of Magellan, Zamal island, and the Golden Fleece

(This is in continuation with the previous blog, click here)

On the 16th of March, 1521, the Portugese explorer Ferdinand Magellan and his fleet of Spanish vessels finally reached the fabled island of Zamal in Mindanao of the Maharlikhan lands after 10 days of uneventful trip from the place he dubbed as Ladrones islands (Guam). Had the fleet sailed to Samar as conventionaly believed, the deep and treacherous currents of the Philippine Trench that they must traverse would surely twist and churn the wooden galleons making its harrowing crossing definitely far from uneventful, if the fleet dared that which, contrary to what mainstream history may had misled mainstream society to believe far too long, it less likely didn’t.

As the silhouette of the land of their destiny unfolded before them, the crew that had traveled halfway across the World to reach the place felt both excitement and foreboding, for these mysterious lands where lived the Maharlikhans, the Free Peoples, exuded both the enchanting, the danger and adventures, the promise of fabulous wealth that the ancients had since known as the Isles of Gold, and of myths and legends recounted through generations with celebrated voyage of ancient heroes of renown.

from http://developmentcatalyst.blogspot.com 

Magellan had deemed it prudent not to immediately dock in Zamal, for who among them knew of what fate awaited their place in history beyond those enigmatic shores and its ancient dwellers. Instead, he commanded to anchor overnight in the nearby island of Talikod. The island was dearth of water for neither rivers or creeks could be found, but like blessing poured from heaven would they discover two springs with the freshest, limestone filtered water springing forth its life nourishment even to this present day. As Pigafetta wrote hundreds of years ago, Magellan and his crew celebrated such blessing that greeted them and thus named it as the “Watering Place of good signs.” It was on this island that Pigafetta first reported sighting of the precious metal that they had traveled for thousands of leagues for: gold.

Two days after the fleet had docked, the native inhabitants on their bancas from nearby Zamal sought to interact with the pale-skinned visitors and their large wooden ships. Pigafetta mentioned how one of the inhabitants expressed “demonstrations of being very joyous at our arrival,”  while five of the “most showy” of the folks remained to interact with them. Indeed, the elaborately dressed original "Habirus" from the mainland, whom a historian once referred as the “most handsomely dressed” among tribes with their "habi" (weaving), had reasons to be very joyful.

Above the yonder mountain ranges of the mainland, the Habiru or Hebrew Tribe (later known as Bagobos after the Illuminati infiltrated colonizers in its divide and conquer strategy scattered instead into more than 100 tribes to relegate our ancestors from Indigenous to "indigent"), inhabitants that lived along the foothills and mountain ranges of the grand ancient peak, Mt. Apo that Pigafetta described as a “high land,” had their watchtower in Catigan that overlooked the vast Davao Gulf; vigilant village watchers must had seen the strange large ships that sought anchor in Talikod island near Samal, and so they traveled down to Davoh and crossed towards the island with their Sama brethrens to meet the visitors. Magellan, finding the natives to be gracious and reasonable, offered gifts and in return his crew were given provisions as figs a foot long (bananas), umai (rice), the highly versatile coconut that the locals called cochi from where sourced sweet water, oil, meat, vinegar, and of course wine.

from http://isabellesofia.wordpress.com/tag/filipino-tribes/

Long had the ancient Bagobo / Habiru tribe waited through the ages with the prophecy of their ancestors who spoke of offsprings of the very first children, their long separated brethren that traveled to faraway lands conceived from their foreparents, Humanity’s first man and woman, Toglai ang Toglibon, who shall one day return. That eventful day had come, the offsprings had finally reached the Maharlikan lands. The prophecy of their ancestors was finally fulfilled, and they were very joyous indeed (albeit the offsprings wearing paler skin). 

Eventually, Pigafetta was told of the small island adjacent of Samal where they first sought to land, presently known as Talikod island, by its ancient heavy set name, Humunu. As old as it sounded, the word may had been a remnant language of an extinct, unusual race that once lived in nearby Samal island and wrought havoc among the mainland inhabitants, and even of ancient heroes of yore from faraway lands lost in their voyage thousands of years ago. This mysterious, long extinct tribe was known as the Dinagat; they were the ancient race of giants of whose skeletal remains have even been discreetly dug up and witnessed by not a few people in modern times, their first hand testimonies attest that indeed such entities had once existed.

