Historical Critique of Juan de Plasencia's Customs of the Tagalogs PDF

HISTORICAL CRITIQUE: Juan de Plasencia, O.S.F., Customs of the Tagalogs (Garcia, Mauro (1979). Readings in Philippine History. Manila: Filipiniana Book Guild) Presented during the 2nd Wave of CHED Teacher Training for General Education Courses – May 12, 2017 Our Lady of Fatima University Valenz...

HISTORICAL CRITIQUE: Juan de Plasencia, O.S.F., Customs of the Tagalogs (Garcia, Mauro (1979). Readings in Philippine History. Manila: Filipiniana Book Guild) Presented during the 2nd Wave of CHED Teacher Training for General Education Courses – May 12, 2017 Our Lady of Fatima University Valenzuela Evardone, Salvador M., Ph.D.  Importance of the TEXT  There are at least three major discursive issues that can be extracted from the document, Customs of the Tagalogs written by Juan de Plasencia in 1589, if we are to put socio-political context into the text – a. first, the issue of authorship; b. second, the discourse of power in colonial writing; and c. third, the logic of binarism or the Occident- Other dichotomy.  These are interrelated threads that probably constitute major segments of colonial historical writing in the Philippines.  Importance of the TEXT  The authorial voice or authorship plays a pivotal role in putting meaning(s) to this colonial text. The author, Juan de Plasencia was, in the first place, not a native Tagalog but a Franciscan missionary who first arrived in the Philippines in 1577.  Importance of the TEXT  He was tasked by the King of Spain to document the customs and traditions of the colonized (“natives”) based on, arguably, his own observations and judgments. Notably, de Plasencia wrote the Doctrina Cristiana, an early book on catechism and is believed to be the first book ever printed in the Philippines.  Such initiatives were an accustomed practice of the colonizer during the Age of Discovery to enhance their superiority over the colonized and validity of their so-called duties and legacies to the World.  Importance of the TEXT  In this particular text, de Plasencia tried to avoid discussing the “conflicting reports of the Indians” through an “informed observation” to obtain the “simple truth.”  This “truth,” however, is debatable, and the manner of how he actually arrived to his reports is even more problematic.  Importance of the TEXT  The text foregrounds two important figures: the observer (de Plasencia) himself, with his own background, subjectivites and biases; and the observer’s subject (Tagalogs), seen as the “Other,” a metonymic amalgam of communal characteristics, local customs and traditions, etc. In colonial situations, the relationship of these figures – the colonizer and the colonized – flows in both but unequal directions; the former being the dominant, while the latter is the inferior one Said, Edward W. The Edward Said Reader. New York: Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group, 2007.  Importance of the TEXT  Promoter of Language Inculturation a. Linguistics works  The Cathechist a. Cathechism de la Doctrina Cristiana 1581 b. The Tocsohan of Plasencia As Practiced c. Other Cathechetical works  The Pedagogue: Promovedor Singular de las Escuelas  Pastoral Organizer: Father of the Filipino Barangay  Importance of the TEXT a. Basic Principles behind the Reduccion System b. Carta Al Rey 1585 c. Building a basic Christian Communities  The Ethnographer a. Relacion de las Costumbres b.Ynstruccion de las costumbres Antiguamente ten_an _ las naturals de Panpanga.  Defender of the Rights of the Native Filipinos  Author’s Background  Fray Juan was born to the illustrious family of the Portocarreros in Plasencia in the region of Extremadura, Spain in the early 16th century  Died in1590  suit up the Franciscan habit at a very young age  Fray Juan de Plasencia came together with the first batch of Franciscan missionaries in the Philippines. In the list of missionaries bound for the Philippine Islands which was dispatched from the Casa de la Contratacion of Seville, dated May 21 1577, the name Fray Joan de Puerto Carrero, del convento de Villanueva de la Serena was mentioned  Author’s Background  Fray Juan de Plasencia came together with the first batch of Franciscan missionaries in the Philippines. In the list of missionaries bound for the Philippine Islands which was dispatched from the Casa de la Contratacion of Seville, dated May 21 1577, the name Fray Joan de Puerto Carrero, del convento de Villanueva de la Serena was mentioned  works: Historical Background of the Document  Written this document upon the request of Santiago de Vera, governador general from1584-1590, head of the Franciscan in the Philippines, Fray San Pedro Bautista.  