HISTORY
PHILIPPINE POETRY
by: Darren Lance Catanes
When Islamic missionaries came to Mindanao and converted the Moros to become Muslims, some changes were adapted for the Mindanaoan epics to conform to this change of faith, thus, there are more epics from mostly Visayas and Mindanao that did survive. In the epic of Maranao, Darangen, for instance, they have made Muslim prophet Muhammad as the forefather of the hero, Bantugen. Today, there are twenty-one epics that survived from Visayas and Mindanao.
Some of the epics however, especially in Luzon, perceived to center on pagan beliefs and rituals, were burned and destroyed by Spanish friars during the Spanish colonization of the Philippines islands in the 16th century. There are only two folk epics that survived from Luzon.
Truly, there were substantial writings by early natives that Jesuit historian Fr. Pedro Chirino noted: "All of the islanders are much given to reading and writing. And there is hardly a man, much less a woman who did not read and write." (Relacion de las isles Filipinas-1604).
Stories of epics in verse displayed tremendous vitality, color and imagination. Tales of love and adventures about native heroes, endowed with powers from the gods, battle monsters, and triumphs over formidable armies, rode the wind, vanguard shields and protect the earliest communities of the islands.
Established epic poems of notable quality and length blossomed. And early historians like Padre Colin, Joaquín Martínez de Zúñiga and Antonio Pigafetta have all attested to the existence of these epics. There were even reports of a dramatic play given by natives at the arrival of Don Miguel López de Legazpi in 1565.
Epic poems and songs about the exploits of enchanted folk heroes were performed during festivities and proper occasions. Most often, these epic poems (folk epics or ethno-epics) were titled after the names of the hero involved, except for some which carry traditional titles like the Kalinga Ullalim; the Sulod Hinilawod; the Maranao Darangen; or the Bicol Ibalon.
Stories about folk heroes of long ago were described as "Old Time History" because; they can be used to study the lifestyle and beliefs of the people who produced them. They were also referred to as "Lost", because they were soon forgotten by natives influenced heavily by Spanish and "western" colonization.
The famed orientalist, Chauncey Starkweather, stressed that : "These epic romances are charming poems in the Malayan literature."
Some scholars however dispute the claim that in the early days of Spanish intrusion, priests in their zealous rage against paganism destroyed all existing records, as well as all forms of writing and art works, regarding ancient Philippine folk heroes. These scholars, mostly schooled in Catholic schools and Catholics themselves, hold that the colorful and fascinating literature of pre-Hispanic Filipinos are still here, giving the new generation an overview of a heritage that is unique and deemed as invaluable source of joy and information with regards to the lifestyle, love and aspirations of early Filipinos.
Indeed, it is through these wonderful surviving epics every Filipino may mirror his or her national identity.
It is through these folk epics that every Filipino can feel heroic, truly pulsating with splendor of a magnificent and authentic cultural force. In epic history of the Filipinos comes with epic characters like "biag ni lamang".
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philippine_epic_poetry
by: Darren Lance Catanes
Centuries before the Spaniards came, the Filipinos already had their own cultural traditions, folklore, mythologies and epics. There were substantial writings by earlynatives that Jesuit historian Fr. Pedro Chirino noted:
"All of the islanders are much givento reading and writing. And there is hardly a man, much less a woman who did not read and write."
(Relacion de las isles Filipinas-1604)Stories of epics, done in poetry displayed tremendous vitality, color andimagination. Tales of love and adventures about native heroes, endowed with powersfrom the gods, battle monsters, and triumphs over formidable armies, rode the wind,traveled in flying shields and protect the earliest communities of the islands.Established epic poems of notable quality and length blossomed. And earlyhistorians like Padre Colin, Joaquin Martinez de Zuniga and Antonio Pigafetta have allattested to the existence of these epics. There were even reports of a dramatic playgiven by natives at the arrival of Don Miguel Lopez de Legaspi in 1565.Epic poems and songs about the exploits of enchanted folk heroes wereperformed during festivities and proper occasions. Most often, these epic poems (folkepics or ethno-epics) were titled after the names of the hero involved, except for somewhich carry traditional titles like the Kalinga Ullalim; the Sulod Hinilawod; the MaranaoDarangan; or the Bicol Ibalon.Stories about folk heroes of long ago were described as
"Old Time History"
because; they can be used to study the lifestyle and beliefs of the people who producedthem. They were also referred to as
"Lost"
, because they were soon forgotten bynatives influenced heavily by Spanish and "western" colonization. The famed orientalist,
Chauncey Starkweather
, stressed that :
"These epic romances are charming poem inthe Malayan literature."
