Evolution of Society and Culture in the Philippines

Evolution of Society and Culture in the Philippines

Long before the Spaniards came to the Philippines, Filipinos had a civilization of their own. This civilization partly came from the Malay settlers and partly from their response to the new environment. Many of these customs and traditions, government and way of life, have come down to the present day, despite the changes brought about by westernization and modernization. This is why it is possible to know about our distant past by simply observing some customs and practices that have resisted change and modernization. Philippine pre-colonial society is both different and the same as in the present. Some aspects of the pre-colonial period have survived into our time. The following is a description of the way of life of pre-colonial Filipinos.

Mode of Dressing • • • •

male attire was composed of the kanggan (sleeveless jacket) and bahag (loincloth) the color of the kanggan indicates rank – red for the chief, black or blue for the commoners men also wear a turban called putong, which also tell the social status/achievement of the individual wearing it female attire consisted of baro or camisa (jacket with sleeves) and saya or patadyong (a long skirt); some women wore a piece of red or white cloth on top of their skirt called tapis

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men and women wore ornaments to look attractive both wear kalumbiga, pendants, bracelets, and leglets these ornaments were made of gold some wore gold fillings between the teeth tattoos were also fashionable for some pre-colonial Filipinos; they also exhibit a man’s war record Islas del Pintados – term coined by the Spaniards for the Visayans

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The Filipino Cultural Awareness • Bayanihan: the creation of association with neighbors and the helping atittude whenever one is in disastrous need. Oftentimes, the Bayanihan spirit in action can be seen when a bus gets a flat tire. The by standing or surrounding Filipinos would help the bus driver in whatever actions to get the bus back on going. • Close Family Ties: Filipinos are well-known for the close family ties. The primary social welfare system for the Filipino is the family. Many filipinos live near their family for most of their lives, even as independent adults. • Pakikisama: Pakikisama, or harmony, in English, involves getting along with others to preserve a harmonious relationship. • Hiya: Hiya is shame and is a motivating factor behind behavior. It is a sense of social decency and compliant to public norms of behavior. Filipinos believe they must live up to

the accepted standards of behavior and if they fail to do so they bring shame not only upon themselves, but also upon their family. An example might be a willingness to spend more than they can afford on a party rather than be shamed by their economic situation. If someone is publicly embarrassed, criticized, or does not live up to expectations, they feel shame and lose self-esteem. • Utang na Loob: Utang na Loob, or Debt of Gratitude, is owed by one to a person who has helped him through the trials he had undergone. There is a local saying: 'Ang hindi lumingon sa pinanggalingan ay hindi makararating sa paroroonan', meaning, 'One who does not look back to where he started, will not get to where he is going'. o Amor Propio: Concern for self-image. o Delicadeza: Sense of honor o Palabra de Honor: "word of honor" Although these traits are generally positive, these practices also have the inclination to be applied in the wrong context. A debt of gratitude is sometimes repaid by giving special favors to the other person regardless of the moral outcome. Close familial ties can also lead to favoritism. Folk Traditions and Beliefs

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Before the coming of the Spaniards and the introducing of Roman Catholicism, the indigenous inhabitants were believer of animism, or the worship of nature. As in Roman Catholicism, their pre-Hispanic beliefs consisted of a hierarchy of gods, goddesses, and spirits which bear similarity to that of Roman Catholicism, which is why the latter has been accepted easily by the inhabitants. Bathala was the supreme God of the Tagalogs, symbolized by the araw, or sun. The supreme God of the Bikolanos was Gugurang. Other Tagalog Gods and Goddesses include the buwan or moon, tala or stars, and even objects, such as trees, shrubs, mountains, or rocks. The spirits consist of aswang (ghoul), tikbalang (a man having the head of a horse), kapre (a giant that is smoking tobacco), tiyanak (vampire feeding on children's blood), santelmo (fireball), dwende (dwarves and elves), ik-ik (witches), and a lot of engkanto (minor spirits) and diwata (fairies/nymphs). Aside from that, voodoo practices were practiced by the pre-colonial inhabitants, such as pangkukulam, or witchcraft. Beliefs such as usog (a child greeted by a stranger will get sick) and lihi (unusual craving for something during pregnancy) are also present. These beliefs were carried on up to the present generation of Filipinos, which has directed some foreign authors to describe them as 'Pagan-Christians' Changes of Culture and Society The Great Paradox

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Despite the changes that have occurred in human life during the last 10,000 years, the majority of societies changed very little during their entire existence. Rapid social and cultural change has been the exception rather than the rule until recently. In most societies, life changed very little from one generation to the next, or even from one century to the next.

