In my mother's own words.....

I am not really sure what our origins are, yes grand pa, mother side, he said his folks came from Java. I imagine he marry to Pilipino decent. About which Island, that I do not know. In those days natives from different Island take their bank boat filled with native food that their Island produces, like Root, sweet potato, fruits or animals. Once they reach each Island people come out to greet the stranger or already known traveler to see what he have. Then they select and trade what this person did not have in his Islands.

Some have knowledge of making sea water turn into salt. So if they do not know how to make it, it will be trade for something others did not have. Salt is very vital to dry fish with to preserve from spoiling and keeping for longer time. Rooted plant also a vital main food for them where one not know how to plant and produce rice already husk, or some will be trade in for seedling, like corn, or clay pottery or coconut utensil made out of coconut shell, or coconut leaves weave into mat, or nipa roofing for hut, or bamboo striping turn into flooring or walling. Times these traders will stay for a good while to observe and learn their knowledge weaving, building and creating things that in our time now it was technology.

People in those days never go to school, but they do learn things in their own native way. And they are more than willing to share and show how their technic improve their Island and way of life. There is no Religion or Church to attend to, they only know nature's myths and they have that much respect in all living things that even include plants. Would you believe in those days people don't just pick or take any thing from some where, like gubat( forest or mountain) with out saying, "Excuse me, may I?" before helping it self? They respect everything especially the Goddess that look after natures and if it have disrespect and abuse, the rain, flood, fire, thunder and lightening is the sign of her displeasure and wrath for those that disobey. Earthquake is the sign of it anger that send winds we call storm, typhoon, or ipo- ipo (tornado). Calamities considered a punishment from mother natures. The mountain like hump or dirt pile we have always told it was the house of the nunong punso, now they call it termites nest. We are told to have respect for that too, or else if it was destroyed, something will happen to us. It might be a myth, but we do not dare up to this point in time.

Natives know how to do things before Columbus discovered the world. They weave and make their own clothing and sew them in their own technique way, like animal or fish bone for a needle. They dye the material out from the sap of the trees or fruits, they do not have detergent to wash their utensil but get it clean using ashes from wood fire or sand to scrape the black soot off the pot. They do not have electricity but they do have lantern made out of coconut shell half fill with combine coconut oil and water. They have piece of wood floating pinning an wick that is lighted and serve as light for the home. They have no match in those days but they know how to start fire by rubbing stone or stick together to start a fire.

There is no medicine but the old native way and the old and the wisest become the community leaders and advisor and doctors. There is no such thing like harlot, or lacking of morality. Every one live up to their respectful life and honor. If one got out of line or commit crimes, he was brought to the elders and decide on his fate. There is never a force marriage, either it was arrange by both parents, or the female and males falling in love and will have to court her according to the traditional way. Every wedding or birth of child is celebrated. A complete strangers will always be welcome into the community or their homes, and be serve in their best as if it was a special guest.

I guess that was their mistakes when they welcome the world's discoverer Columbus. They not only wear out their welcome, they deceived them in a very conniving way by brain washing some that are easy to be fool, giving them rule and position, more like a puppet. Then use them against their own people, take over their land and harvest and asset. They made them attend the Catholic church. Then start taxing them of their own asset and land. A complete stranger that came to invade their land and changed their way and belief and then are force to adopt their way of life as the superior high and mighty, who treated the native the lowest kind possible, the Indios!

For all those years the people slowly lost their own true identity, they become the sub-servent to the Spanish and their life have never been the same. They live in in total misery and poverty they barely have enough left from their harvest, most of it goes to pay the tax. Those did not pay, their land or asset like animals will be confiscated. If they do not have that, either they go to jail or one of their daughter will be taken away to serve in their homes and be sexually abuse. The people never have the courage to complain and the leaders have become voiceless, afraid of being punish or vanish. Daughters that get pregnant, get to be put in the dungeon. there are lots of stories that have happen in those time how the poor girls keep in prison and give birth. Some become mentally ill cause from the lord that get them pregnant, they also have to go through the next higher up to abuse them and aside from the guard too. Some girls dug holes and push their baby out side the dungeon wall. Stories how some will hear a baby cry, find it and raise it. The abuse and mistreatment of the native people cause some of the elders to congregate and make a blood pact to rise against the invader of the land. That is how the resurrection (rebellion) begin. Total abuse of power by the higher up cause displeasure among the nation and it breed hate and anger that causes unrest and revolution.