Barangay as an Ancient Community

Filipinos today live in barangays, the smallest political unit of government.

However, the term barangay originated among the early Filipinos.

The ancient Filipinos lived in communities composed of families. This

community was called a barangay. In this barangay, early Filipinos were stratified into
social classes that dictated their status in society.

Early Filipinos had a religion and other belief systems. Evidence are dictating
that they believed in life after death. They also had varied economic
activities, a system of writing, a political system, and oral traditions. These things served
as the basis of their civilization.

Origin of the Word ‘Barangay

The migration of Austronesians from Southern China became possible because of

their knowledge of navigation and boat-building. They were able to reach the island
through their boat called Balangay. According to historian Jaime B. Veneracion, the
concept of barangay as a community was derived from the concept of Balangay since
both are composed of families and both had leaders who guided them in their
undertakings. The Balangay and the barangay both require unity and coordination
among members to reach their destination and fulfill their objectives. The spirit of unity
and cooperation are both alive in the Balangay and the barangay.

According to the Spanish chronicler, Juan de Plasencia, the Tagalogs had their
leader. The leader was called Datu, who also served as the leader in war. Each
barangay was composed of 30-100 families. The barangay did not exist under the
authority of other barangays but lived independently in harmony and relation with one
another. There was a social hierarchy within the barangay where each member belonged
to a particular class.

Baranganic Relations

The Barangays carry on trade and commerce among themselves. They concluded
a treaty of friendship and alliance with each other through the ritual, the sanduguan
(blood compact). Some barangay confederations were formed through the marriage of a
noble of one barangay. Barangays also merged for protection against enemies.

Baranganic wars were caused by, among others: t h e maltreatment or murder

of a member of one barangay by another, and the rape or abduction of the wives and
women.
Barangay Laws

The earliest laws of our ancestors were mostly orally handed down from one
generation to another. These were made up of traditions, beliefs, practices, and customs.
The council of elders and the wise people in the entire barangay ratified the laws
made by the datu with the help of his advisers. Once approved, the laws were
announced to the people through the umalohokan or town crier.

Our ancestors made a lot of laws. Many of them were recorded but the materials
used were not durable enough to withstand thousands of years. Some of them were
burned by the Spanish missionaries, thus, only a few were preserved. Examples of laws
then are the Code of Maguindanao and the Code of Sulu, also known as Luwaran.

Some of the written laws of our ancestors are:

1. The leader of the barangay should be respected;

2. Creditors should pay on time;
3. Everyone should be hardworking. Those who are found lazy will become slaves;
4. Couples should only have two offspring so that they can sufficiently provide for
their needs;
5. The crime of murder is punishable by death; and
6. A finger will be cut from anyone who will be caught stealing.

The Trial

Trials then were public, as they are nowadays. The datu served as the judge. He
consulted the elders and the wise men. People who had conflicts were asked to face each
other and explain what happened. They were allowed to bring in their witnesses. The
one who bought the most witnesses won the case.

The system was different when it came to criminal cases. In such cases, the
accused were asked to undergo tests. For example, they were asked to put their hands in
a pot of boiling water and the one who got the most blisters was convicted. Another
form of test was when the accused were asked to dive under the sea or river and the one
who surfaced first was considered guilty.

SOCIAL HIERARCHY IN LUZON

The Scholar William Henry Scott studied the chronicles or records of the first
Spaniards in the Philippines. Based on Spanish records, Scott concluded that there were
three social classes in pre-Spanish Luzon and Visayas. The first was the maginoo in
Luzon and the datu in Visayas. The second was composed of the Maharlika and
Timawa. Belonging to the third class were the slaves who could be aliping namamahay or
aliping saguiguilid among the Tagalogs and oripun in general among Visayans.
Maginoo

The Maginoo class was the highest among all classes. This is composed of datus
and their families. The Babaylans were also members of this prestigious class. The datu
was the political and economic leader while the babaylan or katalonan was the spiritual
leader. Babaylan is the Visayan term for the spiritual leader and katalonan is its Tagalog
counterpart.
As a political leader, the datu was the one who implemented the laws. One of the
traits that he needed to possess was knowledge of the adat or customary laws in his
barangay. In cases where new laws needed to be formulated, the council of advisers
(usually the elders in a barangay) was consulted by the datu, and whatever was agreed
upon was announced to his subjects through an umalohokan, the one who announced the
edicts of the datu.

According to historian Zeus A. Salazar, the datu was responsible for political
administration, military duties, and the economy of the barangay in general. He further
said that the datu was not merely a political leader but more of an administrative of the
barangay as an economic unit since economic activities during that time were done at
the level of barangays. He also served as a mediator in case of conflict among members of
the barangay.

