Dimensions of Philippine Literary

History and Representative Texts

and Authors from Each Region
This module was designed and written with you in mind. It is here to help you master
the geographic, linguistic and ethnic dimensions of Philippine literary history from pre-
colonial to the contemporary as well as be acquainted with the representative texts and
authors from each region in the country.

The scope of this module permits it to be used in many different learning situations.
The language used recognizes the diverse vocabulary level of students. The lessons are
arranged to follow the standard sequence of the course. But the order in which you
read them can be changed to correspond with the textbook you are now using.

In this module, you will be able to:

• identify the geographic, linguistic and ethnic dimensions of Philippine literary history
from pre-colonial to the contemporary
• identify representative texts and authors from each region in the Philippines

Specifically, you are expected to:

 discover the features of the dimensions of the periods of Philippine literature
 recognize representative texts and authors from different regions
 value the importance of knowing the Philippine literary history, our local authors and
their works

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Activity 1: Get a New Name!
Directions: Study the symbols below and write your first name inside the box using
these symbols. Answer the questions that follow.

1. What do you remember about these symbols?

___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________

2. How do you feel with the new letter symbols of your name?
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________

These symbols are called “Baybayin” or also known as “Alibata” which was an old
writing system widely used in the northern part of our country during the 16th and
17th centuries. Since our country has its unique geographical structure, we also had
various alphabet symbols which were used by a specific ethnic group across the
archipelago. Our next activity will now let you remember the different regions in our
country.

What’s New

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Our country is divided geographically into 17 regions. What makes it more interesting is
the rich number of ethnic groups and the dialects each region has. Also, this region is
represented by their provinces.

These regions are varied with distinct dimensions and have unique literary pieces that
represent their culture, tradition. These literary pieces are sometimes presented using
their own dialects and later translated into English Language.

Activity 3: Know the Legend!

Directions: Arrange the events about “The Legend of the Pineapple” in order. Use the
letters A-J and write your answer on the space provided.

_____1. One day, her mother got sick and asked her to cook for her. But Pina still had
excuses and kept playing in the backyard. Her mother called her again. By then, she
went inside angrily. Her mother asked her again to cook porridge.

_____2. Her mother cried out and didn’t know what to do with Pina’s laziness anymore.
She wept bitterly and wished that Pina would grow a thousand eyes so she wouldnot
give excuses anymore.

_____3. Suddenly, it became so quiet. After a while, her mother decided to get up to
check Pina and to cook porridge herself but she couldn’t find her. She just thought she
went to her friends.

_____4. Once upon a time, in a tiny village, there was a woman who lived with her
daughter, Pina. They were so poor.

_____5. Hours and days went by but her mother still cannot find Pina. She was so
worried but there is nothing else she could do.

_____6. Her mother worked hard day and night while Pina was very lazy. Whenever her
mother asked for help, she would always find an excuse so that she would not be forced
to look for certain objects.

_____7. After a while, her mother asked her if she was done. Pina said she did not make
porridge because she couldn’t find the ladle.

_____8. To honor her memory, she named the plant Pina. She took care of it like her
daughter until it bore many fruits that became famous in the neighborhood. From Pina,
its name evolved until it became what we now call pinya or pineapple.

_____9. One afternoon, while she was sweeping in the backyard, she noticed an unusual
plant that grew exactly where she last saw Pina. She noticed that the plant resembled a
head with many eyes.

_____10. To her horror, she realized that she must’ve cursed her own child!

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 Literature plays a vital role in our lives. It mirrors human experiences and it lets you
go around the world and learn and experience different cultures. It comes in various
forms like poetry, riddles, stories, legends etc.

Before we land to the center of this adventure, let us discover first how it all began. Our
first stop is the Philippine literary history and its dimensions.

Periods of Philippine Literary History

Period Literary Forms
1. Pre-Colonial Period a. Folk speeches/ riddles
The first period of the Philippine literary historyb.isFolk songs
the longest. Long time before the Spaniards and c. Folk narratives
other foreigners landed on Philippine shores, our
d. Indigenous rituals
forefathers already had their own literature stamped
in the history of our race. e. Mimetic dance
f. Proverbs/ aphorisms

2. Spanish Colonization Period a. Folk speeches/ riddles

Spanish occupied Philippines in early 15th century.
b. Folk songs
The Spanish colonization period has two distinct
classifications – religious and secular.
c. Folk narratives
d. Indigenous rituals
e. Mimetic dance
f. Proverbs/ aphorisms
3. American Colonization Period a. Free verse
Philippine literature in English, as a direct resultb.ofModern short story
American colonization of the country, could not
c. Novels
escape being imitative of American models of writing
d. Essays
especially during its period of apprenticeship.

