Before The Tall Ships Came

A Children's Story of Philippine History

von Dee Kayel

46 Seiten, Taschenbuch

Kurzbeschreibung des Verlags

I wrote Before the Tall Ships Came because I wanted children to know something important about the Philippines: Our story did not begin when Magellan arrived in 1521.For generations, an old image has lingered-that the Europeans arrived upon islands inhabited by "savages," people simply waiting to be discovered, converted, and civilized.But the historical records themselves tell a very different story.Antonio Pigafetta, who sailed with Magellan and witnessed the Philippines of 1521, wrote of rulers and chiefs, communities with customs of leadership and tribute, active trade, gold ornaments, fine clothing, porcelain vessels, music, boats, abundant food, and dealings with merchants from other parts of Asia. He encountered people who negotiated, traded, welcomed strangers, made alliances-and, when necessary, defended their independence.The Philippine National Quincentennial Committee likewise emphasizes that Pigafetta described the people he encountered as courteous and sociable, and recorded their rulers, gold ornaments, trade, music, porcelain, and other signs of established communities.Nearly a century later, Morga's Sucesos de las Islas Filipinas describes barangays governed by chiefs, customary laws handed down from their ancestors, elders who settled disputes, gold mining and metalworking, commerce, and a native system of writing. Morga even observed that many men and women could write in their own characters.These were not people without civilization.They were peoples with their own civilization-different communities with their own leaders, customs, beliefs, skills, languages, laws, and ways of life, connected to one another and to the wider world of Asia long before European ships appeared on the horizon.Yet for many children, Philippine history still seems to begin with Magellan.I wrote this book especially for the new generations of Filipinos-those growing up in the Philippines and those born in Canada, the United States, Europe, Australia, and everywhere else Filipino families have made their homes.If we begin our story only with the arrival of others, our children may never fully know the story of the people who were already there.Before the Tall Ships Came is my small attempt to help tell that earlier story.

• Reihe: Independently published
• ISBN: 9798176819649
• Sprache: Englisch
• Erscheinungsdatum: 24.09.2026
• Größe: 216 x 216 mm
• Verlag: Independently published