Migration Theory

According to H. O. Beyer, Philippines was peopled by immigrants from neighboring

places due to the migration waves. He further added that these migrants were the major
contributor of all the cultural traits we have now. But what are the evidences of this claim?

Ever since archeologists have been studying the prehistoric culture and existence of
people in the archipelago, many artifacts have been dug and recovered. These have been the
basis or the support that in the prehistoric times, there were settlements in the area. However,
retrieved archaeological materials were not really there to justify the cultural influences of the
migrants. Instead, these were the products of the adapting techniques of the indigenous
inhabitants. With this, I certainly agree that, though many foreign people have come, there has
never been a strong influence in the cultural and historical developments. It is in the local people
who strive to survive and create a system culture.

Regarding the wave migration theory, it does not attest that only to the immigrants that
the Philippine culture was developed. I disagree with the idea stating that physical traits have
something to do with the cultural developments. It is never that way. Native culture could not be
easily influenced in just a few years. It would even take hundreds of years to finally settle
whatever changes these foreigners brought. Modifications or developments should also be
credited to the locale. It is because of their instincts and intellectual capacities that they were able
to have different tools that have become part of the earliest culture of the Philippines. Whoever
the ancient inhabitants of the country, it boils down to who we are today Filipinos.

It was not only Beyer who had, somehow, the same theory. Peter Bellwood advanced
another idea that it was not a migration but rather a movement. Also, it was not the Australoid-
Sakai but the Austronesians. Despite the different terms used, it is still the same. Bellwood
implies that this group of people attributed the cultural development of the Philippines. We can
speculate that they have gone to the archipelago but they are not responsible for all the changes.
With all these interpretations, maybe now is the right time that we do not just rely on foreigners
to analyze our culture. Now is our chance to examine our own culture and beginnings. Without
external resources, I agree that we can start the reconstruction of our culture without bias and just
pure analysis of the truth.