Slaving raids and the Ilihan

A. Paulita Roa .

DO you know that raiding and warfare at sea in this country antedates colonial history and goes back even to the prehistoric times? Historian W.H. Scott gave several reasons why these raids were done as a retaliation for a direct attack by another community, betrayal of alliances and blood pacts, treachery or abuse of traders in a friendly village, murder, theft by an outsider and in special cases, the need for a sacrificial victim to complete the mourning rites for a recently deceased datu. Yes, there were human sacrifices done by the ancient inhabitants of our archipelago. But there were also raids organized by the datus to obtain wives from another village when a datu could not find a suitable wife in his own domain.

However, it is the raid to capture slaves that was considered the prime motivation for the piratical wars because datus who obtained a large number of slaves increased their political influence and social prestige. So, continuous slaving raids were encouraged by the datus because of the wealth and power that they were able to display in their households during ritual feasts.

It is a mistake to think that piracy is different from slave raids. Piracy is defined as “an act of boarding any vessel with the intent to commit theft or other crimes and with the capability to use force against individuals and land based communities.” (Warren 2002:3) It was usually the datu with the help of the local elite group that organized the slaving raids to loot and to kidnap people and turned them to slaves. Ergo, piracy was closely linked to slavery. To the Visayans, a man who was kidnapped and became a slave is called a “bihag.”

The prehispanic Filipinos considered sea raiding or pirating as the most celebrated form of warfare. The Visayan word for it was “mangayaw.” It is interesting to know that “mangayaw” appears in all major Philippine languages and even in other Southeast Asian countries. The root word is “kayaw” and Spanish lexicographers extracted from it, the words “ayaw, ngayaw” and “agaw,” and it means to raid or to bring back slaves and heads. Slave raiding expeditions were looked upon as acceptable means of getting capital and political power but a person who participated in a mangayaw is called a “mangangayaw” by the Maranaos and is described as a plunderer, a pirate, a slave trader or a slave thief.

The practice of inter-tribal raiding or managayaw was common in this country because the different people groups were not politically united that they had a cycle of raiding and enslaving one another. The Visayans, Tagalogs, Bicolanos, Ilocanos and the Pampangos were independent polities and through the centuries, they raided and enslaved weaker people groups. Early Spanish colonizers reported that the archipelago was dotted with numerous village fortifications because the people had to protect themselves from the raiders. These indigenous fortifications were made mostly from earthen and wooden materials and located on an elevated ground and was known to the Visayans as “ilihan” or a “moog” to the Tagalogs.

The moog was an elevated structure that can be reached through a ladder. Jesuit historian Rene Javellana described the ilihan as “any tower, rocky outcropping, or natural pinnacle that could be fortified, to which the evacuees retreated for defense.” Illustrations of several types of ilihan are found in the book Historia de las islas e indios de Visayas written in 1668 by early Spanish missionary Ignacio Alcina, S.J.

There were wooden structures built on very high trees or tall post usually 15 feet above the ground. It was reached through a ladder that can be pulled up for safety. The height of this was advantageous for the warriors can shoot arrows, hurl spears, drop rocks and blow darts from blow guns or fire Chinese muskets that they called “luthang.” There were also fortifications built on top of cliffs and hills facing the sea and has a sweeping view of the countryside. There, the village watchmen can easily spot the approaching boats of the raiders and sound the alarm.

More importantly, the ilihan served as refuge for the people. Centuries ago, the people of Alubijid ran to their fort for safety which was located on top of a hill. However, they had to give the password before they were allowed entry, so the guards will know if they were from Alubijid . The password was calumat. It is the Visayan acronym for “cauban, agpas, lukso, ugma, mamatay, anak, tana.” Loosely translated in English, it means “companions, faster, jump lest tomorrow we might die, children lets go!”

Recently, Dr. Leee M. Neri, Ph.D, a Kagay-anon archaeologist and his team from the Archaeological Studies Program of the University of the Philippines in Diliman excavated in this ilihan with the assistance of the Municipality of Alubijid headed by Mayor Alvin Labis and the National Museum of the Philippines. What the team discovered was astounding with artifacts dating back to the Neolithic period, human remains with a celadon bowl and other grave goods, a shell midden, the foundation of the old ilihan, sherds of earthenware pottery and many more. The findings significantly added to our knowledge on the history of the town as well as the fact that this is certainly one of the oldest inhabited areas along the western coast of Misamis Oriental.

The slave raiding phenomenon continued even after the arrival of the Spanish colonizers in the 15th century. And this time, it was conducted by the Maguindanaos, Tausugs, Iranun – Maranaos and the Samals and its  known in history as the Moro slave raids. It became a major security headache of the Spaniards for over 250 years as coastal areas were repeatedly attacked, people taken into captivity as slaves with villages looted and burned even as far as northern Luzon. This was the reason for the construction of the so-called Moro watch towers and other forts around the country. The last recorded raid in Misamis Province happened on New Year’s day of 1892 in Tambaling, a barrio near Molugan.

The study of our history is incomplete if there is only a passing mention of the slaving raids. It is important for us to know it because this is something that is part of the local oral tradition as stories of the raids were passed on from one generation to another. Also, centuries-old forts, ilihans and watchtowers served as landmarks of this particular segment of our history that is a vital component of how it defines us as a people.