Maharlika and the Ancient Class System
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Maharlika and the ancient class system Pilipino Express • Vol. 2 No. 20 Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada October 16 - 31, 2006 We don’t hear the word Mahar- lika very much anymore. Its ori- gin goes all the way back to the ancient language of India called Sanskrit, from the word, mahard- dhika, meaning, “a man of wealth, knowledge or ability.” Today it is generally accepted to mean “nobility or aristocracy.” The venerable Tagalog dictionary of Leo James English gives us this example: Ang mga harì at prinsipe ay kabilang sa mga ma- harlikâ. [Kings and princes be- long to the nobility.] That’s the modern definition, but back in the days when there really was a maharlika class in the Phil- ippines, it was actually a lower class of nobility that served the datus, or chiefs, in times of war. The maharlikas belonged to the “kings and princes” and not the other way around. Marcos’ maharlika We can thank former dictator Ferdinand Marcos, mainly, for our misunderstanding of this word today. “Maharlika culture” was his propaganda tool for promoting An upper class Tagalog couple of the early colonial era nationalism during the days of the From a painting in the Boxer Codex “New Society.” The word became The maharlikas were just one A panginoon was an especially very fashionable and was used in rank in the ancient class system of wealthy maginoo who owned much naming streets, buildings, banquet the Tagalogs, which was a little property and valuable land. A pang- halls, villages and cultural groups. more convoluted than our western inoon was addressed with the Marcos named a highway, a idea of aristocrats and commoners. shortened honorific, poon, which broadcast company and the recep- This class system was the norm in could be translated into English as tion area of Malacañang Palace, other parts of the Philippines, too, milord or milady. Aba poon meant, Maharlika. He even toyed with the though the names of the classes “Greetings, milord/milady” and idea of renaming the whole coun- varied slightly. Oo, poon meant, “Yes, sir/ma’am.” try as Maharlika. Poon survives to this day as the Marcos’ fascination with the term The ancient class system term of respect, po. apparently began in World War II Maginoo – During the pre- A datu, or chief, was a maginoo who when he claimed to have com- colonial era, the maginoo class was had followers and who ruled beyond manded a guerrilla force of over the top of Tagalog society. Men and his immediate household, over whole 8000 men that he called the Ma- women of this class were generally communities. This term was used in harlika unit. His claims were referred to with the respectful title the Visayas as well as Luzon. A datu proved false in 1985. of Ginoo. Individually, the terms, with power over a large area held the It’s ironic that Marcos’ first use Gat, meaning Lord, or Dayang, title Lakan or Rajah, a Hindu word of the word maharlika was quite meaning Lady, preceded names as brought from Malaysia. When the appropriate because he only used in, Gat Buka (now a town in Bu- Spaniards arrived in the Manila area it to name a group of soldiers (al- lakan) and Dayang Angkatan who in 1570, there was a Banaw Lakan beit fictitious soldiers) rather than was mentioned in the Laguna Dula in Tondo and an Ache Rajah an entire aristocracy or country. Copperplate Inscription. (Ladyang) Matanda in Manila. Paul Morrow • In Other Words • The Pilipino Express • October 16 - 31, 2006 Timawa – The timawa class were chains around their necks. A better they were allowed to keep some free commoners of Luzon and the description would be to call them of it, and if they managed to save Visayas who could own their own debtors. They could be born enough, they could buy their way land and who did not have to pay a alipins, inheriting their parents’ up to namamahay or even timawa regular tribute to a maginoo, though debt, and their obligations could be status. If a man wanted to get they would, from time to time, be transferred from one master to an- married, his master would usually obliged to work on a datu’s land and other. However, it was also possible set him up as an aliping namama- help in community projects and for them to buy their own freedom. hay with his own home and a events. They were free to change A person in extreme poverty might patch of land, though this was their allegiance to another datu if even want to become an alipin vol- rarely done for women. they married into another commu- untarily – preferably to relatives The people who bore the greatest nity or if they decided to move. who saw this as a form of assis- stigma in society were the alipins Maharlika – Members of the tance rather than punishment. who were indebted to other alipins. A Tagalog warrior class known as There were two kinds of alipins: sa gigilid of an aliping namamahay maharlika had the same rights and Aliping namamahay – or a was called a bulisik, which meant responsibilities as the timawa, but house-holding alipin, could hardly vile and contemptible. Even lower in times of war they were bound to be called a slave at all. He was was the bulislis who was a sa gigilid serve their datu in battle. They had more like what we call a serf in indebted to another sa gigilid. The to arm themselves at their own ex- English. A namamahay was usually vulgar name meant that these alipins pense, but they did get to keep the an alipin who had received a piece were so vulnerable that it was like loot they won – or stole, depending of land from his maginoo master. In their genitals were exposed. In mod- on which side of the transaction return, he was required to hand ern terms we might say they “had you want to look at. Although they over a portion of what the land their pants down,” though bulislis were partly related to the nobility, produced as a tribute and to occa- really means, “lifted skirt.” the maharlikas were technically sionally work on his master’s land. The only people lower than the less free than the timawas because Alipin sa gigilid – The people bulislis were slaves who were they could not leave a datu’s serv- near the bottom of society were brought from other communities or ice without first hosting a large known by the scornful term, alipin who were captured in war. They public feast and paying the datu sa gigilid. In pre-colonial times the were considered non-persons until between 6 and 18 pesos in gold – a gilid was the area behind and below they were accepted into the com- large sum in those days. the house where the toilet was lo- munity. Once accepted, they had Alipin – Today, the word alipin cated. These alipins were single the same rights as other alipins. (or oripun in the Visayas) means men and women who worked in slave and that’s how the Spaniards their master’s homes, tending the E-mail the author at: translated it, too, but the alipins gilid, among other chores. They [email protected] or were not really slaves in the west- were completely dependent for visit www.mts.net/~pmorrow for ern sense of the word. They were food and shelter, but if they could more about Filipino history and not bought and sold in markets with make some money on the side, language..