His document was used by the alcaldes mayor of the provincial governadors as basis of their policies and rule to the natives Context of the Document  Customs of the Tagalogs Context of the Document Themes of the Customs of the Tagalogs Relacion delas costumbres que los yndios solian tener en estas yslas hecha  As Political Unit  Social Stratification  Marriage  Worship  Context of the Document As Political Unit  chiefs – datos; governed the people and captains of the wars, and whom people obeyed in reverence  subject who committed any offense or spoke against the dato’s wives and children was severely punished  Context of the Document As Political Unit  chiefs – ruled over few people; sometimes hundred houses to even less than thirty  Tribal gathering-Tagalog: barangay; as they are classed, by their language, among the Malay nations. Barangay is a boat; dato is the head of it  Barangays were not subject to one another except in friendship and relationship  Context of the Document As Political Unit  Some dato had fishieries; no one could fish or trade without paying unless he belonged to the barangay/village  Investigations for crimes were made and sentences passed must take place in the presence of those of his barangay  Conflict between two chiefs – convoked judges to act as arbiters  Context of the Document As Political Unit  Laws – condemned to death the ff: 1. A man of low birth who insulted the daughter or wife of a chief 2. Witches; their children and accomplices became slaves - All other offenses were punished by fines in gold which if not paid, exposed the culprit to serve Context of the Document Social Stratification  Three Castes 1. Nobles – free-born; maharlica 2. Commoners – aliping namamahay 3. Slaves – aliping saguiguilir  Context of the Document Social and Economic Stratifications - NOBLES  Nobles – free-born; maharlica  do not pay tax or tribute to the dato, but must accompany the dato in war at their own expense  the dato offered a feast and afterward they divided the spoils  the lands which they inhabited were divided among the whole barangay especially the irrigated portion  tingues or mountain ridges- owned in common by the barangay  Status (seems)is forever but becomes slaves through marriage Context of the Document Social and Economic Stratifications – ALIPING NAMAMAHAY  They are married and serve their master- dato or maharlica  A.N. accompanied their master even beyond the island and rowed for him  Live in their own houses and are lords of their property and lands  Their children inherit it and can’t be made slaves Context of the Document Social and Economic Stratifications – ALIPING SAGUIGUILIR  They served their master in his (master) house and cultivated lands; may be sold  Captives in the war; inherited; owed debt – 5 or more taels Context of the Document Social and Economic Stratifications – knowledge on the difference between ALIPING NAMAMAHAY and ALIPING SAGUIGUILIR  During the Spanish period, the alcades mayor do not know the difference – children of AN would make use of them as AS  if married to maharlica, mother and children became free Context of the Document Social and Economic Stratifications – DEBTS AND LOANS  Half the cultivated lands and all their produce belonged to the master – provide food and clothing but enslaving the culprit and children until the fine is paid.  If the culprit has relatives or friends to help him pay the debt, he will no longer be AS but AN  It the creditor were not served, the culprit had to pay double Context of the Document MARRIAGE Maharlica marries a slave AN or AS- children will be divided; 1, 3 and 5 either male or female belonged to the father; even numbers belonged to mother; if the maharlican father becomes a slave as well as his children M After marriage could not move from one village without paying fine of gold Context of the Document INHERITANCE The legitimate inherited equally Parents gave a dowry to any son in order to marry him to a chief’s daughter If one had children by two or more legitimate wives, each child received the inheritance and dowry of his mother. Context of the Document If a Maharlica had a child with his slave as well as with his legal wife, the former had no share in the inheritance If there were two children, the legitimate one had two parts of share, and the one of the inaasaua is one part. If there’s no children with the legitimate wife, the inaasaua will inherit all. Context of the Document Dowries are given by the men to the women’s parents. At their death, the dowry will be divided equally among children If the wife has neither father, mother nor grandparents, she enjoys her dowry. In case of divorce, if the wife left the husband, all the dowry fell to the husband; when the husband left his wife, he lost the half of the dowry Context of the Document Worship  No temples consecrated in performing sacrifices; simbahan may be a place of adoration only during festival or worship.  