21st Century Literature from the Philippines and the World
Day 3-Answer Exercises 1-2
Activity 3
Philippine Literature during the Pre-colonial Period
General Reminders: Use this activity sheet with care. Do not put unnecessary mark/s on
any part of the activity sheet. Use a separate sheet of paper in answering the exercises. Read
the directions carefully before doing each task. Return this activity sheet to your
teacher/facilitator once you are through with it.
Explore
Have you ever heard of the story “Juan Pusong” when you were a child? Were your
parents/friends ever tell you stories like “Juan Tamad” or “The Turtle and the Monkey”
in the past? Did you know that before the colonizers came to the Philippines, our
ancestors already had a kind of literature? What do you think is the form of the
literature then? How did it pass down from generation to generation?
Learn
The precolonial literature includes all literature produced
before the Spanish colonization like chants, proverbs, songs, and
folk narratives. These were all passed down from generation to
generation by word of mouth.
Philippine folk narratives are varied and distinct. They depict
the people’s livelihood, customs, and traditions.
VOCABULARY
 Literature – (comes from
the Latin word littera
which means ‘letters’ and
refers to an acquaintance
with the written word) is
the written work of a
specific culture, subculture, religion,
philosophy or the study
of such written work
which may appear in
poetry or in prose.
1. Folktale – This is a characteristically anonymous, timeless,
and placeless tale circulated orally among a people.
 Folktales about Juan are very popular. Some emphasize
certain virtues, and some serve as
warning about behavior. Also, some are for the reader’s amusement.
2. Fable – This features animal characters or inanimate objects that behave like people.
 The monkey is a common animal character in Philippine fables. It is often depicted
as a cunning animal.
3. Legend – This is presented as history but is unlikely to be true.
 There are different Filipino legends of the great flood. The story of Bukidnon, for
instance, tells that a huge crab caused the water to rise by going into the sea. On
the other hand, the Igorot story tells that the sons of Lumawig the Great Spirit
caused the flood.
4. Myth – This is told to explain a belief, a practice, or a natural phenomenon.
 There are Philippine versions of the creation myth. The Igorot’s story
tells that Lumawig the Great Spirit created people. On the other hand,
the Tagalog story tells that the first man and woman came from a
bamboo.
5. Epic – This narrative poem celebrates the adventures and achievements of a
hero.
 The Philippine epics are sung or chanted in episodes. They feature
supernatural characters and reflect the society where they originated.
Also, there are different versions of a story.
Engage
Exercise 1:
Read the summary of the epic Biag ni Lam-ang and answer the following questions.
BIAG NI LAM-ANG
(Summary)
Namongan (Lam-ang’s Mother) and Don Juan (Lam-ang’s Father) had recently
been unified in marriage. Shortly after, Namongan became pregnant and Don Juan
performed the various tasks needed to prepare for the birth. Don Juan sets out to
engage into a fight with the checkered Igorots. Namongan gives birth to a baby boy
who is able to speak and requests to be named Lam-ang. At nine months, Lam-ang
discovers that his father, Don Juan, has been gone and sets out to search for him.
Lam-ang brings various magic stones on his journey as well as weapons.
Eventually, Lam-ang encounters an Igorot gathering and learns that his father was
killed and head severed. Lam-ang then engages into battle and wins the fight with
the Igorots of the various Igorot towns and villages. Lam-ang then returns home
and achieves various tasks, such as cleaning the barn, washing his hair, and
defeating the crocodile. Lam-ang then determines that he would like to visit Dona
Ines Kannoyan of Kalanutian and attempt to court her. Dona Ines Kannoyan is
described as a “perfect” woman who has many suitors. She is the daughter of
Unnayon. Against the wishes of his mother, Lam-ang travels to Kalanutian to meet
Kannoyan. During his journey he encounters two people, a man named Sumarang,
a man killed by Lam-ang who shared the same task as Lam-ang, and Saridaadan, a
woman Lam-ang ignores. Upon arriving in Kalanutian, Lam-ang observes various
suitors of Kannoyan. The animals Lam-ang travel with create a disturbance and
therefore achieves Kannoyan’s attention. Lam-ang finds that Kannoyan has been
expecting him and moves on to meet the parents. Lam-ang asks for the permission
to marry Kannoyan. Kannoyan’s parents allow it only if Lam-ang is capable of
producing the same wealth the family possess. Lam-ang proves his prosperity and
a wedding is planned. Lam-ang travels home to prepare for the wedding and
returns to Kalanutian with his mother, townspeople, and wedding supplies. Lamang and Kannoyan get married in a church on a Monday and a celebration takes
place shortly after. The townspeople of the bride and groom, as well as the family
members, travel on the two ships of Lam-ang to Lam-ang’s home town where
another chain of festivities take place. Afterward, Kannoyan’s parents leave
Kannoyan to live with Lam-ang and the couple begins their lives together. The town
head delegates a task to Lam-ang in which he must fish for raring. Lam-ang attains
a premonition of an incident in which the berkakan, a monster fish, consumes his
entire body. The premonition also includes an omen in which, “a dancing staircase
and the kasuuran breaking into pieces.” Undoubtedly, the premonition and omen
become true and Lam-ang is devoured by a berkakan. Kannoyan has seen the
omen and searches for a diver to locate the bones of her husband. Kannoyan
brings the animals of Lam-ang to the bones and the white rooster, hen, and hairy
dog perform a ritual on the bones which bring Lam-ang back to life.
Guide Questions:
1. Who are the parents of Lam-ang?
2. What kind of man is Lam-ang?
3. Why did Lam-ang killed many Igorots?
4. How did Lam-ang caught the attention of Ines Kannoyan and her parents?
5. How did Lam-ang came back to life after being devoured by a berkakan?
Apply
Exercise 2:
TIME MACHINE: Imagine that you have a time machine and it gave you a chance to
travel back to the time before the colonizers came (precolonial period), how will you
describe their living? How about their literature? Compare and contrast the
precolonial period to the present time using a Venn Diagram.
PRECOLONIAL
PRESENT