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Visayan Warfare: Weapons and Tactics

This document discusses weapons, warfare, and conflict among communities in ancient Philippines. It describes various bladed weapons, spears, body armor, and shields used in battle. Warfare was typically conducted through raids and ambushes by citizen warriors loyal to local leaders. Conflicts were aimed at taking slaves and resources rather than territory, and were often in retaliation for raids, betrayal, or abuse of traders between communities. Defense strategies included intercepting enemy vessels at sea, retreating to fortified structures in the hills, and establishing peace pacts between leaders.

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Therese Sarmiento
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20 views21 pages

Visayan Warfare: Weapons and Tactics

This document discusses weapons, warfare, and conflict among communities in ancient Philippines. It describes various bladed weapons, spears, body armor, and shields used in battle. Warfare was typically conducted through raids and ambushes by citizen warriors loyal to local leaders. Conflicts were aimed at taking slaves and resources rather than territory, and were often in retaliation for raids, betrayal, or abuse of traders between communities. Defense strategies included intercepting enemy vessels at sea, retreating to fortified structures in the hills, and establishing peace pacts between leaders.

Uploaded by

Therese Sarmiento
Copyright
© Attribution Non-Commercial (BY-NC)
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PPT, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd

Weapons & War

Bladed Weapons
ordinary part of Visayan male costume (dagger or spear); extension of anatomy baladaw short broad dagger swords kris (Visayan: kalis) & kampilan
Kris quality (lowest->highest): Visayas, Mindanao & Sulu, Makassar and Borneo Kampilan apparently imported from Mindanao (Muslim & pagan) Both coated w/ poison before going into battle

c.20th century Panay bolos w/ bakunawa hilts

Spears and Missiles


Spears bankaw (security & ceremony) Missiles
thrown in combat or ambush only when it was possible to retrieve them attached to a cord when hunting

Bow (busog) and arrow (odyong) scattered distribution Blowgun (sumpit) Mindanao & Palawan

Defensive Arms
barote body armor; intricately knotted, thickbraided abaca or bark cords, good ones were waterproof
equivalent to chain mail

habay-habay burlap
worn next to the body under the barote extended to the elbow and knee

kalasag shield
light, corky wood; fibrous (to enmesh enemy spear or dagger); sword-proof

Warfare
raid and trade intra- and inter-island raids seasonal in nature

Pintados tattoos [valor]

Purpose and Causes of Wars


Visayan communities small populations, low levels of production, unlimited access to natural resources control of manpower

Wars were fought to control people, not territory.


seize slaves, initiate or enforce alliances for trading networks, take booty fought by citizen warriors owing personal allegiance to leaders who were physically present

Causes for Just War


direct raid or attack by another community betrayal of blood pacts or alliances treachery or abuse of traders in a friendly village murder or theft by an outsider

Raids
Slave raiding main motivation for unprovoked attack Special cases need for a sacrificial victim to complete mourning rites for some powerful datu Retaliation
not just revenge, but a punitive (inflicting punishment) measure intended to discourage repetition of the offense failure to take revenge not only suggested timidity w/c invited further enemy action, also ran the risk of supernatural punishment by the spirits of un-avenged relatives.

Strategy and Tactics


gubat warfare
gahat land mangayaw sea
bangga ship-to-ship contact at sea bangal pursue a fleeing enemy vessel

salakay storming a fortified position burhi take by treachery ambush preferred tactic on land
habon, saghid, hoom, poot

karakoa

Spoils of War
Slaves Bronze gongs Chinese porcelains Other types of bahandi wealth Brides, to establish collateral ties with other communities (marry-now-pay-later)

Defense
interception at sea best defense against mangayaw attack; otherwise, abandoning homes and w/drawing to the hills settlements were thus often located in the interior for security reasons

Defense
tree houses traps, batatik, suyak set along path to hinder the raiders moog, ili, ilihan tower, rocky outcropping, or natural pinnacle that could be fortified and retreated to by evacuees for defense tambangan fortification

Peace Pacts
sandugo peace pacts
suspended or avoided hostilities between two datus and their respective communities datu participants became blood brothers

Epic Heroes
successful mangayaw raiders regarded as popular heroes; interisland reputations; stuff of local legend

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