The Inhabitants of the PhilippinesSawyer, Frederic H.
History
The Inhabitants of the Philippines
Sawyer, Frederic H.
Ethnology -- Philippines; Philippines -- Social life and customs
Batangas, Bulacan, Bataan, Camarines Norte, Cavite, Laguna, Manila,
part of Nueva Écija and Tayabas, the districts of Infanta, Morong,
and part of Principe, also the Island of Corregidor and the coast
of Mindoro. They probably number about one million five hundred
thousand souls.
Antonio de Morga, in his work 'Sucesos de Philipinas,' says (p. 126):
"The women wear the báro and saya, and chains of gold upon their
necks, also bracelets of the same. All classes are very clean in
their persons and clothing, and of good carriage and graceful (de
buen ayre y gracia").
They are very careful of their hair, washing it with gogo and anointing
it with ajonjoli oil [20] perfumed with musk.
In the 'Relacion de las Islas Philipinas,' 1595 (?), the anonymous
author said of the Tagals: "The people of this province are the best
of all the Islands, more polite, and more truly our friends. They
go more clothed than the others, the men as well as the women. They
are light-coloured people of very good figures and faces, and like
to put on many ornaments of gold, which they have in great abundance."
In other respects, however, they seem, from the same author, to be
less worthy of praise, for he goes on to tell us: When some principal
man died, in vengeance of his death they cut off many heads, with
which they made many feasts and dances.... They had their houses
full of wood and stone idols, which they called Tao-tao and Lichac,
for temples they had none. And they said that when one of their
parents or children died the soul entered into one of these idols,
and for this they reverenced them and begged of them life, health,
and riches. They called these idols anitos, and when they were ill
they drew lots to find which of these had given them the illness,
and then made great sacrifices and feasts to it.
They worshipped idols which were called Al Priapo Lacapati, Meilupa,
but now, by the goodness of God, they are enlightened with the grace
of the Divine Gospel and adore the living God in spirit.
The old writer then remarks on the cleverness and sharpness of the
boys, and the ease with which they learned to read and write, sing,
play, and dance.
This characteristic appears general to the Malay race, for, speaking
of the Javanese, Crauford says: They have ears of remarkable delicacy
for musical sounds, are readily taught to play upon any instrument
the most difficult and complex airs.
According to Morga, at the time of the Conquest, the Tagals wrote
their language in the Arabic character. He says: They write well in
these Islands; most people both men and women, can write. This tends
to show that the equality of the sexes, which I shall refer to later,
has been customary from ancient times.
Tomas de Comyn (1810) says:
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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