Reporting - Customs-of-The-Tagalogs

 

BY JUAN DE PLASENCIA

 

His real name is Joan De Puerto Carrero, del convent de Villanueva de la Serena He was a Franciscan missionary who first arrived in the Philippines in 1577 He was tasked by the King of Spain to document the customs and traditions of the colonized (“natives”) based on, arguably, arguably, his own observations and judgments.

About the Author

He wrote wrote the Doctrina Doctrina Cristiana. Known for gathering the converts into reductions, and for establishing numerous primary schools One of the first to form a grammar and vocabulary of the Tagalog language. He died at Lilio, in the province of La Laguna, in 1590.

 

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Context of the Text

One of the many documents of a longer monographs written by Spanish expeditions to the Philippines during the 16th and 17th centuries.

 

The text is subdivided into three parts: author’’s explanation on author

postponing his reply to a lordship letter to find the truth about Indians details of governance and society of Tagalogs detailing the worship of the Tagalogs, their gods, and their burials and superstitions.

 

Chieftain

•Datu

Balangay

•Barangay

 

Caste System Datu

Maharlica

Aliping

Aliping

Namamahay

Saguiguilid

 

  h rlic 

Don’t pay tax or tribute to the datu, but must accompany him in war, at their

own expense 

The chief offers them beforehand a feast, and afterward they divide the spoils

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When the Datu goes upon the water water,, those whom he summoned will row for

him 

When building a house, they must help and in return, must be fed for it

 

Land Distribution The lands which they inhabited were divided among the whole barangay and thus each one knew his own. No one belonging to another barangay would cultivate them unless after purchase or inheritance. The lands on the tingues, or mountain-ridges, are not divided, but owned in common by the barangay. barangay.  At the time of the rice harvest, any individual of any barangay, barangay, although he ma mayy have come from some other village, if he commences to clear any land may sow it, and no one can compel him to abandon it. There are so some me vill villages ages in which which maharlicas maharlicas paid aannual nnually ly to tthe he datu a hundred hundred ga gantas ntas of rice. Why?

 

The chiefs in some villages had also fisheries, with established limits, and sections of the rivers r ivers for for markets.

 



Aliping Namamahay

Serve their master master,, whether whether he be a datu or not

Live

in their own houses and are lords of their

property and gold. Their

lands.

children inherit and enjoy their property and

 

They serve their master in his house and on his cultivated lands and may be sold.

Ali lip pin ing g Sa Guiguilid

The master grants them, should he see fit, a portion of their harvests, so that they may work faithfully.

Servants who are born in the house of their master are rarely sold.

 

Those to whom a debt was owed transferred the debt to another, thereby themselves making a profit, and reducing the wretched debtors to a slavery which was not their natural lot. If any person among among those who wer weree made slaves (sa guiguilid) through through war happened to possess any gold beyond the sum that he have to give his master, he can ransom himself to become a namamahay  If he doubles the price of this ransom or more, as they might agree, he becomes wholly free.

 After having divided all the trinkets which which the slave possessed, if he maintained a house of his own, they divided even the pots and jars, and if an odd one of these remained, they broke it; and if a piece of cloth were left, they parted it in the middle.

Process of Slavery

 

Emphasis on Differences between Aliping Namamahay and an d Alip Alipin ing g Sa Guiguilir

There is a confusion of the two terms, many have been classed as slaves who really are not.

Some Som e Aliping Aliping Nam Namam amaha ahay y chi child ldre ren n are taken taken advantage of and sold as slaves even though it is illegal by some and left as that if no judicial intervention interventio n happens. hap pens.

 

Birth Status of Children of Maharlica Maharlica Father

Slave Father

Maharlica Mother

Maharlica

The children are free if there are no marriage

Slave Mother (owned)

Mother becomes free and so are the children

Slave Mother (owned by other maharlica)

The mother must must pay a gold tael to her master and half of the children becomes free if the father pays sustenance

 

Marriage Marria ge betwe between en Maharlica Maharlica and Sla Slave ve •

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The children were divided to the mother and father The children will inherit the status of which parents they belong to. If only one child, he was half free and half slave. The only question here concerned the division, whether the child were male or female. Those who became slaves fell under the category category of servitude which was their parent's, either nama namamahay mahay or sa guiguilir. If there were an odd number of children, the odd one was half free and half slave.

