Warfare in pre-colonial Philippines

ᜑᜓᜃᜊᜓ ᜅ᜔ ᜐᜈ᜔ᜇᜆᜑᜈ᜔
Hukbong Sandatahan
Armed forces

Kampilan sword on display.
Active c.900-1576
Country Various (Philippine archipelago)
Branch Palace guards
Capital Defense
Artillery Corps
Cavalry Corps
Infantry Regiments
Navy
Type Army, Navy
Role Military force
Part of Feudal
Garrison/HQ Tondo
Kuta Selurong
Kalibo
Singhapala
Kota wato
Kota Sug
Engagements Expeditions
Majapahit-Luzon conflict[1]
Chinese piracy
Bruneian Invasion[2]
Burmese–Siamese War (1547–49)
Battle of Mactan
Spanish Conquest
Decorations Batikan [3]
Battle honours Gold
Slaves [4]
Commanders
Notable
commanders		 Various Datu's, Hari, Rajah's and Sultans

Warfare in pre-colonial Philippines refers to the military of individual pre-Hispanic kingdoms in the Philippines. They were a complex form of command structure based in the feudal form which every ruler in the archipelago had its own Army and Naval force. Around this time, the people of Luzon were collectively called Lucoes and they rose to prominence by participating in trading ventures and military campaigns in Myanmar, Malacca and East Timor.[5][6] where they were employed as traders and mercenaries.[7][8][9][9]

Antecedent to this raids, somethimes between A.D. 1174 and 1190, a traveling Chinese government bureaucrat Chau Ju-Kua reported that a certain group of "ferocious raiders of China’s Fukien coast" which he called the "Pi-sho-ye," believed to have lived on the southern part of Formosa.[10]

Background

Further information: List of wars involving the Philippines and List of conflicts in the Philippines
Lakandula's flag.

In the Pre-Colonial era, the Filipino people had their own forces, divided between the islands which each had its own ruler. They were called the Sandig's (Guards) the Kawal (Knights) and the Tanod's. They also served as the police and watchers on the land, coastlines and seas. In 1521, The Visayan King of Mactan Lapu-Lapu in Cebu, organized the first recorded military action against the Spanish colonizers, in the Battle of Mactan.[11]

Antecedent to this raids, somethimes between A.D. 1174 and 1190, a traveling Chinese government bureaucrat Chau Ju-Kua reported that a certain group of "ferocious raiders of China’s Fukien coast" which he called the "Pi-sho-ye," believed to have lived on the southern part of Formosa.[10]

In the Battle of Manila in 1365 is an unspecified and disputed battle occurring somewhere in the vicinity of Manila between the forces of the Kingdoms in Luzon and the Empire of Majapahit.

Even though the exact dates and details of this battle remain in dispute, there are claims of the conquest of the area around Saludong (Majapahit term for Luzon and Manila) according to the text Nagarakretagama[12] Nevertheless, there may have been a battle for Manila that occurred during that time but it was likely a victory for Luzon's kingdoms considering that the Kingdom of Tondo had maintained its independence and was not enslaved under another ruler. Alternatively, Luzon may have been successfully invaded but was able to regain its independence later.[13][14]

Around its 16th century, the people of Luzon were collectively called Lucoes and they rose to prominence by participating in trading ventures and military campaigns in Myanmar, Malacca and East Timor[5][6][15] where they were employed as traders and mercenaries.[7][8][9][9]

The former sultan of Malacca decided to retake his city from the Portuguese with a fleet of ships from Lusung in 1525 AD.[5] Lucoes (warriors from Luzon) aided the Burmese king in his invasion of Siam in 1547 AD. At the same time, Lusung warriors fought alongside the Siamese king and faced the same elephant army of the Burmese king in the defence of the Siamese capital at Ayuthaya.[16]

Infantry

A sets of Arquebuse guns.
The Moros later adopted European armour and firearms during their wars with Spain and rebellion (Embadir), like this of an 18th or 19th century brass morion helmet.[17]

