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Module 1 Readings in The Philippine History

This document provides an overview of a learning module on Philippine history. It discusses key concepts like primary and secondary sources, and how historians analyze sources through external and internal criticism. It also outlines two specific lessons - an introduction to the study of history and historiography, and analyzing the Manunggul Jar artifact from the Neolithic period as a primary source on early Philippine society. The module aims to help students understand Philippine history by examining primary sources and interpreting them within their proper historical context.

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Leonso Visto Jr
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0% found this document useful (0 votes)
229 views9 pages

Module 1 Readings in The Philippine History

This document provides an overview of a learning module on Philippine history. It discusses key concepts like primary and secondary sources, and how historians analyze sources through external and internal criticism. It also outlines two specific lessons - an introduction to the study of history and historiography, and analyzing the Manunggul Jar artifact from the Neolithic period as a primary source on early Philippine society. The module aims to help students understand Philippine history by examining primary sources and interpreting them within their proper historical context.

Uploaded by

Leonso Visto Jr
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Learning Module

Readings in the Philippine History


(GE 109)

Prepared by:

Name: Yr. & Sec.


Date Taken: Date submitted:
Cellphone no.
READINGS IN THE PHILIPPINE HISTORY
MODULE 1

Module Title: Module 1 Readings in the Philippine History

Course Title: Readings in the Philippine History

Course Number: GE 109

Course Description: This course Philippine History viewed from the lens of selected
primary sources in different periods, analysis and interpretation.

Total Learning Time: 4 weeks

Pre-requisites: N/A

Learning Outcomes:
 Explained the meaning of primary and secondary sources.
 Identified forms and examples of primary sources
 Described the customs and traditions of early Philippine society.

INDICATIVE CONTENT:
Module 1
Lesson 1: Introduction to History, Definition, Issues, Sources and Methodology
Lesson 2: Manunggul Jar

DISCUSSION:

Lesson 1: Introduction to History, Definition, Issues, Sources and Methodology

Definition and Subject Matter


History has always been known as the study of the past. Students of general education often
dreaded the subject for its notoriety in requiring students to memorize dates, places, names,
and events from distant eras. This low appreciation of the discipline may be rooted from the
shallow understanding of history’s relevance to their lives and to their respective contexts.
While the popular definition of history as the study of the past is not wrong, it does not give
justice to the complexity of the subject and its importance to human civilization.

History was derived from the Greek word, historia which means knowledge acquired through
inquiry or investigation. History as a discipline existed for around 2400 years old and is as old
as mathematics and philosophy. This term was then adapted to classical Latin where it acquired
a new definition. Historia became known as the account of the past of a person or a group of
people through written documents and historical evidences. That meaning stuck until early
parts of 20th century. History became an important academic discipline. It became the
historian’s duty to write about the lives of important individuals like monarchs, heroes, saints
and nobilities. History was also focused on writing about wars, revolutions and other important
breakthroughs. It is thus important to ask: What counts as history? Traditional historians lived
with the mantra “no document, no history”. It means that, unless a written document can prove
a certain historical event, then it cannot be considered as a historical fact.

But as any other academic discipline, history progressed and opened up to the possibility of
valid historical sources which were not limited to written document like government record,
chroniclers’ accounts, or personal letters. Giving premium to written documents essentially
invalidates the history passing their history by word of mouth. Others got their historical
evidences as exclusively written is also discrimination of other social classes who are not
recorded in paper. Nobilities, monarchs, the elite and even the middle class would have their
birth, education, marriages and death as matters of government and historical record. But what
of peasant families or indigenous groups who do not give much thought about being registered
to government records? Does the absence of written documents about them mean that they are
people of no history or past? Have they ever existed?

This loophole was recognized by historians who started using other kinds of historical sources,
which may not be in written format but were just as valid. A few of these examples are oral
traditions in forms of epics and songs, artifacts, architecture and memory. History thus became
more inclusive and started collaborating with other disciplines as its auxiliary disciplines. With
the aid of archaeologist, historians can use artifacts from a bygone era too study ancient
civilization who were formerly ignored in history because of lack of documents. Linguist can
also be helpful in tracing historical evolutions, past connections among different groups, and
flow of cultural influence by studying language and the changes that it has undergone to. Even
scientists like biologists and the biochemists can help with the study of the past through
analyzing genetic and DNA patterns of human societies.

History- study of the past, the events that happened in the past and the causes of such events.

Historiography- the study of the history (How was certain historical text is written)? Who
wrote it? What was the context of its publication? What particular historical method was
employed? What were the sources used?