 

The maharlicas maharlicas coul could d not, after marriag marriage, e, move from one village to another, or from one barangay to another, without paying a certain fine in gold, as arranged to the barangay they’re from. Fines runs from one to three three taels and a banquet banquet to the ent entire ire barangay.. Failure to pay the fine might result in a barangay  war between the barangay which the person left and the one which he entered. This applied equally to men and women.

Movement from other Barangays

 

 When one married a woman of another village, village, the children were afterwards divided equally between the two barangays. This arrangement kept the number of obedient populace to the dato. Things changed when some Dato followed followed Frayle’s orders which compels people to leave and go for a Dato that protects them. There is a great need of reform in this, for the chiefs are spiritless and faint-hearted.

Marriage diff ifferent erent BarangaysBetween Maharlicas in d

 

Investigations made and sentences passed by the dato must take place in the presence of those of his barangay.

If any of the litigants felt that the judgements is not fair, a mediator is named another village or barangay barangay,, whether he were a Dato or not, known as fair and just men, who were said to give true judgment according to their customs. If the controversy lay between two chiefs, when they wished to avoid war, they also convoked convoked judges to act as arbiters; they did the same if the disputants belonged to two different barangays. In this ceremony they always had to drink, sponsored by the prosecutor.

Justice System

 

Death Penalty •

Death is served to a man of low birth(not maharlica) who insulted and or touched the daughter or wife of a chief.

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Death is also served to witches, and others(accomplice) of the same class who hurt others using magic.

 

Other Penalties •

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They condemned no one to slavery, unless he merited the death-penalty.  All other offenses were punished by fines in gold, which, if not paid promptly, promptly, the culprit must serve to the person aggrieved until the payment should be made. 1. Half the cu cultiva ltivated ted la lands nds an and d all their prod produce uce bel belonged onged tto o the m maste aster. r. T The he master provided the culprit with food and clothing, thus enslaving the culprit and his children until such time as he might amass enough e nough money to pay the fine. 2. If the father shoul should d by chance chance pa payy his debt, the the master master then claim claimed ed that that he had fed and clothed his children, and should be paid, therefore. In this way he kept possession of the children if the payment could not be met. This last  was usually the case, and they remained slaves.

 

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 After the death of the father, the children pay the debt. Not doing so, double the amount must be paid. If the culprit had some relative or friend f riend who paid for him, he was obliged to render the latter half his service until he was paid as aliping namamahay. If the creditor werethe notdouble servedofinwhat this was wise,lent the culprit had to pay him.

 

Inheritances  As for inheritances, inheritances, the legitimate legitimate children of a father and mother inherited equally, except in the case  where the the father and and mother mother showed showed a slight partiality by such gifts

 

 When the parents gave a dowry dowry to any son who is marrying marr ying the chief’s daughter,, the dowry has to be greater than the sum to be given to the daughter other sons. The excess was not counted coun ted in the whole property to be divided.  Anything that was given given to any son was taken into consideration at the time of the partition of the property unless the parents declare that such a bestowal was made outside of the inheritance.

 

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If one had children by two or more legitimate wives, each child received the inheritance and dowry of his mother, with its increase, and that share of his father's

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estate out of the whole. If a man had a child by one of his slaves, as well as legitimate children, the former had no share in the inheritance; but the legitimate children were bound to free the mother,, and to give him something, if the father were a chief; or if, finally, anything mother else were given it was by the unanimous consent of all.

 

If besides his legitimate leg itimate children, he had also some son by a free unmarried woman (inaasawa), to whom a dowry was given but who was not considered as a real wife, all these were classed as natural children and only the third part is given them. For example, if there were two children, the legitimate one had two parts, and the one of the inaasa inaasawa wa only one one part.  When there were only children by the inaasawa, the latter inherited all. If he had a child by a slave woman, that child received his share as above stated. If there were no legitimate or natural child, whether there was a son of a slave woman or not, the inheritance went only to the father or grandparents, brothers, or nearest relatives of the deceased.

