Mindanao! Warriors and slaves

A. Paulita Roa

WE are elated at the news that President-elect Rodrigo Roa Duterte plans to resurrect Lapu-lapu from obscurity and will place him in the pantheon of Philippine heroes where he rightfully belongs. We hope to know more about Lapu-lapu and his heroic deed for this will widen our knowledge on Philippine history. He lived at the time when the archipelago was composed of chiefdoms whose rulers were highly revered for their fighting prowess like our Mactan hero.

In that period, there were many warriors that were considered the superstars of their respective communities. Like their Visayan counterparts, the warriors of  Mindanao were tattooed, wore penis pins and known for their bravery and fighting skills. They were also excellent mariners who rode in their warships known as the “caracoas.” Just how far did they go can be gleaned by the 1612 Chinese gazetteer the Ch’uan – chou that reported that in 1172, P’i-she-ya (Bisaya) warriors who were tattooed up to their necks made a series of terrifying raids in the coast of China. In the  16th century, a Spanish missionary wrote that Visayan bards were singing about the saga of a local hero who raided China just to win the hand of a beautiful princess of Bohol.

The culture of war was strongly entrenched among the prehispanic Filipinos. The art of fighting was instilled even among the young boys specially from the ruling class. Jesuit historian, Francisco Combes (1667) wrote that the great grandson of Datu Pagbuaya of Dapitan, went to war when he was only seven years of age. Before he was 30 years old, he killed more than 200 men in hand-to-hand combat. To warriors who personally killed seven or more of their enemies, they were given the privilege to wear a red turban or headband and to wear G-strings made of striped material. This was their insignia of nobility.

In the Maranao epic “Darangan” said to be written before the coming of Islam, the hero, Prince Bantugan was a famous warrior who was described as having a “brilliant gold teeth and lips red from betel nut but not tattooed, and wears so many rings on his fingers (Manuel, A. 1958). His hair is tightly braided in to four or  eight parts for it was considered a great shame if it was loosened during a fight. He wore a padded armor or bamboo breastplates.

Warriors were usually armed with at least three weapons–a kris or a kampilan for slashing. A dagger and a spear for piercing. And of course, they had shields that were decorated with bells for the war dance and were given names taken from animals, a tree or that of a defeated enemy. It was also customary at that time for men to bring a spear or a bladed weapon each time they went out of the house. To go out unarmed was not only shocking but is a cause for mockery. That was what the two Spanish Recollect missionaries experienced when they became the laughing stock of the Kagay-anons and their Datu Salangsang when they carried no weapons in their person  (Blair, E. and J. Robertson 1907 Vol.XXl ).

There were seasons for slave raiding wars where warriors rode their caracoas and attacked coastal villages. They abducted men, women and children and sold them in big slave markets like in Cebu. Getting captives for the slave market was a very lucrative enterprise and a source for wealth. The number of slaves a person especially a chief owned would determine the extent of his power and authority. The legendary Chief Inuk of Butuan was feared and respected by other datus for he personally captured his slaves that numbered 2,000. Also, the worth of a prized belonging was measured by the number of slaves. Like the ornate kris of Chief Soksokan of Zamboanga was worth ten slaves (W.H.Scott 1992).

Preparations for battle or a slave raiding war was done with elaborate ceremonies that  were observed in many parts of Mindanao notably in Caraga. Prayers to their war gods were said, omens from the wild dove or alimokon were noted–also from rocking boats to crocodile teeth. Squid and octupus were not eaten for their ink can cause the warriors to be blinded and confused. Fish caught by nets were taboo for it meant being captured by the enemy. Anting-antings, poisons and charms were readied. The warriors were aware that there are equally brave and good fighters that guarded the villages where they planned to attack. If the raid was a success, the best of the captives was sacrificed in the captain’s humalagar, an altar of his ancestor spirits. (To be concluded)