Ma-i facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Ma-i
before 971 AD–after 1339 AD (last historical reference)
Status	Sovereign state which conducted trade with Brunei, and with the Song and Yuan dynasties
Capital	Under debate Possibilities include Bulalacao, on the island of Mindoro, and Bay, Laguna
Government	Barangay state
History
• Established	before 971 AD
• Mentioned in a Song dynasty list of states conducting trade in the south seas	971 AD
• Noted by Song dynasty records as having brought trade goods to the southern Chinese coast	982 AD
• Described in detail in an account of countries conducting trade with the Yuan dynasty	1339 AD
• Disestablished	after 1339 AD (last historical reference)
Currency	Barter ("caldrons, pieces of iron, red cloth or taffetas of various color stripes, ivory, and "tint or the like"")
Preceded by Succeeded by Prehistory of the Philippines Barangay state Spanish East Indies
Today part of	Philippines

Ma-i was an old country located in what is now the Philippines. It was also known as Maidh, Ma'I, Mai, Ma-yi, or Mayi. We first learned about Ma-i from Chinese records in 971 AD. It was also mentioned in records from the Bruneian Empire.

Historians today believe Ma-i was either in Bay, Laguna, or on the island of Mindoro. This is based on old writings from the 10th to the 14th century.

In 1912, research showed that Mindoro's old name was Mait. Even today, the native people of Mindoro, called Mangyans, call the lowlands of Bulalacao Mait. For many years, people thought Mindoro was the main center of Ma-i.

However, a study in 2005 by historian Go Bon Juan suggested that the old descriptions fit Bay, Laguna better. Bay is pronounced "Ba-i" and looks similar to Ma-i in Chinese writing.

Where Was Ma-i Located?

For a long time, many experts thought Ma-i was on the island of Mindoro. This was because of an old town there called Mait. But newer studies suggest that Bay, Laguna might be a better fit. Bay's name is pronounced "Ba-i". It used to cover a large area along the eastern side of Laguna de Bay.

Both places have names that sound like Ma-i. Mindoro's old name was "Ma-it". Bay, Laguna, was also known as "Bae", "Bai", and "Vahi".

An older idea from 1914 suggested Malolos, Bulacan, as a possible location for Ma-i.

Old Records About Ma-i

The world in 1200 AD. This map shows the Ma-i kingdom and its neighbors.

Chinese and Bruneian records tell us about trade between their countries and Ma-i.

Ma-i was first mentioned in 971 AD in the History of Song. This was an official history book from China's Song dynasty. It listed Ma-i among the countries in the "southern seas" that traded with Chinese merchants. This document also talked about how the Chinese government tried to control and tax this trade. Historian William Henry Scott said this was the first clear mention of a country in or near the Philippines.

Ma-i might have been mentioned even earlier. An Arabic writer named Al Ya'akubi wrote in 800 AD that the kingdom of Musa (old Brunei) was friends with the kingdom of Mayd. Mayd could be Ma-i or Madja-as in the Philippines. They were fighting against the Chinese Empire.

In 1980, historian Robert Nicholl thought that "Maidh" in 10th-century Brunei records was Ma-i.

Later records that mention Ma-i and its trade include:

• Another mention in the History of Song.
• The 1225 AD Chinese document Zhu Fan Zhi.
• The 1317 AD Chinese document Wenxian Tongkao.
• The 1349 AD Chinese document Daoyi Zhilüe.

How Historians Study Ma-i

Most of these old writings only mention Ma-i briefly. They either say Ma-i was a trading nation or repeat rumors about where it was. Only the Zhu Fan Zhi and Daoyi Zhilüe give more details. The Wenxian Tongkao and the History of Song give exact dates.

Since these are all Chinese records, historians must remember that they are "Sinocentric." This means they see China as the center of the world.

As Zandro Vasquez Villanueva explained in 2009:

These old Chinese records from the 10th to 15th centuries tell us a lot about how the Chinese saw Philippine communities. They describe how these communities were run, what their political situation was like, and what goods they wanted to trade. But these Chinese travel stories are very biased. They show the old Chinese idea that their Empire was the center of the universe. They thought all non-Chinese people were "barbarians." So, we need to be careful when we read these Chinese sources about Philippine communities.

What Ma-i Was Like

In 1225, the Zhu Fan Zhi said that "the country of Ma-i is north of Borneo." It also noted that few pirates came to its shores. It described the people of Ma-i living in "large villages" with more than a thousand families. These villages were on opposite sides of a stream.

The 1349 document Daoyi Zhilüe also said that Ma-i's settlements were houses along both banks of a stream. It mentioned that "its mountain range is flat and broad," "the fields are fertile," and "the climate is rather hot."