Period Literary Forms

4. Japanese Colonization Period a. Haiku
This period is considered the war years and periodb.ofTanaga
maturity and originality
c. Karaniwang anyo
5. Contemporary/ Modern Period a. Chick lit
Many novels in English seem to have been written b. Mobile phone text tula
for literary contests like Palanca and Asia Man. The
c. Speculative fiction
debate over textual and contextual criticism,
balagtasismo and modernism, formalism and d. Flash fiction
historical criticism has persisted to this day in the
e. Blog
academe. The more popular but banal issue is called
f. Hyperpoetry
“literature (art) and propaganda.”

Philippine Representative Texts and Authors

Main Islands in the Philippines

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1. Luzon
2. Visayas 3. Mindanao
4.
Literature of the Pre-Christian Tribes from the main islands in the Philippines

Fay-Cooper Cole was the author of Traditions of the Tinguian: A Study of Philippine
Folk-Lore. He also worked as Assistant Curator of Malayan Ethnology of the Field
Museum of natural History in Chicago. He collected the Tinguian stories from 1907-
1908 when he stayed with the Tinguian in Abra for a year and four months. He credited
the help of Dumagat, a Tinguian tribesmen. Cole also noted that his translation “follow
closely the language of storytellers rather than to offer a polished transaltion.”

Mabel Cook Cole was the compiler and annotator of Philippine Folk Tales published by
A.C. McClurg & Co. in 1916. She was the wife of Fay- Cooper Cole and he contributed
his photographs of the communities to her book. She spent four years with the different
tribes of the Philippines.

Here are some folktales and myths from each main island in the Philippines:

The Creation Myth

Compiled by Mabel Cook Cole
Told by The Igorot Tribe (Mountain Province)

In the beginning there were no people on the earth. Lumawig, the Great Spirit, came
down from the sky and cut many reeds. He divided these into pairs which he placed in
different parts of the world, and then he said to them, "You must speak." Immediately
the reeds became people, and in each place was a man and a woman who could talk,
but the language of each couple differed from that of the others.

Then Lumawig commanded each man and woman to marry, which they did. By and by
there were many children, all speaking the same language as their parents. These, in
turn, married and had many children. In this way there came to be many people on the
earth.

Now Lumawig saw that there were several things which the people on the earth needed
to use, so he set to work to supply them. He created salt, and told the inhabitants of
one place to boil it down and sell it to their neighbors. But these people could not
understand the directions of the Great Spirit, and the next time he visited them, they
had not touched the salt.

Then he took it away from them and gave it to the people of a place called Mayinit.
These did as he directed, and because of this he told them that they should always be
owners of the salt, and that the other peoples must buy of them.

Then Lumawig went to the people of Bontoc and told them to get clay and make pots.
They got the clay, but they did not understand the molding, and the jars were not well
shaped. Because of their failure, Lumawig told them that they would always have to
buy their jars, and he removed the pottery to Samoki. When he told the people there
what to do, they did just as he said, and their jars were well shaped and beautiful. Then

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the Great Spirit saw that they were fit owners of the pottery, and he told them that they
should always make many jars to sell.

In this way Lumawig taught the people and brought to them all the things which they
now have.

Mansumandig
Compiled by Mabel Cook Cole
Told by The Visayan Tribe (Visayas)

One day a man said to his wife: “My wife, we are getting very poor and I must go into
business to earn some money.”

“That is a good idea,” replied his wife. “How much capital have you?”

“I have twenty-five centavos,”17 answered the man; “and I am going to buy rice and
carry it to the mines, for I have heard that it brings a good price there.”

So he took his twenty-five centavos and bought a half-cavan of rice which he carried on
his shoulder to the mine. Arriving there he told the people that he had rice for sale, and
they asked eagerly how much he wanted for it.

“Why, have you forgotten the regular price of rice?” asked the man. “It is twenty-five
centavos.”

They at once bought the rice, and the man was very glad because he would not have to
carry it any longer. He put the money in his belt and asked if they would like to buy any
more.

“Yes,” said they, “we will buy as many cavans as you will bring.”

When the man reached home his wife asked if he had been successful.

“Oh, my wife,” he answered, “it is a very good business. I could not take the rice off my
shoulder before the people came to buy it.”

“Well, that is good,” said the wife; “we shall become very rich.”

The next morning the man bought a half-cavan of rice the same as before and carried it
to the mine and when they asked how much it would be, he said:

“It is the same as before—twenty-five centavos.” He received the money and went home.

“How is the business today?” asked his wife.

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“Oh, it is the same as before,” he said. “I could not take the rice off my shoulder before
they came for it.”

And so he went on with his business for a year, each day buying a half-cavan of rice and
selling it for the price he had paid for it. Then one day his wife said that they would
balance accounts, and she spread a mat on the floor and sat down on one side of it,
telling her husband to sit on the opposite side. When she asked him for the money he had
made during the year, he asked:

“What money?”

“Why, give me the money you have received,” answered his wife; “and then we can see
how much you have made.”

“Oh, here it is,” said the man, and he took the twenty-five centavos out of his belt and
handed it to her.