Historiography let the students to have a better understanding of history. They do not only give
facts, they are also provided with understanding of the facts’ and the historian’s contexts. The
methods employed by the historian and the theory and perspective which guided him will also
be analyzed. Historiography is important for anyone who studies history because it teaches the
student to be critical in the lesson of history presented to him.

Historical Sources
With the past as history’s subject matter, the historian’s most important research tools are
historical sources. In general, historical sources can be classified between primary and
secondary sources. The classification of sources between these two categories depends on
historical subject being studied.

Primary sources are those sources produced at the same time as the event, period, or subject
being studied. For example, if a historian wishes to study Commonwealth Constitution of
1935, his primary sources can include the minutes of the convention, newspaper clippings,
Philippine Commission reports of the US Commissioners, records of the convention, the draft
of the Constitution, and even photographs of the event. Eyewitness accounts of convention
delegates and their memoirs can also be used as primary sources.

On the other hand, secondary sources which were produced by an author who used primary
sources to produce the material. In other words, secondary sources are historical sources
which studied a certain historical subject. For example, on the subject of the Philippine
Revolution of 1896, students can read Teodoro Agoncillo’s Revolt of the Masses. The Story
of Bonifacio and the Katipunan published originally in 1956.

Tertiary sources are publications that summarize and digest the information in primary and
secondary sources to provide background on a topic, idea or event. Encyclopedias and
biographical dictionaries are good examples of tertiary sources.

However, a student should not be confused about what counts as a primary or a secondary
source. As mentioned above, the classification of sources between primary and secondary
depends not on the period when the source was produced or the type of the source but on the
subject of the historical research. For example, a textbook is usually classified as a secondary
source, a tertiary source even. However, this classification is usual but not automatic. If a
historian chooses to write the history of education in the 1980’s he can utilize textbooks used
in that period as a primary source. If a historian wishes to study the historiography of the
Filipino-American War for example, he can use works of different authors on the topic as his
primary source as well.

Both primary and secondary sources are useful in writing and learning history. However,
historians and students of history need to thoroughly scrutinize these historical sources to
avoid deception and to come up with the historical truth. The historian should be able to
conduct an external and internal criticism of the source, especially primary sources which can
age in centuries.

External criticism is the practice of verifying the authenticity of evidence by examining its
physical characteristics; consistency with the historical characteristic of the time when it was
produced; and the materials used for evidence. Examples of the things that will be examined
when conducting external criticism of a document include the quality of the paper, the type of
the ink, and the language and words used in the material, among others.

Internal criticism on the other hand, is the examination of the truthfulness of the evidence. It
looks at the content of the source and examines the circumstance of its production. Internal
criticism looks at the truthfulness and factuality of the evidence by looking, at the author of
the source; its context; the agenda behind its creation; the knowledge which informed it, and
its intended purpose, among others. For example, Japanese reports and declarations during
the period of the war should not be taken as a historical fact hastily. Internal criticism entails
that the historian acknowledge and analyze how such reports can be manipulated to be used
as war propaganda.

Validating historical sources is important because the use of unverified, falsified and
untruthful historical sources can lead to equally false conclusions. Without criticisms of
historical evidences, historical deceptions and lies will be highly probable.

Lesson 2: Manunggul Jar

Manunggu Jar

The Manunggul Jar is a secondary burial jar excavated from a Neolithic burial site in the
Manunggul cave of the Tabon Caves at Lipuun Point in Palawan. It dates from 890-710 B.C.
and the two prominent figures at the top handle of its cover represent the journey of the soul
to the afterlife.

The Manunggul Jar is widely acknowledged to be one of the finest Philippine pre-colonial
artworks ever produced and is considered a masterpiece of Philippine ceramics. It is listed as
a national treasure and designated as item 64-MO-74 by the National Museum of the
Philippines. It is now housed at the National Museum of Anthropology and is one of the most
popular exhibits there. It is made from clay with some sand soil.

The Manunggul Jar was found by Dr. Robert B. Fox and Miguel Antonio in 1962. It was
found alongside the remains of Tabon Man. It was recovered by Dr. Fox in Chamber A of
Manunggul Cave in Southwestern Palawan. Manunggul Cave is one of the Tabon Caves in
Lipuun Point. The Tabon Caves are known to be a site of jar burials with artefacts dating in a
range from 2300 to 50 B.C. (4250-2000BP). Chamber A dates as a Late Neolithic burial site
(890-710 BC). Seventy-eight jars and earthenware, including the Manunggul Jar, were
discovered on the subsurface and surface of Chamber A. Each artefact varied in design and
form but was evidently a type of funerary pottery.

