PRIMITIVE - CULTURE

In the Philippines

Before the arrival of the Spaniards, and the introduction of Roman Catholicism
and Western culture in the 16th century, the indigenous Malayo-Polynesian tribes
of the Philippines were adherents of a mixture of Animism, Islam, Hinduism and
Vajrayana Buddhism. Primitive gods and goddesses include "Araw" (Sun) and
"Buwan" (moon), who are people who appear to remove tumors and diseased
tissue by sticking their hands into a patient's body and extracting human flesh
and blood, but leaving the patient scar free. Some see this performance as a
sleight of hand false interpretation. Believers accept it as true, and accept it as an
alternative healing method, and a way to take advantage of the placebo effect.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Culture_of_the_Philippines)

Arts

Our forefathers had both oral and written literature, consisting of poems, songs,
and laws. Unfortunately, only a few relics of our ancient literature was preserved
to the present. Oral literature was handed down from generation to generation,
most of them consisting of poems, songs, legends, proverbs, riddles, fables and
myths.

Their best known songs were the kundiman, the komintang, the balitaw, and the
talindao.

Our ancient painting consisted of figures tattooed on the bodies of the warriors.
Sculpture was done on stone, clay, wood and gold. Many figures were
representations of spirits and gods whom they worshiped.

There was also architecture. Houses were constructed out of wood, bamboo.
coconut palm and nipa leaves. Although small, the houses were cool and
adapted to the tropical conditions of the country.

Language

Our ancestors spoke many languages and dialects as there were tribes.

When the Spaniards arrived, our forefathers already had known how to read and
write in their own ancient alphabet that came from India. Our ancient alphabet
consisted of seventeen letters. Almost all these ancient writings are lost today,
but some relics can still be seen in the archives of the Dominican fathers in
Manila and in private collections.
Social Classes

There were three classes of people; namely, the chiefs, the freemen or timaguas,
and the slaves. Both chiefs and timaguas could have slaves. The slaves were of
several kinds. "Some were for all kinds of work and slavery, and they were called
saguiguilirs. They served inside the house, like the children born of them.

There were others who lived in their own houses with their families, and came to
help their lord in his farming, in rowing, in construction, and to serve in his house
at special occasions. These slaves were called namamahays and their children
and descendants were slaves of the same class.

Good Manners

Our Malay ancestors were courteous in their speech and respectful in their
actions. Children were taught early to be obedient and respectful to their elders.

Religious Beliefs

Our ancestors believed in a supreme being whom they called Bathala Maykapal.
They also beleived in lesser gods or spirits called anitos whom they also invoked.
There was anitos every place they went to-fields, forest, sea, home.

Malayan Filipinos believed that when a person died, his spirit went to another
world. There were rewards for the good, and punishments for the bad.

Mohammedanism was brought to Mindanao by Kabungsuan, a Malay Muslim

from Johore, Malay Peninsula.

Domestic and Foreign Trade

Our forefathers traded among themselves, barangay with other barangays, island
with other island.

They traded with other countries, such as China, Arabia, Japan, Cambodia,
Siam, Borneo, Java and other islands in the East Indies.

In trading, they usually used the barter system, exchanging products for the
goods of other places. Sometimes they used units of trading like gold and
colored shells.

Money was loaned at high interest rates. Business partnerships were formed for
business purpose.

Five Virtues of the Filipinos

In his book,"Cinco Reglas de Nuestra Moral Antigua," (Five Rules of Our Ancient
Morals), Teodoro M. Kalaw, late director of the National Library and historian,
discusses the social standards taught in the past by the Filipinos-1) bravery, 2)
honesty; 3) courtesy, 4) self-control, and 5)unity of the family. These five virtues
or characteristics have been greatly emphasized in our social education.

While there are characteristics common to all Filipinos the various peoples have
developed traits peculiar to themselves, according to Maximo Kalaw. Thus the
Tagalogs, Visayans, and Ilocanos are characterized by one writer in this way:
"The Ilocano hides his emotions, represses his feelings; the Visayan a creature
of emotion, the Tagalog looks at life from a distance. The Ilocano is a man of
action, the Visayan a creature of emotion, the Tagalog a person of intellect." This
is, of course, just a general opinion.

