Maragtas (book)

Pre-hispanic History of the Philippines
Barangay government
Ten datus of Borneo
States in Luzon
Kingdom of Maynila
Kingdom of Namayan
Kingdom of Tondo
States in the Visayas
Confederation of Madyaas
States in Mindanao
Kingdom of Butuan
Sulu Sultanate
Sultanate of Maguindanao
Lanao Confederation
Key figures
Sulaiman II · Lakan Dula · Sulaiman III · Katuna
Tarik Sulayman · Tupas · Kabungsuwan · Kudarat
Humabon · Lapu-Lapu · Alimuddin I
History of the Philippines
Portal: Philippines
view · talk · edit

The Maragtas is a work by Pedro Alcantara Monteclaro titled (in English translation) History of Panay from the first inhabitants and the Bornean immigrants, from which they descended, to the arrival of the Spaniards. The work is in mixed Hiligaynon and Kinaray-a languages in Iloilo in 1907. It is an original work based on written and oral sources available to the author.^[1]

The Maragtas is an original work by the author, based on written and oral sources available to him. In particular, the author makes no claim that the work contains a transcription of particular prehispanic documents.^[2] The work consists of a publisher's introduction by Salvador Laguda, a Forward by the author, six chapters, and an epilog.^[3] The first chapter describes the former customs, clothes, dialect, heredity, organization, etc. of the Aetas of Panay, with special mention of Marikudo, son of old Chief Polpulan; the second chapter begins a narrative of the ten datus flight from Borneo and the tyranny of Datu Makatunaw there, and their purchase of the island of Panay from Marikudo; the third chapter tells of the romance of Sumakwel, Kapinangan and her lover Gurung-garung; the fourth chapter concludes the tale of the ten datus, telling about their political arrangements and their circumnavigation of the island; the fifth chapter describes language, commerce, clothing, customs, marriages, funerals, mourning habits, cockfighting, timekeeping techniques, calendars, and personal characteristics; the sixth and final chapter gives a list of Spanish officials between 1637 and 1808; the epilog contains a few eighteenth-century dates.^[4]

Use by historians

Philippine historians made little use of the Maragtas before the Japanese occupation, with references such as that by José Soncuya in his 1917 Historia Pre-Hispanica de Filipinas having been restricted to the Spanish-speaking elite.^[5] In 1947, however, a book co-authored by historian H. Otley Beyer, founder of the Anthropology Department of the University of the Philippines, refers to Margitas and "the ancient writing in which it was originally inscribed.^[6] Separately, Beyer stated, "A remarkable document known as Margitas, dating probably from about 1225, was preserved in Panay and transliterated into romanized Visayan in early Spanish days."^[7] The myth that the Maragtas was not an original work but rather a transcription of earlier works was later given wider circulation by various academics, as detailed by Philippine historian William Henry Scott.^[8]. Scott concludes, however, that the Maragtas was an original work by Pedro Alcantara Monteclaro.^[9] Other Philippine historians have written, however, that some of the data in the Margatas is verifiable in other sources.^[10]

But taking into consideration that after the Spanish colonization, local literary achievements in culture and government in the former territories of the Confederation of Madya-as were eclipsed by the emphasis of the Spanish colonial regime on Catholic Christian faith, and the fact that Ilonggo litearary heritage was primarily orally passed from one generation to another, as in the case of the oldest and longest epic in Hiligaynon Hinilawod that survive in the Sulod society in the hinterlands of Panay, the local oral traditions inherited by the Ilonggos from their ancestors cannot be just be hastily dismissed as fabricated. In fact, Ilongo literary works like Maragtas and the Code of Kalantiaw are something that serious historians have to study more carefully. What Walter Scott failed to consider in his judgment is the nature of the transmission of Ilonggo local literature. He just limited himself with evaluating a relatively recent attempt to put into writing what Ilonggos have bequeathed to their descendants through generations by means of oral tradition, discrediting Monteclaro as fabricating the story. What was judged was Maragtas - the printed work compiled by Monteclaro. The essence of Maragtas per se was not given due treatment.

Another thing that Scott failed to consider is the fact that Monteclaro is not a professional historian who writes according to the standards of scientific research. Scott was not able to see the perspective of Monteclaro - the Ilonggo, who transmits to the next Ilonggo generations what has been passed on from the previous ages, of which he had more ample knowledge.

The third aspect that Walter Scott failed to give due consideration is the fact that Maragtas is also at the same time a literary piece. As such, facts in the story are sometimes mixed with attempts to make the narration attractive. Therefore, literary criticism or other hermeneutical approaches have to be applied in this case, to distinguish which parts are historical and which parts are not.