Trade and Economy

The old documents about Ma-i mostly focused on trade. So, we know a lot about how they traded and what their economy was like.

What Ma-i Exported

Both Chinese records, the Zhu Fan Zhi and the Daoyi Zhilüe, describe the local products Ma-i exported. These included "kapok cotton, yellow bees-wax, tortoise shell, medicinal betel nuts and cloth of various patterns." The 1225 Zhu Fan Zhi specifically mentioned "yuta cloth."

What Ma-i Accepted for Trade

The Zhu Fan Zhi noted that the people of Ma-i accepted items like "porcelain, trade gold, iron pots, lead, colored glass beads, and iron needles." The Daoyi Zhilüe later added "caldrons, pieces of iron, red cloth or taffetas of various color stripes, ivory, and 'tint or the like'" as accepted trade goods.

How Trade Was Done

The Zhu Fan Zhi explains that Ma-i had an "official plaza" for trading. When trading ships arrived, they stopped there. Once a ship was registered, people could trade freely. The local officials liked white umbrellas, so merchants had to give them as gifts.

The Zhu Fan Zhi also described how business was done:

The local traders would come in a crowd. They would quickly move the goods into baskets and take them away. At first, the ship's merchants might not know who they were. But over time, they would get to know the people who took the goods. So, nothing was ever really lost. The local traders would then take the goods to other islands to trade. They usually didn't come back until September or October to pay the ship's merchants with what they had gotten. Some traders didn't even come back then, so ships trading with Ma-i were often the last to return home.

The Daoyi Zhilüe said something similar:

After agreeing on prices, the local traders would take the goods to trade for native products. They would then bring these products back to the Chinese in the agreed amount. The Chinese ship traders (Filipinos) were trustworthy. They always kept their promises.

Gold in Trade

Small gold pieces called Piloncitos have been found. They were likely used as money. Some of these have a symbol that looks like the old Baybayin character for "ma." This has led some historians, like Ambeth Ocampo, to think it might refer to Ma-i.

Culture and Daily Life

Religion

The old documents didn't clearly describe the religious beliefs of Ma-i's people. But the Zhu Fan Zhi did mention some religious items in 1225 AD:

"There are metal images of unknown origin scattered about in the tangled wilds."

Historians today don't jump to conclusions about Ma-i's religion based on this. William Henry Scott noted that the original Chinese text said "metal buddhas." But he and another scholar translated it as "metal images" to avoid bias.

Scott also wondered if these images truly showed the beliefs of Ma-i's people. He wrote:

"The people in Ma-I sound like newcomers [to this port] since they don't know where those metal statues in the jungle come from."

Earlier writers, like José Rizal and Ferdinand Blumentritt, were more open to a "Buddhist connection." Rizal even used the word "Buddhas" from the Zhu Fan Zhi to support his idea that Ma-i was on Luzon Island.

H. Otley Beyer, an American archaeologist, found a clay Buddhist Bodhisattva medallion in Palawan. Palawan is an island southwest of Mindoro. This, along with Buddhist ideas in Tagalog words, might suggest that Ma-i practiced Buddhism before Islam arrived.

Food and Drink

The Chinese records didn't say much about the food people ate in Ma-i. But the Daoyi Zhilüe described how they made alcoholic drinks:

"The people boil seawater to make salt and ferment treacle (molasses) to make liquor."

Clothing and Hair

The Zhu Fan Zhi said that the people of Ma-i covered themselves "with a cloth like a sheet or hide their bodies with a loin cloth." The Daoyi Zhilüe, written a century later, added more details. It said that both men and women tied their hair in a "mallet-like tress." They also wore a "blue cotton shirt."

Burial Customs

In 1349, the Daoyi Zhilüe also described some burial customs:

When a woman's husband dies, she shaves her hair and fasts for seven days. She lies beside her dead husband. Most of them almost die. If they are still alive after seven days, their relatives encourage them to eat. If they recover, they remain unmarried for the rest of their lives. Some women even enter the funeral fire when their dead husband's body is burning and die with him.

Relationships with Other Countries

With China and Brunei

Ma-i's relationship with China was mainly about trade, not diplomacy. Ma-i never sent official tribute missions to China. It probably didn't need to, because during the Song Dynasty, the Chinese government encouraged its merchants to travel and trade.

We know less about Ma-i's relationship with Brunei. There's no clear sign of anything other than trade. However, in the 1300s, Chinese records said that Brunei had taken over or ruled some Philippine kingdoms, including Butuan, Sulu, and Ma-i. These kingdoms later became independent again.