Pigafetta by then had amassed further knowledge of the scenic geographical vicinity of the Davao Gulf. He later found out that the Samal he initially saw was “not large,” hence it dawned that it was indeed an island surrounded by the “circumjacent islands” of Davao Gulf. The natives also referred to the island as Zuluam, attesting the influence of the Sultanate of Sulu on this side of Mindanao by the 16th Century. By this description of Pigafetta the mainstream position of Samar where Magellan allegedly landed should further be challenged for unlike Samal island, Samar was definitely not a separate but rather an integral part of one of Visayas’ largest islands, hence Pigafetta could never describe the latter as such for it will contradict his statement being “not large,” which de facto CORPORATE mainstream history had erred all along.

from http://samaloutrigger.lakbayjuan.com

Such error committed had misled generations of Humanity and reduced de facto CORPORATE mainstream history to misdirected position, particularly on the argument that after Samar, Magellan performed the first mass in Limasawa island. It was in 1667 that an alleged Jesuit “historian,” Francisco Combes, may had turned out the culprit. Neither in any earlier documents before Combes would there be heard the name Limasawa. In fact ,it was another Jesuit priest, Fr. Francisco Colins who coined the word in Visayan as he pointed to an island as “Dili Masaua” meaning NOT Masaua (the real Mazzaua was in Butuan, still in Mindanao). Unfortunately the term was misinterpreted by Manila-centric, non-Visayan speaking “historians,” timid to not even scrutinize its veracity  and so stuck unchallenged by prevailing mediocrity in mainstream with warped version established as historical “fact.” As if such twisted contribution were not enough, Combes neither mentioned of any mass held and, despite how Pigafetta otherwise admirably described the Zamal natives to be “with very good manners and gracefulness,”  the contemptible Combes branded them as “barbarians” instead. Worsened still by mediocre mindsets, no considerable figure dared to even challenge the unceremonious and inaccurate description of our noble ancestors by an incompetent Spaniard for nearly 400 years.

A few days ago this blogger encountered an acquaintance holding position as  president of senior citizens in his neighborhood, and informed of a priceless knowledge. During the early 90’s an old man from an Indigenous tribe whom he befriended revealed to him of a marker in Talikod island since the Spanish era. Could this be the certain marker that etched the place where Magellan may had landed? How could the ancient knowledge of this old man and his people be unceremoniously ignored by mainstream academe?  For mainstream historical institutions in this country that deliberately ignored the ancient knowledge of Indigenous Peoples especially in Mindanao, such mediocre, unwitting gestures are deserving of contempt.

from http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/451195/doj-readying-cases-vs-owners-of-structures-along-metro-manila-waterways

And so by misdeeds of irresponsiblity and warped sense of history the implications even through the present saw this country reduced with dysfunctional society recently beset with political corruption of unprecedentend level with self-serving politicians voted by an electorate reeking in mediocrity, its history lessons relegated to superficial colonial mentality and ignorance even to its otherwise rich pre-colonial history, its sense of ethics and values eroded by moralistic hypocrisy, a populace maleducated, a system even manifesting the unjust, blasphemous gap between extremely rich and extremely poor with the former behaving like crass necolonialists over their own fellow countrymen worse than foreign counterparts, a dilemma manifesting in a country that sinned for unwittingly disregarding the sense of historical foundation of its ancestors, and instead timidly aped misaligned foreign dictates.   

More than two decades since Magellan’s fleet landed in the island of Humunu near Zamal, the otherwise blessed, enchanting lands would then been christened by the Spanish commander Villalobos as Las Islas Filipinas eventually to be known as Philippines, in endearment to the Spanish empire’s crown Prince, Philip II. It should be noted that Philip II, then as child prince was the direct descendant of Philip the Good, Duke of Burgundy, and the founder of the Order of the Golden Fleece. The members of this elite Order included illustrious, select figures of European knights, royalties and eventually in the present with kings even from distant lands, which the King of Thailand was also a member of.

from http://www.theoi.com/Ther/KriosKhrysomallos.html

Indeed Magellan knew his destination having been tasked by the Monarchy of Spain to accomplish the daunting feat of reaching the very edge of the known World on uncharted waters, as if reminiscing back the travails of ancient heroes of Western civilization to exotic lands at the edge of the Earth, etched in collective memory for thousands of years with the likes of Jason and the Argonauts and their quest for the Golden Fleece (they were said to have explored continental Asia on their next expedition), of Odysseus and his fleet of ships from the Trojan war lost in voyage, the adventures even of encounters with a cyclops giant on an enigmatic island who guarded the Golden Fleece; the long years of their journey had dragged them farther beyond the edges of unknown worlds and into the enchanting places, and most likely to the isles of Maharlikhan lands.

By the accounts of ancient Greek legends the Golden Fleece could be traced back for thousands of years to the classic golden age where magic and enchantment were as real as breathed air, where gods once roamed down to the world of mortals and played with their fleeting lives as children would with toys, and where giants once wreaked havoc on frail humans.

