HISTORY DEFINED

The word ’history’ is derived from the Greek noun ’historia’ meaning
’inquiry or research.’ Aristotle regarded it as a "systematic account of a set of natural
phenomena, whether or not chronological ordering was a factor in the account." The
term "history" has now come to be applied to accounts of events that are narrated
in a chronological order, and deal with the past of mankind.

Learning by inquiry about the past of mankind was later developed into a
discipline by the Greek historians Thucydides and Heredeotus (who is popularly known
as ’Father of History’). E. H. Carn defined history as an "unending dialogue between the
present and the past." Jawaharlal Nehru observed that man’s growth from barbarism to
civilization is supposed to be the theme of history." Will Durant called history "a
narrative of what civilized men have thought or done in the past time.

More often historians used timeline to mark significant events. They explain what
happened during a certain period of time or to a particular person, starting with the
earliest event and moving forward through time.

RELEVANCE OF HISTORY

According to Stearns (1998) history will give you a combination of skills and
insights that will help you to:

Understand People and Societies. history offers a storehouse of information about

how people and societies behave.

Understand Change and How the Society We Live. Only through studying history
can we grasp how things change; only through history can we begin to comprehend the
factors that cause change; and only through history can we understand what elements
of an institution or a society persist despite change
Expand Moral Understanding. History also provides a terrain for moral contemplation.
Studying the stories of individuals and situations in the past allows a student of history
to test his or her own moral sense, to hone it against some of the real complexities
individuals have faced in difficult settings. People who have weathered adversity not just
in some work of fiction, but in real, historical circumstances can provide inspiration.
"History teaching by example" is one phrase that describes this use of a study of the
past—a study not only of certifiable heroes, the great men and women of history who
successfully worked through moral dilemmas, but also of more ordinary people who
provide lessons in courage, diligence, or constructive protest.

Assess Conflicting Interpretations. Learning history means gaining some skill in

sorting through diverse, often conflicting interpretations. Understanding how societies
work—the central goal of historical study—is inherently imprecise, and the same
certainly holds true for understanding what is going on in the present day.
Develop the Ability to Assess Evidence. The study of history builds experience in
dealing with and assessing various kinds of evidence—the sorts of evidence historians
use in shaping the most accurate pictures of the past that they can. Learning how to
interpret the statements of past political leaders—one kind of evidence—helps form the
capacity to distinguish between the objective and the self-serving among statements
made by present-day political leaders. Learning how to combine different kinds of
evidence—public statements, private records, numerical data, visual materials—
develops the ability to make coherent arguments based on a variety of data. This skill
can also be applied to information encountered in everyday life.
Historical perspective means understanding the social, cultural, intellectual, and
emotional settings that shaped people’s lives and actions in the past. At any one point,
different historical actors may have acted on the basis of conflicting beliefs and
ideologies, so understanding diverse perspectives is also a key to historical perspective-
taking. Though it is sometimes called “historical empathy,” historical perspective is very
different from the common-sense notion of identification with another person. Indeed,
taking historical perspective demands comprehension of the vast differences between
us in the present and those in the past.

Perspective is the 'point of view' from which the creator of a source described
historical events. Every person sees and understands events differently depending on
their age, gender, social position, beliefs and values. Even modern historians have their
own perspectives which can influence how they interpret the past.

For example:
Two groups of fans at a football match will see the same game differently. Fans
of the winning side will have a positive view and will usually talk about how great their
team's actions were. The fans of the losing side will be quite negative and may blame
the result on referees or 'cheating' by the opposing team. How can two groups see the
same event differently? The answer is 'perspective': they had a different point of view.

Perspective works the same in history. Two opposing in sides in war, or politics,
or social struggles, will see the same event differently. They will talk about it with
different language.

FACTORS THAT AFFECT ONE’S PERSPECTIVE

The first step in determining perspective is the know who the creator was. Once
you have sufficient knowledge about who made the source, you can work out something
about how they viewed the past.
nationality (e.g. American, Japanese, etc.)
profession (e.g. university professor, soldier, etc.)
political persuasion (e.g. conservative, Communist, etc.)
cultural background (Egyptian, European, etc.)
gender (male, female, etc.)
religious beliefs (Christian, Muslim, etc.)
educational background (e.g. what university they work for)

WESTERN PERSPECTIVE ABOUT FILIPINOS

 Before the coming of the Spaniards, as we have hinted, the Philippines
were backward in civilization as compared with most of the rest of the Far East….
The Filipinos were still but partly removed from the primitive stages of culture….
They had no elaborate political organization… Kenneth Scott Latourette, A Short
History of the Far EastFourth Edition (Nueba York: The Macmillan Company, 1964),
p. 287.