“Is that all you have received this year?” cried his [208]wife angrily. “Haven’t you said that
rice brought a good price at the mines?”

“That is all,” he replied.

“How much did you pay for the rice?”

“Twenty-five centavos.”

“How much did you receive for it?”

“Twenty-five centavos.”

“Oh, my husband,” cried his wife, “how can you make any gain if you sell it for just what
you paid for it.”

The man leaned his head against the wall and thought. Ever since then he has been
called “Mansumandig,” a man who leans back and thinks.

Then the wife said, “Give me the twenty-five centavos, and I will try to make some money.”
So he handed it to her, and she said, “Now you go to the field where the people are
gathering hemp and buy twenty-five centavos worth for me, and I will weave it into cloth.”

When Mansumandig returned with the hemp she spread it in the sun, and as soon as it
was dry she tied it into a long thread and put it on the loom to weave. Night and day she
worked on her cloth, and when it was finished she had eight varas. This she sold for
twelve and a half centavos a vara, and with this money she bought more hemp. She
continued weaving and selling her cloth, and her work was so good that people were glad
to buy from her.

At the end of a year she again spread the mat on the floor and took her place

on one side of it, while her husband sat on the opposite side. Then she poured the
money out of the blanket in which she kept it upon the mat. She held aside her

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 capital, which was twenty-five centavos, and when she counted the remainder she
found that she had three hundred pesos. Mansumandig was greatly ashamed when

he remembered that he had not made cent, and he leaned his head against the wall
and thought After a while the woman pitied him, so she gave him the money and told
him to buy carabao.

He was able to buy ten carabao and with these he plowed his fields. By raising

good crops they were able to live comfortably all the rest of their lives.

THE WIDOW'S SON

Compiled by Mabel Cook Cole
Told by The Subanun Tribe (Mindanao)

In a little house at the edge of a village lived a widow with her only son, and they were
very happy together. The son was kind to his mother, and they made their living by
growing rice in clearings on the mountain side and by hunting wild pig in the forest.

One evening when their supply of meat was low, the boy said:

"Mother, I am going to hunt pig in the morning, and I wish you would prepare rice for
me before daylight."

So the widow rose early and cooked the rice, and at dawn the boy started out with his
spear and dog.

Some distance from the village, he entered the thick forest. He walked on and on, ever
on the lookout for game, but none appeared. At last when he had traveled far and the
sun was hot, he sat down on a rock to rest and took out his brass box to get a piece of
betel-nut. He prepared the nut and leaf for chewing, and as he did so he wondered why
it was that he had been so unsuccessful that day. But even as he pondered he heard his
dog barking sharply, and cramming the betel-nut into his mouth he leaped up and ran
toward the dog.

As he drew near he could see that the game was a fine large pig, all black save its four
legs which were white. He lifted his spear and took aim, but before he could throw the
pig started to run, and instead of going toward a water course it ran straight up the
mountain. The boy went on in hot pursuit, and when the pig paused he again took aim,
but before he could throw it ran on.

Six times the pig stopped just long enough for the boy to take aim, and then started on
before he could throw. The seventh time, however, it halted on the top of a large flat rock
and the boy succeeded in killing it.

He tied its legs together with a piece of rattan and was about to start for home with the
pig on his back, when to his surprise a door in the large stone swung open and a man

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stepped out.

"Why have you killed my master's pig?" asked the man.

"I did not know that this pig belonged to anyone," replied the widow's son. "I was
hunting, as I often do, and when my dog found the pig I helped him to catch it"

"Come in and see my master," said the man, and the boy followed him into the stone
where he found himself in a large room. The ceiling and floor were covered with peculiar
cloth that had seven wide stripes of red alternating with a like number of yellow stripes.
When the master of the place appeared his trousers were of seven colors, as were also his
jacket and the kerchief about his head.

The master ordered betel-nut, and when it was brought they chewed together. Then he
called for wine, and it was brought in a jar so large that it had to be set on the ground
under the house, and even then the top came so high above the floor that they brought a
seat for the widow's son, and it raised him just high enough to drink from the reed in the
top of the jar. He drank seven cups of wine, and then they ate rice and fish and talked
together.

The master did not blame the boy for killing the pig, and declared that he wished to make
a brother of him. So they became friends, and the boy remained seven days in the stone.
At the end of that time, he said that he must return to his mother who would be worried
about him. In the early morning he left the strange house and started for home.

At first he walked briskly, but as the morning wore on he went more slowly, and finally
when the sun was high he sat down on a rock to rest. Suddenly looking up, he saw
before him seven men each armed with a spear, a shield, and a sword. They were dressed
in different colors, and each man had eyes the same color as his clothes. The leader, who
was dressed all in red with red eyes to match, spoke first, asking the boy where he was
going. The boy replied that he was going home to his mother who would be looking for
him, and added:

"Now I ask where you are going, all armed ready for war."

