Literature of the Philippines and the Filipino Diaspora - Research Paper Example

More over they smelted iron ore and made metal and glass wares and had a common language from which the Filipinos derive their tongues (Lumbera 1). The ancient Philippines lived beside River banks and sea coasts the most expedient places for food and transport. They practised fishing and farming while others were hunter and gatherers. For Philippines that lived in the interior land they built houses to secure them and protect them from catching diseases (Lumbera 1). They were wearing cloth long before the Western civilization.

Moreover, they imported beads and stained their teeth with black colour and gold. The pre-colonial literature of the Filipino shows that they lived as a community where everything was owned by the community (Lumbera 2). They have a common language with everyone being a singer, poet of a folk teller. Nobody owned the folk narrative of songs, but people would venture in singing and storytelling. When oral literature was passed without referring to it as originated from other people, then it enables subsequent generation to receive the poem, saying, songs and tales as insured and preserved for the next generations (Lumbera 3).

The arrival of the European nations affected the way of life of Philippines and notably changes their literature. Today’s only the people referred to as ‘natives’ have the original Philippines culture. They survived the enculturation because they resisted the Western colonialism. The majority of Philippines who were colonized absorbed other cultures and also embraced their literary history. The period before colonization is displayed as a period of peace, harmony and plenty. The folk narrative, folk speech and folk songs of the time involved stories that explained the nature and the environment in which the Philippines lived.

The folk’s narrative talked of ancient mythologies, deities’ imaginary creatures, and the way of life. Moreover, they used myth to tell stories that