Origins of the Filipino People

• The first people in the Philippines, their origin, and their fate remain questions that cannot be fully answered.
• The best explanations about the distant past come from:
  • The story of God's creation in the Bible
  • The story of evolution made by human scientists
  • Legends and fairytales

The Biblical Story

• All men and women originated from Adam and Eve.
• Maritime peoples later spread out into their territories by their clans within their nations, each with its own language.
• Fr. Francisco Colin wrote that the first settler of the country was Tharsis together with his brothers and their descendants.
• Scientists do not believe in the story of creation in the Holy Bible and instead invented the theory of evolution, where the first man came from apelike creatures.

The Theory of Evolution

• This theory posits that man came from apelike creatures that lived in caves with very crude tools thousands of years ago.
• Early Filipinos came from "waves of migration" which consisted of Negritos, Indonesians, and Malays.

The Negritos

• Also called Atis or Aetas, they were the first people of the Philippines.
• They travelled across land bridges from mainland Asia, arriving approximately 25,000 years ago.
• Negritos are described as very small people, less than five feet tall, having black skin, short kinky hair, thick lips, and black noses.
• They wandered in the forest, living by hunting, fishing, and gathering wild plants and fruits.
• Negritos used bow and arrow for hunting.

The Indonesians

• They were the first immigrants to arrive by sea to the Philippines.
• Indonesians came about 5,000 years ago, sailing in boats from South Asia.
• They were driven into the mountains and lived in the lowlands.
• Indonesians were more advanced than the Negritos.
• They dwelled in permanent homes and used fire to cook.
• They sustained themselves through hunting, fishing, and small-scale farming.
• Indonesians painted their bodies with colorful figures.
• Indonesian minority tribes are in some interior parts of the country, such as Apayaos, Kalingas, Manobos, Tirurays, Gaddangs, Tagbanuas, Mandyas, Sabanuns, Ibanags, Bagobos, and Bukidnon.
• There are two types of Indonesians:
  • Tall with light skin, a large forehead, high nose, and thin lips.
  • Shorter and darker with a large nose and thick lips.

The Malays

• They arrived after the Indonesians, approximately 2,000 years ago, by boats from Southeast Asia.
• Malays were medium in height, brown-skinned with dark eyes, a flat nose, and straight black hair.
• They drove Indonesians to the forest and lived in the lowlands.
• The Malays were more civilized than the Indonesians.
• They lived in larger villages and had government, writing, music, arts, and sciences.
• They lived by agriculture, fishing, mining, and trading.

Maragtas

• This tells of how the first ten Malay datus left Borneo and came to Panay, where they bought land from the Negritos.
• This legend is celebrated in the famous "Ati-Atihan" fiesta and dance.
• Filipinos today come from the Malay or brown race.

Core Population

• This theory claims that early Filipinos came from settlers within the islands, not from outside.
• Ancestors migrated outside to nearby islands to spread culture.

Tabon Man

• Tabon Man is the first man in the Philippines, he lived in caves at Tabon, Palawan around 25,000 years ago.
• Tabon Man belonged to the Stone Age culture by the use of stone tools and weapons.
• Tabon Man was short with bushy eyebrows and a low forehead.

Famous Legends & Fairy Tales

• These are imaginary stories used to keep children interested in their past
• The two highlighted legends are:
  • The story of Malakas and Maganda
  • The story of the brown people

Historical Values

• The early Filipinos had their own culture, built rice terraces in Northern Luzon, charted the seas, and sailed to other Pacific islands.
• They had a societal law and order.
• They valued beautiful things, like jewelry and pottery.
• The dead was buried with respect.
• Early Filipinos spread their inventions and culture, and did not just borrow from others.
• Tribal minorities should be respected and protected because they are part of ancestry.
• There are about 100 tribal groups in the Philippines, each with customs, beliefs, arts, and crafts.