Customs of the Tagalogs BAYANIHAN
By: Juan de Plasencia o A tradition of community cooperation and
mutual help.
o Fray de Plasencia (Joan de Portocarrero)
o Seen in wakes, house moving, farming, and
o Born and raised in Extremadura, Spain in the
feast preparations.
16th century o Services are free; helpers receive food and
o Member of the Franciscan Order
expect future reciprocity.
o Father: Don Pedro Portocarrero - captain of a
Spanish schooner. DATOS
o His interaction with Tagalog converts to
o Chief of the people, who governed them and
Christianity influenced him in writing the book
were captains in their wars, and whom they
Relacionde las Costumbres de los Tagalos
obeyed and reverenced.
(Customs of the Tagalogs, 1589).
BARANGAY (Balangay)
GOAL OF THE STUDY
o The name originated when the people came to
o To discover a distinct, non contradictory, and
this land by means of boat called
functional meaning for each filipino term used
barangay.expect future reciprocity.
in spanish accounts.
o 30 to 100 families
ARRIVAL IN THE PHILS.
THREE CASTES
o Fray de Plasencia came together with his batch
o Nobles – composed of datu and their
of Franciscan missionaries.
families
TIME TRAVELS: o Maharlica – consisting of the freemen and the
commoners.
o May 31, 1577 – Fray Juan and his companions
o Alipin – the dependents; composed of (Aliping
left Seville on the ship San Juan de Sanlúcar de
Namamahay and Aliping Saguiguilir).
Barrameda.
- Aliping Namamahay - They lived in their
o Night of June 24, 1577 – They sailed on the high
own houses and are lords of their own
seas. They actually arrived in Mexico in the
property & gold.
month of September.
- They serve their master in his house and on
o March 15, 1578 – After staying for about six
his cultivated lands and may be sold.
months, they resumed their voyage.
- After a brief respite, they sailed for the A Person becomes slave by:
Philippines.
o Captivity in war
o July 2, 1578 – Fray Juan de Plasencia, on board,
o Reason of debt
arrived at a port in Cavite.
o Inheritance
HISTORICAL BACKGROUND OF THE SOURCE o By purchase
o Committed a crime
o “Customs of the Tagalogs" by Fr. Juan de
Plasencia was written within the context of its Slaves can be emancipated through:
situation when he arrived in the Philippines.
o By forgiveness
o Two months after they arrived
o By paying debt By condination
o in Manila, Fr. Juan de Plasencia and Fr. Diego
de Oropesa were already preaching around the o By bravery (where a slave can possibly become
Laguna de Bay area and as far as Tayabas, a Dato) or marriage
converting people to the Catholic faith.
MARRIAGE AND FAMILY chief, after he had made some recompense to
the injured person.
o In these three classes, those who are maharlicas o Most others crimes were punished with fines in
on both the father's and mother's side continue gold.
to be so forever, and if it happens that they o If you couldn’t pay, you could become a slave by
become slaves, it is through marriage. debt until it was paid.
o If two persons married of whom one was a o Disputes were settled in front of the
Maharlica and the a slave, the children were community; if needed, neutral arbiters from
divided. other villages were chosen
o Maharlicas could not, after marriage, move o For loans, the debtor is condemned to a life of
from one village to another, or from one toil. Borrowers become slaves and after the
death of the father, the children pay for the
barangay to another without paying a certain
debt.
fine on gold, as arranged among them.
o For inheritance, for the legitimate children of a
o Dowries are given by men to the women's
father and mother inherit equally.
parents before marriage. If the parents are both
alive, they both enjoy the use of it. o Customary - handed down from generation to
o The case of divorce, if the wife left the husband generation orally
for the purpose of marrying another, all her b) Written - promulgated from time to time as
dowry will go to the husband, but if he did not necessity arose.
marry another the dowry was returned.
THE WORSHIP OF THE TAGALOGS
MARRIAGE CUSTOMS
o Men were in general monogamous, while their SIMBAHAN
wives are called asawa, concubines are called
"Friends". o a temple or place of admiration; but this is
o Courtship usually begins with paninilbihan because formerly when they wished to
o Condition before marrying a woman: celebrate a festival, which they called PANDOT
- a man gives a dowry or bigay-kaya or WORSHIP they celebrate it in a large house
o Weddings are officiated by the priestess or of a chief. There they constructed, for the
babaylan purpose of sheltering the assembled people, a
temporary shed on each side of the house, with
LEGISLATION a roof, called SIBI, to protect the people from
o Before laws are made, the chieftain or datu the wet when it rain.
consults with a Council of Elders who approve NAGAANITOS
of the plan.
o They are not immediately imposed until the o During this time, the whole barangay, or family,
new legislation is announced to the village by united and joined in the worship.
the Umalohokan Among there many idols, there was one called Bathala,
LAWS AND JUSTICE whom they especially worship. The title, seems to
signify “all powerful,” or “maker of all things.”
o They had laws by which they condemned to
death a man of low birth who insulted the SOME WORSHIPS:
daughter or wife of a chief; likewise witches,
Tala – morning star
and others of the same class.
o They condemned no one to slavery, unless he Pleiades – “seven little goats”
merited the death penalty.