In addition to weaponry, ancient Filipinos made good armor for use in the battlefield and swords were also part of the native weaponry. In some parts of the Philippines armor was made from diverse materials such as cordage, bamboo, bark, sharkskin, and water buffalo hide to deflect piercing blows by cutlasses or spear points. Visayans cuirass or chain-mail's were called barote, which was quilted or corded body armor. Spaniards called this "escaupiles after the cotton padded ones they found in the New World. The barote was woven of thick braided abaca or bark cords, tight enough to be waterproof and knotted intricately that cuts did not spread. Burlap was worn next to the body under the barote, the body armor itself extended to elbow and knee with ankle length variety with sleeves for manning defense-works, although for great agility, confident warriors preferred to fit without them. "Pakil" and "batung-batung" were breastplates or back plates made of bamboo bark, hardwood like ebony or in Mindanao, caraboa horn or elephant hide from Jolo. Sharkskin was used effectively for helmets or "moriones". Shields were significant defensive weapons in all lowland societies of he Philippines. The Visayans shields, kalasag, were made of light, fibrous wood designed to enmesh any spear or dagger that penetrated its surface and to prevent their retrieval by the enemy. Shields were strengthen and decorated with an elaborate rattan binding on the front, which was also coated with a resin that turned rock-hard upon drying. These shields were generally 0.5 meters by 1.5 meters in size, and, along with missile deflecting helmets, they provided full body protection that was difficult to penetrate. Thus it is not surprising that most of the raids that were successful, in terms of taking captives and heads , were surprise ambushes, that literally caught the enemy with its shields down.

Making of swords involved elaborate rituals that were based mainly on the auspicious conjunctions of planets. The passage of the sword from the maker entailed a mystical ceremony that was coupled with superstitious beliefs.The lowlanders of Luzon no longer use of the bararao, while the Moros and animists of the South still continue the tradition of making kampilan and kris.[18] Superior iron weapons and virtually all of the bronze weapons were imported in the sixteenth century from Mindanao, Sulu, Makassar, Borneo, China, or Japan. Some of the warriors facing Legaspi expedition in 1571 were carrying Japanese bronze swords (known as katana) and wearing the distinctive sixteenth-century Chinese peaked helmets made of bronze. Swords (kalis and kampilan) were either straight or wavy double-edged, thin blades of bronze or iron, with hilts made of hardwoods, bone, antler, shell, or, for high ranking datus, gold encrusted with precious stones.

Artillery

Two Lantakas.

Guns were also locally manufactured and used by the natives. The most fearsome among these native guns was the lantaka, or swivel gun, which allowed the gunner to quickly track a moving target.[18] Ancient peoples used small arquebuses, or portable cannons made up of bronze. Larger cannons, on the other hand, were made of iron and resembling culverins provided heavier firepower. The iron cannon at Rajah Sulaiman III's house was about 17 feet long and was made from clay and wax moulds.[18]

Armors and shields in the Philippines.

Cavalry

About 5 to 10% of Cavalry are usually used in the battles or transporting the warriors or the aids for the Chiefs on their expeditions or trade .[19]

Military technology

Fortifications

Further information: Architecture of the Philippines

Ancient Filipinos built strong fortresses called kota or moog to protect their communities. The Moros, in particular, had armor that covered the entire body from the top of the head to the toes. The Igorots built forts made of stone walls that averaged several meters in width and about two to three times the width in height around 2000 BC.[18] Spanish descriptions indicate that the typical fortifications consisted of raised earthworks with a wooden palisade along the top (called a "kuta" in Tagalog) surrounded by a ditch or water-filled moat. However, local variations on construction technique were specific to the local environment. In Bicol, bamboo towers called "bantara" were built behind the fortifications as stand for archers armed with long bows. Reports of well constructed wooden fortifications around the chiefly centers of Manila, Tondo, Cebu, Mindoro and numerous other coastal towns.

