Readings in the Philippine History (MODULE 2: Philippine Prehistory and Barangay Civilizations)

Ecology

The total system of interrelated elements in the surrounding natural or physical habitat of a group of people.

Axiom on Idenity

By F. Landa Jocano, argues that returning to prehistoric times allows modern Filipinos to track how culture developed, highlight indigenous achievements, and rectify colonial errors in historical judgment. The past is the foundation of present society.

Importance of the Prehistoric Setting

Geological processes laid down the physical conditions where ancient people lived. Prehistoric cultures are dirt products of human adaptation to specific ecological niches.

Tabon Man (Palawan)

• Discovered by American anthropologist Robert Fox in 1962 inside the Tabon Caves of Palawan.

• Scientifically classified as Homo Sapiens Sapiens.

• Physical fossil composition: A skull cap (frontal skull bone), two fragments of jawbones, and teeth.

• The set of fossils suggests the presence of at least three distinct individuals.

• Forensic analysis proved that the primary fossilized skull cap belongs to a female.

• Radio-carbon dating estimates the fossil to be approximately 47,000 years old.

Callao Man (Callao Cave, Peñablanca, Cagayan):

• Discovered by Filipino archaeologist Armand Salvador Mijares in 2007.

• Physical fossil composition: A single metatarsal bone (MT3, the middle toe bone located on the lower part of the right foot).

• Proof is still required to definitively establish if he represents a fully modern anatomically advanced man or a distinct sub-species (Homo luzonensis).

• Due to the limited nature of a single toe bone, it remains impossible to determine whether the specimen is male or female.

Waves of Migration Theory (Prof H. Otley Beyer)

-Assumed early Filipinos arrived from racially distinct “migration” waves from mainland Asia via land bridges

-assumed a hierarchy with primitive Negritos as aborigines, followed by tool-wielding Indonesians, and culminating in the added Seafaring Malayan waves.

-This theory is largely discredited by modern scholars for sampling cultural development

Austronesian Theory / Out-of-Taiwan Hypothesis (Prof. Peter Bellwood)

-Rejects the wave of migration theory, focuses more on “movement or expansion.”

-Claims that populations moved southward from Mainland Chia via Taiwan around 4000-5000BCE.

-Speading maritime techonology, agricultural techniques, and the austrosian language family across the Philippines, Indonesia, and the Pacific.

Core population theory (F. Landa Jocano)

-States that early inhabitants of Southeast Asia belonged to the same racial core and co-developed locally within a shared regional ecosystem.

-This resulted in parallel cultural evolutions without needing massive external migratory waves to explain civilization.

Early European throuyghts on pre-colonial Philippines

Early European chroniclers often denigrated pre-colonial society because it lacked Western-style stone architecture.

Reason why the pre-colonial barangay system operated as a complex social system.

1. No large structure or edifice:

2. Close link to water

3. No coinage:

4. Trade with foreign empires:

5. Absence of specialized public buildings:

6. Absence of kings or politically consolidated jurisdictions:

1. No large structure or edifice:

Built with lightweight, sustainable materials (nipa, bamboo, hardwood) adapted to tropical climates and seismic activity.

Close link to water

Settlements were strictly riverine or coastal. Transport was mostly by water, creating linear settlement patterns along seacoasts and riverbanks utilizing highly well-developed, advanced seacraft (such as the balangay).

No coinage

Lacked minted physical currency. The entire economic infrastructure relied on trade by barter, utilizing standardized commodities (like gold ornaments, beeswax, and textiles) as mediums of exchange.

Trade with foreign empires:

Engaged in active maritime trade networks with China (Song and Ming Dynasties), Champa, and regional Indonesian empires long before Spanish arrival.

Absence of specialized public buildings:

Community gatherings, judicial trials, and religious rituals were conducted inside the open communal spaces or the large residential house of the chief.

Absence of kings or politically consolidated jurisdictions:

Society was highly decentralized. Regional leaders—known as Datus—exercised localized, limited authority over manpower and resource allocations within their kinship network. There were no absolute monarchs ruling the entire archipelago.

 The 10 Strict Core Achievement Criteria for Civilization

1. Efficient Technology: Masterful metallurgy (iron-working, bronze casting of lantaka cannons), textile weaving, and sophisticated shipbuilding.

2. Predictive Sciences: Advanced astronomical knowledge used to calculate seasons, agricultural cycles, and maritime navigation routes.

3. Writing: The widespread usage of indigenous syllabaries, most notably Baybayin, used for communication, poetry, and recording transactions.

4. Art and Religion: Complex animistic religious structures (Anitism), ancestral worship, tattoo artistry (Pintados), and complex gold craftsmanship.

5. Foreign Trade: Active international import-export operations with regional Asian superpowers.

6. Big Population: Large, organized demographic clusters located at strategic trading entrepots (e.g., pre-colonial Manila, Cebu, and Butuan).

7. Megalithic Structures: Extensive engineering works that modified the physical terrain, such as the Cordillera rice terraces.

8. Government: Organized governance models led by the Datu Council, which executed administrative decisions.

9. Laws: Highly structured codes of customary laws, transmitted orally or written, covering property rights, inheritance, marriage, and criminal behavior.

10. Warfare: Organized military strategies, naval raiding tactics (mangayaw), and the construction of fortified defensive positions (kota).