"We are warriors," replied the man in red. "And we go up and down the world killing
whatever we see that has life. Now that we have met you, we must kill you also."

The boy, startled by this strange speech, was about to answer when he heard a voice
near him say: "Fight, for they will try to kill you," and upon looking up he saw his spear,
shield, and sword which he had left at home. Then he knew that the command came
from a spirit, so he took his weapons and began to fight. For three days and nights they
contended, and never before had the seven seen one man so brave. On the fourth day the
leader was wounded and fell dead, and then, one by one, the other six fell.

When they were all killed, the widow's son was so crazed with fighting that he thought no
longer of returning home, but started out to find more to slay.

In his wanderings he came to the home of a great giant whose house was already full of
the men he had conquered in battle, and he called up from outside:

"Is the master of the house at home? If he is, let him come out and fight."

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This threw the giant into a rage, and seizing his shield and his spear, the shaft of which
was the trunk of a tree, he sprang to the door and leaped to the ground, not waiting to go
down the notched pole which served for steps. He looked around for his antagonist, and
seeing only the widow's son he roared:
"Where is the man that wants to fight? That thing? It is only a fly!"

The boy did not stop to answer, but rushed at the giant with his knife; and for three days
and nights they struggled, till the giant fell, wounded at the waist.

After that the widow's son stopped only long enough to burn the giant's house, and then
rushed on looking for someone else to slay. Suddenly he again heard the voice which had
bade him fight with the seven men, and this time it said: "Go home now, for your mother
is grieved at your absence." In a rage he sprang forward with his sword, though he could
see no enemy. Then the spirit which had spoken to him made him sleep for a short time.
When he awoke the rage was spent.

Again the spirit appeared, and it said: "The seven men whom you killed were sent to kill
you by the spirit of the great stone, for he looked in your hand and saw that you were to
marry the orphan girl whom he himself wished to wed. But you have conquered. Your
enemies are dead. Go home now and prepare a great quantity of wine, for I shall bring
your enemies to life again, and you will all live in peace."

So the widow's son went home, and his mother, who had believed him dead, was filled
with joy at his coming, and all the people in the town came out to welcome him. When he
had told them his story, they hastened to get wine, and all day they bore jarsful to the
widow's house.

That night there was a great feast, and the spirit of the great stone, his seven warriors,
the friendly spirit, and the giant all came. The widow's son married the orphan girl, while
another beautiful woman became the wife of the spirit of the stone.

The Children of the Limokon

Compiled by Mabel Cook Cole
Told by The Mandaya Tribe (Mindanao)

In the very early days before there were any people on the earth, the limokon (a kind of
dove ) were very powerful and could talk like men though they looked like birds. One
limokon laid two eggs, one at the mouth of the Mayo River and one farther up its
course. After some time these eggs hatched, and the one at the mouth of the river
became a man, while the other became a woman.

The man lived alone on the bank of the river for a long time, but he was very lonely and
wished many times for a companion. One day when he was crossing the river
something was swept against his legs with such force that it nearly caused him to

10
drown. On examining it, he found that it was a hair, and he determined to go up the
river and find whence it came. He traveled up the stream, looking on both banks, until
finally he found the woman, and he was very happy to think that at last he could have a
companion.

They were married and had many children, who are the Mandaya still living along the
Mayo River.

Representative Texts and Authors from each Region in the Philippines

Region Text Author
I Ilocos Region Puppy Love F. Sionil Jose
II Cagayan Valley The Builder Edith Tiempo
III Central Luzon Florante at Laura Francisco Balagtas
IV-A- Calabarzon Mariang Makiling Jose Rizal
IV-B- Mimaropa Seven Hills Away NVM Gonzalez
V Bicol Region Sarong Banggi Potenciano Gregorio Sr.
VI Western Visayas Monyeka Alice Tan- Gonzales
VII Central Visayas The Clay Pipe Marcel M. Navarra
VIII Eastern Visayas An Iroy na Tuna Illuminado Lucente
IX Zamboanga Peninsula The White Horse of Alih Emigdio Alvarez Enriquez
X Northern Mindanao The Battle of Tagoloan Regino L. Gonzales Jr.
XI Davao Region Love in the Cornhusk Aida Rivera- Ford
XII Socsksargen Indarapatra and Sulayman Bartolome del Valle
CARAGA Tuwaang attends a wedding E. Arsenio Manuel

Cordillera Administrative The Wedding Dance Amador T. Daguio

Region
National Capital Region Pag-ibig sa Tinubuang Lupa Andres Bonifacio

Dimensions of Philippine Literary History

Geography- the study of places and the relationships between people and their
environments

Language- a system of conventional spoken, manual (signed), or written symbols by

which individuals express themselves

Ethnicity- a notion that refers to social entities sharing real or putative ascriptive
features like a common origin or cultural-linguistic legacy which assumedly command
special collective commitment, as well as their retention and transmission

Here is an example on how to identify the geographic, linguistic and ethnic dimensions
of a literary piece. Read the epic below and note the dimensions:

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 Indarapatra at Sulayman
(Epikong Mindanao)
By: Bartolome del Valle (Region XII- SOCCSKSARGEN)

Si Indarapatra ay ang matapang na hari ng Mantapuli. Nabalitaan niya ang malimit na

pananalakay ng mga dambuhalang ibon at mababangis na hayop sa ibang panig ng
Mindanao. Labis niyang ikinalungkot ang mga nangyayaring ito sa mga naninirahan sa
labas ng kaharian ng Mantapuli.

