Thetimawa were thefeudal warrior class of the ancientVisayan societies of thePhilippines. They were regarded as higher than theuripon (commoners,serfs, and slaves) but below thetumao (royalnobility) in the Visayan social hierarchy. They were roughly similar to theTagalogmaharlika caste.
The term later lost its military and nobility connotations and was demoted to mean "freemen" during the Spanish conquest of the Philippines. During which, the word was also introduced to the Tagalogs, who incorrectly used the term to refer to freeduripon (more correctly thematitimawa ortinimawa in Visayan) and commoners in general (tuhay ormamahay in Visayan). Eventually, the meaning oftimawa in modernVisayan languages was reduced to an adjective for "impoverished".
Thetimawa were the privileged intermediate class of ancient Visayan society, in between theuripon (commoners,serfs, and slaves) and thetumao (royal nobility).[1] Thetimawa class included former slaves and illegitimate children of themaginoo class.[2] Most were originally descendants or illegitimate children of thedatu by commoner wives oruriponconcubines, or the illegitimate children of thebinokot princesses. Thesetimawa were referred to with the titleGinoo upon the death of their fathers. A few known asMatitimawa orTinimawa, originated fromuripon who bought their freedom or were set free by their masters. These were usually distinguished from freeborntimawa.[1][3]
Like theTagalogmaharlika class, thetimawa were primarily a feudal warrior class, required to provide military service to thedatu in hunts, raids, wars, and defense.[1]timawa paid tribute or taxes to thedatu known asbuhis orhandug and were required to provide agricultural labor as needed. They enjoyed certain freedoms, like the right to own their own land anduripon, the right to lend and borrow money, and the right to enter into business partnerships.[1][4]
Unlike themaharlika, however, they can change allegiances freely and had no intrinsic right to the spoils of war beyond what is granted them by thedatu.[1] Though the class itself was hereditary, their wealth were only inherited by their children with the approval of thedatu.[5] Atimawa may also be demoted to theuripon status (temporarily or permanently) in cases of debt, and any children born during the period will likewise be anuripon.[1]
However this does not apply to the higher ranks of thetimawa, the personalvassals of thedatu. These in turn were exempt from taxes and labor obligations. Though still obligated to render military service, they had rights to the share of the war loot, were included in praises of war exploits (including acquiringtattoos of ranks and accomplishments), and were often retainers and confidantes of thedatu. Thedatu himself was required to defend or avenge thesetimawa even at the risk of his own life. The most trusted among thesetimawa are traditionally tasked with carrying out diplomatic missions, marriage negotiations, and mourning rites in case of the death of thedatu. As such, theBoxer Codex likened them to "knights andhidalgos".[1][5]
Thoughtimawa were powerful and influential members of the community, they were seldom wealthy. Wealthytimawa who overstep their class and act liketumao were derided astimindok ("big banana").[1]
Some members of theuripon class known as thehoro-han orhorohan also served their masters as warriors, but unlike thetimawa, they were not part of the nobility.[6][7]
Military engagements among precolonial Filipinothalassocracies can be classified into land wars (mangubat ormagahat), sea raids (mangayaw,pangayaw, orkayaw), sieges (salakay), sabotage (burhi), and ambushes (habon,saghid,hoom, orpoot).[1][9]
Participating in land and sea raids were an essential part of the duties of thetimawa. These raids are usually regular annual expeditions undertaken by the community and their allies (bila) against enemies (away). The purpose of the raids were to gain prestige through combat, taking plunder (dahas ordampas), and capturing (taban) slaves or hostages (sometimes brides). Participation and conduct in raids and other battles were recorded permanently by thetimawa and thetumao in the form of tattoos on their bodies, hence the Spanish name for them –pintados (literally "the painted ones"). Enemy communities were usually completely sacked (dakot orbakot) after a raid. The trophies, captives, and goods taken from the raid (sangbay orbansag) were then divided among the participants once they return home, often to celebratory shouting and chanting (hugyaw orugyak). A portion of the spoils (dangin) was set aside for a religious sacrifice.[1]
Conversely, thetimawa also functioned as defenders against raiders. Coastal settlements had sentinels (bantay) to watch for enemies. When possible, enemies were intercepted while they were still at sea in ship-to-ship combat (bangga). When defenses fail, villagers would often burn their own houses in a scorched-earth tactic to prevent looting, and then retreat to fortifications (tambangan) deeper inland.[1]
The SpanishconquistadorMiguel de Loarca described the preparations and the undertaking of such raids in his bookRelacion de las Yslas Filipinas (1582) as thus:[10]
Mangubat andMangahat also followed strict codes of conduct on the treatment of prisoners (bihag) and the redistribution of the plunder among participants. Captives who surrendered were valued alive as they were usually ransomed by relatives or otherwise had to work for their freedom (seeuripon). Anytimawa who kills a captive who has surrendered is obligated to pay for their value or risk becoming anuripon himself.[10]
Captureddatu were also treated well and allowed to be ransomed by his relatives. If relatives are unable to do so, his allies may ransom him, but thedatu was obligated to repay them at twice the value of the ransom money.[10]
The conversion of the Philippines toChristianity during theSpanish conquest of the Philippines, led to the eventual demise of thetimawa class, along with thetumao. The sea raids, the traditional method of maintaining allegiance and gaining captives and loot ceased. With its loss, thetimawa lost their place in society as a warrior class and were now forced to pay taxes to the Spanish colonial government. Thedatu, themselves being forced to pay tribute, started fining theirtimawa harshly for arbitrary reasons or else lent them money at usurious interest rates. Thetimawa who could not pay were reduced touripon status.[1]
By the 17th century, Spanish dictionaries were now erroneously definingtimawa aslibres (freemen) andlibertos (freedmen), and were equating them withplebeyos ("commoners") andtungan tawo (literally "people in-between", the middle class)—descriptions that used to refer to theserf and peasant class, thetuhay ormamahay (the Visayan equivalent of the Tagalogaliping namamahay) and not thetimawa. The 17th century SpanishJesuitFrancisco Ignacio Alcina notes that the populace still wistfully remember the pre-Hispanictimawa as "the third rank of nobility" (nobleza) but lamented that "Today they call everybodytimawa who are not slaves".[5][11] During this time period, the word also enteredTagalog vocabulary, incorrectly referring to freeduripon, thus aggravating the confusion.[12]
In archaic and modern poetic Tagalog,timawa eventually came to mean "free" or "tranquil", synonymous tomalayà andtiwasay respectively; while as a verb it means to "set someone free [from bondage]".[13] In stark contrast, the wordtimawa in modern Visayan languages has been reduced to meaning "destitute", "impoverished", "wretched", "miserable" and "poverty-stricken".[1][14]
tumao nobility.