The babaylan or katalonan was the spiritual leader in a barangay. This position
was usually held by an elderly woman, proof that women held an important status in pre-
Spanish Philippine society. If the man wished to be a babayalan or katalonan, he had
t o act, dress, and speak like a woman. In Visayas, male babaylan were call bayog
or bayoguin.

As spiritual leaders, the babaylan presided over different rituals such as the
rituals dine before planting and after harvest. The destruction of crops due to calamities
was interpreted as the work of angry gods that must be appeased.

The babaylan also served as a healer; mediator between the gods and the people, as
well as between the dead and their living relatives; and keeper of oral traditions such as
legends, epics, and songs of the barangay.

MAHARLIKA
The Maharlika class was next to the Maginoo class. This class was composed of
warriors who served as protectors of the barangay from its enemies. It was the duty of
the Maharlika to keep peace and order in the barangay.

According to Plasencia, the Maharlika did not pay taxes but they were obliged to
accompany the datu in times of war. Before they went to war, the datu usually held a
festivity for them. After winning a war, the datu and Maharlika divided among
themselves the spoils of war which they acquired from the vanquished. When Datu had to
build a house, the Maharlika helped him. In exchange for their help, the datu would feed
the Maharlika. The Maharlika also rendered military services to the datu. When Datu
went on a maritime trip, he could summon the Maharlika to row the boat for him as
comrade-in-arms. In general, the maharlika enjoyed numerous privileges in exchange for
all the support he rendered to the datu.

TIMAWA
 The expression “para kang timawa” has a negative connotation at present. It
means “patay-gutom” or being gluttonous, selfish, self-centered, or greedy. This
definition is very different from the original definition of timawa in the precolonial
period which means “free people”.

According to the study of historian Nancy Kimuell-Gabriel on the timawa, the

change in the meaning of the term can be traced back to the Spanish colonial system
when the concept of slavery was abolished since everyone had become a timawa or a free
person. During the Spanish perio, being a timawa meant being free to be exploited and
enslaved by the Spaniards.

During the pre-Spanish society, the timawa, as the free people, composed the
main bulk of the population. They engaged in different economic activities such as
agriculture, fishing, basket making, pottery, weaving, and other activities. Since they
were the ones who derived profit from these activities, they had the obligation to pay
taxes to the datu. They could also be summoned by the datu to row his boat or
accompany him on his trip.

According to the chronicle of Miguel de Loarca, it had become customary for the
timawa to drink from the pitarilla (wine vessel) of the datu before the datu drank from
this. In recognition of the timawa’s goodwill to the datu, the datu had the duty to protect
the timawa in times of danger. The Panday (blacksmith) also belonged to the timawa
class. The panday took care of making weapons and tools made of metal.

SLAVES

The slave class was the lowest class in early Philippine society. Among the
Tagalogs, this was divided into two subclasses—the aliping namamahay and aliping
saguiguilid.

The aliping namamahay lived in their own houses and were called only by the
datu to help in building a house or in farming. In contrast, the aliping saguiguilidlived in
the datu’shouse because of a large debt he had incurred which was payable by serving the
datu. Because the aliping saguiguinid lived in the house of datu, they could be summoned
anytime and be made to do any kind of work. But they can be become aliping
namamahay when they have already paid their debt by serving the datu for a certain
period.

A citizen became a slave if he/she was:

1. Born to slave parents;
2. Captured during war;
3. Sold as payment for a loan; and
4. Bought or punished for a crime.
A slave could be set free if he/she:

1. Was freed by his or her master;

2. Paid a certain amount to his or her master;
3. Married somebody who belongs to an upper societal class; and
4. Displayed bravery during war.
SOCIAL CLASSES IN THE VISAYAS

The social hierarchy in the Visayas was very similar to that of the Tagalogs.
There were only some differences in terms and types of slaves. There were three
social classes in Visayans society—datu, tumwa, and oripun.

Datu

The highest class was the datu. The datu refers to the position of the leader and
also to the highest social class. The leader of the barangay was the datu. The authority
of the datu emanated from his family and ancestry.

But his power depended on his wealth, number of subjects or slaves, and physical
and intellectual prowess. As a social class, the datu was composed of the political leader,
his family, and those who belonged to their class.

Timawa

Among the Tagalogs, the timawa belonged to the second class and were known as
free people. In the Visayas, the timawa accompanied the datu during the war, served as
the datu’s representative in arranging the wedding of the children of the datu, and the
food taster who sampled the datu’s wine.