 

Children Outside Marriage

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If a married woman caught to have a son outside of marriage, the husband can punish the father of the child by demanding fine as a dowry to legitimize the child and be part of the inheritance. If there were no other son, the child can have equal parts along  with children and relatives. relatives. But if the father did not pay a fine, the child will be illegitimate and will not inherit anything.  Adopted children children inherit the double of what was paid for their adoption. If this child should die first, his children do not inherit from the second father for the arrangement stops at that point.

 

Marriage and Dowries Dowries are given by the men to the women's parents. If the latter are living, they enjoy the use of it.  At their death, provided the dowry dowry has not been consumed, it is divided like the rest of the estate, equally among the children, except when the father bestows something additional upon the daughter. If the wife, the time of her hasdowry neither father, mother, noratgrandparents, shemarriage, enjoys her which belongs to no other relative or child.

Unmarried women can own no property, in land or dowry, for the result of all their labors

accrues to their parents.  

If the wife left the husband for the purpose of marrying another, all her dowry and an equal additional amount fell to the husband. But if she left him, and did not marry another, the dowry

Divorce

was returned. When the husband left his wife, he only recovers half of the dowry . If he possessed children at the time of his divorce, the whole dowry and the fine went to the children and was held for them by their grandparents or other responsible relatives.

 

Arranged Arrange d Married and Dowries There is a fine stipulated in the contract, that he who violates it shall pay a certain sum which varies according to the practice of the village and the affluence of the individual.

The fine was heaviest if, upon the death of the parents, the son or daughter should be unwilling to marry because it had been arranged by his or her parents. In this case the dowry dowr y which the parents had received was returned and nothing more.

But the their parents weretoliving, theythe paid the fine, because it was assumed that it had if been design se parate separate children.

 

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Upon the death of the wife who in a year's time had born no children, the parents might return

Marriage and Death of Partner

one-half the dowry to the husband whose wife had died. •

Upon the death of the husband, one-half the dowry might be returned to the relatives of the husband.

 

RELATION OF THE WORSHIP OF THE TAGALOGS, THEIR GODS, AND THEIR BURIALS AND SUPERSTI SUPERSTITIONS TIONS

 

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There are the no temples consecrated to the sacrifices, adoration of their idols, or performing the general of practice of idolatry. They have the name simbahan  which means a temple temple or place of adoration “

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 pandot or “worship” done during festivals are celebrated

in the house of the chief Sibi – temporary shed with roof (temporary temple) •

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Sorihile – small Lamps on posts  Nagaanitos – time of worship

 

Idols and Gods •

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Bathala - “all powerful,” or “maker of all things.” Some of them also adored the stars, sun, and the moon the morning star, which they called Tala. Tala. the “seven little goats” [the Pleiades] the change of seasons, which they call Mapolon Balatic, which is Greater Bear •

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Lic-ha - images with different shapes at times of some dead man who was brave in war and

endowed with special faculties to whom they commended themselves for protection in their tribulations •

patron on of lov lovers ers and of gene generation ration Dian masalanta- the patr

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Laca La capa pati ti an andd Idia Idiana nale le - the patrons of the cultivated lands and of husbandry 

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Reverenc Rev erencee to buaya (crocodile (crocodiles) s)

 

Tigmamanuguin   , a bird singing in the tree •

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If they meetthinking by chance anyone who sneezed, they ifreturned at once to their house some evil might befall them they continue especially if the bird will sing This song had two different forms: in the one case it was considered as an evil omen; in the other, as a good omen, and then they continued their journey.

Divination - to see whether weapons, weapons, such as a dagger or knife, were were to be useful and lucky for their possessor whenever occasion should offer

 

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No established division of years, months, and days

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Determined by the the different cultivation of the soil, counted by moons, and effect produced upon the trees when yielding flowers, fruits, and leaves •

Timekeeping •

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The winter and summer are distinguished as sunsun time and water-time — the latter term designating  winter in those regions, where there is no cold, snow, or ice. Since Christian Indoctrination, the seasons are not same, for at Christmas it gets somewhat cooler. The years, since the advent of the Spaniards, have been determined by the latter, the seasons have been given their proper names, and they have been divided into weeks.