Ipinatawag ni Indarapatra ang kanyang kapatid na si Sulayman, isang matapang na

kawal. Inutusan ni Indarapatra si Sulayman upang puksain ang mga ibon at hayop na
namiminsala sa mga tao. Agad na sumunod si Sulayman. Bago umalis si Sulayman,
nagtanim si Indarapatra ng halawan sa may durungawan. Aniya kay Sulayman, Sa
pamamagitan ng halamang ito ay malalaman ko ang nangyayari sa iyo. Kapag
namatay ang halamang ito, nanganaghulugang ikaw ay namatay.”

Sumakay si Sulayman sa hangin. Narating niya ang Kabilalan. Wala siyang nakitang
tao. Walang anu-ano ay nayanig ang lupa, kaya pala ay dumating ang halimaw na si
Kurita. Matagal at madugo ang paglalaban ni Sulayman at ni Kurita. Sa wakas,
napatay rin ni Sulayman si Kurita, sa tulong ng kanyang kris. Nagtungo naman si
Sulayman sa Matutum. Kanyang hinanap ang halimaw na kumakain ng tao, na kilala
sa tawag na Tarabusaw. Hinagupit nang hinagupit ni Tarabusaw si Sulayman sa
pamamagitan ng punongkahoy. Nang nanlalata na si Tarabusaw ay saka ito sinaksak
ni Sulayman ng kanyang espada.
Pumunta si Sulayman sa Bundok ng Bita. Wala rin siyang makitang tao. Ang iba ay
nakain na ng mga halimaw at ang natirang iba ay nasa taguan. Lumingalinga pa si
Sulayman nang biglang magdilim pagkat dumating ang dambuhalang ibong Pah. Si
Sulayman ang nais dagitin ng ibon. Mabilis at ubos lakas ng tinaga ito ni Sulayman.
Bumagsak at namatay ang Pah. Sa kasamaang palad nabagsakan ng pakpak ng ibon
si Sulayman na siya niyang ikinamatay.

Samantala, ang halaman ni Sulayman sa Mantapuli ay laging pinagmamasdan ni

Indarapatra. Napansin niyang nanlata ang halaman at alam niyang namatay si
Sulayman.

Hinanap ni Indarapatra ang kanyang kapatid. Nagpunta siya sa Kabalalan at nakita

niya ang kalansay ni Tarabusaw. Alam niyang napatay ito ng kapatid niya.
Ipinagpatuloy ni Indarapatra ang paghahanap niya kay Sulayman. Narating niya ang
bundok ng Bita. Nakita niya ang patay na ibong Pah. Inangat ni Indarapatra ang
pakpak ng ibon at nakita ang bangkay ni Sulayman. Nanangis si Indarapatra at
nagdasal upang pabaliking muli ang buhay ni Sulayman. Sa di kalayua'y may nakita
siyang banga ng tubig. Winisikan niya ng tubig ang bangkay at muling nabuhay si
Sulayman. Parang nagising lamang ito mula sa mahimbing na pagtulog. Nagyakap ang
magkapatid dahil sa malaking katuwaan.

Pinauwi na ni Indarapatra si Sulayman. Nagtuloy pa si Indarapatra sa Bundok Gurayu.

Dito'y wala ring natagpuang tao. Nakita niya ang kinatatakutang ibong may pitong ulo.
Sa tulong ng kanyang engkantadong sibat na si juris pakal ay madali niyang napatay
ang ibon.

12
Hinanap niya ang mga tao. May nakita siyang isang magandang dalaga na kumukuha
ng tubig sa sapa. Mabilis naman itong nakapagtago. Isang matandang babae ang
lumabas sa taguan at nakipag-usap kay Indarapatra. Ipinagsama ng matandang babae
si Indarapatra sa yungib na pinagtataguan ng lahat ng tao sa pook na iyon. Ibinalita ni
Indarapatra ang mga pakikilaban nilang dalawa ni Sulayman sa mga halimaw at
dambuhalang ibon. Sinabi rin niyang maaari na silang lumabas sa kanilang
pinagtataguan. Sa laki ng pasasalamat ng buong tribu, ipinakasal kay Indarapatra ang
anak ng hari, ang magandang babaeng nakita ni Indarapatra sa batisan.

