Orca Share Media1567485228448
Orca Share Media1567485228448
Orca Share Media1567485228448
Contextual Analysis
of Selected Primary
and Secondary
Sources in Philippine
History
USING PRIMARY SOURCES
IN HISTORICAL RESEARCH
ENTAILS TWO KINDS OF
CRITICISM
EXTERNAL CRITICISM
examines the authenticity of the
document or evidence being
used. This is important in
ensuring that the primary source
is not fabricated
INTERNAL CRITICISM
examines the truthfulness of the
content of the evidence. This criticism
requires not just the act establishing
truthfulness and/or accuracy but also
the examination of the primary sources
in terms of the context of its
production.
Example: A historian would have
to locate the document in the period
of its fabrication. In other words, it
should be recognized that facts are
neither existing in a vacuum nor
produced from a blank slate. These
are products of the time and of the
people.
ANTONIO PIGAFETTA:
THE FIRST VOYAGE AROUND
THE WORLD BY MAGELLAN
• ANTONIO PIGAFETTA
an Italian nobleman who
accompanied Ferdinand
Magellan in his fateful
circumnavigation of the world.
“Then the king said that he was content, and as a greater sign of
affection he sent him a little of his blood from his right arm, and
wished he should do the like. Our people answered that he would
do it. Besides that, he said that all the captains who came to his
country had been accustomed to make a present to him, and he to
them and therefore they should ask their captain if he would
observe the custom. Our people answered that he would; but as the
king wished to keep up the custom, let him begin and make a
present, and then the captain would do his duty.” – Pigafetta
Magellan preached about their faith
and people reportedly convinced.
Pigafetta wrote that their men were
overjoyed seeing that the people
wished to become Christians through
their free will and not because they
were forced or intimidated.
14th day of April, the people gathered
with the king and other principal men
of the islands. Magellan spoke to the
king and encouraged him to be a good
Christian by burning all of the idols
and worship the cross instead. The
king of Cebu was then baptized.
“To the king and all his people answered that
they would obey the commands of the captain
and do all that he told them. The captain took
the king by the hand, and they walked about
on the scaffolding, and when he was baptized
he said that he would name him Don Charles
(Carlos), as the emperor his sovereign was
named; and he named the Prince Don
Fernand (Fernando), after the brother of the
emperor, and the king of Mazavva, Jehan: to
the Moor he gave the name of Christopher
and to the others each a name of his fancy.”
After eight days, Pigafetta counted that all of the
inhabitants in island were already baptized. The mass
was conducted by the shore everyday. When the queen
came to the mass one day, Magellan gave her an image
of the infant Jesus made by Pigafetta. The king of cebu
swore that he would always be faithful to Magellan.
When Magellan reiterated that all of the newly baptized
Christians need to burn their idols, but the natives gave
excuses telling Magellan that they need the idols to heal
a sick man who was a relative to the king. Magellan
insisted that they should instead put their faith in Jesus
Christ. They went to the sick man and baptized him.
After the baptismal, Pigafetta recorded that the man was
able to speak again. He called this miracle.
• April 26th, Zula, a principal man
from the island of Matan
(Mactan) went to see Magellan
and ask him for a boat full of men
so that he would be able to fight
the chief Silapulapu (Lapulapu).
A chief refused to obey the king
and was also preventing him from
doing so.
• Magellan offered three
boats instead and
expressed his desire to
go to Mactan to fight
Lapulapu. Magellan’s
forces arrived in Mactan
in daylight. They
numbered 49 in total
and the islanders of
Mactan were estimated
to number 1,500. The
battle began
“When we reached land we found the islanders fifteen hundred in
number, drawn up in three squadrons; they came down upon us
with terrible shouts, two squadrons attacking us on the flanks,
and the third in front. The captain then divided his men in two
bands. Our musketeers and crossbow-men fired for half an hour
from a distance, but did nothing, since the bullets and arrows,
though they passed through their shield made of thin wood, and
perhaps wounded their arms, yet did not stop them. The captain
shouted not to fire, but he was not listened to. The islanders
seeing that the shots of our guns did them little or no harm would
not retire, but shouted more loudly and, and springing from one
side to the other to avoid our shots, they at the same time drew
nearer to u, and even mud, so that we could hardly defend
ourselves. Some of them cast lances pointed with iron at the
captain-general.”
• Magellan died in
that battle. The
natives, perceiving
that the bodies of
the enemies were
protected with
armors, aimed for
their legs instead.
• Magellan was
pierced with a
poisoned arrow in
his right leg.
Magellan was
specifically targeted
because the natives
knew that he was the
captain general.
