With the rise and prominence of the Shri-Visayan Empire in the 6th to the 13th centuries, political dominance by conquests and wars took place. By the series of wars , the men population was depleted. In the course of time, the women folks by necessity in the scarcity of available men, had to take the place of the men in the battlefield so that they came to develop the high art of warfare to preserve their political state.
About seven hundred years ago, when Pangasinan was a kingdom, there lived a famous woman ruler in that dominion. Young, beautiful and well-educated, Princess Urduja was reputed to be a good warrior who had personally led her soldiers to the battlefields. Her retinue consisted of women skilled in arms, in riding horses and with well-built and well-developed bodies, prodigious strengh and masculine physique dubbed as Kinalakian or Kalakian or Amazon. |
To the Pangasinan court many a suitor came, seeking for the hand of fair Urduja. The Princess said to them, "I will marry only the man who can defeat me. My husband must be braver , stronger, and wiser than myself." As no one qualified to her demands, she remained unmarried all her life. For no one wished to be beaten by a woman. When her mother died, she became the ruler of Pangasinan region. Her bravery and skill were known far and near. She ruled her people well and wisely. Like the famous Amazons of old, Princess Urduja was not only intelligent, beautiful, and dominant, but also the very personification of kindness and virtue. One of her policies was to introduce the best of other countries adapted to her own. She was a woman who was interested in foreign affairs for the good of her own kingdom. She liked to hear the tales about India, the Pepper Country.
An Arab traveller, Ibn Batuta, on his way to china, stopped at her kingdom. According to her custom, she invited the ship's crew to a banquet. The Arab refused to go because he could not eat their food since they were "infidels". The princess was offended and summoned him. He was surprised at what his eyes witnessed and his ears heard. For the Princess was robed in her richest and best, decked with precious stones and surrounded by brave and loyal men and women. She talked to the visitor in Arabian. This alone proved that she was a Moslem, knew her Koran, and therefore knew Arabic, she told him: "You, Priest, I have had you brought here by my guards because, of all of your ship's company, you alone scorned my invitation. You told your Captain that we, people of Northern Luzon are infidels, and that it would be against the prophets law for you, a holy man, to eat our food."
An Arab traveller, Ibn Batuta, on his way to china, stopped at her kingdom. According to her custom, she invited the ship's crew to a banquet. The Arab refused to go because he could not eat their food since they were "infidels". The princess was offended and summoned him. He was surprised at what his eyes witnessed and his ears heard. For the Princess was robed in her richest and best, decked with precious stones and surrounded by brave and loyal men and women. She talked to the visitor in Arabian. This alone proved that she was a Moslem, knew her Koran, and therefore knew Arabic, she told him: "You, Priest, I have had you brought here by my guards because, of all of your ship's company, you alone scorned my invitation. You told your Captain that we, people of Northern Luzon are infidels, and that it would be against the prophets law for you, a holy man, to eat our food."
"You behold about me, seated around my throne, the elderly ladies who are my counselors. Do their chairs of sandal-wood, does my silk canopied and gold plated throne, suggest the court of a barbarous people?"
"I greeted you with the usual salutations of courtesy in the Turkish tongue, and had one of my attendants fetch ink and paper so I could write for you in Arabic characters that you recognized as the name of the merciful and compassionate God. Are such tokens of culture common among barbarians?"
When my father Dalisay, the aged king by whose name you call his kingdom, was a much younger man, there visited here a priest of another faith from far distant Europe. But he did not shun novelty in food as you do. The sago trees that produce flour, interest him, he admired the sugar-giving buri palms, and liked our coconut wine. And I hope you will appreciate the cordial pickles and preserves which, with some other gifts for your acceptance in remembrance of the land of Dalisay, I have had sent to your ship." "
But let us no more speak of our mistaken notions of us. We pride ourselves upon our hospitality, and you, a holy man though you are, need have no compunction of conscience in eating the food set before you." "You have been told all about me. You know that I am governor of this port in place of my brother because, with my army of free women, slave girls and female captives ---all of whom fought just as well as men could---I won a big battle. And you have heard, too, I'm sure, that I am still unmarried because I will marry no man except him who shall conquer me, and all the eligible suitors in this vicinity are afraid to try for fear of being beaten by a girl."
"Now tell me of great India, which we know as the Pepper Country. I want to hear all about it. The little I know has fascinated me. Would there be any chance, If I should go to war with India, of my getting? Its great wealth and great forces attract me."And the Arab replied, Do so. She ordered to be given to him, robes, two elephant loads of rice, two buffaloes, ten ships, four pounds of , and four marbatans (that is, large jars) filled with ginger. pepper, lemons and mangoes, all of them salted, these being among the things prepared for sea voyages.
Source: A Pangasinan Folio '70 : a historical document
Reference:
Galang, Encyclopedia of Philippines, p. 179-181.
Del Castillo y Tuazon, Antonio, "Princess Urduja : amazon ruler of the Amazon Dynastic Kingdom of Tawalisi or Talamasin, Pangasinan-Caboloan."
The Researcher, Vol. II, No. 2, November 1969, p. 133-168.
"I greeted you with the usual salutations of courtesy in the Turkish tongue, and had one of my attendants fetch ink and paper so I could write for you in Arabic characters that you recognized as the name of the merciful and compassionate God. Are such tokens of culture common among barbarians?"
When my father Dalisay, the aged king by whose name you call his kingdom, was a much younger man, there visited here a priest of another faith from far distant Europe. But he did not shun novelty in food as you do. The sago trees that produce flour, interest him, he admired the sugar-giving buri palms, and liked our coconut wine. And I hope you will appreciate the cordial pickles and preserves which, with some other gifts for your acceptance in remembrance of the land of Dalisay, I have had sent to your ship." "
But let us no more speak of our mistaken notions of us. We pride ourselves upon our hospitality, and you, a holy man though you are, need have no compunction of conscience in eating the food set before you." "You have been told all about me. You know that I am governor of this port in place of my brother because, with my army of free women, slave girls and female captives ---all of whom fought just as well as men could---I won a big battle. And you have heard, too, I'm sure, that I am still unmarried because I will marry no man except him who shall conquer me, and all the eligible suitors in this vicinity are afraid to try for fear of being beaten by a girl."
"Now tell me of great India, which we know as the Pepper Country. I want to hear all about it. The little I know has fascinated me. Would there be any chance, If I should go to war with India, of my getting? Its great wealth and great forces attract me."And the Arab replied, Do so. She ordered to be given to him, robes, two elephant loads of rice, two buffaloes, ten ships, four pounds of , and four marbatans (that is, large jars) filled with ginger. pepper, lemons and mangoes, all of them salted, these being among the things prepared for sea voyages.
Source: A Pangasinan Folio '70 : a historical document
Reference:
Galang, Encyclopedia of Philippines, p. 179-181.
Del Castillo y Tuazon, Antonio, "Princess Urduja : amazon ruler of the Amazon Dynastic Kingdom of Tawalisi or Talamasin, Pangasinan-Caboloan."
The Researcher, Vol. II, No. 2, November 1969, p. 133-168.
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