Geographic Linguistic Dimension Ethnic Dimensions

Dimension (Where(What are the terms in the
( What are the cultures and traditions of
did the story passage that represent the an ethnic group that were being
happen?) community?) portrayed in the story?)

(Mindanao) The names Indarapatra andFamily members rule over kingdoms by

Sulayman are distinct in blood.
Kaharian ng Mindanao. Men rulers being very brave and good in
Mantapuli fighting.
The names of the enemies Use of kris, espada, juris pakal in
fighting.
Kurita, Tarabusaw, Pah are
Kabilalan
distint, too. Belief in symbols such as the death of a
certain plant that represents someone is
Matutum
The weapons kris, espada,also the death of that person.
and juris pakal. Birds and other creatures as enemies.
Bita Belief in miraculous water that can
bring back life.
Gurayu King letting their daughter to be married
to another king or someone with high
position as a gift or gratitude.

What’s More

Activity 4. Time Travel!

Directions: Arrange the rambled letters to form a name of some literary forms during
the pre-colonial to the Contemporary periods.
Name

1. NVOEL ____________________ 2. KIRDOO ____________________ 3.

RDEIDLS ____________________

13
4. BOLG ____________________
5. HKAIU ____________________
6. HPOTERPERYY ____________________
7. TGANAA ____________________
8. FLOK SNOGS ____________________ 9. FERE VRSEE
____________________
10. RGILIOUES PTREOY ____________________

Activity 5: Understand the Dimension!

Directions: Identify whether the given information about the dimension of literary form
is Geographic, Linguistic or Ethnic. Write your answer on the space provided.

______________1. They still love each other but they have to separate because their
tribe’s custom states that every man in that tribe should have one or more child that
would carry his name and if his wife cannot give him a child he can marry another
woman. It’s a man’s necessity to have a child. (The Wedding Dance)

_______________2.A very long time ago, the large island of Mindanao was completely
covered with water, and the sea extended over all the lowlands so that nothing could be
seen but mountains jutting from it. (Indarapatra and Sulayman)

_______________3.Bisan pa man may yara na kahulsay, kaalikaya, kag katahum sa

sulod sang balay nga ginatinguhaan ni Cita nga mapadayun tubtub sa iya masarangan.
(Monyeka)

______________4.The "savakan" (bride-wealth consisting of articles and wrapped food to

be paid for by the groom's kinsmen) are offered one by one, until only the two most
costly remain. One is given the value of an ancient gong with ten bosses and nine relief-
rings; the other is redeemable only by a golden guitar and a golden flute.
(Tuwaang Attends a Wedding)
______________5.It was a chilly night but Regino was sweating in his foxhole in the
beach of Tagoloan, a town in northern Mindanao. It would be his first encounter against
the formidable Japanese imperial army. (The Battle of Tagaloan)

Activity 6.Understand the Dimension, More!

Directions: Identify the dimensions of the literary text given. Write your answer inside
the table provided.

Tuwaang Attends a Wedding

(The Second Song of the Manuvu Ethnoepic Tuwaang cycle) By: E. Arsenio Manuel

Tuwaang, after finishing some work, calls his aunt aside and informs her that the wind
has brought him a message: he is to attend the wedding of the Maiden of Momawon.
The aunt tries to dissuade him from going, for she foresees trouble. Tuwaang, however,
is determined to go. He picks the heart-shaped costume made by goddesses, arms

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himself with a long blade and dagger, and takes his shield and spear. He rides on a
flash of lightning and arrives at the "kawkawangan" grassland. While resting there a
while, he hears a "gungutan" bird crowing. He decides to catch the fowl, but soon sees
the "gungutan" with a daggerlike spur. The "gungutan" tells Tuwaang he came to know
of his coming in a dream and that he wants to go with him to the wedding celebration.
Tuwaang agrees to bring the "gungutan" along. The two shake their shoulders and are
carried into space.

Upon arriving at Momawon, Tuwaang is admitted into the hall. He sits on a golden
stool, while the "gungutan" perches on a crossbeam. Meantime, enchanting sounds
from afar and flowering trees signal the arrival of the Young Man of Panayangan. Other
gallants – the Young Man of Liwanon and the Young Man of the Rising Sun – arrive.
Finally, the groom, the Young Man of Sakadna, arrives with a hundred followers. He
haughtily asks the houseowner to clear the house "of dirt," implying the people in the
house who do not count. To this insult Tuwaang answers there are "red leaves," i.e.
heroes, in the house.

Preliminaries of the wedding ceremony start. The "savakan" (bride-wealth consisting of

articles and wrapped food to be paid for by the groom's kinsmen) are offered one by one,
until only the two most costly remain. One is given the value of an ancient gong with
ten bosses and nine relief-rings; the other is redeemable only by a golden guitar and a
golden flute. The groom confesses his inability to redeem these articles. Tuwaang saves
the groom from the embarrassing predicament by taking his place: through his magic
breath he produces a more ancient gong, which is accepted by the bride's party. He also
produces the golden flute and golden guitar.