Oripun
The oripun was the lowest class. They could be bought and sold. There were
many kinds of oripun. Some served the families of their masters. Some were engaged in
farming and were given their share of the profit. The oripun who lived in their own
houses and farms were called namamahay or tuhay while those who lived in their maters’
houses were ayuey. The lowest oripun was called hayohay or those who lived in their
masters’ houses, received clothing and food from them and had one out of four days
allotted for themselves only.

There were oripun who could be linked to the timawa. Some oripuns were
warriors and some rowed the boat for the datu. It is believed that most Visayans were
oripuns during the pre-Spanisg period.

SOCIAL MOBILITY IN PRECOLONIAL PHILIPPINES

The existence of social mobility in pre-colonial Philippine society makes it

very different from other societies in the world. For example, under the caste system in
India, belonging to a specific social class was a lifetime, and interclass marriages were
strictly prohibited.
 In the Philippines, one could be promoted or demoted in terms of social status due
to some factors. For instance, an aliping saguiguilid could become an aliping
namamahay if the aliping saguiguilid had already paid his or her debt to the datu. The
aliping namamahay could become a timawa after marrying Maharlika.

On the other hand, a datu could become a slave if captured by another datu during
a war or if the datu committed a serious crime and was not able to pay the penalty for it.
The nature of the ancient social class system encouraged people to strive harder and be
promoted to a higher class or to maintain their dignity to retain their social class.

The Status of Women

Women were highly regarded in our society before the Spaniards came to our
country. Our women even enjoyed a high societal status way before the women in other
countries like China, England, the USA, India, and others. In the Philippines, They fad
equal standing with men. They were accorded respect by our men.

1. A suitor had given service to the family of his beloved for some time to win her
hand in marriage. In some remote areas, the man was required to serve the
family for months or even years. He chopped wood, fetched water, and did other
chores that were asked of him. When the family of the girl agreed to him as an
in-law, he had to meet further conditions. He was to give a dowry or bigamy-kaya
to the family of his beloved. This may consist of land, farm animals, or any
valuable items. He was also required to give money to the girl’s parents called
panghimuyat, as payment for the mother’s efforts for rearing the girl.
2. High regard for women could also be seen in the way the man gave all of his
earnings to his wife. The woman took care of budgeting and spending the money
as she saw fit.
3. The mother took care of all the needs of her family. She was also the one who
allocated money to the family members. She was always consulted regarding any
important matter.
4. Respect for women was also illustrated in the way they walked. Women always
walked ahead of men. Men who were ahead of women were considered
disrespectful. If members of a family walked together, the mother and daughters
walked ahead of the father and sons. This was to ensure their protection and
safety.

Rights of Women

1. They could be datus of their tribe and lead men to fight wars like Princess
Paramisuli.
2. They were given the right to possess and inherit properties.
3. They could engage in trade and industries.
4. They could be priestesses or spiritual leaders.
5. They had an exclusive right to name their children.
6. They could be leaders of their barangay.

Our ancestors had an innate respect and value for women. We did not inherit
these traits from foreigners.
 Religion

The early Filipinos believed in the immortality of the soul. They also believed in
life after death. They worshipped a Supreme Being they called Bathalang Maykapal.
Other minor dieties they worshipped are:

 Idianale-God of agriculture;
 Sidapa- God of death;
 Agni- God of fire;
 Mandarangan- God of war
 Lalahon- goddess harvest
 Siginarugan- God of Hell

The pre-Spanish Filipinos worshipped nature, the sun, the moon, animals, birds,
and even old trees. Even crocodiles and some types of birds were venerated.

They believed in ancestral spirits called anitos by the Tagalogs and diwatas by the
Visayans. The anitos were either good or bad spirits and early Filipinos offered food and
animal sacrifices to appease or win the goodwill of these spirits.

The rituals offering sacrifice were

performed by early priests and priestesses called
the babaylan and katalona.