To understand Maragtas better, one needs an appropriate method of research in order to have a thorough study of Ilonggo culture, mentality, and the remnants of their very ancient civilization. Otherwise, one will be left with a very superficial judgement of the issue.

Use by artists

Despite the controversy on The Maragtas, it has definitely enriched the arts scene. Based on it, Ricaredo Demetillo wrote "Barter in Panay," which won the UP Golden Jubilee Award for Poetry in 1958. He would later extact from it the verse tragedy "The heart of emptiness is black," which won the Palanca Award in 1973, and produced by the UP Repertory Company and directed by noted stage director Behn Cervantes in June 1974.

Jeremias Elizalde Navarro (J. Elizalde Navarro), who is from San Jose, Antique, immortalized a scene from Maragtas with two versions of the mural "Bulawan nga Saduk," one of which could be viewed at the lobby of the Antique Provincial Capitol, and the other in the collection of an insurance company. Demetillo's play was later adapted by playwright Orlando Nadres as "Kapinangan," a drama musical presented at the Manila Metropolitan Theater in 1981. It was directed by Cervantes, with music by Ryan Cayabyab, and starred Kuh Ledesma as Kapinangan, Robert Arevalo as Datu Sumakwel, and Hajji Alejandro as Gurong-gurong.

Almost all the major writers in Panay, including Magdalena Jalandoni, Ramon Muzones, and Conrado Norada have written adaptations of the legend in the novel form. From the Maragtas, Alex C. Delos Santos wrote the one-act play "Pagtimalus ni Kapinangan" (Kapaningan's Revenge), based on the chapter on Kapinangan's adulterous relationship. Delos Santos, however, rethinks the story and views it from Kapinangan's point of view, suggesting that the act was deliberate on Kapinangan's part because she felt that Sumakwel was so engrossed with his obligations as chieftain, forgetting Kapinangan and their marriage. The play was presented in 2002 at St. Anthony's College, and as part of the trilogy "Tres Mujeres" presented at Iloilo National High School as part of the Duag Teatrokon Regional Theater Festival.

In dance, Ballet Philippines produced "Kapinangan," choreographed by National Artist Lucrecia Kasilag and Eddie Elejar at the Cultural Center of the Philippines. US-based dancer/choreographer Dulce Capadocia also used the Kapinangan strand of the Maragtas in her multi-media dance epic "Ma'I Lost," which premiered at the Luckman Fine Arts Complex in 1999.

Notes

1. ^ Originally titled Maragtás kon (historia) sg pulô nga Panay kutub sg iya una nga pamuluyö tubtub sg pag-abut sg mga taga Borneo nga amó ang ginhalinan sg mga bisayâ kag sg pag-abut sg mga Katsilâ, Scott 1984, pp. 92–93, 103.
2. ^ Scott 1984, pp. 91, 149.
3. ^ Scott 1984, p. 93.
4. ^ Scott 1984, pp. 94–95.
5. ^ Scott 1984, p. 101.
6. ^ Scott 1984, pp. 101, 296, referring to Beyer & de Veyra 1947.
7. ^ Scott 1984, p. 151, quoting Beyer 1949, p. 296.
8. ^ Scott 1984, pp. 101–103.
9. ^ Scott 1984, p. 103.
10. ^ Sonia M. Zaide (1999). The Philippines: a unique nation. All-Nations Pub.. pp. 39 and note 19 on p. 416, which cites Dr. Juan C. Orendain, Ten Datus of Madiaas (Manila: Mabuhay Publ. 1963), Dr. Manuel L. Carreon, Maragtas: The Datus from Borneo, Sarawak Museum Journal Vol. VIII (1957) pp. 51–99; and an 1858 manuscript by Fr. Tomas Santaren. ISBN 9789716420715. http://books.google.com/books?id=6YMsNgAACAAJ. 

References

• Scott, William Henry (1984), Prehispanic Source Materials for the study of Philippine History, New Day Publishers, ISBN 971-10-0226-4 .

Further reading

• Beyer, Henry Otley; de Veyra, Jaime Carlos (1947) (– ^{Scholar search}), Philippine Saga, Evening News, http://books.google.com/?id=ENIYGQAACAAJ ^{[dead link]}.
• Beyer, Henry Otley (1949), Outline Review of Philippine Archaeology by Islands and Provinces, Bureau of Printing, 1949, http://books.google.com/?id=soFgAAAAIAAJ .