Pre-Colonial Philippine Way of Life - Part 2

Pre-Colonial Philippine Way of Life - Part 2

• Learning Targets: Students will be able to describe pre-colonial Philippine houses, art, technology, and economic activities; identify positive traits of early Filipinos worth emulating; and explain the relationship between geography and culture.
• Essential Questions:
• How did pre-colonial Filipinos live?
• How do beliefs and values affect individuals and societies?
• How did geography affect early Filipinos' lives?
• KWL Chart (Pre-colonial Philippines): A chart to document what students know, want to know, and have learned about dwellings, art and technology, and livelihoods.
• True/False Statements (Pre-colonial Philippines):
• Pre-colonial Filipinos adapted to their environment for survival - True.
• Only the maharlika class wore gold jewelry - False.
• Trading was limited to local communities - False.
• Pre-colonial Filipinos were skilled artists and craftsmen - True
• Filipino natives were economically self-sufficient - True.

Dwelling Places (Houses)

• Lowland Houses (Bahay Kubo): Made of nipa materials (leaves).
• Upland Houses (Bale): Constructed on tall wooden posts, frequently used by the Ifugao people. The height of the posts was to protect from animals and potential floodings.
• Stilt Houses (Mindanao): Constructed over bodies of water, used in different parts of Mindanao by different tribes.
• Ivatan Stone Houses (Batanes): Constructed using locally available stone and thatch.

Art and Technology

• Artistic Abilities: Early Filipinos demonstrated artistic abilities through designs on houses, carvings, sculptures, and tattoos.
• Artifacts: Examples include the 13th-century likha (carved coral figure) found in Sta. Ana, Calatagan, Batangas, and other artifacts.
• Whang-od: Known as the last and oldest practitioner of Kalinga tattooing, and a living proof of the tribe's batok (hand-tapping) culture. The process of creating the tattoos involved using hand-tapping style with needles and ink made from soot.

Economic Activities

• Pottery: Examples include Calatagan Pots and Manunggul Jars. Early pottery was a major industry for trade and everyday use.
• Mining and Jewelry Making: Placer mining was a significant activity for extraction of gold from water channels around the island, and this activity was used to create jewelry. The Ayala Museum has a display on gold from ancestors.
• Weaving: The T'boli women of Lake Sebu in Cotabato were known for their weaving abilities.
• Agriculture: Ifugao Rice Terraces were believed to be started around 10,000 B.C.
• Fishing: The Badjao are known as sea nomads and practiced seafaring and fishing trades.
• Shipbuilding and Seafaring: Kumpit (a type of boat) were significant for travel, trade, and fishing. People moved using ships and rafts to various places around the archipelago.