HISTORY - Customs of the Tagalogs

Customs of the Tagalogs

• AKA Relacion de las Costumbres de Los Tagalos

• Describes the political, social, economic, and cultural practices of Filipinos before getting Christianized.

• Written in 1589, by Fray Juan de Plasencia

• Written due to Plasencia’s interactions with the people he converted to Christianity.

1589

Fray Juan de Plasencia wrote “Customs of the Tagalogs” on this year.

Joan de Portocarrero

• Real name of Fray Juan de Plasencia

Pedro Portocarrero

Father of Fray Juan de Plasencia (Joan de Portocarrero)

Extremadura

Fray Juan de Plasencia (Joan de Portocarrero) grew up in the region of _____ during the SIglo de Oro (Golden Age of Spain)?

Siglo de Oro

Means “Golden Age of Spain” in Spanish

Siglo de Oro (Golden Age of Spain)

A period where an upsurge of men entered religious life to do missionary works in the newly discovered territories.

Biggest Challenge of Fray Juan de Plasencia (Joan de Portocarrero)

Making the articles of faith comprehensible to people who have never heard of Christ nor the Catholic church.

Franciscan

The order Fray Juan de Plasencia belonged to

July 2, 1578

Fray Juan de Plasencia arrived in the Philippines with the first batch of Franciscan missionaries on _____.

Fray Diego de Oropresa

Fray Juan de Plasencia did mission work in Southern Tagalog with _____, helping develop towns in Quezon, Laguna, Rizal, and Bulacan.

Liliw, Laguna

This is where Fray Juan de Plasencia died.

1590

This is the year Fray Juan de Plasencia died.

Doctrina Christiana en Lengua Espanola Y Tagala

• The first printed book in the Philippines

• Used as reading material for Filipinos who wanted to deepen their faith in the newly accepted religion.

• Published on 1593 by Fray Juan de Plasencia

Challenges in Local Governance (First Century Spanish Rule)

• Few Spaniards wanted to live outside Intramuros, making it hard for colonial officials to manage local politics.

• Filipinos were appointed as gobernadorcillo (local chief) to address the lack of Spanish officials.

Friars

• Instructed to supervise and monitor the activities of the gobernadorcillo to ensure loyalty to the Spanish Crown.

• Took on administrative duties meant for colonial officials.

  • Supervised elections, helped in collecting taxes, educated the youth, and handled civic tasks.

• Became the most influential and knowledgeable figures in the pueblo (town).

1. Miguel de Loarca

2. Antonio de Morga

Known Friars and Colonial Officials

Miguel de Loarca

• Arrived in 1576

• Became encomendro of Panay

• He wrote Relación de las Islas Filipinas (1582)

  • Described the way of life of Filipinos living in the Western Visayas area.

Relación de las Islas Filipinas

• Book that describes the way of life of Filipinos living in the Western Visayas area.

• Written by Miguel de Loarca (1582)

Antonio de Morga

• Came to the Philippines as Asesor and Teniente General

• Came to the Philippines in 1595

• He wrote Sucesos de las Islas Filipinas

  • Gives us a lot of information about the state of the Philippines at the latter part of the 16th century.

Sucesos de las Islas Filipinas

• Book that gives us a lot of information about the state of the Philippines at the latter part of the 16th century.

• Written by Antonio de Morga

1. Fr. Pedro Chirino S.J.

2. Fr. Juan Delgado S.J.

3. Fr. Francisco Colin S.J.

4. Francisco Ignacio Alcina S.J.

5. Fr. Joaquin Martinez de Zuniga O.S.A.

Spanish Missionaries who continued the historiographical tradition initiated by Loarca and Plasencia

Friar Account

• One of the most common contemporary accounts during the early part of the Spanish period.

  • Ex. Customs of the Tagalog by Plasencia, as considered by many historians

Versions of “Customs of the Tagalogs”

• Archivo Generak de Indias (A.G.I.)

• Archivo Franciscano Ibero-Oriental (A.F.I.O)

• Blair and Robertson Collections (Volume VII)

• Pre-Hispanic Philippines of the Filipiniana Book Guild Series

Archivo General de Indias (A.G.I)

Version of “Customs of the Tagalogs”

• Holds the original text

• In Seville, Spain

Archivo Franciscano Ibero-Oriental (A.F.I.O.)

Version of “Customs of the Tagalogs”

• Holds the duplicate copy

• In Madrid, Spain

Blair and Roberston Collections (Volume VII)

Version of “Customs of the Tagalogs”

• Contains the English version

Pre-Hispanic Philippines of the Filipiniana Book Guild Series

Version of “Customs of the Tagalogs”

• Contains the other English translation

• Being published as a part of a volume

Barangay

• Tribal gathering ruled by chiefs.

• Called as such because they associate themselves with the “Malay”.

  • One of the first people to arrive in the Philippines through a boat, which they call “barangay”.

• Some consisted of around 30-100 houses.

• Have some sort of diplomacy.

• All were equal in terms of status.

Datu

• Chiefs of the village

• They governed the people as captains even in wars, were obeyed, and revered.

• Any subject who committed any offense against them, or speak to their wives and children, were severely punished.

1. Maharlica (nobles)

2. Aliping Namamahay (commoners)

3. Aliping sa Guiguilir (slaves)

3 Status or Castes Within a Barangay

Maharlica

• Nobles

• People who are born free.

• Don’t need to pay taxes.

• Must accompany the datus in war.

• Kept their status for life unless they married a slave.

  • In this case, the kids would be divided and they would inherit the status of their mother or father.

Aliping Namamahay

• Commoners

• They have their own properties but have to serve their masters.

• Children from this caste inherit the status of their parents.

