is oral and the history is written. The culture was alternately destroyed and
created by foreign colonization. Martial fiestas offer keys to understanding
Filipino martial culture. For example, the mythical meeting of the ten da-
tus (chiefs) of Borneo with the Negritos of Panay is celebrated annually at
the Ati-Atihan in Kalibo, Aklan. Similarly, the defeat of Captain Ferdinand
Magellan by Datu Lapu-Lapu of Mactan Island is celebrated at the Sinulog
in Cebu. This is in conjunction with the Santo Niño Fiesta, which marks
the introduction of the Catholic faith to the Philippines.
Theory posits that in a prehistoric period, aboriginal Negritos (Aetas),
a pygmy race, crossed over a land bridge from mainland Asia to become
the first settlers of the Philippine islands. Next, waves of immigrants from
the area called Malaysia colonized the islands, around 200 B.C. Anthropo-
logical evidence shows that the prehistoric people of Southeast Asia all be-
longed to a single population. They were later divided into cultural groups
(i.e., Filipinos, Malaysians, and Indonesians) in accordance with territorial
boundaries established by their European (i.e., Spanish, British, and Dutch)
colonizers.
In the ninth century A.D., trade relations began with China. Colonies
were established in the Philippines during the Song dynasty (A.D.
960–1127). Kuntao, an FMA with empty-hand movements similar to taiji-
quan, has been traced to Kuntung province. Chinese rivalry with the Hin-
dus and Javanese continued into the Ming period (A.D. 1402–1424). An-
cient civilizations—the Sri Vishayan and Majapahit—are prominent in
Filipino history. Hindu influence includes the Tantra: a form of yoga that
includes sexual magic and celebrates the feminine force. Tantric influence
could explain the prominent role of women in Filipino society. Visaya
means “slave” to the Moros, Muslims who dominate the southern region
of the Philippine Archipelago, and refers to people of the central region
whom the Moros frequently captured or killed. The Majapahit Empire was
formed in Java around the twelfth century in the area of modern Indone-
sia. This ancient Islamic empire included Burma, Indonesia, Thailand,
Malaysia, Cambodia, Madagascar, and the Philippines. The martial arts
from these countries, such as Muay Thai, bersilat, and pentjak silat, have
techniques, such as silat, that are similar to FMA.
Islam came to Mindanao in the south around A.D. 1380, spreading to
the Visayas and Luzon. These Muslim Malays ventured north from Borneo
(Kalimantan) led by the ten datus (chieftains), the most important of whom
was Datu Puti. Datu Puti, “the Great White Chief,” traveled from Borneo
to Panay, from Panay to Luzon, and from Luzon back to Borneo, after
helping the datus to settle other islands. In A.D. 1433, Datu Kalantiyaw,
third chief of Panay and descendent of Datu Sumakwel from Borneo, is-
sued or codified civil and social orders called the Kalantiyaw for guiding
Philippines 425