate Inscription: Text and Commentary

  Antoon Postma
• prior to LCI, the written history of the Philippines started in 1521 with Antonio Pigafetta’s diary
• what is the LCI

  a semi-official certificate of debt incurred by a person in high office, together with his whole family, all relatives and descendants
• two writers of Vocabulario de la Lengua Tagala

  • Fr. Francisco Blancas de San Joseph
  • Fr. Pedro de Buenaventura
• which vocabulario de la Lengua Tagala was more comprehensive

  Fr. Pedro de Buenaventura
• “my debt to you is now dissolved”

  lapas na ang utang ko sa iyo
• Social Hierarchy according to Postma

  1. Principalities, Chiefs, Leaders
  2. Timawa
  3. Maharlika
  4. Namamahay
  5. Slaves
  6. namamahay
  7. sagigilir
• who wrote class structure in the unhispanized philippines

  William Henry Scott
• four types of class structure (W.H. Scott)

  1. Classless Societies
  2. Warrior Societies —> class distinction by prowess in battle
  3. Petty Plutocracies —> class characterized by inherited real property
  4. Principalities —> societies with recognized ruling class
• no class or groups exerts authority or advantage over other classes or groups in this society

  classless societies
• where do classless socities get sustenance

  1. farm swiddens
  2. hunting and gathering
  3. live of fish and turtles
• group functioning of classless societies

  functioning in groups with 3 to 50 members
• three needs for leadership in classless societies

  1. settlement of personal disputes, prevention or punishment of crimes
  2. organization of economic activities needing large labor force
  3. dealing with outside groups
• who makes juridical decisions in classless societies

  the eldest male in the group or the wisest man
• in this society, membership is won by personal achievements

  Warrior Societies
• Names of classless societies

  Hanunoo

  Ilongots of Nueva Ecija, Vizcaya, and Isabela

  Mangays of Mindoro

  Tiruray of Cotabato

  Sulod of Panay

  Bataks of Palawan

  Negrito
• Batangas Mangyan headman

  ngulo
• Bacu and Naujan Mangyan

  amo or puno
• non-Batak

  agalens
• warriors in the manobo of agusan and cotabato, madaya, bagobo, and tagakaolo of davao, and the bilaan of the davao-cotabato

  bagani or magani
• warriors in Isnegs and Kalingas

  mengal or maingel
• replacements of warrior chiefs as leaders

  timuway
• raids

  mangayaw
• what is not taken by the warrior class during raids

  territories
• bilateral non-aggression pacts in Kalinga

  bodong
• this society is dominated by socially and politically recognized class of rich men with localized authority

  Petty Plutocracies
• petty plutocracies are only found in

  Cordillera Central
• societies recognized by aristocracy with birthright claim

  principalities
• these societies produce little or no surplus from their environment

  classless socieities
• this society does not make war, no weapons

  classless society
• this society possess more imported trade items

  warrior societies
• former warrior societies whose intensive farming of irrigated terraces has produced a land-owning and -inheriting class which takes precedence over military veterans

  petty plutocracies
• this society produces more food, support larger populations, and exhibit greater economic gaps

  petty plutocracies
• this society’s landed elite exploit the labor of dependents and debtors but work along their debt peons


  petty plutocracies
• this society has a much broader economic base, practices sedentary agriculture, engage in maritime trade, and slave labor

  principalities
• this society has centralized or centralizing government

  principalities
• who wrote the role of islam in the history of the filipino people

  Cesar Adlib Majul
• Stage 1 of Islamization (13th to 15th century)


  conception of Malaysia as a constellation of sultanates and principalities exemplifying different stages in Islamization
• where was the Moslem trade

  Red Sea to the China Sea
• when did Sulu participated in the Moslem Trade (presence only)

  end of the 9th century or beginning of the 10th century upon the arrival of Arab traders