• Cannot be treated as a slave nor sold off.

Aliping sa Guilguilir

• Slaves

• They serves their masters in their houses and lands.

• Can be sold off.

• Rewarded with a portion of their master’s harvest so that they would continue being faithful.

Property

1. Land was shared by the entire barangay, especially irrigated areas.

2. Only those who inherited or bought land could cultivate it if they were from a different barangay.

3. During rice harvest, anyone could clear and plant o unused land, regardless of their barangay.

4. Tingues (mountain ridges)

   • Undivided

   • Owned collectively by the barangay

5. Chiefs controlled fisheries and designated river sections for markets.

   • Non-members of the chief’s barangay had to pay to fish or sell in these areas.

Marriage Customs

1. If a wife divprces her husband to marry another man, her belongings and an additional amount go to her former husband.

   • If she leaves without plans to remarry, her dowry is returned.

2. Adopted children receive double the amount they were “bought” for.

3. Investigation and sentences for the accused are presented publicly before the tribe.

Worship and Belief (Religion)

• No temples or sacred places present, in which Filipinos would worship.

• Simbahan

  • Means a place to worship.

  • Constructed at a large house of the chief where people of the tribe go to celebrate festivals (pandot of worship).

• Feasts usually lasted 4 days with continuous beating of large and small drums.

• They worshipped the sun, moon, stars, and heroic men who protected or helped them

Simbahan

• Means a place of worship.

• Constructed at a large house of the chief where people of the tribe go to celebrate festivals (pandot or worship)

Nagaanitos

Means Worship

Anito

Soul or spirit of ancestors

Sibi

A temporary shed, made on each side of the chief’s house, for the assembled people.

Bathala

One of their many idols, whom they worshipped.

Sun

Almost universally respected and honored because of its beauty.

Moon

They would rejoice, especially when new.

Stars

They did not name them except for the morning star, which they called Tala.

Seven Little Goats

The Pleiades, a star cluster.

Balatic

The Greater Bear constellation.

Mapolon

The change of seasons

Lic-ha

• Images with different shapes

• Idols

Dian masalanta

• Patron of lovers and generation

• An idol

Lacapati and Idianale

• Patrons of the cultivated lands and husbandry

• Idols

Buaya

• Crocodiles

• Respected by the Tagalogs due to their fear of being harmed by them

• They were given a portion of what the Tagalogs carried in their boat

12 Priests of the Devil

1. Catolonan

2. Managauay

3. Manyisalat

4. Mancocolam

5. Hocloban

6. Silagan

7. Magtatangal

8. Osuang

9. Mangangayoma

10. Sonat

11. Pangatahojan

12. Bayoguin

Catolonan

• Priests from a people of rank.

• Officiated the offering sacrifice for a feast and the food to be eaten, being offered to the devil.

Mangangauay

They pretended to heal the sick to deceive others.

Manyisalat

They cast remedies on couples to make them abandon each other.

Mancocolam

Could emit fire from himself, which cannot be extinguished.

Hocloban

• More powerful than a mangagauay.

• They could kill anyone without the use of any medicine.

• They could also heal those who are ill.

Silagan

They tore out and ate the liver of anyone they saw wearing white.

Magtatangal

They went out at night without their heads and returned to their bodies before sunrise.

Osuang

Tribesmen reported that they saw them fly and murdered a man and ate his flesh.

Mangangayoma

They seduced their partners with charms and other accessories so they could deceive them.

Sonat

• This devil helped people die.

• They know if the soul they helped die could be saved or not.

Pangatahojan

They can predict the future.

Bayoguin

These are men who are in the nature of a woman.

Mangangauuay and Mangangayoma

Placencia regarded them both as “witches” who performed deceitful healing procedures.

Superstition

• Omens in events they witness.

  • Sneezing

  • Encountering a rat or snake

  • Hearing the Tigmamanuguin Bird’s song made them fear bad luck and return home

Tigmamanagun Bird

• A blue bird as large as a turle-dove.

• Its song had two forms:

  • Good Omen

  • Bad Omen

Burrying the Dead

1. The corpse was placed beside its house and mourned for 4 days.

2. It was then laid in a boat used as a coffin, guarded by a slave.

3. Mourning ended with eating and drinking by the relatives.

Plasencia’s Customs of the Tagalogs

A popular primary source that vividly described the Philippines before being tainted with Spanish and Christian influences.

Contribution and Relevance of the Document in Understanding of the Grand Narrative of Philippine History

• Relevance Across Disciplines:

  • Valued by scholars for covering topics relevant to many disciplines.

  • Political scientists use it for insights on social classes, political structure, and legal systems of the Tagalog region.

  • Discusses property rights, marriage rituals, burial practices, and the justice system.

• Preservation of Culture and Beliefs:

  • Provides key insights on the roles and responsibilities of datus, maharlikas, and alipins.

  • Documented unwritten customs, traditions, and religious and superstitious beliefs.

  • First to write about Filipino mythical creatures.

• Inspiration for Missionaries:

  • Customs of the Tagalogs and Doctrina Christiana provided valuable insights for priests and missionaries.

  • Stressed the need to master the local language and culture for effective evangelization.

  • Promoted faith-based reading materials as missionary guides.

• Proof of Pre-Colonial Civilization:

  • Disproved Spanish claims that Filipinos were uncivilized pre-colonization.

  • Showed Filipinos had organized governments, tax systems, laws, criminal justice, indigenous calendars, and established traditions.

  • Highlighted belief in Bathala, burial customs, and life after death.

  • Described Filipinos’ clothing, gold ornaments, and decorated homes, proving their advanced lifestyle compared to other Southeast Asian nations.