Lecture 4: Theories of Migration to the Philippines

• Aetas / Negritos (25,000 - 30,000 ya)

  • Spaniards called them Negritos

  • Migrated to the Philippines by travelling across the waters, most likely along the Sunda shelf

  • Those lower bodies of water are referenced as land bridges

  • “Aeta” is a collective term for the different groups with similar physical features who can be seen in different areas in the country

• Indonesians (5,000 - 6,000 ya)

  • Indonesians arrived by boat

  • Kalingas and Subanen are indigenous peoples that are descendants of the Indonesian

  • When these Indonesians arrived with their superior technology and numbers, they supposedly pushed the indigenous Aetas into the hinderlands, the mountainous regions where they continue to reside up to now

Otley Beyer’s Wave Migration Theory

• Dawn Man (Tabon Man, Callao Man)

• Aetas (25,000-30,0000 ya)

• Indonesians (5,000-6,000 ya)

• Malays (Iron Age)

  • Inhabits the lowland areas especially the Tagalog regions, Ilocos regions, and most of the Visayas

H. Otley Beyer (1883-1966)

• Became instructor in anthropology at UP in 1914; became its first Professor and Department Head until 1954

• Theory based on 19th century methodology

The Austronesian Migration

• An alternative to the Wave Migration Theory of Otley Beyer

• These people reached the Philippines starting around 3000 BC

• Replaced all former inhabitants (except Aetas)

• Supported by linguistic, genetic, and archeological evidence

• Linguistic evidence

  • Similarities exist among the 959 languages within the Austronesian language group, 945 of which are Malayo-Polynesian

  • at least 175 Austronesian languages are in the Philippines

• Two schools of thought

  • Wilhelm Solheim - Island Origin

    • Nusantao Maritime Trading and Communication Network (NMTCN)

      • Argues that Austronesians originated from Island Southeast Asia and expanded via maritime trade

      • Compatible with Beyer’s Indonesian migration

  • Peter Bellwood - Out of Taiwan

    • Suggests that Austronesians migrated from Taiwan, bringing agriculture and seafaring technology.

      

• Archeological Evidence

  • Tapenkeng pottery (Taiwan)

    • 5000-2000 BC

      

  • Lapita pottery (Tonga)

    • 800 BC

      

  • The Manunggul Jar

    • Found in Manunggul Cave, Lipuun Point Palawan

    • Dated to the Late Neolithic Period: 890-710 BC

    • The image on top is an evidence of a belief in the afterlife because it is actually a corpse in front of the boat being brought by a boatman to the afterlife

  • The Balangay

    • Nine specimens were discovered in 1976 in Butuan City, Agusan Del Norte

    • They date back to 320, 990 and 1250 AD