Customs of The Tagalogs

 

Customs of the tagalogs

 

HISTORICAL CONTEXT  The Govern Government ment had diffic difficulty ulty is running runnin g local politics because of the limited number of Spaniards who wanted to live outside of Intramuros Spanish officials were forced to allow Filipinos to hold the position of gobernadorcillo. Gobernadorcillo   was a municipal judge who carried out in a town the combined charges or responsibilities of leadership, economic, and judicial administration.

 

 To ensure that goberna gobernadorcillo dorcillos s would remain loyal to the crown, friars assigned parishes to supervise & monitor activities of the former. Friars ended up performing the administrative duties that the colonial officials should have been doing. Friars also became the most knowledgable   and influential figure in the pueblo the pueblos. s.  The word pueblo pueblo   is the Spanish word for "town" or "village". It comes from the Latin root word populus meaning  "people". meaning "people

 

ACTIVITIES THAT THE FRIARS WERE DOING:

Supervising the election of the local executives Collecting of taxes Educating the youth and other civic duties.

 

FRIARS WHO WERE ASSIGNED IN MISSION TERRITORIES WERE: Required to inform their superiors of what was happening in their respective areas  To pr prepare epare repor reports ts on the number nu mber of natives n atives they converted conver ted  To document do cument peopl people’s e’s way w ay of life—i.e, life— i.e, their hardsh hardships ips and an d struggle str uggles, s, etc. Others who were keen observers submitted short letters and/or letters and/or long dispatches.. dispatches  They also shared their perso personal nal observat ob servations ions and a nd experien exp eriences ces .

 

PLASENCIA’S RELACION DE LAS COSTUMBRES TAGALOGS DE LOS

“Custom of the Tagalogs”, 1589, by Fray Juan de Plasencia Contains numerous information that historians could use in reconstructing the political and socio-cultural history of the  Tagalog region Considered a primary source because source because Plasencia personally witnessed the events and took account of what was happening

 

OTHER EXAMPLES OF LITERATURE WRITTEN BY FRIARS AND COLONIAL OFFICIALS DURING THE SP SPANISH ANISH PERIOD

1.) Relacion de las Islas Filipinas (1582)  Written by Miguel de Loarca, an encomendero of Panay  He described the Filipinos’ way of life in the Western Visayas area. 2.) Sucesos de las Islas Filipinas  Written by Lt. Gov. Antonio de Morga Provides information about the state of the Philippines in the latter part of the 16 th century.

 

OTHER SPANISH SPANISH MISSIONARIES WHO CONTINUED THE HISTORIOGRAPHICAL TRADITIONS:  Relaci on de las Islas  Relacion I slas Filip Filipinas, inas, 1604 -Fr. Pedro Chirino S.J.  Histo ria General,  Historia Ge neral, 1751 -Fr. Juan Delgado S.J.  Labor Evange Evangelica, lica, 1663 -Fr. Francisco Colin S.J.  Historia  Histor ia natural na tural de d e sitio, siti o, fertilidad fer tilidad y calidad cali dad de d e las Islas e  Indios de Bisayas, Bis ayas, 1668 - Fr. Fr. Francisco Francisc o Ignacio Alcina S.J S.J..

 

About the Author •

•

•

•

Fray Juan de Plasencia (real name:  Juan de Portocar Portocarrer rero) o) He was a member of the Franciscan Order who came together with the frst batch o missionaries to the Philippines in 1578 He and Fray Diego de Oropesa were assigned to do mission works in the Southern Tagalog area. He helped in the foundation and organizations of numerous towns in Quezon, Laguna, Rizal and Bulacan

•

His continuous interaction with the people

 

FRAY JUAN DE PLASENCIA 

catechism He believedthe thatbasic explaining tenets   or of the Catholic faith is another very important function of a missionary. His biggest challenge at the time was how to make the

 

ABOUT THE TEXT

Original document of Customs of the Tagalogs is currently kept in the Archivo General de Indias.(A.G.I) in Seville, Spain. Duplicate copy of it is kept in the Archivo Franciscano Ibero- Oriental in Madrid, Spain English translation appeared in Volume VII of the Blair and Robert’s  The Philip P hilippine pine Island I slands. s.

 

EXCERTS FROM EXCERTS CUSTOM OF TAGALOG

 

DATUS  The chi chiefs efs who governed them were captains in their wars, and whom they obeyed and reveren reverenced. ced. Chiefs ruled over a few people; sometimes as many as a hundred houses, or even less than thirty.  Tribal  T ribal gatheri gathering ng is called in tagalog tagal og a “barangay” Datus who corresponded to our knights.

 

THREE CASTES:

NOBLES 





Freeborn they call or maharlica. They not pay tax or tribute to the dato. Must accompany the datu in war.

 

COMMONERS   Aliping  





Namamahay Married Serve their master whether he be a dato or not. Live in their own houses and lords their property and gold. Cannot be made slaves (sa guiguilar) nor can either parents or children be sold.

