Part II Land Ownership in Antiquity

• Land Ownership in Antiquity


  Before the colonization, the Filipinos are living in this archipelago as clusters of independent settlements and villages from one another sharing with the fruits of the lands – fruits, vegetables, and other resources – political structure is decentralized, land ownership is communal.
• Sea-Faring, Trading, and Raiding


  • Socio-political structure is about communal relationship among and between classes
  • The datu see oripuns (slaves) and bahandi (heirlooms) as their ultimate source of authority and power NOT the stretch of territory that they can control for production.
  • The oripuns (slaves) and bahandi (heirlooms) are usually acquired through trade with other sea-faring people and annual raids of coastal communities
• Sea-Faring, Trading, and Raiding

  The is no concept of control for production because people in antiquity believe that lands belong to the gods and the spirits – its produce depends on how men appeases or displeases the deities.
• The Cornerstone of Communal Food Security


  Agriculture is the cornerstone of food security in the pre-colonial Philippines. Several methods are employed by the natives to enhance soil productivity – both natural (through swidden or kaingin system) and divine (asking the intervention of the spirits through rituals such as pagdiwataand cañaofor bountiful harvest and thanksgiving) methods combined before, during, and after the harvest.
• Land Ownership is Communal Not Individual


  • Ancient Filipinos can own as many slaves as their power and authority could acquire or as many wealth as they can accumulate through trade and annual raids.
• Power and Authority Versus Land Ownership


  • Power and authority of the ancient people is all about socio-political control only and not about surplus production.
  • Surplus production can only be possible through territorial control bestowed by land ownership and yielding authority and power to enforce means and methods of production.
• Land is not considered a property, private or public


  Land is not considered a property, either private or public, before the arrival of the Spaniards; it is a natural resource teeming with wild game and fruits, fish, and or gold dust.