The bride is now asked to come out of her room and serve the guests some betel chew.
She commands her betel box to serve everyone. Magically the betel box obeys, with the
betel chew jumping into the mouths of the guests. After two betel chews leap into the
groom's mouth, the betel box moves on to Tuwaang, before whom it stops altogether.
Tuwaang brushes it away, but the box does not budge. The bride decides to sit beside
Tuwaang.

The groom blushes; he is shamed. He decides to fight Tuwaang. He goes down the
house and challenges Tuwaang to come down to the yard.

After the bride unrolls and combs Tuwaang's hair, Tuwaang goes down to fight. The
"gungutan", meanwhile, has been fighting the groom's men and has slain a number of
them until only six gallants remain. Tuwaang and the gungutan engage the six gallants.

Finally only Tuwaang and the Young Man of Sakadna are left moving about. Tuwaang is
thrown against a boulder, which turns into dust. Trees get bent and topple. Tuwaang
gets hold of his foe, throws him down so hard that he sinks into the earth. The Young
Man of Sakadna surfaces quickly and confronts Tuwaang once more. Tuwaang in turn
is thrust into the earth and sinks into the Underworld. There he talks to Tuhawa', god
of the Underworld, who tells him the secret to overcoming his foe. Tuwaang surfaces
and summons the golden flute in which the Young Man of Sakadna keeps his life.
Tuwaang asks his foe to become his vassal in exchange for his life. The groom prefers
death. Tuwaang therefore destroys the golden flute, ending his protagonist's life.

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Accompanied by the "gungutan", Tuwaang takes his bride home to Kuaman, where he
rules forever.

Geographic Linguistic Ethnic

(What are the new terms in the( What are the cultures and
(Where did the story happen?)
passage you encountered that traditions of an
represent the community? ethnic group that were being
portrayed in the story?

1 4 7

2 5 8

3 6 9

10

What I Have Learned

Wow! You are almost done! Let us check what you have learned so far before we
proceed to your assessment. This activity will; give a summary of everything you
learned from our lesson.

Activity 7: Express your thoughts!

Directions: Fill in the blanks with correct information about the the geographic,
linguistic and ethnic dimensions of Philippine literary history from pre-colonial to the
contemporary.

__________ is the study of places and the relationships between people and their
environments. ________ is a system of conventional spoken, manual (signed), or written
symbols by which individuals express themselves. ________ is a a notion that refers to
social entities sharing real or putative inscriptive features like a common origin or
cultural-linguistic legacy which assumedly command special collective commitment, as
well as their retention and transmission.

________ was the first period of the Philippine literary history which introduces some
literary forms like __________, folk songs, etc. _____________ occupied Philippines in early

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15th century. The Spanish colonization period has two distinct classifications –
religious and secular. Most of the literary forms in this period include ___________ lyrics,
poetry and narratives. During the _________, Philippine literature was translated into
English._______________ is considered the war years and period of maturity and
originality. Some of the literary pieces introduced were __________, Tanaga and
Karaniwang anyo. During the _______________many novels in English seem to have been
written for literary contests like Palanca and Asia Man.

What I Can Do

Activity 8: Show Your Creativity!

Directions: Choose one literary form from pre-colonial. Make a creative poster of your
chosen literary form and upload the poster in the class’ FB group or take a picture of it
and paste it here.

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Activity 9: Your New Version!
Directions: Read the poem entitled “Marupok” by Jose Corazon de Jesus and compose
a spoken poetry piece in your own dialect and based on your understanding about it.
Write you piece in the box.

Marupok
Tula ni Jose Corazon de Jesus

Kalapating puti sa gitna ng hardin,

Iginawa kita ng bahay na siím; May dalawang latang palay at inumin,
Saka walong pinto sa apat na dingding.

Minsan kang nagutom at ako’y nalingat, Oh, kalapati ko, bigla kang lumipad.
Sa nagdaang kawan sumama ka agad,
Ayaw mong mabasa ng luha ang pakpak.

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 Ikaw naman rosas, na mahal kong mahal,
Dinilig kita kung hapong malamlam; Sa bawat umaga’y pinaaasuhan,
At inaalsan ko ng kusim sa tangkay.
Minsan lang, Nobyembre, nang di ka mamasid,
Nakaligtaan kong diligin kang saglit;
Aba, nang Disyembre, sa gitna ng lamig, Sa mga tangkay mo’y nag-usli ang tinik.

Ang hardin ko ngayo’y ligid ng dalita,

Walang kalapati’t rosas man ay wala; May basag na paso’t may bahay na sira,
At ang hardinero’y ang puso kong luksa.

Babae, hindi ka marapat lumiyag,

Napakarupok mo, maselan at duwag.
Sa Tabor ay walang tuhod na di gasgas,
Sa Glorya, anghel ma’y may sira ring pakpak.