 

SLAVES 



 Aliping sa Guiguilar Serve their master in his house and his cultivated lands and may be sold

 

DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE ALIPING NAMAMAHAY AND ALIPING SA GUIGUILID

 Aliping ing Namam N amamahay ahay are not n ot  Alip slaves while Aliping sa Guiguilid are slaves.

 

Maharlica’s on both father’s and mother’s side continue to be so forever; if these maharlicas had children and their mothers became free. If one of them had children by a slave-woman of another, she was compelled, when pregnant, to give her master half of the gold tael because of her risk of death.

 

If two person married, of whom one was a maharlica and other slave, whether namamahay or the sa guiguilid children were divided. First, third and fth child is for the father while the second, fourth and sixth fell to the mother. mother. Those who became slave fell under the category of servitude which was their parent’s, either namamahay or a saguiguilid. If there’s an

 

odd od d chil child d he sh she e is ha half lf fr free ee and and hal halff

Of these two kinds of slaves the sa guiguilir could be sold but not the namamahay and their children nor they be transferred however they could be transferred from barangay barangay,, provided they remain in the same village. Maharlicas could not, after marriage, move from one village to another. Marriage dowries deal more Complex if the couples are young. Parents also received part of the

dowries.  

WORSHIP OF THE TAGALOGS

 

PANDOT OR “WORSHIP”

A festive celebration Includes performing of sacrifices, adoration of their idols or the general practice of Idolatry. Usually lasts for 4 days People bring drums which they beat successively while the feast lasted Nagaanitos was Nagaanitos  was also another way the feast was called by the members of the barangay 

 

PLACE OF WORSHIP

Their place of worship was called a temple Since there are no temples consecrated for the performance of these large rights,house it is usually held in a of a chief. Sibi-- is a temporary shed on each Sibi side of the house people to shelter the gathered

 

BATHALA

They worshipped this god specially He was said to be the “all powerful” and “maker of all things”

SUN



They also worshipped the sun for its beauty, respected and honored as

 

the heavens

THE MOON They worship the moon especially when it’s new, which at the time they had great rejoicings to adore and welcome it

STARS 

They also worship the stars, most especially

 

the morning star which “ ” THEIR OTHER IDOLS: Lic-ha- were images with dierrent Lic-ha- were shapes Little Tri rieses- they adored these like the Romans Dian Masalanta- the patron of lovers and of generation Lacapati and Indianale- were patrons of cultivated lands and of husbandry BuayaBuaya- they  they these creatures creatur es forpaid fear reverence of getting to harmed

 

TAGALOG OMENS

They believed that rats, snakes, the bird( tigmamanugin) or if they pass by someone who sneezed they think of this as a bad omen and that they should go back home for evil will befall them if they continue cont inue their journey journey.. Divination-- to see whether weapons, such as Divination dagger or knife, were useful and lucky for the possesor

 

TIME The natives had no established division of  years or months, mo nths, inste instead ad they the y base bas e time tim e or season on their cultivation of soil, counting the moons, or the dierent produce of trees and owers. These help them make up a  year

 

MANNER OF OFFERING Their sacrice was to proclaim a feast and oer to the devil what they had to eat. This is done in front of a an idol with fragrant perfumes. Often they sacrice goats, fowls, and swine which were decapitated and laid bare before the idol They worship these idols sometimes by putting wrappings of cloths in the heads of these idols, thus it’s like worshipping the devil without seeing him

 

PURPOSE OF THESE OFFERINGS

Healing of the sick  Prosperous voyage of those embarking on the sea  A good goo d harvest ha rvest Successful child birth Happy outcome of married life

 

DISTINCTION OF PRIEST AND THE DEVIL CATALONAN

 The rst di stinction tion  rst distinc Was a man or woman, that ociates the feast.  The devil de vil was w as sometimes some times capab capable le of entering the body of the catalonan, said to take it’s shape and appearance with great arrogance and would sometimes shoot ame from his/her eyes In some districts if the possession was severethe they tie in the person onthe a tree to prevent devil destroying minister

 

MANGAGAUAY    The second second distinction  Witches who deceived people by pretending to heal the sick

 They can instantly kill a person or  

MANYISALAT •

 The third dis distinc tinction tion,, the th e same sa me as the mangagaguay Had a power of applying remedies for lovers to make them despise their own wives When the ritual was successful the abandoned wives’ health would deteriorate and would discharge blood and matter •

•

•

Oce is general throughout the

land  

MANCOCOLAM •

 This is the th e fourth fou rth distinction,

•

Duty was to emit re from himself at night, once or often each month

•

Fire could not be extinguished and people who wallowed with this priest would fell ill and die

•

Found throughout the land

 

HOCLOBAN  The fth distinc tion d istinction  More powerful than the mangagauay Without use of medicines but  just by saluti saluting ng or raising ra ising his hand they kill whom they chose orcan heal those who became ill by their charms.  They are found fo und in