These ancient foreign travelers may had once established here and brought fame to the Maharlikha lands even during the time of Solomon and his famous gold mines of Ophir located possibly north of Mindanao in the ancient Kingdom of Butuan, of whose glitter graced the temple of Jerusalem. Yet, the offsprings of these ancient seafaring peoples from distant lands may still had existed to this very day, its sprinkling of Hebrew, Greek, Etruscan words still surviving and spoken by the enigmatic Eskaya tribe of Bohol, nearby across in Visayas region of the Maharlikan lands.

photo by CORBIS

In the ancient land of Chryse, the Isles of Gold as the Greeks had known for thousands of years, there existed an island very rich in history, mystery and treasures that its legendary inhabitants were said to be so proliferously blessed with gold such that they decorated their houses with it, of a fearsome ancient giant race that once roamed on its hills and shores and tasked by the gods to guard the elusive Golden Fleece, of golden secrets known only from among the privileged few that had captivated monarchs, knights, and even civilizations for millennia of years. The island was then known as Zamal, for no other place in the ancient World could attest of such fame and profoundly rich history, wealth and heritage as this island itself, in the land of the Maharlikhans.

It was in the ancient, rich, enchanting island of Samal in Mindanao in the Kingdom of Maharlikhans that Magellan knew where he shall go.

Magellan first saw Samal, Davao on March 16,1521??

quotes written by Pigafetta, from book "First Voyage Round the World by Magellan":

Saturday, the 16th of March, 1521, we arrived at daybreak in sight of a high island, three hundred leagues distant from the before-mentioned Thieves Island, This Isle is called Zamal(1). The next day the general wished to land at another uninhabited island near the first , to be in greater security and to take water, also to repose there a few days.

1. Samar? Or Samal?

The next day the general wished to land at another uninhabited island near the first,

Talikod Island??


These people became very familiar and friendly with us(1), and explained many things to us in their languageand told us the names of the islands which we saw with our eyes before us(2). The island where they dwelt is called Zuluam, and is not large.(3).

1. Samal Tribe?


2. Talikod Island, Davao City area, Davao del Sur, Compostela Valley, Davao Oriental?


3. Other name for Zamal or Samal Island?

The island we were at was named Humunu(1); nevertheless because we found there two springs of very fresh water we called it the Watering place of good signs, and because we found here the first signs of gold. there is much white coral to be found here, and large trees which bear fruit smaller than an almond, and which are like pines. There are also many pine tress both good and bad. In this place there were many circumjacent islands, on which account we named them the Archipelago of St. Lazarus, because we stayed there on the day and feast of St. Lazarus(2).

1. Talikod Island?


2. Davao Gulf area?

That same day (March 25,1521) we took the course between West and Southwest(1) and passed amist four small islands, that is to say, Cenalo, Huinanghar, ibusson and Abarien.(2)

from Samal, Davao they changed course "west and southwest" or 1. Northernmost tip of Mindanao in present day Surigao City?


2. Cluster of islands along Surigao del Norte area, Siargao, Dinagat, Liloan in Leyte, Limasawa?(When viewed on their trip from Samal, Davao, these islands, esp. leyte did look "small" as the expedition viewed these islands by its tip!)

Thursday, the 28th of March, having seen the night before fire upon an island, at the morning we came to anchor at this island; where we saw a small boat which they call Boloto, with eight men inside, which approached the ship of the captain-general. Then a slave of the captain's who was from Sumatra(1), otherwise named Trapobrana, spoke from afar to these people, who understood his talk (2), and came near to the side of the ship, but they withdrew immediately, and would not enter the ship from fear of us.

1. from Sri-Vijayan empire?

2. "Lumad Visayan" - mixture of Old Malay, Dravidian Kavi, Sanskrit?

The island of this king was called Zaluan and Calagan(1), and when these two kings wish to one anotherr they come to this island where we were(2). Of these kings the painted one is called Raia Calambu, and the other one Raia Siani.

1. Butuan and Caraga?


2. Masao, Butuan?

It seemed that the Spanish expedition of Magellan, lacking in accurate geographical description of the area, tend to identify land masses surrounded by bodies of water as "island," Masao in Butuan seemed to be carved out from river delta that was perhaps misunderstood as "island."

If based on the mainstream historical claim that the first mass was held in Limasawa, Leyte, it's ridiculous for the Raja's of Butuan and Caraga to sail all the way to Limasawa to attend the first mass, unless of course if they chartered a fastcraft ferry for the special occassion, and for Pigafetta and Magellan's crew to visit his kingdom, for both Raja's to meet cordially for gamehunting, there must be regular schedules of fastcraft ferries for the Limasawa - Kingdoms of Butuan and Caraga route since 1521!! LOL