Main Article: Ivatan people
The Ivatan people of the northern islands of Batanes often built fortifications to protect themselves during times of war. They built their so-called idjangs on hills and elevated areas.[20] These fortifications were likened to European castles because of their purpose. Usually, the only entrance to the castles would be via a rope ladder that would only be lowered for the villagers and could be kept away when invaders arrived.

Tactics and Strategies

Participating in land and sea raids were an essential part of the duties of the timawa. These raids are usually regular annual expeditions undertaken by the community (compare with Viking) against enemies and enemies of their allies. Participation and conduct in raids and other battles were recorded permanently by the timawa and the tumao in the form of tattoos on their bodies, hence the Spanish name for them - pintados (literally "the painted ones"). The Spanish conquistador Miguel de Loarca described the preparations and the undertaking of such raids in his book Relacion de las Yslas Filipinas (1582) as thus:[21]

Scorched earth tactics

fighting with the Moro pirates known as magalos (literally "destroyers of peace") from Mindanao.[22] The islands they were in were collectively known as Pulua Kang Dayang or Kangdaya (literally "[the islands] which belong to Daya").

Sri Lumay was noted for his strict policies in defending against Moro raiders and slavers from Mindanao. His use of scorched earth tactics to repel invaders gave rise to the name Kang Sri Lumayng Sugbo (literally "that of Sri Lumay's great fire") to the town, which was later shortened to Sugbo ("scorched earth").

The Karakowa

A Karakowa ancient Battleship with Lantaka Cannons.

Philippine ships, such as the karakao or korkoa were of excellent quality and some of them were used by the Spaniards in expeditions against rebellious tribes and Dutch and British forces. Some of the larger rowed vessels held up to a hundred rowers on each side besides a contingent of armed troops. Generally, the larger vessels held at least one lantaka at the front of the vessel or another one placed at the stern.[18] Philippine sailing ships called praos had double sails that seemed to rise well over a hundred feet from the surface of the water. Despite their large size, these ships had double outriggers. Some of the larger sailing ships, however, did not have outriggers.[23]

Antecedent to this raids, somethime between A.D. 1174 and 1190, a traveling Chinese government bureaucrat Chau Ju-Kua reported that a certain group of "ferocious raiders of China’s Fukien coast" which he called the "Pi-sho-ye," believed to have lived on the southern part of Formosa.[10] In A.D. 1273, another work written by Ma Tuan Lin, which came to the knowledge of non-Chinese readers through a translation made by the Marquis D’Hervey de Saint-Denys, gave reference to the Pi-sho-ye raiders, thought to have originated from the southern portion of Formosa. However, the author observed that these reaiders spoke a different language and had an entirely different appearance (presumably when compared to the inhabitants of Formosa).[10]