Balatik – Greater Bear constellation
o As for the witches, they killed them, and their
Worshiped various idols (Lic-ha) in different
children and accomplices became slaves of the
shapes.
IDOLS FOR THE SPECIFIC PURPOSES they chose. But if they desired to heal those
whom they had made ill by their charms, they
o Dian Masalanta – patron of lovers and did so by using other charms. Moreover, if they
generation wished to destroy the house of some Indian
o Lacapati and Indianale – patrons of agriculture hostile to them, they were able to do so without
and cultivated lands instruments. This was in Catanduanes, an island
o BUAYA or CROCODILES were fed to avoid harm off the upper part of Luzon.
o EVIL OMEN and GOOD OMEN o SILAGAN, whose office it was, if they saw
anyone clothed in white, to tear out its liver and
PRIEST AND SPIRITUAL LEADERS:
eat it, thus causing his death. This, like the
o CATOLONAN, as above stated, was either a man preceding, was in the island of Catanduanes. Let
or a woman. This office was an honorable one no one, moreover, consider this a fable;
among the natives, and was held ordinarily by because, in Calavan, they tore of in this way
the people of rank, this rule being general in all through the anus all the intestines of a Spanish
the islands. notary, who was buried in Calilaya by father
o MANGAGAUAY, or wishes who deceived by Fray Juan de Merida.
pretending to heal the sick. These priests even o MAGTATANGAL, and his purpose was to show
induced maladies by their charms, which in himself at night to many persons, without his
proportion to the strength and efficacy of the head or entrails. In such wise the devil walled
witchcraft, are capable of causing death. In this about carried, or pretended to carry, his head to
way, if they wished to kill at one they did so, or different places: and, in the morning, returned
they could prolonged life for a year by binding it to his body-remaining, as before, alive. This
to the waist a live serpent, which was believed seems to me to be a fable, although the natives
to be the devil, or at least his substance. This affirm that they have seen it, because the devil
office was general throughout the land. was probably caused them so to believe. This
o MANYISALAT, which is the same as occurred in Catanduanes.
manggagaway. These priests had the power of o OSUANG, which is equivalent to SORCERER they
applying such remedies to lovers that they say that they have seen him fty, and that he
would abandoned and despise their own wives, murdered men and ate their flesh. This was
and in fact could prevent them from having among the Visayas Islands: among the Tagalos
intercourse with the latter. If the woman, these did not exist.
constrained by these means, were abandoned, o MANGAGAYOMA. They made charms for lovers
it would brings sickness upon her; and on out of herbs, stones, and wood which would
account of the desertion she would discharge infuse the heart with love. Thus did they
blood and matter. This office was also general deceive the people, although sometimes,
throughout the land. through the intervention of the devil, they
o MANCOCOLAM whose duty it was to emit fire gained their ends.
from himself at night, once or oftener each o SONAT, which is equivalent to PREACHER. It
month. These fire could not be extinguished; was his office to help one to die, at which time
nor could it be does emitted except as the priest he predicted the salvation or condemnation of
wallowed in the ordure and filth which falls the soul. It was not lawful for the functions of
from the house; and he who lived in the house this office to be fulfilled by others than the
where the priest was wallowing in order to emit people of high standing, on account of the
this fire from himself, fell ill and died. This office esteem in which it was held. This office was
was general. general throughout the islands.
o HOCLOBON, which is another kind of witch, of o PANGATAHOJAN, was a soothsayer, and
greater efficacy than the MANGAGAUAY. predicted the future. This office was general in
Without the use of medicine, and by simply all islands.
saluting or raising the hand, they killed whom
o BAYOGUIN, signified a COTQUEAN a man o Some anito were considered bad and they
whose nature inclined toward that of a woman. made offerings to them too in order to appease
them and placate their anger.
BELIEFS ABOUT THE AFTER LIFE o Babaylans, babaylanes or katalonas – tribal
o MACA - paradise for good and brave people. mediums & communicators of these spirits
o CASANAAN - place of punishment for
wrongdoers.
o SITAN - ruler of the underworld
BELIEFS ABOUT THE AFTER LIFE
o There were also ghosts, which they called VIBIT
and phantoms, which they called TIGBALANG.
They had another deception- namely, that if any
woman died in childbirth, she and the child
suffered punishment; and that, at night, she
could be heard lamenting. This was called
PATIANAC.
BURIAL PRACTICES
o CHIEFS - buried in boats to symbolize a journey
to the afterlife
o SLAVES - sometimes sacrified to serve chiefs
after death
o NEGRITOS - buried upright with a coconut shell
for a shield, then avenged the death by killing
someone.
RELIGIOUS BELIEFS
Belief in the existence of a number of gods
whom they worship and made things to
according to rank:
o Bathala / Maykapal – Creator
o Idianale – god of agriculture
o Sidapa – god of death
o Balangaw – rainbow god
o Mandarangan – war god
o Agni – fire god
o Lakapati – goddess of harvest
o Siginarugan – god of hell
o Diyan Masalanta – goddess of love
o They also admired idols called anito, larawan,
likha
- To whom they made offerings
