Lecture Notes: History and Philippine Precolonial History

A set of vocabulary-style flashcards covering key terms and concepts from History, historiography, and early Philippine history as presented in the notes.

History

The study of the past; often positivist with documents, but in Kasaysayan also enriched by oral traditions and culturally relevant terms (Sapir-Whorf).

Text

A representation of the past that is not limited to written material; images and other non-written forms are also texts.

Primary Source

By-products of events produced during the same period being studied; typically have higher credibility.

Secondary Source

Materials based on primary sources (e.g., textbooks) that interpret or analyze primary data.

External Criticism

Assessing the authenticity of a source’s physical attributes and provenance (who, where, how it was obtained).

Evaluating the message’s consistency, factuality, and potential biases; includes checking translations.

Internal Criticism

Sourcing

Identifying who created the source and where it comes from.

Contextualizing

Understanding the setting and surrounding factors of a source.

Corroborating

Cross-checking information with multiple sources to confirm accuracy.

Close Reading

Analyzing what a document says and why it might be biased or limited.

Chronology

Sequencing events in time to establish order and timing.

Narrative

A coherent presentation of thought and ideas that explains past events.

Historiography

The study and writing of history through critical examination of sources and synthesis into a narrative.

Pre-colonial Philippines

History characterized by oral histories, epics, myths, sayings (salawikain), and riddles before European contact.

History shaped by European contact, emphasizing positivist, written sources.

Colonial History

Bagong Kasaysayan (Modern History)

Modern interpretation of history that combines oral and written sources.

Ethno-linguistic Group

A group defined by shared language and cultural identity.

Austronesia

A seafaring, ethnolinguistic group whose ancestors migrated across the Pacific and Indian Oceans; bigger group of Malayo-Polynesian people to which Filipinos belong

Malayo-Polynesian

A language family and cultural group within Austronesian peoples like the Philippines

Austronesian Migration

Movement of Austronesian-speaking peoples from regions like Huabinhia, Old Melanesia, and Eastern Taiwan into the Philippines and beyond.

Baybayin

Indigenous Filipino script believed to have arrived through connections with Champa; part of precolonial writing systems.

Laguna Copperplate Inscription

900 AD legal copper plate inscription found in Laguna; deciphered by Antoon Postma; shows debt pardon and royal authority.

Continental Drift Theory

Wegener’s theory of a supercontinent that split apart; explains broad geographic and cultural connections across regions.

Homo Erectus

Early human species known for using stone tools and hunter-gatherer lifestyle.

Lucy (Australopithecus afarensis)

A 3.18-million-year-old hominin fossil illustrating human evolution; discovered by Donald Johanson.

Out of Africa Theory

Hypothesis that early humans migrated out of Africa, spreading to other continents.

Tabon Man

Early human remains found in Tabon Cave, Palawan, providing evidence of ancient Filipinos.

Manunggul Jar

Burial jar from Manunggul Cave (Palawan) with two sculpted figures symbolizing the voyage to the afterlife.

Balangay

Ancient boats from Butuan (10th–13th century CE) demonstrating early Filipino maritime activity and trade.

Kinnari

Golden figure from Surigao treasure; Buddhist influence in metadata of artifacts.

Golden Tara of Agusan

Gold sculpture from Agusan showing advanced craftsmanship and cultural significance.

Srivijaya & Majapahit

Indianized Southeast Asian empires; influenced trade and culture in the Philippines before Islam and Christianity.

Tinalak & Inabel

Names of traditional Filipino weaving: (T’boli) and (Ilokano).

Novaliches Complex Pottery

Neolithic pottery and artifacts discovered during the Novaliches Dam project, indicating early material culture.

Code of Kalansyaw

A supposed precolonial code once cited in colonial narratives; later argued to be a fabrication by historian William Henry Scott.

Salawikain

Filipino proverbs or sayings used in cultural storytelling and teaching.