Magellan was hit
with a spear in the
face.
Pigafetta recounted the last
moments of Magellan; “Whilst the
Indians were thus overpowering
him, several times he turned
round towards us to see if we were
all in safety, as though his
determined fight had no other
object than to give an opportunity
for the retreat of his men.”
• Pigafetta stated that, the king of Cebu
was willing to send help but Magellan
instructed the king to join the battle and
stay in balangay so that he would see
them fought.
• The king of Cebu offered the people of
Mactan gifts of any value and amount in
exchange of Magellan’ corpse but
Lapulapu refused. They wanted to keep
Magellan’s dead body as a memento of
their victory.
In death of Captain-General
Magellan, they elected Duarte
Barbosa as the new captain.
Pigafetta also told how
Magellan’s slave and interpreter
named henry betrayed them and
told the king of Cebu that they
intended to leave as quickly as
possible. Pigafetta alleged that the
slave told the king that if he
followed the slave’s advice, them
the king could get the ships and
the goods of Magellan’s fleet.
ANALYSIS OF
PIGAFETTA’S
CHRONICLE
• The chronicle of Pigafetta was one of the most
cited documents by historians who wished to
study the precolonial Philippines.
• Pigafetta was seen as a credible source for a
period, which was prior unchronicle and
undocumented.
• Being the earliest detailed documentation, it
was believed that Pigafetta’s writings accounts
for the “purest” precolonial society.
Pigafetta’s work is of great importance in the
study and writing of Philippine history.
• A student of history should recognize
certain biases accompanying the author
and his identity, loyalties and the
circumstances that he was in and how it
affected the text that he produced.
• In case of Pigafetta, thee reader needs to
understand that he was a chronicler
commissioned by the king of Spain to
accompany and document a voyage
intended to expand the Spanish empire.
• Pigafetta was a noble descent who came from
a rich family in Italy.
• These attributes influenced his narratives, his
selection of details to be included in the
writing, his characterization of people and of
the species that he encountered ,and his
interpretation and retelling of the events.
• Pigafetta was able to give details on geography
and climate of the places that their voyage had
reached.
• In this era, Europe was dominated by
Holy Roman Empire, whose loyalty and
purpose was domination of the catholic
church all over the world. And it was
believed that, other belief systems
different from Christianity were seen to
be ungodly, barbaric and even demonic.
• Pigafetta always remark on the nakedness of the
natives or how he was captivated by the exotic culture
of the Philippines.
• He also emphasized the natives’ amazement and
illiteracy to the European artillery, merchandise and
other goods.
• Pigafetta repeatedly mentioned the abundance of
spices like ginger, and of precious metal like gold.
His observations and assessments of the indigenous
cultures employed the European standards.
• As the indigenous people be dressed in natives’
attires, Pigafetta saw them as being naked because
Europeans’ standpoint, indigenous people wearing
fewer clothes.
• The wealth of kingdoms measures based on their
growth of gold bars or precious metals like gold and
silver.
• That’s why it’s not surprising Pigafetta would always
mention the abundance of gold in the islands as shown
in his description of leaders wearing gold rings and
golden daggers, and of the rich gold mines.
• Spain would indeed search for new lands where they
could acquire more gold and wealth to be on top of all
European nations.
• Spices were odd for Filipinos because of its
commonness in the Philippines but in Europe, spices
were scarce and seen as a prestige goods.
• In that era Spain and Portugal wanted the control of
spice islands because it would led to a certain increase
in wealth, influence and power.
THE KKK AND THE “KARTILYA NG
KATIPUNAN”
KATAASTAASAN,
KAGALANGGALANGANG
KATIPUNAN NG MGA
ANAK NG BAYAN (KKK)
or katipunan the most
important organization formed
in the Philippine history. Only
organization that envisioned
• A united Filipino nation that
would revolt against the
Spaniards
• Total independence of the
country
• There were armed revolts before the
foundation of katipunan but none of
them envisioned a unified Filipino
nation revolting against the
colonizers.
• For example, Diego Silang known as
an Ilocano who took up his arms and
led one of the longest running revolts
in the country. He was known as the
El Rey De Ilocos (King Of Ilocos)
• Propaganda movements led by the
illustrados like Marcelo H. Del Pilar,
Graciano Lopez Jaena and Jose Rizal
did not envision a total separation of
the Philippine from Spain, but only
demanded equal rights,
representation, and protection from
the abuses of the friars.
