Special Sub-Topic: Pre-Colonial Philippine History Click Here To Play: Pre-Colonial Philippine History

After the Negritos, what was the second group of people who migrated by sea to the Philippines 3,000 to 8,000 years ago?

Indonesians. The Indonesian people came into two waves. The first one, the 'Indonesians A', became the ancestors of the Ilongot people of the Sierra Madres. Both groups introduced the 'kaingin' system of farming which is still practised today in the forested areas of the Philippines.

Foreign influences were evident on most aspects of Filipino culture - the Philippine languages, for example. Now, from which Asian language do these words came from, 'alam', 'hukom', and 'salamat'?

Arabic. 'Alam' means 'know'. 'Hukom' is a judge and 'salamat' means 'thanks'. These words were possibly brought by the Arab merchants and traders who came to the country in the 9th century.

What is considered the earliest form of writing in the Philippines?

Alibata. This alphabet consists of 17 letters of which three are vowels and fourteen are consonants.

Who first introduced the Islamic religion in the Philippines?

Makhdum. Mahdum (or Mudum or Makhdum) was an Arabic scholar who visited the island of Sulu in Mindanao in 1380 converting the natives there to Islam. After his death, Rajah Baginda, a prince, continued propagating the Islamic faith to the people of Sulu first started by Makhdum.

Who commanded a large Chinese fleet, sent by Emperor Yung Lo of the Ming dynasty in 1402 to trade with the country at the same time establish colonies along the coast towns of the archipelago?

Cheng Ho. The fleet consisted of more than sixty ships and had visited the islands of Mindoro and Sulu, Lingayen in the Pangasinan province and the Manila Bay.

What province was in the earlier times became known far and wide as the 'provincia de Comintang'?

Batangas. Comintang (or kumintang), originally a war song, became the love song of the ancient Filipinos. When sung, it is accompanied by dancing to the sound of the early musical instruments.

Marriage among the Filipinos in the past was long and complicated. You had to render services to the prospective bride's family, for example, by chopping wood or fetching water from a 'balon' for days or months or years! If you were lucky enough to be accepted, what did you call of the gift you were required to give to the girl's parents?

Bigay-kaya. It was sab-ong in Ilocano. The gift either consisted of a piece of land, a cow or pieces of gold. Bigay-suso was a kind of bribe given to the girl's mother.

Who was the Supreme Being of the ancient Filipinos who, they believed, had created the universe?

Bathala. Bathala is the highest deity and the lord of all the creation. Lalahon is the goddess of harvest while Sidapa is the god of death. The prayers and sacrifices offered to the gods were performed by the 'babayins' or 'katalonas'.

While most of the children of the ancient times were taught at home, there existed formal schools in the Panay Island of Visayas. What were these schools called?

bothoan. Here the Panay children were taught arithmetic, reading, religion and writing.

Where was the landing spot of the 10 Bornean datus who had escaped (along with their families) from the rule of their sultan, Makatunaw of Borneo?

San Joaquin, Panay Island. The 10 datus (chieftains) purchased land on which they could settle in from Marikudo. They were led by Datu Puti. Datu Puti later returned to Borneo via the Palawan route. Datu Balensusa and Dumangsol established their settlement in Batangas while the rest of the datus settled in Panay.