EDUCATION

The education of pre-Hispanic Filipinos was fit for the needs of their times. There
was no formal schooling. Parents train their children informally. Mothers educated their
female children in housekeeping, weaving, basket-making, and other agriculture-
related activities. Fathers
carpentry, agriculture, shipbuilding, and mining. Skills taught would vary on their
industries and locations, i.e., whether highland, lowlands, or along seashores. Education
was oral, practical, and hands-on.
While controlled by colonial rule for several years, once the Philippines gained
its independence, they took over control of the educational system and began to move it
in their direction. • Children in the Philippines are educated in the primary and
secondary school systems for about thirteen to fourteen years, depending on when they
start, after which they complete the College Entrance Examinations, that allow them to
qualify for one of the many institutions of higher learning. • There are both private and
public schools in the Philippines, and on the whole, the education provided by the private
schools is much more comprehensive than that provided by the public school system. • In
fact, the Philippines was home to the first modern public schooling system in Asia. It is
also home to the oldest universities, colleges, and vocational schools. • Education has
been a priority in the Philippines for decades, and this is evidenced in the fact that many
of the advancements in education in Asia have been pioneered in the Philippines.
During the pre-Spanish period, education was still decentralized. Children were
provided more vocational training but lesser academics, which were headed by their
parents or by their tribal tutors. They used a unique system of writing known as the
baybayin. Pre-Spanish Period BAYBAYIN. The term Baybay means "to spell “in
Tagalog. It is also known as the alibata, were in it is the ancient writing system that was
used before by the Filipinos.
MARRIAGE AND WEDDING
The t r a d i t i o n a l marriage proposal takes the form of the pamanhikan or
pamamanhikan or the "parental marriage proposal", a formal way of asking the parents of
the woman for her hand. The would-be groom and his parents go to the would-be
bride's home and ask the parents for their consent. Once the woman's parents accept the
proposal, other matters will be discussed during this meeting including among other
things, the wedding plan, the date, the finances, and the list of guests. The expenses for
the wedding are generally shouldered by the groom and his family.
Pamamanhikan enforces the importance of the familial nature of the wedding, as
traditionally a marriage is the formation of an alliance between two clans as well as the
joining of individuals. This is sometimes further expressed in how the whole extended
family goes with the groom and his parents, using the occasion as a chance to meet and
greet the other clan. In this situation, there is a feast held at the bride's family home.
This event is separate from the Despedida de Soltera (Spanish: "Farewell to
Singlehood") party some families have before the wedding. The local variant of the
Hispanic custom normally holds it for the bride, and it is held by her family. It is
similar in sentiment to the hen night, albeit a more wholesome and formal version.

A typical ancient traditional Filipino wedding, during pre-colonial times, was 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 nuptials. On the first day, the couple was
brought to the priest's home, where the babaylan blessed them, while their hands were
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 would be placed in 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. Afterward, they were to drink
the water that was mixed with their blood. The priest proclaimed that they were officially
wed after their necks and hands were bound by a cord or, sometimes, once their long
hairs had been entwined together. Instead 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 refused to go
up the stairs of the dwelling if she refused to participate in the marriage banquet, or even
to go into her new bedroom, a room she would be sharing with her spouse.
HOUSES
Pre-Spanish houses were typically made of bamboo, wood, and nipa palm. It was
above the ground enclosed with stakes called "haligi". These stakes were made also of
bamboo which the house was set on. Fowls were placed inside the enclosure. There
was a
ladder one had to ascend to go up the house.
"Batalan" was a sort of gallery where
household work was done. "Silid" was near the
"sala" where mats, pillows, and baskets of rice
were kept.
Kalingas in Northern Luzon, Mandayans, and
Bagobos in Mindanao were places in the
Philippines that made tree houses. Sea houses
were built by Badjaos or sea gypsies of Sulu.
Badjaos were a sea-loving people.

MODE OF DRESSING
Clothes for males were divided into two parts: upper and lower. The upper part
was a jacket that consisted of colors. The red jacket was merely worn by the chief and
the black or blue jacket was worn by people below the chief. "Bahag" was the term known
to the lower part of male clothing. It was composed of a cloth wound about the waist and
passing down between the thighs.

Female clothing also had a division: its upper and lower parts. The upper part was
called "baro" or camisa while the lower part was called "saya" or skirt. In Bisayans,
"patadyong" was what they were called the lower part. The piece of white or red cloth
usually wrapped around the waist was called a "tapis".

ORNAMENTS
In terms of ornaments, ancient Filipinos used gold and precious stones.
Kalumbiga, pendants, gold rings, earrings, leglets, and bracelets. Whether men or women
wore such ornaments. To adorn their teeth, fillings were made. Not only the teeth but also
the body and faces were adorned. Mostly in men, body ornaments were not only gold but
they tattooed themselves.

Tattooing, for them, had another meaning. It was a man's war record. If a man
had more tattooed the more, he was admired by the people for his bravery in the battle.
The most tattooed people in the Philippines were the Bisayans, that was, according to the
first Spanish missionaries who wrote about the ancient Filipinos. The painted or tattooed
people of Bisayans were called "pintados" by the Spanish missionaries.