Alipin
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The alipin refers to the lowest social class among the various cultures of the Philippines before the arrival of the Spanish in the 16th and 17th centuries. The term alipin is used in the Tagalog lang
An illustration from Historia de las Islas e Indios de Bisayas (1668) by Francisco Ignacio Alcina depicting a tattooed uluhan with a paddle, labeled "esclavo" ("slave")
Maginoo
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The Tagalog maginoo, the Kapampangan ginu, and the Visayan tumao were the nobility social class among various cultures of the pre-colonial Philippines. Among the Visayans, the tumao were further disti
Alipin
…among other terms. The most common translation of the word is "servant" or "slave", as opposed to the higher classes of the timawa/maharlika and the tumao/maginoo. This translation, however, is inaccurate. The concept of the alipin relied on a complex system of obligation and repayment through labor in…
Tagalog royal couple from the Boxer Codex
An illustration from Historia de las Islas e Indios de Bisayas (1668) by Francisco Ignacio Alcina depicting a Visayan datu and a binukot noblewoman with a veil (alampay) and a sadok