Barangay system.
· the word barangay originated from the word balangay (austronesyano) which means BOAT.
· “mula barangay, nagging panirahan o pamayanan ang tawag.”
· Before barangays were just small community of farmersor fishermens and their realtives.
· The eldest member of the community or barangay is their leader called DATU
A picture of an early Moro Datu
· The barangays located in the plain (kapatagan) they have their own specializations like, pottery, “pagpapanday”, and everyone helps in the community’s livelihood.
· The barangays located in the mountains/hills livelihood was hunting and searching.
· The members of the barangay controlled the barter/trading of their place. The supervised the production of the goods or products that will be traded: gold, copper ,pots , and pearls
· Different groups/class.
| group | Characteristics | Power/responsibility |
| datu | -the position is hereditary but his powers is based on his knowledge, riches, slaves. | -to protect his group. -mediator and judge -to serve,respect, and give harvest to his community |
| timawa | -rich (maharlika) | -have the rights to own a land and to chose a datu that he or she will serve there are timawa’s who need to pay tax and there are some who doesn’t need to pay. |
| Alipin(oripon) | -members of the lowest class. -servants | -to serve their datu’s. - don’t have any properties. -they can’t be married unless the datu says so. |
- hereditary, the son of the datu will be the next leader, but if the datu have no son, the near boy relative will be the datu.
· BABAYLAN- a woman leader or doctor who knows witchcrafts.