They celebrate in the large house of a chief; with roof or sibi, lamps o sorihile on the posts of the house  The whole barangay and family join in worship called nagaanitos Context of the Document Worship  They worship Bathala whose title signifies all powerful  They worship sun, moon, and some worship stars  They had no established calendar system; it is determined by the cultivation of the soil, counted by moons, and the different effect produced upon the trees when yielding flowers, fruits and leaves Context of the Document Worship  Offering sacrifice was to proclaim a feast, and offer to the devil what they had to eat; the poetic song sung during rituals are performed by the officiating priest, male or female, who is called catalonan  Distinction of priests: 1. Catalonan – honorable among natives 2. Mangangaway – or witches who deceived by pretending to heal the sick Context of the Document Worship  Distinction of priests: 3. Manyisalat – same with no. 2; had the power of applying remedies to loversthat they would abandon and despise their own wives 4. Mancocolam – duty was to emit fire to cause illness and death 5. Hocloban – greater than mangangaway; they use charms to kill, destroy and heal. Others – Silagan, magtatangal, osuang, mangagayoma, sonat, pangatohan, bayoguin, Context of the Document Manner of Burying the dead  Te death is buried beside his house  They mourn for 4 days before internment  The death is laid in the boat as coffin  Comparison with Primary Sources Fr. Pedro Chirino, SJ  He stayed here for 14 years and was a “missionary to the Tagalos and Pintados and was superior of the Jesuit colleges in Manila and Cebu”. He studied civil and canon law in Sevilla  Chirino found that the Philippines had become a brighter place, even the weather had improved since the natives had converted to Catholicism: It seems, however, that now since they have become Christians, the seasons are not quite the same, for at Christmas it gets somewhat cooler. The years, since the advent of the Spaniards, have been determined by the latter, and the seasons have been given their proper names, and they have been divided into weeks. (Chirino 190)  Comparison with Secondary Source William Henry Scott Renato Constatino Seven basic documents were used for the study: The Philippines: a past Miguel de Loar- ca's Relacicirz de las Islas Filipinas revisited (1582); Juan de Plasencia's Relacicin de las costumbres yue CHAPTER III- Baranganic Societies 10s indios se han tener en estas islas and Irzstrucciorz de las costunzbres que antiguamente Most villages boasted o tenian 10s naturales de la Pampanga en sus Pleitos only thirty to one hundred (1589); houses (quoting Plasencia) Pedro Chirino's Relacibn de las Islas Filipinas (1 604); chapter eight of Anto- nio de Morga's Sucesos de las Barangay stratification was Islas Filipinas; not rigid… the anonymous late sixteenth century Boxer Debt peonage cannot be manuscript; equated to slavery as it existed in Europe unpublished Historia dc las Islas e Indios de las Bisayas ( 1688) of Francisco Alcina.  Comparison with Secondary Source William Henry Scott Renato Constatino Father Plasencia describes Filipinos as being divided Barangay was not a political into four social conditions or "estates": principales, unit (quoting George hidalgos, pecheros, and esclavos. These appear to be Weightman) functional divisions as he conceived them, for he separates the common tribute-payer (pechero) from Ritual and administrative the "true" slaves, calls the principales "datus," and distinctions did not connote a com- ments that they are "like knights" (como class society caballeros), that is, holder of an office, not members of a class. In a separate treatise on custom law, however, he only distinguishes three estates: those of ruler, ruled, and slave, as Doctor of Canon Law Antonio de hlorga also did, and like Morga does not equate principal with datu. Contribution and Relevance of the Document  Promotes language inculturation and cathechism  Pastoral Organizer- the Father of the Filipino Barangay; basic principles behind the reduccion system  The ethnographer  Defender of the rights of the native Filipinos