Prehistory, a wrong label

Tomorrow, June 12, is the celebration of Philippine Independence Day. The recent decade has been one of turmoil that has led many Filipinos to feel dejected that we cannot seem to rise from self-inflicted wounds that have made us one of the worst performing countries in Asia. 

I think, however, that this annual celebration should also be a time for us to remember the history of our people. We should also inculcate into future generations that the Filipino people has had a long epic story.

A book that will lead us to best develop and appreciate the events that had the greatest impact on our country and have shaped us to become what we are today is “100 Events that Shaped the Philippines” published by Adarna and the National Centennial Commission, 1999. It divides Philippine history into seven principal stages.

The least known stages are the Prehistory period and the Age of Contact. For this reason, I will focus on these two periods.

The first stage is Prehistory, which begins from the earliest evidence of the modern Filipino found in our country.  Anthropologists believe that the ancestors of the present-day Filipinos crossed over land bridges about 50,000 years ago. The most widespread theory is that the first inhabitants came from Taiwan when there was still a land bridge between Taiwan and the Philippines. From the Philippines, the first settlers spread westward into other parts of Southeast Asia which were at that time connected through land bridges. 

When these original settlers learned to sail ships, they started sailing eastward towards the other islands of the Pacific. This is the origin of the Malay or brown race, as we are now identified.

From about 40,000 BC to around 3000 BC, agriculture and the first seeds of civilization began. From this period to around 400 AD, the civilization began to materialize as exemplified by the building of the Rice Terraces, introduction of the wet rice agriculture, weaving and wood carving, the emergence of indigenous music and metal forging. It was also during this period, classified as the Age of Contact, that boat building developed, with boats capable of carrying 1,000 men and cargo. 

Around 5000 BC, the art and tradition of woodcarving began. At the beginning, these wooden figures were used for religious and ritualistic ceremonies. After 7,000 years, the art of woodcarving remains a vital part of Filipino culture.

This also implied that the Filipinos learned to master the winds, currents and seas. Historians note that by the time Spaniards arrived, the islanders were already making all kinds of boats, single hulled and outriggered. The outriggered vessel is believed to be an invention of Southeast Asia and was used for open sea voyages. This explains why seafaring merchants from the Philippine Islands were traveling to China, Indonesia and islands in the Pacific Ocean. It is a historical fact that when Magellan arrived in Cebu, a vessel from Siam (now Thailand) had just left Cebu a few days earlier with a cargo of gold and slaves and had left behind one Siamese. It is also a historical fact that there was a booming maritime trade among the Philippine islands and Borneo, China and Siam even before the Spaniards came.

Between 1000 BC and 1000 AD, migrants from Java, Sumatra and coastal Indo China arrived in the archipelago by sea. They organized themselves in communities named after the kind of boat in which they had sailed to the islands – barangay. The barangay had 30 to 100 households and most members were related to one another. The boat’s captain usually became the head of the community and held the title of datu. 

At the start, these migrants usually settled beside rivers or along the coast. Fishing became more common than hunting. Trade between these barangays were mainly by sea. The early trading centers, before the Spaniards came, were Manila, Tanjay in Negros Oriental, Iloilo, Butuan, Jolo and Cebu.

There are several different dates that historians believe when the Chinese first came in contact with Philippine inhabitants. The earliest date mentioned is during China’s Chou Dynasty (1122-247 BC).  Chinese-Philippine trade became fairly known during the T’ang Dynasty, probably around the 9th century. It was also during this time that Arab traders from India are believed to have come to the Philippines.

One of the most interesting developments during this pre-Spanish period was the fact that there was a basic script and a writing system used in the islands. Some historians believe that this system of writing may have originated before 800 AD and were of Arabic inspiration. 

A formal system of religion also existed before the Spaniards came. The word Bathala was the native translation for God. By the time Magellan arrived in 1521, the Philippines had a functioning civilization with a robust trade with neighboring countries; a culture that was truly developed and could be perceived as developing into a fully civilized nation and people if it was not unfortunately colonized by Spain. 

This is a period in our history that should be remembered as an integral part of our history and not falsely labeled as “Prehistory,” as a thriving civilization was already in place. It is a period to be very proud of. 

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