KASAYSAYAN IN THE LANGUAGE AND PERSPECTIVE OF FILIPINO

History or Kasaysayan can be inferred in the perspective of the filipinos in

two ways: one is saysay or salaysay which means narrative and the other is saysay
which means relevance or importance and its for whom it is relevant?

Zeus Salazar defined History or Kasaysayan as: Salaysay na may

saysay para sa sinasalaysayang grupo ng mga tao (Relevant stories/ narrative of
the people). As Nelson Mandela once said ““If you talk to a man in a language he
understands, that goes to his head. If you talk to him in his language, that goes to his
heart.”

DISTINCTION BETWEEN PRIMARY AND SECONDARY SOURCES

According to Aggawal a primary source may contain secondary information e.g.,

newspapers are usually considered primary sources but the information provided by the
newspaper is not all based on primary sources. Such as certain incidents reported by
the paper may be such which the correspondent saw or in he actually took part while
certain offer information may be based on official information or sources considered
reliable.

Primary sources include documents or artifacts created by a witness to or

participant in an event. They can be firsthand testimony or evidence created during the
time period that you are studying. Primary sources may include diaries, letters,
interviews, oral histories, photographs, newspaper articles, government documents,
poems, novels, plays, and music. The collection and analysis of primary sources is
central to historical research.

Secondary sources analyze a scholarly question and often use primary sources
as evidence. Secondary sources include books and articles about a topic. They may
include lists of sources, i.e. bibliographies, that may lead you to other primary or
secondary sources.

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TWO CATEGORIES OF SOURCES

To simply in categorize the sources, historians used this simple category and it is
divided into two types: the written and non-written sources:

A. Written Sources
Published materials (Ex. Books, magazines, journals, Travelogue, transcription of
speech)
 2. Manuscript (which is any handwritten or typed record that has not been printed)
Ex. Archival materials, Memoirs, diary)

B. Non- written Sources (Oral history, Artifact, Ruins, Fossils, Art works, Video
recordings, Audio recordings)
OTHER CATEGORIES OF PRIMARY SOURCES
According to Aggarwal the primary sources can be classified into the following
categories:

(1) Contemporary Records

These types of primary sources are in the form of the instruction documents,
stenographic and phonographic records. The business and legal paper and
autobiographies, etc. The instruction documents may be in the form of an appointment
notification, and direction from a foreign office to the ambassador, etc. Generally, such
documents have very little chance of error but it is essential to ascertain their
authenticity.

(2) Confidential Reports

The confidential reports are not intended for a general audience and are less reliable
than the contemporary sources. These types of reports are generally in the forms of
military and diplomatic dispatches, Journals, diaries or memoirs, and personal
letters.

(3) Public Reports

The public reports are meant for the general public and less reliable. There are
three types of public reports and each possesses a different degree of reliability, such
as— Newspaper reports and dispatches are more reliable which depends upon the
agency from which it originated and the newspaper in which it is published; Memoirs
and autobiographies are another public reports which are written for the public at the
close of the life when the memoirs of author is fading and are, therefore, not very
reliable and the official histories of the activities of government or business house are
also an important kind of public reports. They possess incriminating material and less
reliable.

(4) Government Documents

Numerous government documents are compiled which are also a source of vita!
importance to historians such as statistics about the fiscal, census and vital matters
which can be made use of by the historians. All these reports have first-hand
importance but require proper evaluation before the use.

(5) Public Opinion

The public opinion as expressed in editorials, speeches, pamphlets, letter to
the editor is another important source available to the historian, But the authenticity of
this must be corroborated by other evidence because public opinion may not be always
reliable,

(6) Folklores
These are the collection of oral traditions and other non-written customs. The
folklores which reveal the stories of legendary heroes are also an important source of
history. They tell us about the aspirations, superstitions, and customs of the people.
To make the use of these folklores the historian should not only possess a
thorough knowledge of the history of the period but also able to distinguish between the
legendary and authentic elements. Similarly, proverbs can give us an idea but scholars
must have a thorough knowledge of the customs and traditions. Epic, songs, oral
traditions and other similar forms are example for these categories.

