Pre-Spanish Philippines: Society, Literature, and Myths

• Philippines during the pre-Spanish era was a prosperous land consisting of small political units called barangays.
• The Philippines was thalassocratic, which is a type of government with primarily maritime realms.
• Sugbu (now Cebu) was a major center of trade.

Filipino Society

• Consisted of three distinct social classes: maharlika (nobles), timawa (freemen), and alipin (slaves).
• Alipin can be either namamahay (household slaves that are granted homes and can own property) or saguiguilid (slaves that do not have the right to own property).
• Filipinos were not barbaric and had established a centralized government, legal system, and their own alphabet called baybayin.

Philippine literature

• Filipinos have already been fond of poetry, songs, stories, riddles, and proverbs before colonization.
• Filipinos have collections of folk songs to epic tales that showcase the rich culture.

Myths

• Traditional or legendary stories which featured one or more deities or demigods and explain practice, rite, or phenomenon of nature.
• Tagalogs believe in the supreme deity called Bathala who is the creator of heaven and earth, under which is a pantheon of gods and goddesses.
• Visayans call their supreme god Kaptan or Captan, and the Bicolanos believe in Gugurang.
• Famous creation include stories of Malakas (The Strong One) and Maganda (The Beautiful One).
• Sky showered a multitude of massive boulders down upon the Sea and from it formed the Philippines.
• Malakas and Maganda were the first humans out of bamboo pecked by a Kite (bird).

Epics

• Biag ni Lam-Ang (Life of Lam-Ang) was transcribed around 1640 by Pedro Bucaneg, a blind Ilocano bard.
• The Ilocano epic consists of 1477 lines and 206 stanzas, and the main character named Lam-ang was born with the gift of speech, has supernatural strength, and owns a pet cock and a dog.
• Biag ni Lam-Ang is divided into Prologue: The Birth of Lam-ang (line 5-108), The Quest for the Father (lines 109-192), The Quest for a Wife (line 455-1300), and Epilogue: The Death and Restoration of the Hero (lines 1301-1477).
• Aliguyon is an Ifugao epic that follows the adventures of the hero who fought against Pumbakhayon, and is in the form of a Hudhud traditionally sung at harvest time.
• Labaw Donggon is a Visayan epic that follows the adventures of the son of the goddess Alunsina and Datu Paubari, and his adventures to win various maidens.
• Agyu is a Manobo/llianon tale divided into 3 parts, about a hero whose people had been driven out of their land, who go on a journey to Nalandangan.

Folk Songs

• Originated in traditional popular culture and are some of the oldest forms of literature, of which examples include:
• Kundiman (love song)
• Diana (wedding song)
• Oyayi/ Hele (lullaby)
• Kumintango or Tagumpay (war song).

Epigrams (Salawikain)

• Rhetorical devices, witty, ingenious, a pointed saying that is tersely expressed.
• They serve as laws/rules on good behavior.
• Expression of truths, ethics, and good morals.

Riddles (Bugtong)

• Were a form of entertainment that improves quick thinking, broadens vocabulary, and is usually done during special occasions, be it harvest time or a funeral.

Spanish Colonialism

• Resulted in significant influences in terms of Philippine culture as seen in clothes, arts, music, literature, and attitude.
• The Roman alphabet became widely used.
• Doctrina Cristiana became the foundation of religion-related activities.
• Many Spanish words were integrated into the language.
• European myths and traditions became part of Philippine literature.
• Doctrina Cristiana, the first religious book published in the Philippines on July 15, 1593 was written by Fr. Domingo Nieva and Fr. Juan De Palencia in Spanish and Tagalog and written in Alibata.

Doctrina Cristiana Contents

• Ten Commandments.
• Seven Deadly Sins.
• Salve Regina (Hail Holy Queen).
• Credos.
• Dios Te Salva Maria (Ave Maria).
• Pater Noster (Our Father).
• The second book published in the Philippines was written by Father Blancas de San Jose in 1602, which contains biographies of various saints, novenas, and common questions/answers regarding religion.
• Father Antonio de Borja wrote Barlaan at Josaphat in Tagalog, based on an original Greek work.
• It was deemed the first novel published in the Philippines, and was translated to Iloko in poetry form by Fr. Agustin Mejia.
• Ang Pagsusulatan ng Dalawang Binibini na si Urbana at si Feliza, written by Father Modesto de Castro from Laguna, is about two sisters who are exchanging letters and telling each other stories about their lives.
• Important morals from "Urbana" include not imposing superiority through cruelty, exhibiting compassion towards the poor, acknowledging success comes at a price, avoiding mocking, and expressing gratitude.

Secular Poetry

• Pasyon is an example of an epic poem which tells the story of Jesus Christ's life, trials, and sufferings.
• Awit is a narrative poem with 4 lines/stanza and dodecasyllabic with 12 syllables/line and a pause after the 6th syllable.

Dramas / Plays

• Senakulo is the traditional depiction of the events before and after Jesus Christ was crucified.
• Duplo aims to entertain the bereaved family.
• Moro-moro is a drama/play that tells a story full of adventures and wars about the battle between the Spaniards and the moros.
• Santacruzan is a ritual pageant/procession on the last day of Flores de Mayo.
• Carillo is a shadow play using puppets from cardboard, accompanied by a narrator. Panunuluyan is the Philippine version of a Mexican tradition done on Christmas Eve.
• Sarsuela is a comedy/melodrama, accompanied by music with 3 parts conveying intense and passionate feelings.