Uniforms/Clothing

See also

References

  1. ↑ Myron (1939). "The Study of The Artistic Antiquities of Dutch India". Harvard Journal of Asiatic Studies. Harvard-Yenching Institute. 4 (1): 59–68. doi:10.2307/2717905. JSTOR 2717905.
  2. ↑ del Mundo, Clodualdo (September 20, 1999). "Ako'y Si Ragam (I am Ragam)". Diwang Kayumanggi. Archived from the original on October 25, 2009. Retrieved 2008-09-30.
  3. ↑ G. Nye Steiger, H. Otley Beyer, Conrado Benitez, A History of the Orient, Oxford: 1929, Ginn and Company, pp. 122-123.
  4. ↑ Blair, Emma Helen (Date: August 25, 2004 [EBook #13280]). The Philippine Islands. The Project Gutenberg EBook of The Philippine Islands, 1493-1803, Volume II, 1521-1569, by Emma Helen Blair. p. 126, Volume II. Check date values in: |date= (help)
  5. 1 2 3 The former sultan of Malacca decided to retake his city from the Portuguese with a fleet of ships from Lusung in 1525 AD. SOURCE: Barros, Joao de, Decada terciera de Asia de Ioano de Barros dos feitos que os Portugueses fezarao no descubrimiento dos mares e terras de Oriente [1628], Lisbon, 1777, courtesy of William Henry Scott, Barangay: Sixteenth-Century Philippine Culture and Society, Quezon City: Ateneo de Manila University Press, 1994, page 194.
  6. 1 2 Pigafetta, Antonio (1969) [1524]. "First voyage round the world". Translated by J.A. Robertson. Manila: Filipiniana Book Guild.
  7. 1 2 Pires, Tomé (1944). Armando Cortesao (translator), ed. A suma oriental de Tomé Pires e o livro de Francisco Rodriguez: Leitura e notas de Armando Cortesão [1512 - 1515] (in Portuguese). Cambridge: Hakluyt Society.
  8. 1 2 Lach, Donald Frederick (1994). "Chapter 8: The Philippine Islands". Asia in the Making of Europe. Chicago: University of Chicago Press. ISBN 0-226-46732-5.
  9. 1 2 3 4 Reid, Anthony (1995). "Continuity and Change in the Austronesian Transition to Islam and Christianity". In Peter Bellwood; James J. Fox; Darrell Tryon. The Austronesians: Historical and comparative perspectives. Canberra: Department of Anthropology, The Australian National University.
  10. 1 2 3 4 Jobers Bersales, Raiding China at Inquirer.net
  11. ↑ "The Death of Magellan, 1521". Archived from the original on 7 June 2008. Retrieved 9 June 2008.
  12. ↑ Malkiel-Jirmounsky, Myron (1939). "The Study of The Artistic Antiquities of Dutch India". Harvard Journal of Asiatic Studies. Harvard-Yenching Institute. 4 (1): 59–68. doi:10.2307/2717905. JSTOR 2717905.
  13. ↑ Tiongson, Jaime (2006-11-29). "Pailah is Pila, Laguna". Retrieved 2008-02-05.
  14. ↑ Santos, Hector (1996-10-26). "The Laguna Copperplate Inscription". Retrieved 7 October 2014.
  15. ↑ Lucoes warriors aided the Burmese king in his invasion of Siam in 1547 AD. At the same time, Lusung warriors fought alongside the Siamese king and faced the same elephant army of the Burmese king in the defence of the Siamese capital at Ayuthaya. SOURCE: Ibidem, page 195.
  16. ↑ Lucoes warriors aided the Burmese king in his invasion of Siam in 1547 AD. At the same time, Lusung warriors fought alongside the Siamese king and faced the same elephant army of the Burmese king in the defence of the Siamese capital at Ayuthaya.
  17. ↑ Herbert W. Krieger (1899). The Collection of Primitive Weapons and Armor of the Philippine Islands in the United States National Museum. Smithsonian Institution - United States National Museum - Bulletin 137. Washington: Government Printing Office.
  18. 1 2 3 4 5 Ancient and Pre-Spanis Era of the Philippines. Accessed September 04, 2008.
  19. ↑ Scott, William Henry (1989). "Filipinos in China in 1500" (PDF). China Studies Program. De la Salle University.
  20. ↑ "15 Most Intense Archaeological Discoveries in Philippine History". FilipiKnow. Retrieved 17 March 2015.
  21. ↑ Emma Helen Blair; James Alex; er Robertson, eds. (1903). "Relacion de las Yslas Filipinas (1582) by Miguel de Loarca". The Philippine Islands, 1493-1803, Volume V., 1582-1583: Explorations By Early Navigators, Descriptions Of The Islands And Their Peoples, Their History And Records Of The Catholic Missions, As Related In Contemporaneous Books And Manuscripts, Showing The Political, Economic, Commercial And Religious Conditions Of Those Islands From Their Earliest Relations With European Nations To The Beginning Of The Nineteenth Century. The A.H. Clark Company (republished online by Project Gutenberg).
  22. ↑ Marivir Montebon, Retracing Our Roots – A Journey into Cebu’s Pre-Colonial Past, p.15
  23. ↑ It was integrated to the Spanish Empire through pacts and treaties (c.1569) by Miguel López de Legazpi and his grandson Juan de Salcedo. During the time of their hispanization, the principalities of the Confederation were already developed settlements with distinct social structure, culture, customs, and religion.
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