What was the beliefs of the early Filipinos?

Answer 1

The ancient Tagalogs believed in one supreme god called Bathala, and the ancient Visayans believed in a similar god they called Laon. He was said to be the creator of heaven, earth, people and the entire universe. Aside from this Supreme Being, they also worshipped lesser gods and goddesses whose functions were close to the daily lives of the people. These were some of the various ancient deities;

• 1. Idiyanale - Tagalog goddess of agriculture
  2. Sidapa - Visayan god of death
  3. Barangao - Visayan god of the rainbow
  4. Lalahon - Visayan goddess of harvest
  5. Apolaki - Pangasinan God of War
  6. Darago - Bagobo god of war
  7. Dal-lang - Ilokano goddess of beauty
  8. Kidul - Ifugao god of thunder
  9. Dian Masalanta - Tagalog god of birth

The ancient Filipinos also believed in and worshipped lower spirits calledanitos or diwatas. Anitos were either good or bad. They were good if they were the spirits of relatives and ancestors; they were bad if they were the spirits of enemies. To these anitos and minor deities, prayers and sacrifices were offered. Religious sacrifices, called maganilo, were performed by priests and priestesses called babayland, baylana, or katalona. The usual minister for religious worship was a woman. If a man performed the religious ritual, he was called asog (effeminate). Food, drink, fruit, animals, and sometimes human beings were offered or used in the sacrificial rites. By such means a person hoped to gain the blessings of the spirits and avoid their wrath.

The ancient Filipinos-and a number of Filipinos today-intense feared certain gods and goddesses which they believed to be mostly harmful. There are known by a great many names because there are some eighty different languages in the country-languages, not dialects, since the speakers of a dialect cannot communicate with the speakers of the other dialects.

In his extensive research on these creatures, Dr. Maximo D. Ramos has shown them to fall under the twelve groups according to what the creatures look like, what they do, and where they are usually found:

• • Demons such as the kapre and the tikbalang

• • Dragons such as the moon-swallowing minokawa and bakunawathat are believed to cause the eclipse

• • Dwarfs such as dwende, matanda sa punso, and lamang lupa that live underground

• • Elves such as the encantada and kibaan

• • Giants such as Angngalo and Onglo

• • Ghouls such as the corpse-eating aswang

• • Mermaids and mermen such as sirena, magindara, and siukoy

• • Ogres such as the busaw and siring

• • Vampires such as the blood-sucking mandurugo and aswang

• • Viscera suckers such as the manananggal and buroka, which leave their lower body from the waist down and soar out to suck internal organs of the people especially pregnant women and unborn infants

• • Werebeasts such as the malakat and segben(sigbin) which is a man who could become fierce dog, hog, or any other animal and attacks wayfarers at night

• • Witches such as the mangkukulam and manggagamod, which made their victims ill by magically inserting various sharp objects into their bodies

Most of the early Filipinos believed that the souls are immortal and there is life after death. Many of them believed that after death, the souls traveled to the next world to receive their punishment or reward according to what they did while on earth. The souls of the brave and good men were believed to go to heaven, known as kaluwalhatian among the Tagalogs. On the other hand, the souls of the unjust, the cruel, and the evil went to hell, called kasamaan. The Bontoks of today still believe that the soul of the dead will live in huts and villages in the future world like those they left on earth.

Finally, in keeping the memory of their departed relatives, the early Filipinos carved idols made of gold, stone, wood, or ivory. Among the Tagalogs, these idols were called larawan or likha.

Answer 2

Early Filipinos held animistic beliefs, worshiping spirits and deities that inhabited natural elements like trees, rivers, and mountains. They also believed in an afterlife and practiced rituals related to death and burial. The concept of a supreme creator god, Bathala, was also prominent in their belief system.