HISTORICAL CRITICISM

The task of a historian is to prove the authenticity and credibility of every

document and information. In order for a source to be used as evidence in history, basic
matters about its form and content must be settled, meaning it should be critically
tested. Neuman, (2003) distinguish the two types of historical criticism, namely the
External (form) and the Internal (content) Criticism.

by: https://www.researchgate.net/figure/Internal-and-External-Criticism-from-Neuman-
2003-p421_fig1_279943052
(1) External Criticism:
The ‘External Criticism’ is of a less intellectual type of criticism of the
documents sometimes referred as lower type of historical criticism. It includes
examinations of documents like manuscripts, books, pamphlets, maps, inscriptions, and
monuments. This test is to prove the authenticity of a document arises more in the
case of manuscripts than the printed documents because the printed document has
already been authenticated by the editor.

TEST ON THE AUTHENTICITY OF DOCUMENT

Historian has to resort to a number of tests to determine the authenticity of a

particular document in his proposed area of research such as—

Authorship, the first question while examining the authenticity of a document is its
author. Even the anonymous writings can provide us useful and important knowledge.
But the discovery of an author’s or writer’s name adds the
authenticity of the information because of the character,
connections and trustworthiness of the author determine
the authenticity.

Date of Document, i.e. the time, place of publication of

the document must be inquired to determine the
authenticity of the document. In the modern publications year and place of publication is
indicated on the book or document on the title page or backside (overleaf). However, in
the old manuscript where the data and place are absent, it can be found out from the
language or from the date of birth and death of the author.

Textual Errors the historian confronts the textual errors which may be either
unintentional or deliberately committed. Unintentional error can take place in the copies
of the documents (originals are not available). These mistakes may be caused by the
scribe, typist or printer. An intention error may creep in when the effort is made to
modify, supplement or continue the original. This problem can be overcome through
textual criticism. Under this technique, the effort is made to collect as many copies of
dubious text as possible and they are compared. If the ideas and style do not match or
resemble the idea and style of the author it can be safely assumed that they were not
parts of the original manuscript and were forged by the later ones. Further’ more, the
textual accuracy can be solved with the help of “sciences auxiliary” to history such as
“Paleographists” have authenticated numerous documents of the medieval period by
their handwriting and have published easily legible printed versions.

Semantics The meaning of words often changes

from generation to generation. Therefore, historians
must find out the meaning and sense in which it has
been used in the document. The misinterpretation of
terms may lead to a misunderstanding of historical
development. In this way, even after the historian established the authenticity of the
documents and discovered the meaning of the text his duty is not over. He is confronted
with another important problem with the credibility of the document.

by: https://www.researchgate.net/figure/Internal-and-External-Criticism-from-Neuman-
2003-p421_fig1_279943052

(2) Internal Criticism:

 While the external criticism deals on the object or the manuscript itself the
internal criticism focuses more on the man who wrote the manuscript. Sometimes,
internal criticism referred as higher hype of historical criticism. This test is to prove the
credibility of the author who wrote the manuscript. A historian must analyze the
contents of the documents with a view to determining the real meaning. The following
are ways to determine the credibility of the author and the document:

TEST OF CREDIBILITY

Identification of the author- determine his reliability, mental process and personal
attitudes

Determination of the approximate date- determine the date trough his

handwriting, signature and seal.

Ability to tell the truth- determine the competence of witness, degree of attention.

Willingness to tell the truth- determine if the author consciously or unconsciously

tells falsehoods

Corroboration- this can be done by using other historical facts particulars which
rest upon the independent testimony of two or more reliable witnesses.

The following are the some of the sources of Philippine History before 16 th century:

NON-WRITTEN ACCOUNT- FOLKLORE - this refers to traditional customs,

beliefs, stories, and sayings (Webster). This includes manner, customs,
observances, superstitions, ballads, proverbs, etc. which would throw light about the
past. Folklore is a non-written source of history which knowledge, tales, saying,
ballad, songs or chants are transmitted from one generation to other. In this manner,
 it is possible for the early ancestors to transmit history, law, literature and other
knowledge from one generation to other without any writing system.