But there are those who perpetuated myths that in the early days of Spanishintrusion, priests in their zealous rage against paganism destroyed all existing records,as well as all forms of writing and art works, regarding ancient Philippine folk heroes.But this is
not
true. The colorful and fascinating literature of pre-Hispanic Filipinos arestill here. Giving the new generation an over view of a heritage that is an unusual andinvaluable source of joy and information. Regarding the life style, love and aspirations of early Filipinos. It is from these, wonderful epics, where a Filipino can find his or her national identity.The history of Philippine poetry can be described in four major literary periods:precolonial (before 1521), Spanish colonial (1521±1898), U.S. colonial (1898±1946),and contemporary (1946±present). A strong indigenous oral tradition is interwoven withthe Spanish and U.S. colonial influences of culture and language. Poetry has beenwritten in Tagalog (the national language) and in the eighty-seven regional dialects, as
well as in the Castilian Spanish of Miguel de Cervantes and Lope de Vega and the American English of Walt Whitman and Mark Twain.
well as in the Castilian Spanish of Miguel de Cervantes and Lope de Vega and the American English of Walt Whitman and Mark Twain.
https://www.scribd.com/doc/43492600/Philippine-Poetry
Philippine Epic Poetry
Centuries before the Spaniards came, the Filipinos already had their own cultural traditions, folklore, mythologies and epics. They are the folk epics, transferred from one generation to the next through oral tradition, with the use of singers or chanters. These singers or chanters were often high priests or priestesses in their tribes. These epics were a great source of entertainment and inspiration especially to the youth. In Mindanao, they would call the epic singer, "Onor." Some of the epics, because of their length, would take the singer or chanter seven nights of singing or chanting to finish. The singer or chanter, may either be a male or a female, would sing for minimum of two hours to six hours every night. These events were often festal and recreational occasions like wedding ceremonies, wakes, prestige rites, peace pact agreements, when an ancestor's bones are dug out to be blessed, harvest seasons, when a wild boar is caught, or to welcome a guest, coupled with feasts for the community, supported by either the head of the tribe or a rich and prominent family within the community. The epics were later on transcribed and preserved by rich families as family heirloom.When Islamic missionaries came to Mindanao and converted the Moros to become Muslims, some changes were adapted for the Mindanaoan epics to conform to this change of faith, thus, there are more epics from mostly Visayas and Mindanao that did survive. In the epic of Maranao, Darangen, for instance, they have made Muslim prophet Muhammad as the forefather of the hero, Bantugen. Today, there are twenty-one epics that survived from Visayas and Mindanao.
Some of the epics however, especially in Luzon, perceived to center on pagan beliefs and rituals, were burned and destroyed by Spanish friars during the Spanish colonization of the Philippines islands in the 16th century. There are only two folk epics that survived from Luzon.
Truly, there were substantial writings by early natives that Jesuit historian Fr. Pedro Chirino noted: "All of the islanders are much given to reading and writing. And there is hardly a man, much less a woman who did not read and write." (Relacion de las isles Filipinas-1604).
Stories of epics in verse displayed tremendous vitality, color and imagination. Tales of love and adventures about native heroes, endowed with powers from the gods, battle monsters, and triumphs over formidable armies, rode the wind, vanguard shields and protect the earliest communities of the islands.
Established epic poems of notable quality and length blossomed. And early historians like Padre Colin, Joaquín Martínez de Zúñiga and Antonio Pigafetta have all attested to the existence of these epics. There were even reports of a dramatic play given by natives at the arrival of Don Miguel López de Legazpi in 1565.
Epic poems and songs about the exploits of enchanted folk heroes were performed during festivities and proper occasions. Most often, these epic poems (folk epics or ethno-epics) were titled after the names of the hero involved, except for some which carry traditional titles like the Kalinga Ullalim; the Sulod Hinilawod; the Maranao Darangen; or the Bicol Ibalon.
Stories about folk heroes of long ago were described as "Old Time History" because; they can be used to study the lifestyle and beliefs of the people who produced them. They were also referred to as "Lost", because they were soon forgotten by natives influenced heavily by Spanish and "western" colonization.
The famed orientalist, Chauncey Starkweather, stressed that : "These epic romances are charming poems in the Malayan literature."
Some scholars however dispute the claim that in the early days of Spanish intrusion, priests in their zealous rage against paganism destroyed all existing records, as well as all forms of writing and art works, regarding ancient Philippine folk heroes. These scholars, mostly schooled in Catholic schools and Catholics themselves, hold that the colorful and fascinating literature of pre-Hispanic Filipinos are still here, giving the new generation an overview of a heritage that is unique and deemed as invaluable source of joy and information with regards to the lifestyle, love and aspirations of early Filipinos.
Indeed, it is through these wonderful surviving epics every Filipino may mirror his or her national identity.
It is through these folk epics that every Filipino can feel heroic, truly pulsating with splendor of a magnificent and authentic cultural force. In epic history of the Filipinos comes with epic characters like "biag ni lamang".
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philippine_epic_poetry
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