Philippine History: Geography, Culture, and Indigenous Resistance

Vocabulary flashcards covering indigenous resistance, colonial policies, geographical defenses, and modern indigenous rights in Philippine history.

Ilaya

The high, remote mountainous region regarded as the home of nature spirits that served as a natural defense for indigenous peoples against Spanish colonialism.

Ilawod

The vast coastal and sea region that served as a center of free trade and a natural defense against Spanish control.

Reduccion

The Spanish colonial policy of forcibly relocating indigenous populations from mountainous areas into lowland towns (pueblos) to easily control and convert them.

Guerras Piraticas

Naval conflicts and coastal raids initiated around 1578 in the Sulu and Celebes Seas, viewed as piracy by the Spanish but as defense of freedom by native Muslims.

Sulu Raiders

Moro seafaring groups consisting of the Iranun, Sama, and Tausug of Jolo who engaged in naval warfare to defend their independence.

Lantaka

A native cannon used aboard Moro warships that provided a key tactical advantage in naval battles against enemy vessels.

Jihad

A holy war launched by Muslim Filipinos during the fourth Moro War to defend their Islamic faith and way of life from Spanish invasion.

Sultan Kudarat

The Muslim leader who spearheaded the first historical Jihad against the Spanish colonizers to protect Islam and indigenous sovereignty.

Animism

The spiritual belief system of the Igorot people of the Cordillera, holding that nature and mountains are sacred homes of spirits.

Pangangayaw

A headtaking practice utilized by the Igorot people of the Cordillera as a form of active rebellion and defense against Spanish intruders.

1898

The year marking the official end of Spanish colonialism in the Philippines, during which the Igorot territories of the Cordillera remained unconquered.

Republic Act No. 8371

Also known as the Indigenous Peoples Rights Act (IPRA) of 1997, a law intended to protect the ancestral lands, culture, and human rights of Indigenous peoples.

Badjao

An indigenous seafaring group traditionally reliant on fishing and pearl diving who face forced displacement to urban centers like Manila, Cavite, and Batangas due to armed conflict and land grabbing in Mindanao.

Garay and Lanong

Types of native Moro warships fitted with boarding platforms and cannons, used to protect sea routes and disrupt Spanish colonial trade.