With Nearby Areas

The Zhu Fan Zhi mentioned other places near Ma-i, saying:

"San-hsu, Pai-p'u-yen, P'u-li-lu, Li-yin-tung, Liu-hsin, Li-han, etc., are all the same sort of place as Ma-i."

Experts believe these places are the Baipuyan (Babuyan Islands), Bajinong (Busuanga), Liyin (Lingayen), and Lihan (today's Malolos City). Malolos is a coastal town and an old settlement near Manila Bay.

Some people thought these places were ruled by Ma-i. But Scott explained that the text means these places were "of the same type or class" as Ma-i, not that they belonged to Ma-i. He also suggested that Lihan might be Lumban, Laguna, instead of Malolos.

What Happened to Ma-i?

Ma-i is not mentioned in any records after 1349. However, historians generally believe that Ma-i continued to exist, but perhaps under a different name.

Many scholars in the 20th century thought Ma-i was in Mindoro, because of the name "Mait" there. But this idea has been questioned. Now, Bay, Laguna (pronounced "Ba-i") is again suggested as a likely location for Ma-i.

Bay, Laguna, as Ma-i

The idea that Ma-i was in the Tagalog region was first suggested by scholars like Blumentritt and Rizal. But later, it became popular to think it was "Mait" in Mindoro.

In 2004, scholar Bon Juan Go challenged this. He pointed out that there's no strong proof of a large, rich settlement in Mindoro. He said that Chinese writing also allows for Ma-i to be Bay, Laguna. Bay is pronounced "Ba-e" by locals. He noted that Bay matches the descriptions of Ma-i. Many old items found in the area (like in Victoria, Pila, and Lumban, Laguna) suggest there was a wealthy settlement there long ago.

Go believes that Ma-i, as Ba-e, became less important as other river towns like Namayan, Tondo, and Maynila grew powerful. But Ba-i still served as the capital for the province of Laguna de Bay.

Mindoro as Ma-i

Many Philippine historians in the mid-to-late 20th century believed Ma-i was "Mait" in Mindoro. This was because research in 1912 showed that Mindoro's old name was Mait. In 1984, Scott wrote that there was "no reason to doubt that Ma-i or 'Ma-yit' is Mindoro." He said Mait was the island's old name when the Spanish arrived, and its native tribes still knew it.

However, this idea is now debated by modern scholars. But textbooks still often teach that Ma-i was in Mindoro.

Mindoro and Spanish Arrival

If Ma-i was indeed in Mindoro and continued to exist until the 1500s, it would have been affected by raids from the Sultanate of Brunei around 1498–99. These raids targeted places like the Kingdom of Taytay in Palawan and the island of Mindoro.

If Ma-i lasted until the 1570s, it would have met the Spanish conquerors. In May 1570, Miguel López de Legazpi sent Captain Martin de Goiti and Juan de Salcedo to Mindoro. They went to fight Muslim pirates who were attacking their new base on Panay Island. Legazpi himself arrived in Mindoro in 1571. The Spanish took over and burned two forts on Lubang Island. Each fort had strong earthen walls and a wide moat. They also had many cannons. After destroying these forts, they looted the town of Mamburao. There were even stone walls on one of Mindoro's hills.

Spanish Arrival

No matter what happened to Ma-i between the 1300s and the 1570s, both Mindoro and Bay eventually became part of the Philippine Islands under Spanish rule.

Possible Rulers of Ma-i

Family Names Connected to Ma-i

• Gatmaitan – Ferdinand Blumentritt thought the Filipino family name Gatmaitan might come from Ma-i. "Gat" means leader or lord, "Mait" refers to the place, and "-an" means a place name. So, the first person with this name was a lord of a place called "Mait" or "Maitan."
• Gatchalian – This family name has also been linked to Ma-i due to misunderstandings of the word "Shi" in Song dynasty records. The name "Gat Sa Li-han" means "Lord at Li-han." The records list Li-han as one of the places "of Ma-i's Shi." However, Scott says Li-han was not ruled by Ma-i. Instead, it was a place "of the same kind" but lower in rank. He also suggested Li-han might be Lumban, Laguna, not Malolos.

See also

In Spanish: Ma-i para niños

• History of the Philippines (900-1521)
• Prehistory of Laguna (province)
• Mindoro (province)
• History of Song
• Zhu Fan Zhi
• Wenxian Tongkao
• Daoyi Zhilüe
• William Henry Scott (historian)
• Maginoo
• Principalia

Images for kids

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  The world in 1200 AD. This map shows the Ma-i kingdom and its neighbors.

Sources