(Your Version)

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 Assessment

A. Directions: Read each item carefully and write the letter of your
answer in the blank before each number.

_____1. It is considered the imaginative works of poetry and prose.

b. Literature b. Convention c. Genre d. Art

_____2. This period is influenced by the birth of public school systems.

b. Contemporary b. Spanish c. American d. Japanese

_____3. This period makes use of figurative languages and other modern techniques.
b. Contemporary b. Spanish c. American d. Japanese

_____4. This period is considered the war times with influence on literary arts and
forms.
b. Pre-colonial b. Spanish c. Japanese d. American
_____5. This period has something to do with Alibata.
b. Pre-colonial b. Spanish c. Japanese d. American

_____6. This period can be associated with religion and propaganda.

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b. Pre-colonial b. Spanish c. Japanese d. American

_____7. This dimension of literature tells us about places and the relationships between
people and their environment.
b. Ethnic b. Geographic c. Linguistic d. Form

_____8. This dimension of literature is related to a system of conventional spoken,

manual (signed), or written symbols by which individuals express themselves.
b. Ethnic b. Geographic c. Linguistic d. Form

_____9.This dimension of literature refers to social entities sharing real or putative

features like a common origin or cultural-linguistic legacy.
b. Ethnic b. Geographic c. Linguistic d. Form

_____10. The literature “The Widow’s Son” compiled by Mabel Cook Cole was told by
this tribe.
b. Subanon b. Mandaya c. Bukidnon d. Igorot

B. Go back to the What Is It part of this module and dead the story ‘ The Widow's
Son’. Then, identify the dimensions in the said literary piece by accomplishing
the table below:

Geographic Linguistic Ethnic

(Where did the story (What are the new terms in the ( What are the cultures and
happen?) passage you encountered that traditions of an ethnic group
represent the community? that were being portrayed in the
story?

1 4 7

2 5 8

3 6 9

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Additional Activities

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 Congratulations! You’ve come this far. You’ve learned a lot about the periods of
Philippine Literary History and representative texts and authors from each region. Now,
for your additional activity:

1. Conduct and interview among the members of your family about what riddles,
poems, legends, myths or stories that they know.
2. Make a compilation of these literary forms using a portoflio.

Rubrics:
5 3 1
Content The compilation
The compilation
The compilation
contains 5 literary contains 3 literary
contains 3 literary
pieces. pieces. pieces.
Creativity The compilation The compilation The compilation
maximized the use ofutilized audio or visual
utilized MS Word only.
multimedia such as presentation.
audiobook or
storytelling.

Promptness The compilation The is compilation is The compilation is

passed ahead of time.
passed on time. passed after the
deadline.
Answer Key

What I Know Activity 2 Activity 3

a 10. 13 .m
10. I POETRY
a 9. 12 .k
c 8. 9. H 10. RELIGIOUS
11 .l
b 7. 8. J 9. FREE VERSE
10 .i
b 6. 7. D
9 .j 8. FOLK SONGS
a 5. 6. B
8 .g 7. TANAGA
c 4. 5. G
7 .h 6. HYPERPOETRY
a 3. 4. A
6 .e 5. HAIKU
c 2. 3. F
5 .f 4. BLOG
a 1. 2. E
4 .c
1. C 3. RIDDLES
3 .d
2. KORIDO
2 .a
1 .b 1. NOVEL

Activity 4

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 23
A.
11. a
12. c
13. a
14. c
15. a
16. b
17. b
1. Geography 18. c
2. Linguistic 19. a
3. Ethnic 20. a
4. Pre -colonial B. Answers
5. Folk speeches/riddles 1. CARAGA may vary
6. Spanish Colonization 2. Momawon
Period 3. Kuaman
7. Religious 4. kawkawangan Assessment
8. American Colonization 5. gungutan
Period 6. savakan
9. Japanese Colonization 7. heroes 1. Ethnic
Period 8. wedding rituals 2. Geographic
10. Haiku 9. gods and 3. Linguistic
11. Contemporary/ goddesses 4. Ethnic
Modern Period 10. duel 5. Geographic
Activity 7 Activity 6 Activity 5
 DISCLAIMER
This Self-learning Module (SLM) was developed by DepEd SOCCSKSARGEN with
the primary objective of preparing for and addressing the new normal. Contents
of this module were based on DepEd’s Most Essential Learning Competencies
(MELC). This is a supplementary material to be used by all learners of Region XII
in all public schools beginning SY 2020-2021. The process of LR development
was observed in the production of this module. This is version 1.0. We highly
encourage feedback, comments, and recommendations.

For inquiries or feedback, please write or call:

Department of Education – SOCCSKSARGEN

Learning Resource Management System (LRMS)

Regional Center, Brgy. Carpenter Hill, City of Koronadal

Telefax No.: (083) 2288825/ (083) 2281893

Email Address: [email protected]

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