We find other social values and standards under Spain in the form of proverbs
which are common among all Filipino people.

The native ideas of bravery are shown in many proverbs such as these:

"Valor without justice is dangerous." (Ang tapang na walang katwiran ay lubhang

mapanganib)

"When the soldier is wounded his courage is increased twofold." (Ang bayaning
nasugatan, nag-iibayo ang tapang)

"Modest bravery is better than boisterious bravery." (Ang lihim na katapangan,

siyang pakikinabangan)

The desire of the Filipinos for learning and proper bringing up are shown in the
following:

"Even if they inherit no property they should inherit good manners." (Di man
magmana ng ari, magmamana ng ugali.)

"Straighten crooked plants when young and soft and not when they are big and
hard."

"The sleeping shrimp is carried away by the current."

(http://coconuter.blogspot.com/2007/11/philippines-ancient-culture.html)

In other countries

In older anthropology texts and discussions, a primitive culture is one that lacks
major signs of economic development or modernity.
For instance, it might lack a written language or advanced technology and have a
limited and isolated population. The term was used by Western writers to
describe foreign cultures contacted by European colonists and explorers.
It is also the title of a major work by Edward Burnett Tylor, in which he defines
religion as "animism" which, in turn, he defines by reference to contemporary
indigenous and other religious data as "the belief in spirits". Another defining
characteristic of primitive cultures is a greater amount of leisure time than in
more complex societies. [1]
Many early sociologists and other writers portrayed primitive cultures as noble—
noble savages—and believed that their lack of technology and less integrated
economies made them ideal examples of the correct human lifestyle.

Many of these writers assumed that contemporary indigenous peoples or their

cultures were comparable to the earliest humans or their cultures. Some people
still make this assumption. The word "primitive" comes from the Latin "primus"
meaning "first", and it was believed by Victorian anthropologists that the so-called
primitive contemporary cultures preserved a state unchanged since "stone age"
paleolithic or neolithic times.
This assumption has attacked as hunter-gatherer bands have accumulated
innovation compared to earlier societies, as do "modern" civilised cultures.
Cultural innovation in hunter-gatherer or shifting horticultural cultures is in areas
of ceremonial, arts, beliefs, ritual and tradition which usually do not leave cultural
artefacts, tools or weapons.

Most primitive cultures were composed of one of three different types of societal
structure: Band, Clan, or Tribe.
Band
A band society is the simplest form of human society. It generally consisted of a
small kinship group, often nor much larger than an extended family. Bands tend
to have very informal leadership; the older members of the band generally were
looked to for guidance and advice, but there are no written laws and law
enforcement like that seen in more complex societies. They may not be
permanent. In fact, a band can cease to exist if only a small group walks out.
Band customs exist and are adhered to; they are almost always transmitted
orally. Formal social institutions are few or non-existent.
Clan
A clan is a group of people united by kinship and descent, which is defined by
perceived descent from a common ancestor. Even if actual lineage patterns are
unknown, clan members nonetheless recognized a founding member or "apical
ancestor." As kinship-based bonds could be merely symbolic in nature some
clans shared a "stipulated" common ancestor, which is a symbol of the clan's
unity. When this ancestor is not human, this is referred to a totem. Generally
speaking, kinship differs from biological relation, as it also involves Adoption,
Marriage, and fictive genealogical ties.
Tribe
A tribe consists of a group of interlinked families or communities sharing a
common culture and dialect. Often times a tribe is composed of an ethnic group,
whose members identify with each other, usually on the basis of a presumed
common genealogy or lineage, and are also usually united by common cultural,
behavioral, linguistic, or religious practices.For various reasons, the term "tribe"
fell into disfavor in the latter part of the twentieth century. Thus, it was replaced
with the designation "ethnic group," which defines a group of people of common
ancestry and language, shared cultural history, and an identifiable territory.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Primitive_culture)