The Manuggul Jar shows that the Filipino’s maritime culture is paramount that it reflected its
ancestor’s religious beliefs. Many epics around the Philippines would tell how souls go to the
next life, aboard boats, pass through the rivers and seas. This belief is connected with the
Austronesian belief of the anito. The fine lines and intricate designs of the Manungggul Jar
reflect the artistry of early Filipinos. These designs are proof of the Filipinos common
heritage from the Austronesian-speaking ancestors despite the diversity of the cultures of the
Filipinos. The upper part of the Manunggul Jar, as well as the cover, is carved with
curvilinear scroll designs (reminiscent of waves on the sea) which are painted with hematite.
Early Filipinos believed that a man is composed of a body, a life force called ginhawa and a
kaluluwa. This explains why the design of the cover of the Manunggul Jar features three
faces-the soul, the boatman, and the boat itself. On the faces of the figures and on the prow of
the boat are eyes and mouth rendered in the same style as other artifacts of Southeast Asia of
that period. The two human figures in a boat represent a voyage to the afterlife. The boatman
is holding a steering paddle while the one on his front shows hands crossed on his chest. The
steersman’s oar is missing its paddle, as is the mast in the center of the boat, against which
the steersman would have braced his feet. The manner in which the hands of the front figure
are folded across the chest is a widespread practice in the Philippines when arranging the
corpse.

The lid of the Manunggul Jar provides a clear example of a cultural link between the
archeological past and the ethnographic present. It also signifies the belief of ancient
Filipinos in life after death.

Giving Names

Filipinos have various naming customs. The most commonly blend the older Spanish system
and Anglo-American conventions, where there is a distinction between the “Christian name”
and the “surname”. The construct containing several middle names is common to all systems,
but having multiple “first” names and only one middle and last name is a result of the
blending of American and Spanish naming customs. The Tagalog language is one of the few
national languages in Asia to practically use the Western name order while formally using the
eastern name order. The Philippine naming custom is identical to the Spanish and Portuguese
name customs and, to an extent, Chinese naming customs.

Today, Filipinos usually abide by the Spanish system of using both paternal and maternal
surnames, with the latter used as the “middle name”. An example would be Jose Cuyegkeng y
Mangahas becoming Jose Mangahas Cuyegkeng, where the particle y is used only for legal
purposes and is otherwise dropped. The middle name in its natural sense would have been the
second name if the person had one, but is never counted as an individual’s given name.

Filipinos may have one or more official given names (as registered in their birth certificates
and baptismal certificates) and various types of temporary or permanent nicknames. Filipinos
commonly give themselves or each other nicknames and monikers. Some nicknames are
carried for life, while others are used only with certain groups; a person can have multiple
nicknames at different ages or among different group of people.

Marriage Practices

A typical ancient traditional Filipino wedding, during pre-colonial times, is held for three
days and was officiated by a babaylan, a tribal priest or priestess. The house of the babaylan
was the ceremonial center for the nuptial. On the first day, the couple was brought to the
priest’s home, where the babaylan blesses them, while their hands are joined over a container
of uncooked rice. On the third day, the priest would prick their chests to draw a small amount
of blood, which will be placed on a container to be mixed with water. After announcing their
love for each other three times, they were fed by the priest with cooked rice coming from a
single container. Afterwards, they were to drink the water that was mixed with their blood.
The priest proclaimed that they are officially wed after their necks and hands were bound by
a cord or, sometimes, once their long hairs had been entwined together. In lieu of the
babaylan, the datu or a wise elder may also officiate a pre-colonial Filipino wedding.

After the ceremony, a series of gift-exchanging rituals was also done to counter the negative
responses of the bride: if asked to enter her new home, if she refuses to go up the stairs of the
dwelling, if she denies to participate in the marriage banquet, or even to go into her new
bedroom, a room she would be sharing with her spouse.

Livelihood

Pre-colonial Philippine societies relied more on swidden agriculture than intensive permanent
agriculture. For example, in pre-colonial Visayas, the staple crops such as rice, millet,
bananas and root crops were grown in swiddens (kaingin). While rice was highly-valued and
was the preferred food, the most common food all year round were actually root crops, and in
some areas the only available crop for most of the year were root crops such as taro and yam.

