Quiz # 2

1.Research and write down TWO differences between the peopling theories of Peter Bellwood and

Wilhelm Solheim II.

First difference is the migration direction. According to Peralta (2011), Peter Bellwood’s

Out-of-Taiwan (OOT) theory suggests that the direction of migration was in a linear direction. The

agricultural technology in China attracted Austronesians to migrate to Taiwan. This huge

population then began creating their own languages known as the Proto-Austronesian, and because

of the different languages, it escalated and later became subcultures. From the north which is

Taiwan, one of these subgroups migrated south, towards the Philippines and Indonesia to Borneo

and Moluccas. Then in 1,500 B.C. other groups further migrated westward and eastward. In

contrast, as stated by Spawn of Anthro (2013a), Wilhelm Solheim’s Nusantao Maritime Trading

and Communication Network suggests that in 5,000 B.C., East Asia, Southeast Asia and Oceania

are divided into 4 lobes, the Eastern, Central, Northern, and Southern Lobe. All of these lobes all

point to the Central Lobe so the direction of migration goes to the center or in one point.

Second difference is the reason for migration. Bellwood’s theory suggests that the

migration happened because maritime traveling through the chain islands were a demographic

advantage (Spawn of Antro, 2013b). On the other hand, Solheim’s theory claims that they migrated

because of the sea levels rising due to the Ice Age (Peralta, 2011).

2.Discuss a working definition of Philippine prehistory and give its significance of studying it in

the present times. Cite examples of its use today.

As discussed during class, Philippine Prehistory is the unwritten history or the unwritten

stories about our country. Prehistory is passed on by word of mouth by oral literature from our
ancestors to every generation that followed. These oral literature consist of myths, folk epics, songs,

chants, and legends, a few among others. In reference to Cabrera (2016), subjects include events,

contemporary beliefs, surroundings, experiences of people and the like. These aspects were not

documented, but are left behind and picked up by professionals such as archeologists to be read

and studied. Sometimes the conclusions that will be made, can be sprinkled with imagination,

human error, or even bias (Peralta, n.d.). But our intangible cultural heritage are our doors to the

past that most Filipinos do not know about. In addition, to early Filipinos these have all faded

because everything that seemed to be a threat to the Spaniards’ rule had to go, and so colonizers

forced upon our ancestors to forget their native culture, traditions, texts, and beliefs to be able to

learn and adapt their system. Thus, it is rediscovering this heritage and to reconstruct our

understanding of our country is significant, we should put effort to seek and educate ourselves

about the true history.

In Philippine history, there seems to have been a gap in all of the stories written. Most of

these written stories are leaning towards the colonial periods. Other than the imposed inferiority

and cultural amnesia, it is stated in a video where Virgilio Almario talked about “Recovering the

National Memory” (Library of Congress [LOC], 2018), “A nation without memory is a nation

without pride, and, thus, much easier to enslave...”. The statement alone shows how belittled the

Philippines was for it was easy to brainwash them with the superior culture. Hence, studying

Philippine prehistory is relevant if we want to understand the roots of Filipino identity and the

origin of our national heritage which includes our customs, values, beliefs, and even our language.

Furthermore, it can provide historical solutions to present day confusions about who we are and

why we have a resemblance to the Malayan nations. According to Jocano (1967), the raw

beginnings of our culture and society which are authentic and untouched by colonialism will never
be fully known, even with all the fossils and artifacts recovered, those pieces of the past can never

add up and tell the whole story. It is still worth a short for As stated by Cabrera (2016), studying

our oral past will make us knowledgeable that the country’s wealth was actually its indigenous

literature and in this phase of literary development, it was almost as if every member of a tribe was

a “singer or storyteller” and every tribe has its own abundance of literature. Moreover, with the

staggering amounts of social issues today, we can take advice from how the society was during

the precolonial period. During those times, women were just as important, respected, and seen as

equal as men. There was also no such thing as poverty, everyone back then knew how to fish, farm,

and properly use the huge amounts of livestock and natural resources we have (Cabrera, 2016).

3. Write a short reflection (500 words or more) of our prehistoric heritage based on any of the

videos viewed during the lesson.

The Spanish colonizers were not right when they told Jose Rizal that the history of the

Philippines only began during their conquest. For the reason being that, the country’s Pre-Historic

Heritage or the civilization it had before colonization was already highly advanced. Starting with

the topic of the Austronesians. According to the video entitled “National Treasures – A Journey

Through History”, Philippines is the first place on Southeast Asia where Austronesians settled.