Why Folklore?
Culture is always changing; folklore is relatively stable and resilient.
Folklore is the foundation of culture. Understanding folklore can show the why’s, how’s,
and where’s of current cultural changes
Folklore transcends recent changes in history, including political strife and war that may
have divided the nation.

WRITTEN ACCOUNT (Description about the Early Filipinos)

The following are the some of the written accounts which are important
in understanding the Philippine history, culture and heritage:

Description of Barbarous People (Hu fan zhi) by Chao Ju Kua (1170-123)

The first to write accounts and analysis of the foreign goods and the
places he saw during his term as trade commissioner in the twelfth
century.
Hu Fan Zhi variously translated as A Description of Barbarian
Nations, Records of Foreign People is a 13th-century Song Dynasty
work by Zhao Rukuo. The work is a collection of descriptions of
countries and various products from outside China, and it is considered
an important source of information on the people, customs and in
particular the traded commodities of many countries in South East
Asia.

Tao I Chih Lio by Wang Ta-yuan 1346

Tao-I Chih Lio translated as “A Short Account of the Barbarian Isles.
The account is generally believed to be the most complete and
important account in understanding the customs and history of the
Philippines.
 In this manuscript says that : the men often take [our] ships to Ch’iian-
chou, where brokers take all their goods to have them tattooed all
over, and when they get home, their countrymen regard them as
chiefs and treat them ceremoniously and show them to the
highest seat, without even fathers and elders being able to
compete with them, for it is their custom so to honor those who have
been to Tang [ie., China].

Book of the Marvels of the World, also known as The Travels of Marco
Polo, 1300 .
This book is also known as “The Travels of Marco Polo”, Polo
travels along the Silk Road and the various Asian regions and
cities that he traverses, including China.
In 1292, they party sailed to the port of Singapore, travelled north
to Sumatra.

Ar-Rihla/Riḥlah by Muhammad Ibn Battuta (1304 – 1368 or 1369)

Ar-Rihla/Riḥlah is the Arabic term for quest or voyage. It is also a form of travel
literature based upon the experiences of the travelers.

Ibn Battuta then sailed to a state called Kaylukari in the land of Tawalisi, where he met
Urduja, a local princess. Urduja was a brave warrior, and her people were opponents of
the Yuan dynasty. She was described as an "idolater", but could write the phrase
Bismillah in Islamic calligraphy. The locations of Kaylukari and Tawalisi are disputed.
Kaylukari might referred to Po Klong Garai in Champa (now southern Vietnam), and
Urduja might be an aristocrat of Champa or the Trần dynasty. Filipinos widely believe
that Kaylukari was in present-day Pangasinan Province of the Philippines. In modern
times, Urduja has been featured in Filipino textbooks and films as a national heroine.
Numerous other locations have been proposed, ranging from Java to somewhere in
Guangdong Province, China. However, Sir Henry Yule and ((William Henry Scott
consider both Tawilisi and Urduja to be entirely fictitious.
 The Suma Oriental by Tomé Pires (1465? –1524 or 1540)
First written account of the 'Spice Islands' of Banda in Maluku, the
islands that first drew Europeans to Indonesia.
Compilation of a wide variety of information: historical,
geographical, ethnographic, botanical, economic, commercial, etc.,
including coins, weights and measures.
Information collected from merchants, sailors and others with whom
he had contact.

MISCELLANEOUS SOURCES: ISLAMIZATION OF THE PHILIPPINES (PRE-16 TH

CENTURY)
Tombstones- early evidence is furnished by a tombstone found in
Mt. Data, Jolo, Sulu. The tombstone bears the inscription 710 A.D.,
or 1310 in the Christian calendar.

Sulu Code- guide for the proper execution of the duties of office in
accordance with the law and rules of the country. It is concurred in
by all, and is promulgated with the general consent of all the datus,
panglima, and subordinate officers of state.

Tarsilas/Salislas–written genealogical accounts of Sultans and

Datus ruler.

Khutbahs—sermon/oration delivered by Imam during Friday

congregational worship service.

Kitabs—” booklet or notes that show not only the list of Sultans
who reigned but also some of the salient features of their
characters and exploits.