If I Have a Piece of Paper to Write On: Our Continuing Research on Local History




My colleagues from other towns of Aklan have been asking about my research on local history. In one of our quarterly meetings, I got the chance to acquaint them on some principles on historical scholarship. My outline on that presentation is as follows:

I - Introduction/Clarification
History = histo, a Greek word meaning "know this"
= historeo, i.e. "know or learn by inquiry"
= historia or investigation (Herodotus defines history as such)

II - Essences of History
  1. Historical knowledge is based on evidence (such as artifacts, written accounts and oral tradition)
  2. History is not just a story. It is my story, your story, his story, our stories taken as a collective whole
  3. An approximation of factual events that took place in the past that impacted on the present

III - Sources of Local History
  1. Family trees
  2. Old photographs
  3. Diaries and journals
  4. Documents/Manuscripts
  5. Artifacts/antique collections
  6. Oral tradition

The National Archives of the Philippines is rich with manuscripts pertaining to the Spanish era which could substantiate the dearth of materials for a local historical society to work on. Whenever I am at the NAP, I am particularly interested on the following:
  • Patronatus - these manuscripts covered the creation of parishes all throughout the whole archipelago and other ecclesiastical affairs such as the assignments of priests during the Spanish time
  • Elecciones de Gobernadorcillo - pertains to the regular elections of local executives, the nominees and the winning candidates
  • Errecciones de Pueblos - these are collections of conscripts, reports on the creation, establishment of towns, resolutions on certain boundary disputes, etc.
  • Cabeza de Barangay - status reports, election returns, etc. that pertained each barangay in every pueblo
  • Memorias - annual written reports of the local chief executives--cabezas, gobernadorcillos, alcaldes addressed to the Gobernador General of the Philippine Islands. They cover the local profile, incidences such as epidemic, agricultural produce, collections of tributes/taxes, etc. in a particular community

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