The Austronesian population is a “pioneering civilization” that is composed of one among the few

indigenous civilizations within the Pacific. Its population stretches from Madagascar, Hawaii,

through Malaysia and Indonesia. This topic is to be said, the answer to questions about similarities

in cultures and features of countries in the Pacific. In relation, people like Aboriginals, Filipinos,

Indonesians, and Malagasy a few among others, have common ancestors. They are also related in

language, though there are many branches of Austronesian languages, all of them originate from

a single ancestral language. “Oceania” in 1880s was used to describe Austronesian Speaking
regions and with this, it shows the concepts and grammatical rules these languages commonly

share. An example of this similarity can be seen from the word “Vanua/Benua”. In Malay, “Benua”

means civilization, land, or world, whereas in the Sri Vijaya Era, “Vanua” also shares the same

meaning. While our language had similarities to others, the earliest writing system was rather

unique. The Calatagan Ritual Pot that was dated from 14th to 15th A.D., the writings on this pot

alone symbolizes the advanced culture we had before colonization. The writing system, Baybayin

or it was through literature that our ancestors were to document events and jot down their thoughts.

With such complex languages, the Philippines’ amazing prehistory does not end there for

as old as twelve thousand A.D., there is a population in the country that already has a sense of

hierarchy and complex beliefs. The Ibatans from Batanes, lived in idjangs which are hillside

settlements they occupied during times of conflict. Hierarchy is seen here for the idjangs of chiefs

are placed on the highest terrace while the rest of the people’s idjangs are in the lower terraces.

Other than hierarchy, the early inhabitants of the Philippines developed beliefs. A cave in Lipuun

Point called Tabon, where the American Anthropologist, Doctor Robert Fox found the Manunggul

Jar which dated at 890 B.C. to 710 B.C. This secondary burial jar houses recovered bones of the

deceased. The Manunggul Jar evidenced that during these years, our ancestors already created

belief systems and have conceptualized abstract things such as an after world. In addition to the

Manunggul Jar, another type of secondary burial jar proves the complexity of the belief system.

The Maitum Jar, made in 5 B.C. was found in the year 1991, by a group of rebels with the help of

geologist Michael Spadafora, in the Ayub Cave located at Maitum, Saranggani. This jar is different

from the Manunggul Jar because it can only house short bones like fingers.

Lastly, a country with beautiful architecture and craftsmanship. Intricate designs on the

two uniquely Filipino secondary burial jars, with Manunggul Jar lid having a ship of the dead with
2 individuals on it. While on the other hand, the Maitum Jar had faces and expressions of people.

Moreover, the city of Butuan has a rich seafaring and trade culture. Boat engineers were

constructing wooden boats that were about 13 meters in length and the craftsmanship is

phenomenal for the ship engineers back then were able to bend 2 inch thick tropical hardwood.

The wonders of Butuan does not stop there because the abundance of gold jewelry that was dated

to 1000 years ago shows that Butuan was a place for trading with other cultures near and far. When

it comes to architecture, there are about 57 architectural types in the country and not only did early

Filipinos build settlements, but they also constructed rice terraces which is located in Ifugao and

is part of UNESCO’s World Heritage List. Over 750 years old, the rice terraces among other man-

made structures never fail to prove the wonders of the Philippine culture.

To conclude, our rich culture, traditions, beliefs, artifacts, man-made landscapes and

settlements to name a few are what the Spaniards as well as Jose Rizal were missing out. If only

Rizal had known about the advanced and thriving lives of our ancestors, then it would have been

easy to prove those Spaniards wrong from the start. The videos showcased the Philippines as a

treasure throve but it also shed a light on the topic that Filipinos, like Rizal, are not knowledgeable

about Philippine pre-history. We should all strive to tap into our past because those are the reasons

to why our identity and culture evolved to what is it is today.

Bibliography

Peralta, J. (n.d.). GLANCES: Prehistory of the Philippines. Retrieved from GOV.PH:

https://ncca.gov.ph/about-culture-and-arts/culture-profile/prehistory-of-the-philippines/

Jocano, F. (1967). The Beginnings of Filipino Society and Culture. Retrieved from Philippine

Studies, 15(1), 9-40.: https://www.jstor.org/stable/42720172

https://esielcabrera.wordpress.com/2016/02/26/philippine-literature-during-pre-colonial-

period/

Peralta, J. (2011). In Focus: The Austronesian Expansion- a Reaction to “Paths of Origin”.

Retrieved from GOV.PH: https://ncca.gov.ph/about-culture-and-arts/in-focus/the-

austronesian-expansion-a-reaction-to-paths-of-origin/

Spawn of Anthro. (2013a). On Solheim’s Nusantao — Filipino Origins. Retrieved from

https://spawnofanthro.wordpress.com

Spawn of Anthro. (2013b). Out-of-Taiwan (On the Spread of Austronesians in Southeast Asia).

Retrieved from https://spawnofanthro.wordpress.com/2013/04/18/out-of-taiwan-on-the-

spread-of-austronesians-in-southeast-asia/

(2018) Recovering the National Memory: The Quest for a Pre-Colonial Filipino Past. [Video]

Retrieved from the Library of Congress, https://www.loc.gov/item/webcast-8451/.