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The parts that fail to change, however, are eliminated from the system. A process of selection has been at work in the world system of societies, favoring larger, more powerful societies at the expense of small, less powerful ones (54).

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Continuity & Change in Individual Societies

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Human societies are essentially adaptive mechanisms the means of which human populations strive to satisfy their varied needs and desires. Sometimes this is accomplished by preserving traditional ways of doing things, and sometimes by adopting

new and innovative ways. In human societies we find ample evidence of both continuity and change. •

Social & Cultural Continuity

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Change in a society is largely a cumulative process. This is why sociocultural systems have grown so much more complex over the course of history.

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There are a number of reasons for the persistence of social and cultural elements in society.

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1. One major reason is that in the absence of a clearly better alternative, people will continue to do what works.

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2. Cultural elements are also preserved if they are perceived by enough people as useful in answering their individual or personal needs.

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3. Sometimes elements of culture are preserved not because they are superior solutions to problems but simply because they ensure standardized behavioral responses in situations where these are essential.

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5. The socialization process is also a force for continuity within societies. Through this process the members of a society acquire the belief that their culture is a precious resource and worth preserving.

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6. The effort to pass culture on to the next generation is reinforced by ideologies that preserve valued insights of the past.

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Social & Cultural Change

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In spite of the forces promoting continuity, change occurs in society. Social and cultural change is of 2 basic types. (1) (Innovation) sometimes it involves the addition of new elements to the existing system and (2) (extinction) sometimes it involves the elimination of older elements.

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Social & Cultural Extinction

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Because of social and cultural innovations, societies are often faced with choices between competing alternatives, and this leads to a process of selection. Although it is the members who make the choice which shape their society, everyone does not have an equal choice.

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Societal Growth & Development

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Most societies changed little during the course of their existence. Moreover, most changes were insignificant. Occasionally, however, more significant changes have occurred. These are divided into two groups: (1) Changes in subsistence technology and (2) the role of ideology in societal growth and development.

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Subsistence Technologys Role in Societal Growth and Development

Another cause of continuity is the cost involved in changing.

The systemic nature of human societies is a major force for continuity.

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Subsistence technology refers to those elements of societys store of information that enable it to obtain the energy its members require and provides the key to understanding societal growth and development. Advances in subsistence technology are a necessary precondition for any significant increase in either the size or complexity of any society. In short, technology defines the limits of what is possible for a society.

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Technology also affects the choices that are made by influencing the costs of various alternatives.

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Where technological advances have occurred, they have enabled the members of societies to act as if they had acquired a new and improved genetic heritage. Technological advances are functionally equivalent to the important kinds of changes that occur in the course of biological evolution.

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Advances in subsistence technology stimulate advances in other technologies and lead to growth in the size and complexity of a society.

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Whenever its technology presents it with a range of options, a societys beliefs and values always come into play. These often have little effect on societal growth and development. When the beliefs and values involved are felt to be sufficiently important, however, a society may reject the most economical solution to its needs in favor of a solution that is ideologically preferable.

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Since one of the consequences of technological advances is that it increases the range of options available to societies and their members, such advance leads to a greater scope for the exercise of beliefs and values. Advanced societies have more choices available to them than societies of the past and they are freer to apply diverse ideologies in making their decisions.

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Change in the World System of Societies

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In the latter part of the 20th century we are witnessing what appears to be the emergence of a single global culture, as societies around the world increasingly adopt similar culture, values, and language (70).

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The key to the major changes that have occurred in the world system of societies in the last 10,000 years is the process of intersocietal selection that has drastically reduced the number of societies.

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Not all differences that have developed among societies have been equally important from the standpoint of intersocietal selection. Differences that influenced societal growth and development have been especially important, because societies that have grown in size and developed in complexity and military power have been much more likely to survive and transmit their cultures and institutional patters than societies that have preserved traditional social and cultural patterns and minimized innovation.

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Intersocietal selection is not always a violent process. Sometimes societies collapse simply because of insufficient support from their members. This is especially likely to occur when a less developed society comes into that is more highly developed.

Ideologys Role in Societal Growth & Development

Societal Variation and Intersocietal Selection

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A Model of Evolution of the World System of Societies

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Building on what we have learned about the process of intersocietal selection, we can now construct a model of the evolutionary process that explains the trends in the world system of societies in recent millennia.