PRE-COLONIAL CULTURE The ancient Filipinos had a culture that was basically Malayan in structure and form. They had written languages that traced their origin to the Austronesian parent-stock and used them not only as media of daily communication, but also as vehicles for the expression of their literary moods. Languages- There Languages- There are more than a hundred languages and dialects in the hil hilip ippi pine nes, s, eight eight of which which ma may y be consi conside dere red d ma ma!o !orr lang langua uages ges.. Amon Among g the the hilippine languages, Tagalog and ampangan show a close a"nity to the Malay language, whether #ahasa $ndonesia or that Malaya. Foreign ign student students s of the hilip hilippin pine e langua languages ges are are Syst System em of Writi riting ng-- Fore practically unanimous in considering Tagalog the richest among them. The Filipinos before the arrival of the %paniards had a syllabary which was probably of %anskrit of Arabic provenance. The ancients wrote on the bark b ark of trees. &n leaves and bamboo tubes, using their knives daggers, pointed sticks or iron as pens and the colored saps of trees as ink. Literature- The Literature- The literature of the early Filipinos Filipinos may be classi'ed into (oating ( oating or oral literature and written literature. $n most cases the songs were accompanied by dancing, so that the song and the dance, together with the drama, developed almost simultaneously. The fact that the ancient Tagalog was )uite adept in versi'cation is shown not only in the occasional verses but also in the drama. Filipino folk songs and folk tales show the collective mood of the people and constitute, together with their sayings, maxims, and proverbs, the wisdom of the race. Maranaw literature is largely (oating and has been, from time immemorial, reci recite ted d or sung sung as the the occa occasi sion on aros arose. e. The The anci ancient ent lite litera ratur ture e of the the $loc $locan ano o compares favorably with that of the Tagalog who, like him, had many kinds of song sung on di*erent occasions. $t is obvious that dung-aw is a comparatively late version of the original, for the word pakomusta is of %panish origin, that is, from como esta. Although by nature nature lyrica lyrical, l, the Filipi ilipinos nos also also sustain sustained ed poetry poetry.. The Muslim Muslims, s, anothe anotherr hardy hardy people, had several darangans or epics, of which the #antugan, $ndarapatra and %ulayman, and #idasari are the most notable. Filipinos are born musicians, for they they easily learn Music and te !ance- The !ance- The Filipinos tunes by ear. Many Filipinos who play two or more musical instruments have never been in music academics, nor have they any knowledge of the musical notations except what they know by ear.
Among the +egritos of #ataan and ambales, the favorite musical instruments were the ews harp made of bamboo/ the bansic made of mountain cane with four holes/ a bamboo violin with abaca strings/ and the gangsa, a sort of guitar. The #ontok $gorots of northern 0u1on had various musical instruments2 a ews harp of bamboo or brass/ a bamboo (ute/ the aba'l, a primitive Malay musical instrument/ and the gangsa, an instrument struck with a skin-covered drumstick. The Tagbanuas of alawan also had their musical instruments like the ews harp, the drum with sharkskin heads, the bamboo (ute, the guitar with abaca strings and brass gongs. &ne of their most colorful dances was the macasla, performed during the macasla festival. The $locanos had many songs to 't di*erent occasions and, like their brothers in the di*erent regions, possessed many musical instruments. Among these were the kutibeng, a sort of guitar with 've strings, the (ute, and the kudyapi. The 3isayans were known to be good folk dancers and musicians. They, too, possessed musical instruments found in other places in the hilippines, including drums, timbrel, a violin like instrument with metallic strings, and a sort of (ageolet. Among the Tagalogs, the dance and the music developed almost simultaneously with the drama, for the drama could not be staged without music and dancing. The kumintang was a characteristic #atangue4o dance and music which did not 'nd much popular favor outside #atangas province. Among the Tinguians, the kabaleng was a favorite instrument. $t was a nose (ute and used by a young man in serenading his lady love. $t should be noted that the ancient Filipinos had music and dances for all association their social organi1ation was more well-knit than it is today. Art- The 'rst glimpse of the artistic sense of the primitive inhabitants of the hilippines can be had in the remains of their tools and weapons. At 'rst rough, these tools and weapons were, as ages elapsed, polished and formed along the lines of leaves and petals of (ower. $n the 5arly $ron Age, the artistic variety of the ancient Filipinos reached its apogee. &rnaments with di*erent forms and si1es began to appear, burdening the body not only with rings, bracelets, armlets, strings of beads and handbands but also with the tattoos of various designs. There were several in(uences on Filipino primitive art which are apparent in the surviving artifacts. The +egrito in(uence is seen in the 1ig1ag designs on ancient lime tubes and in the ornamental carvings on combs.
The metal artifacts of 0anao remain today a tribute to the excellent and creative craftsmanship of the re-%panish artists in the hilippines. The elaborate arabes)ue designs, the beautiful pattern and metal in-laid work, the uni)ue but functional designs of forms. 6hile Muslim art generally with plat and geometrical designs, $fugao art deals generally with animal and human representations. Most of the $fugao carvings are utilitarian2 utensils such as the wooden bowls, spoons, forks, and smoking pipes are polished and embellished. %ample of $fugao art may be had in any curio shop in Manila and #aguio, but the $fugao carvings now on sale are greatly commerciali1ed and do not really represent the profound feeling of the humble artist.
