WALA LANG

Gossiping oldies would warn each other that there was danger—that young blabbermouths were within earshot—and the topic had better be less juicy. Until the mid-1800s, Mindanao pirates preyed on coastal towns from the Ilocos in northern Luzon down to the Bicol region and all over the Visayas, accounting for seaside watchtowers and fortified churches on hilltops. Our ancestors were all moros as far as early Spanish conquistadors and frailes were concerned.  A Boxer Codex chapter is on the customs and traditions of ”los moros de las islas Filipinas,” referring to Islamized Tagalogs.  Some ancient Tagalog doings were certainly juicy. Relatives other than siblings could get married and they subscribed to the principle that the more children, the better. Any baby born of a single woman, however, is killed and the mother held in disgrace. Just the same, “they are very depraved in matters of the flesh and indulge in it more than the Bisayans.”  Men can have as many wives as they like and “they do the same things to them as the Bisayans do” in reference to the extra special bedtime equipment that Bisaya men wore. The Tagalogs were supposedly Muslim but, says the Codex, “they call themselves Muslim not because they are, or because they observe the rituals or ceremonies of Mohammed, or have anything Muslim except the name.”  The account continues that missionaries from Borneo had come and taught them little more than circumcision, not eating pork, and other minor religious dictums. The Codex describes the beliefs and customs of the likes of Raja Matandâ, Raja Solimán, and Lakandulà: Bathala created the earth, sky, and everything therein including the first man and woman. The Tagalog adore and worship in gatherings under a specially erected canopy under which an altar is placed with an image of Lakan-bakod with teeth and eyes of gold. A catalonan leads in chanting prayers and secret words while offering food or drink for the intentions of the person who sponsored the gathering. Then followed a feast with plenty of food and palm wine, presumably tubâ and lambanóg. *A NOBLE RACE Bejeweled Tagalog nobles and excavated gold jewelry of pre-hispanic Filipinos at the Ayala Museum (photos from Luis Donoso et. al., Boxer Codex).*

Other deities are invoked with similar rituals: Uwian Sana whose protection is sought for safety in fields and mountains; Lakan-pati is petitioned to provide water for fields and fish from the sea; and Ha-ik for good weather and favorable winds when traveling across the water. Petitions are dispatched to the moon god for long life and prosperity and to grandparents for good health and recovery from sickness. A betel nut chew is passed around to all present. Omens are taken seriously. A planned enemy raid or a journey could be aborted when warned by a dream, the call of a certain bird, an animal like a rat crossing the path. Oaths are sealed by established words and rituals. When people contradict each other, they are taken to the deepest part of a river; the one who stays submerged the longest is considered as telling the truth. The datù administers justice and has absolute authority over his followers. He can grant or confiscate land, enslave or emancipate people.  The Spanish observer notes that Tagalog chiefs are more reasonable than Bisaya chiefs. Tagalog men wear their hair short and have no beards but let their mustaches grow long. Unlike the Bisaya, men do not have pierced ears and are “not naked like the Bisayans,” who are tattooed. Men wear gold chains and bracelets, with chiefs having 10 tob12 gold chains on their necks. The wives of chiefs wear gold diadems (headbands or possibly broad combs). Ordinary women wear the same but of tortoise shell. Bisayan women dress more neatly and elegantly. Both the Bisaya and the Tagalogs play the guitar but the latter, particularly women play it better. Cockfighting wins hands down when it comes to men’s pastime. On food and drink, Tagalogs do not eat pork, preferring goat (unlike the Bisaya) and carabao meat, as well as chicken, ducks, and surely fish. Tubâ and lambanóg from coconut is the staple drink in rituals and celebrations. The Tagalog have an alphabet of 17 letters. “Women commonly know how to write … and when they write they do so on top of the bark of certain pieces of bamboo… with a stylus that breaks the surface and bark of the bamboo.” They have neither books nor histories, however, writing being limited to messages, possibly like the love poems that today’s Mangyans still write. Farming and fishing are principal occupations of the Tagalog but among them are carpenters, blacksmiths, jewelers, and makers of small bronze cannon. The Tagalog have various kinds of ships but the Bisaya are better at shipbuilding. They are business minded, being “fond of trading, selling, and bargaining … [they are great merchants and very cunning in their dealings. They are very fond of making money and try every way of earning it.” The dearly departed are buried in wood coffins, although unlike the Bisaya, no gold or jewels accompany them to the afterworld. Long forgotten is the now unimaginable practice of burying a slave alive under the coffin of his dead master. Both legitimate and illegitimate children share in their parents' estate, although in different proportions. The family of the deceased goes into a year-long fast during which they eat only herbs, wild fruits, and bananas. That should give the eavesdropping moros en la costa something to think about. Note: This article is based on Luis Donoso et. al., transcribers, translators, and editors, Boxer Codex (Quezon City: Vibal Foundation, Inc., 2016), Chapter 5. Comments are cordially invited, addressed to [[email protected]](mailto:[email protected]).