• Kartilya ng katipunan originally
entitled as “Manga Aral Nang
Katipunan Ng Mga A.N.B.” or
“Lessons Of The Organization Of
The Sons Of The Country”, is one
of the most important document
of KKK written by Emilio Jacinto
in 1896
• Emilio Jacinto was only 18 years
of age when he joined the
movement. He was a law student
at the Universidad de Santo
Tomas. Despite of his age,
Bonifacio recognized the value
and intellect of young Jacinto
upon seeing that Jacinto’s kartilya
was much better than the
Decalogue he wrote. He willingly
favoured that the kartilya be
distributed to their fellow
katipuneros.
• April 15, 1897, Jacinto
was appointed by
Bonifacio as a
commander of the
katipunan in northern
Luzon. Jacinto was 22
years old that time. He
was died at a young age
of 24 in the town of
Magdalena, Laguna.
RULES IN KARTILYA
I. The life that is not sacred to an arrogant and
reasonable purpose is a tree without a shade, if
not a poisonous weed.
II. To do good for personal gain and not for its own
sake is not virtue.
III.It is rational to be charitable and love one’s
fellow creature, and to adjust one’s conduct, acts
and words to what is in itself reasonable.
IV.Whether our skin be black or white, we are all
born equal: superiority in knowledge, wealth and
beauty are to be understood, but not superiority
by nature.
V. The honourable man prefers honor to personal
gain; the scoundrel, gain to honor.
VI. To the honourable man, his word is sacred
VII. Do not waste thy time: wealth can be
recovered but not time lost.
VIII. Defend the oppressed and fight the
oppressor before the law or in the field.
IX. The wise man is sparing in words and
faithful in keeping secrets.
X. On the thorny path of life, man is the guide
of woman and the children, and if the guide
leads to precipice, those whom he guides will
also go there.
XI. Thou must not look upon woman as a mere plaything, but as a faithful
companion who will share with thee the penalties of life; her (physical)
weakness will increase thy interest in her and she will remind thee of the
mother who bore thee and reared thee.
XII. What thou dost not desire done unto thy wife, children, brothers and
sisters, that do not unto the wife, children, brothers and sisters of thy
neighbour.
XIII. Man is not worth more because he is a king, because his nose is
aquiline, and his color white, not because he is a priest, a servant of God,
nor because of the high prerogative that he enjoys upon earth, but he is
worth most who is a man of proven and real value, who does good, keeps
his word, is worthy and honest; he who loves and cherishes his fatherland,
though he be born in the wilderness and know no tongue but his own.
XIV. When these rules of conduct shall be known to all, the longed for sun
of liberty shall rise brilliant over this most unhappy portion of the globe
and its rays shall diffuse everlasting joy among the confederated brethren
of the same rays, the lives of those who have gone before, the fatigues and
the well-paid sufferings will remain. If he who desires to enter has
informed himself of all this and believes he will be able to perform what
will be his duties, he may fill out the application for admission.
ANALYSIS OF THE
“KARTILYA NG
KATIPUNAN”
• Kartilya ng katipunan was written for a fraternity
whose main purpose is to defeat a colonial regime.
• The content and provisions of the kartilya as a
reaction and response to certain value systems that
they found shameful in the present state of things that
they struggled against with. For example, the fourth
and 13th rules in the kartilya are an invocation of the
inherent equality between and among men regardless
of race, occupation, or status. In Spanish colonial era
where the Indios were treated as the inferior of the
white Europeans, the katipunan saw to it that the
alternative order that they wished to disseminate
through their revolution necessarily destroyed this
kind of unjust hierarchy
• The teaching of the katipunan on how women should
be treated with honor and respect, while positive in
many respects and certainly a significant stride from
the practice of raping and physically abusing women
in relation to men. For example, in the tenth rule , the
document specifically stated that men should be the
guide of women and children, and that he should set a
good example, otherwise women and children would
be guided in the path of evil. The document stated
that women should be treated as companions by men
and not as playthings that can be demoralized for
their pleasure.
• In the present-day, the katipunan can be criticized because of
these provisions. However, one must not forget the framework
where the organization was born. Not even in Europe or in the
whole of the west at the juncture recognized the problem of
gender inequality.
• The rules in kartilya can be classified as either directed to how
one should treat his neighbour or to how one should develop
and conduct one’s self. Both are essential to the success and
fulfilment of the katipunan’s ideals. For example, the kartilya’s
teachings on honouring one’s word and not wasting time are
teachings directed toward self-development, while the rules on
treating the neighbor’s wife, children, and brothers the way
that you want yours to be treated is an instruction on how
katipuneros should treat and regard their neighbors.
READING THE “PROCLAMATION
OF THE PHILIPPINE
INDEPENDENCE”
• June 12, 1898
Philippine
Independence was
proclaimed in the
province of Cavite.