In pre-colonial Philippines, both men and women enjoyed the same rights and privileges.
Women, like men, can ascend the headship of families, villages and cities. Women can also
ascend the throne of a nation. In some cases, some queens have ascended as sole ruler,
superior to her consort.

Social Stratification

During Pre-Hispanic times Filipinos can be divided according to these classes. The noble
class called the Maginoo; the freeman class called the Timawa; the warrior class called the
Maharlika; and the indentured class called the Alipin.

The Maginoo were the ruling class, the educated class, the royal class, and the privileged
class. It was from this class that the Datu would come from. The Datu is the leader of the
community called a barangay. He is the chieftan somewhat synonymous to a Monarch, Rajah,
Sultan or King.

It is unknown if the Datu position was hereditary such as following the lineage of the eldest
child especially the eldest son of the Datu, or if the Maginoo class (who were likely all
related to one another) elected a Datu. The practice may have varied throughout the
Philippines. We have to remember that lowland Filipinos arrived on sailboats called
balangays. These early groups would settle near the shorelines or river banks, and their new
found community would be called a barangay (similar to the word balangay). The size of a
barangay can vary, but usually somewhere between 50-100 families, or 30 to 100 houses, or
100 to 500 persons. These migration were likely led by the Maginoo class who wanted to
found a new barangay for themselves.

The freeman class known as the Timawa probably made up the bulk of the barangay
community. They were free. They could acquire property, acquire any job they want, pick
their own wives, and acquire an Alipin. They were however expected to pay taxes, and
support the Maginoo class. They are the only class to pay taxes, and hence their importance
in the community.

The Maharlika had all the rights of the Timawa, but they are specifically the warrior class.
They were well respected if not revered by the barangay. Unlike the Timawa, they were not
expected to pay taxes. They would provide protection to the barangay, and were responsible
for providing and preparing the weapons at their own expense. A Maharlika could change
their allegiance to another barangay by marrying into it or by simply moving to it. This
however required paying a certain amount to his Datu. A feast would give in his honor when
leaving the barangay.

President Marcos first use of the word Maharlika was quite appropriate because he only used
it to name a group of soldiers rather than an entire aristocracy or country.

The Alipin had the least rights. They are not exactly slaves in the traditional sense, but they
were indentured servants. Basically they served their master who belonged to one of the
classes above them. But it does not mean that they did all the work in the barangay. The
Timawa were probably expected to do most of the work in the barangay, and the Alipin was
likely his or her servant at home such as doing house chores and cooking or aided the
Timawa with their duties at work.

There are two type of Alipin. Aliping Namamahay was a servant that lived in their own little
house on the property of ttheir master, and Aliping Sagigilid was a servant that lived around
the house of their master. An Alipin can actually become free, and become a Timawa
provided he or she fulfilled the services of their master, this process is known as Tinimawa.
The Alipin did not likely make any money for their services, and hence did not pay taxes.

The people who bore the greatest stigma in society were the alipins who were indebted to
other alipins. A gigilid of an aliping namamahay was called bulisik, which meant vile and
contemptible. Even lower was the bulislis who was a gigilid indebted to another gigilid. The
vulgar name meant that these alipins were so vulnerable that it was like their genitals were
exposed. In modern terms we might say they “had their pants down” though bulislis really
means. “lifted skirt”.

The only people lower than the bulislis were slaves who were brought from other
communities or who were captured in war. They were considered non-persons until they were
accepted into the community. Once accepted, they had the same rights as other alipins.
EVALUATION/ASSESSMENT:

ESSAY:
Directions: Copy the question and write your answer on a separate yellow pad paper.

1. In our modern society, what are the reasons why we bury our dead family members?
2. Why marriage is sacred?
3. Why some couples choose to annul or divorce after many years in relationship?
4. Do you believe that a day will come that there will be no farmers in the future
generations?
5. Before the Spanish colonization, Filipinos were divided into social class, do you think
social stratification still exist in our modern society?

ADDITIONAL READING:
 Establishment of Spanish Colony
 Early Forms of Revolts/Uprisings
 Different Faces of Progress

References:
Readings in the Philippine History
Camagay, Maria Luisa T. et.al. (2018). Unraveling the Past- Readings in Philippine History.
Cebu City: Vibal Publishing House.

Columbres, Antonio B. et.al. (2014) History of the Filipino People-Based on Primary


Sources. Cebu City: VibalPublishing House.

Supplementary Readings:
Agoncillo Teodoro A. (2012) History of the Filipino People. Eight edition. Quezon City: C
and E Publishing.

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