Editing Caste (section)

====Philippines====
[[File:Naturales 3.png|thumb|upright|A [[Tagalog people|Tagalog]] royal couple (''[[maginoo]]''), from the [[Boxer Codex]] ({{Circa|1590}})]]
In the Philippines, pre-colonial societies do not have a single social structure. The class structures can be roughly categorised into four types:<ref name="Scott1979">{{cite journal |last1=Scott |first1=William Henry |title=Class Structure in the Unhispanized Philippines |journal=Philippine Studies |date=1979 |volume=27 |issue=2, Special Issue in Memory of Frank Lynch |pages=137–159 |jstor=42632474}}</ref>
* Classless societies – egalitarian societies with no class structure. Examples include the [[Mangyan people|Mangyan]] and the [[Kalanguya people]]s.<ref name="Scott1979" />
* Warrior societies – societies where a distinct warrior class exists, and whose membership depends on martial prowess. Examples include the [[Mandaya people|Mandaya]], [[Bagobo people|Bagobo]], [[Tagakaulo people|Tagakaulo]], and [[B'laan people]]s who had warriors called the ''bagani'' or ''magani''. Similarly, in the [[Cordillera Central (Luzon)|Cordillera highlands]] of [[Luzon]], the [[Isneg people|Isneg]] and [[Kalinga people]]s refer to their warriors as ''mengal'' or ''maingal''. This society is typical for [[head-hunting]] ethnic groups or ethnic groups which had seasonal raids (''[[mangayaw]]'') into enemy territory.<ref name="Scott1979" />
* Petty [[Plutocracy|plutocracies]] – societies which have a wealthy class based on property and the hosting of periodic prestige feasts. In some groups, it was an actual caste whose members had specialised leadership roles, married only within the same caste, and wore specialised clothing. These include the ''kadangyan'' of the [[Ifugao people|Ifugao]], [[Bontoc people|Bontoc]], and [[Kankanaey people|Kankanaey]] peoples, as well as the ''baknang'' of the [[Ibaloi people]]. In others, though wealth may give one prestige and leadership qualifications, it was not a caste per se.<ref name="Scott1979" /> 
*Principalities – societies with an actual ruling class and caste systems determined by birthright. Most of these societies are either [[Greater India|Indianized]] or [[Islamized]] to a degree. They include the larger coastal ethnic groups like the [[Tagalog people|Tagalog]], [[Kapampangan people|Kapampangan]], [[Visayan people|Visayan]], and [[Moro people|Moro]] societies. Most of them were usually divided into four to five caste systems with different names under different ethnic groups that roughly correspond to each other. The system was more or less [[feudalistic]], with the ''datu'' ultimately having control of all the lands of the community. The land is subdivided among the enfranchised classes, the ''sakop'' or ''sa-op'' ([[vassal]]s, lit. "those under the power of another"). The castes were hereditary, though they were not rigid. They were more accurately a reflection of the interpersonal political relationships, a person is always the follower of another. People can move up the caste system by marriage, by wealth, or by doing something extraordinary; and conversely they can be demoted, usually as criminal punishment or as a result of debt. Shamans are the exception, as they are either volunteers, chosen by the ranking shamans, or born into the role by innate propensity for it. They are enumerated below from the highest rank to the lowest:<ref name="Scott1979" /><ref name="arcilla">{{cite book |last=Arcilla |first=José S. |title=An Introduction to Philippine History |publisher=[[Ateneo de Manila University Press]] |year=1998 |page=14&ndash;16 |isbn=978-971-550-261-0 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=uxEYobbU-D8C&q=timawa&pg=PA14}}</ref><ref name="scott2">{{cite book |last=Scott |first=William Henry |title=Barangay: sixteenth-century Philippine culture and society |publisher=[[Ateneo de Manila University Press]] |isbn=978-971-550-135-4 |year=1994}}</ref>{{pn|date=February 2025}}
:* Royalty – ([[Visayan people|Visayan]]: ''[[kadatoan]]'') the ''[[datu]]'' and immediate descendants. They are often further categorised according to purity of lineage. The power of the ''datu'' is dependent on the willingness of their followers to render him respect and obedience. Most roles of the datu were judicial and military. In case of an unfit ''datu'', support may be withdrawn by his followers. ''Datu'' were almost always male, though in some ethnic groups like the [[Banwaon people]], the female shaman (''[[Philippine shamans|babaiyon]]'') co-rules as the female counterpart of the ''datu''. 
:* Nobility – (Visayan: ''[[tumao]]''; [[Tagalog people|Tagalog]]: ''[[maginoo]]''; [[Kapampangan people|Kapampangan]] ''ginu''; [[Tausug people|Tausug]]: ''bangsa mataas'') the ruling class, either inclusive of or exclusive of the royal family. Most are descendants of the royal line or gained their status through wealth or bravery in battle. They owned lands and subjects, from whom they collected taxes.
:* [[Philippine shamans|Shamans]] – (Visayan: ''babaylan''; Tagalog: ''katalonan'') the spirit mediums, usually female or feminised men. While they were not technically a caste, they commanded the same respect and status as nobility. 
:* Warriors – (Visayan: ''[[timawa]]''; Tagalog: ''[[maharlika]]'') the martial class. They could own land and subjects like the higher ranks, but were required to fight for the ''datu'' in times of war. In some Filipino ethnic groups, they were often tattooed extensively to record feats in battle and as protection against harm. They were sometimes further subdivided into different classes, depending on their relationship with the ''datu''. They traditionally went on seasonal raids on enemy settlements. 
:* Commoners and slaves – (Visayan, [[Maguindanao people|Maguindanao]]: ''[[ulipon]]''; Tagalog: ''[[alipin]]''; Tausug: ''kiapangdilihan''; [[Maranao people|Maranao]]: ''kakatamokan'') – the lowest class composed of the rest of the community who were not part of the enfranchised classes. They were further subdivided into the commoner class who had their own houses, the servants who lived in the houses of others, and the slaves who were usually captives from raids, criminals, or debtors. Most members of this class were equivalent to the European [[serf]] class, who paid taxes and can be conscripted to communal tasks, but were more or less free to do as they please.{{cn|date=February 2025}}