Catanduanes  

SILAGAN si xth distinct  The sixth di stinction ion If they saw anyone clothed in white, they would tear out his liver and eat it, causing death to the victim Don’t let anyone believe this as a fable, for a Spanish notary was killed in Calauan, his intestines pulled out from his anus, was later buried in Calilaya by father Fray  Juan de d e Merida Mer ida Found in the island of Catanduanes

 

MAGTATANGAL

 The seventh di stinction ion seven th distinct His purpose is to show himself at night with no head or entrails, pretends to carry his in dierent places andhead returns to his body in the morning Still occurred in Catanduanes

Still occurred in Catanduanes  

OSUANG ei ght distinc  The eight di stinction tion Equivalent to a sorcer sorcerer, er, they say he has the ability to y and murders men and eats their esh Exists in the Visayas and not among the tagalogs

 

MANGAGAYOMA  The ninth, n inth, and is another class of witches  They made charms for lovers out and of herbs, stones, wood which would

infuse their hearts with love  

SONAT tenth,  The tenth,  equivalent to a preacher It was his job to help one die, at which

time he predicted the  

PANGATAHOJAN  The eleventh, eleve nth, was a sooth so othsayer sayer Predicted the future Oce generally found in the land

BAYOGUIN   The twelfth, signied signied a “cotquean”

A man whose nature is inclined toward that of a woman  

 Their manner of burying the dead dead was as follows:

•

•

 The deceased was was buried beside his his house If he were a chief, he was placed beneath a little house or porch which they constructed for this purpose. Before interring him, they mourned him for four days. And afterward laid him on boat which served as a con or bier, placing him beneath the porch, where guard kept over him by a slave. In place of rowers, various animals were placed within the boat, each one being assigned a place at the oar by twosmale female of each species being together.

 

Examples: Two goats

It was the slave’s care to see that they were fed. If the deceased had been a warrior, a living slave was tied beneath his body until in this way he died. In I n course of time, all suer decay, and for many days the relatives of the dead man bewailed him, singing dirges, and praises of his good qualities, until they wearied of it. This grief was accompanied by eating and drinking. This was a customs of tagalongs.

 

 There indel i ndels s said that they t hey knew k new that t hat there th ere was anothe a notherr life of rest which they called maca, just as if we should say “paradise,” or in other words , “village o rest”.  They say that those who go to this place are the just, and the valiant, and those who lived without doing harm, or who possessed moral virtues. They said also, that in the other life and mortality, there was a place of punishment, grief, and aiction called casanaan, which was a “place o anguish” , they also maintained that no one would go to heaven, where whe re there only dwelt bathala, “the maker o all things,”  who governed from above. There were also another pagans who

confessed more clearly to hell, which they th ey called as I have said, casanaan; they said that all the wicked went to that t hat  

 There were also gho sts, which w hich they t hey called c alled vibit, a lso ghosts, and phantoms, which they called tigbalaang.  They had ha d another ano ther decepti d eception on namely, nam ely, if any an y woman wom an died in childbirth, she and the child c hild suered punishment, and that, at night, she could be heard lamenting.  This called c alled patianac. May honor and glory be to God our Lord, that among the tagalongs not a trace

of this is left, and that tha t those who are now marrying do not even know what it is, thanks to the  

RELEVANCE

 



Plasencia’s customs customs of the tagalog is a very popular primary pri mary source as it vividly describes the way o life of the filipinos before spanish and christian influences. It also covers numerous topics that are relevant in many disciplines. Political scientists, for instance, find it useful because it contains information about the social classes, political stratifications and legal system of the tagalog region.

 



Moreover,, it tackles property rights, marriage rituals, burial practices Moreover and the manner in which justice is dispensed.  

Plasencia’s Plasencia’ s account also preserves and popularizes the unwritten customs, traditions and religious and superstitious beliefs of us Filipinos.   Plasencia’ Plasencia’s s work also tackles our historical knowledge about manananaggal, aswang, hukluban and gayuma.

 



Priests and missionaries mi ssionaries also read plasencia’s customs of the Tagalog's Tagalog's and Doctrina Christiana because they contain insights that can help and inspire them to become evangelizers. The realization that one needs to master local language and study of the culture of the people to be a successful insight from Plasencia. They also learned from Plasencia that preaching should be accompanied with reading materials that contain the basic elements of faith.  

 

Plasencia’ Plasencia’s s historical writings also disprove the claim of some Spaniards that when they arrived in the Philippines, Filipinos Fili pinos were still uncivilized and lacking in culture. It is clear in the excerpts quoted that at time plasencia was assigned in the Tagalog region, Filipinos were already politically and economically organized, they had functioning functioning government tax system, set of of laws, criminal justice system, indigenous calendar and long standing customs and traditions. Moreover they had a concept of a supreme being (bathala),practiced burial customs and believed in life after death.

customs and believed in life after death.  

All of these lead to the conclusion that prior to the coming of the spaniards, Filipinos were already civilized and maintained a lifestyle l ifestyle that was on a part with or even better than that of the people from other countries in southeast Asia.