This document provides an overview of pre-colonial Philippine literature. It discusses the objectives of studying this topic, then outlines some of the major forms of literature from this period like epics, legends, myths, folktales, folk songs, proverbs and riddles. It notes some common characteristics of these forms and how they reflected the shared experiences of communities. The document also briefly discusses religion, government structures, writing systems and gender roles during this time. It poses discussion questions for students and lists tasks and additional resources for further learning.

1. Mr. Ivan Jayson A. Macabenta, LPT
21ST
CENTURY
LITERATURE
FROM THE
PHILIPPINES
AND THE
WORLD

2. Introduction
After viewing the picture, 3 students from the
class will create a word-web which is related to
the theme/content of the picture

4. WHAT WE'LL DISCUSS
- Objectives for the Week
- Historical Background
- Forms of Literature
- Conventions of Pre- Colonial
Literature
- Subject Requirements
TODAY'S
TOPICS

5. Objectives
1. identify the different representative texts of
the Pre-Colonial Period;
2. analyze selected texts from the Ancient
Literary Period; and
3. relate the representative texts of the Pre-
Colonial Period to their personal life.

7. If you don't know history,
then you don't know anything.
Michael Crichton

8. RELIGION
They believe in innumerable spiritual beings concerned with human affairs and capable of
helping or harming human interests. They could be addressed in particular objects, such as
stones or posts, which some early peoples would set up in likely places. The few personally
venerated spirits (or gods) were identified with thunder, sun, moon, hunting, childbirth, and the
winds. Evil spirits might be incarnate in animal or monstrous forms and could cause disease or
other misfortune.

9. ESTABLISHED FORM OF
GOVERNMENT
The early Filipinos had an established form of
government called Barangay. These small
communities form alliances with neighboring
communities to sustain power.
BAYBAYIN
The writing system of ancient Filipinos. It is an alphabet
belonging to the family of the Brahmic scripts. It was
widely used in Luzon and other parts of the Philippines
during the 16th and 17th centuries before being supplanted
by the Latin alphabet.

10. THE BARTER SYSTEM
Long before the Spaniards came to the Philippines in 1521, the Filipinos had established trade
relations with neighboring lands like China, Java, Borneo, Thailand and other settlements. The
Philippines is naturally rich in gold, making possible the availability of local gold coinage called
piloncitos. The original silver currency unit was the rupee or rupiah (known locally as salapi),
brought over by trade with India and Indonesia.

11. BABAYLAN
Babaylans were shamans of the various ethnic
groups specialized in communicating, appeasing,
or harnessing the spirits of the dead and the
spirits of nature. They were believed to have
spirit guides, by which they could contact and
interact with the spirits and deities (anito or
diwata) and the spirit world. Their primary role
were as mediums during pag-anito séance
rituals. There were also various subtypes of
babaylan specializing in the arts of healing and
herbalism, divination, and sorcery
GENDER ROLES
Pre-colonial societies defined gender roles
according to social functions. The “male” powers
of differentiation and stability and the “female”
powers of integration and transformation were
equally important. Moreover, there was no
superior gender.
BABAYLANES
Fray Domingo Perez, OP. noted in 1609-1616 in
Zambales “The priest called the bayoc” who
dresses like a woman, and The Boxer Codex
(written in 1595) noted a similar occurrence in
the Tagalog region, “They are so effeminate that
one who did not know them would believe that
they were women.”

13. What are the forms of
literature during
the Pre- Colonial Period?

14. EPICS
They are long narrative poems in which a series of heroic achievements or events, usually of a
hero, are dealt with at length. Usually it is chanted or sung during multiple occasions. Nobody
can determine which epics are the oldest because in their translations from other languages,
even in English and Spanish.

15. LEGENDS
Legends are a form of prose the common theme of which is about the origin of a thing, place,
location or name. The events are imaginary, devoid of truth and unbelievable. Old Filipino
customs are reflected in these legends.

16. MYTHS
These are stories that make use of gods, goddesses, and other fantastical creatures as characters.
These became a means for our ancestors to explain the occurrence of supernatural events, the
beginning of cultural traditions, and the existence of mysteries. A myth may also attempt to
explain the origin of the world and of the people.

17. FOLKTALES
Folk tales are made up of stories about life, adventure, love, horror and humor where one can
derive lessons about life. These are useful to us because they help us appreciate our
environment, evaluate our personalities and improve our perspectives in life.

18. FOLK SONGS
It is one of the oldest forms of Philippine literature that emerged in the pre-Spanish period.
These ranges from courtship songs or serenades (harana), lyrics for unrequited love (kundiman)
to lullabies (Oyayi).

19. PROVERBS
These are practical observations and philosophy of everyday life which are usually written in a
rhyming scheme. These have been customarily used and served as laws or rules on good
behavior by our ancestors.

20. RIDDLES
These are usually questions or statements intentionally phrased so as to require ingenuity in
ascertaining its answer or meaning, typically presented as a game. In the pre-colonial times, it is
a way of entertainment because it is used in a battle of wits, where locals young and old join
and/or watch to see who is the smartest.

21. Forms of
Literature
EPICS
LEGENDS
MYTHS
FOLKTALES
PROVERBS
SONGS
RIDDLES

22. Classification?

24. CLASSIFICATION

26. What are the commonalities
of these pre-colonial forms?

27. 1. Common experiences of the
community as a subject matter
2. Communal authorship
3. Formulaic repetitions
4. Stereotyping of characters
5. Regular rhythmic and musical
patterns

30. Philippine
Literature
during the
Pre–Colonial
Period

31. 1. Why is it important to learn about the
pre-colonial literature of the Philippines?
2. How different and similar are the
situations of your ancestors back then to
your situation right now? Are there still
values that you can learn from them that
you can apply in real life?
3. What pre-colonial texts can be of use to
your life right now? How?

33. Tasks for
this Week
Individual Task #1
Page 11 of Learning Material
Individual Task #2
Page 12 of Learning Material
Group Work
Page 13 of Learning Material
Presentations are communication tools that can be used
as lectures, speeches, reports, and more.
Evaluation

34. “Shamans and Healers” ANC (Loren Legarda)
“Ang Huling Prinsesa” GMA iWitness (Kara David)
“Pre- Colonial Women” News5 (Lourd de Veyra)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OiRC2J-TjVw
YOUTUBE
LINKS
www.youtube.com/watch?v=tZH7adiOMtI
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jv1YtbWqmXo