In today’s generation, men and women are viewed as equals. The voices of feminists became such a powerful force that they cannot be ignored, creating a space for women to coexist alongside males in a more compassionate and equitable manner.
As much as we may state that women in today’s generation are moving a little closer to the objective of a community with less discrimination, it is not the people of today’s generation who put them in this situation. Yes, they contributed, but they never paved the way. For today’s young people, would be terrified by the demeanor of a pre-Hispanic Filipina.
Until I conducted research on whether or not the pre-Hispanic Philippines was patriarchal, I was unaware of how powerful women could be. Initially, I believed that the Philippines was a male-dominated country, not because I doubted a woman’s skills, but because I had heard of gender-based stereotypes. But I was mistaken.
Pre-Hispanic Filipina are badass! And I am not sorry for the term.
In a UP Open University online journal titled The Role of Women from Pre-Hispanic to Spanish Era, written by Adrianne Dianne Isabelle R. Saldua, it is said that women in the pre-Hispanic era held roles comparable to those of men. They are influential and have a say in the community’s flow. They can hold important positions in civilizations, such as healers and priestesses, assume leadership responsibilities, and fight as warriors.
In addition, women have every right to inherit their parents’ property. According to the journal, the Datu could pass his title to his daughter, who is also his heiress, if she is more capable than her male or female siblings. Women had the right to inherit property and played vital roles in trade and industry.
Without his wife’s permission, he was unable to engage in bartering. Women also manufactured jewelry, pottery, and other items for exchange on the market or with foreign traders such as the Chinese.
“Also, during the pre-colonial period, one of the first few things a man would learn is that he should always respect women. Disrespecting women was unthinkable, if a man does not show respect to a woman, he would be labelled negatively by the society.”
-Retrieved from the said Journal
In addition to the Babaylans that we have already learned about in class, Filipinas in Ifugao had the right to divorce their husbands if it was shown that he had committed an offense. Filipinas had the ability to make their own decisions; they controlled their own lives. They held the same status as males, were renowned for their intelligence and education, and enjoyed human rights advantages.
“I often feel cheated by reductive stereotypes that Filipina women are meek and mahinhin. It is flat-out disingenuous, especially when the reality is that we are surrounded by literally hundreds of real-life examples of bold and brilliant Filipina women leaders. And having now learned about babaylans and their unwavering resistance to colonialism and imperialism, I am humbled by a quiet understanding that we, powerful, tenacious Filipina women leaders have always existed.” (The Foundation for Filipina Women’s Network, 2022).
Clearly, Filipinas can be just as powerful as Filipinos. This treatment did not end until the Spanish era, when the majority of people began to believe that women are weak and should only follow males. It is disturbing that in that era, women were valued solely for their appearance. Because regardless of how much they fought, women would always be considered the weaker gender.
According to my understanding, neither patriarchy nor matriarchy is ever used to define the pre-Hispanic Philippines. Both men and women possess value, and they treated one another with equality. Before the Spanish invaded us, we were once strong and united country.
Women in today’s generation are starting to reclaim the equal treatment. May we have a tight grip because the next journey will be a little rough. But again we have our own ways of conquering our obstacles for we are brave and we do it like a pre-Hispanic Filipina.
References:
https://tonkshistory.wordpress.com/2012/02/22/the-role-of-women-from-pre-hispanic-to-spanish-era/
https://filipinawomensnetwork.org/epahayagan/did-you-know-pre-colonial-philippines-longstanding-tradition-of-women-leadership-and-mysticism#:~:text=It%20was%20interesting%20to%20learn,women’s%20liberation%20in%20the%20West.