 

Feasts and Offerings •

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Offer to the devil what they had to eat in front of the idol, anointed with perfumes, praise it in poetic songs sung by the catolonan. The participants made beseeching responses for favors Some, Placing a good piece of cloth, doubled, over the idol, and over the cloth a chain or large, gold ring, thus worshiping the devil without having sight of him.

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The devil was sometimes liable to enter the body of the catolonan, sometimes tied to a tree Cooking a jar of rice until the water was evaporated, after which they broke the jar, and the rice was left as an intact mass which was set before the idol Buyos — which is a small fruit wrapped in a leaf with some lime, a food

generally eaten in these regions— regions —as well as fried food and fruits.

 

In the case of young girls who first had their monthly courses, their eyes were blindfolded four days and four nights; and, in the meantime, the friends and relatives were all invited to partake of food and drink.

 At the end of this period, the catolonan catol onan took the the young girl to to the  water, bathed her and washed washed her head, and removed the bandage from her eyes.

 

Distinctions from Devils and Priest

Catolonan

Mangagauay,

Manyisalat

Mancocolam

Hocloban

Mangagayoma

Sonat

or witches Silagan

Mananggal

Pangatahojan

Bayoguin

 Aswang (Visayas)

Vibit

Tikbalang

Tianak  

 

Burial Buried beside his house, if a chief, a small constructed house Four days of mourning Laid him on a boat which served as a coffin In place of rowers, various animals were placed within the boat. If the deceased had been a warrior, a living slave was tied beneath his body until in this  wretched way way he died.

 

Criticism de Plasencia Plasencia tried to avoid avoid discu discussing ssing the “conflicting reports of the Indians” through an “informed observation” to obtain the “simple truth.” This “truth,” however, however, is debatable, and the manner of how he arrived at his reports is even more problematic.

 

The text foregrounds two important important ffigures: igures: the observer obser ver (de Plasencia) himself,  with his own background, background, subjectivities and biases; and the observer’s subject (Tagalogs), (T agalogs), seen as the “other,” “other,”

Many portions of the narrative are problematic insofar as they view the Tagalogs Tagalogs in such a way as to enhance the validity of the colonizer’s allegiances.

He is not an actual Tagalog Tagalog which begs the question ‘What does he know/understand about Tagalogs?

 

In de Plasensia’s account on land ownership, for example, he said that “the lands were divided among the barangay and…no one belonging to another barangay barang ay would cultivate them unless after the purchase or inheritance.” However, “since the advent of the Spaniards, it is not so divided.” Such statementt implies that the intervention statemen of the colonizer has put order into the divisiveness.

 

He also made a conclusion that Catholicism was able to expel primitive and evil belief systems of

This claim undermines the fact that the Tagalog population did not fully embrace Catholicism but

the Tasuperstitions, Tagalogs galogs regarding gods, burials and saying that “all the Tagalogs Tagalogs not a trace of this is left; and that those who are now marrying do not even know what it is, thanks to the preaching of the

appropriated it according to their indigenous religious practices.

holy gospel, which has banished it.”  

Of the local customs in “Laguna and tingues, and among the entire Tagalog Tagalog race.” What constituted the Tagalog Tagalog race in the first f irst place? How did he produce such a category? The people of Laguna were just a small member of the Tof agalogs and referring them mirror the entire Tagalog Tagalog race is as the erroneous.

 

 A large fraction of his accounts  were also based on false comparisons, and not coupled  with accurate information.

The Tagalog Tagalog idol, lic-ha, for example, was matched up with Romans’ statue of deity of a dead man who was brave in war and endowed special faculties. These twowith objects are evidently different in nature and don’t fall under the same category.

 

The mangagaua mangagauayy and mangagayo mangagayoma ma,, for instance, were both regarded as “witches”  who performed deceitful healing procedures, procedures, a judgment made by an outsider who knew nothing about the complexity of indigenous mind.

 What he failed to realize is that in traditional cultures, cultures, these so-called so-called “evil” practices were an integral part par t of Filipino folk beliefs; and the early Tagalo Tagalogs gs never considered them as acts of the devil.

 

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