While Isle of Teeth takes place in an alternate world and is not a historical, it does draw quite heavily from from the history, in particular focusing on the American colonial period in the Philippines.
How many of these references can you spot in the novel?
Note: Any characters resembling historical figures are meant as allusion/homage rather than a depiction of real individuals.
Online Resources:
TW: Some of these links are difficult to read, including violence, mutilation, theft, war crimes, racism, and slurs.
American Colonial Period
Despite arming and supporting the Filipinos in their war for independence from Spain, the USA turned on their allies, acquired the Philippines from Spain in the Treaty of Paris for 20 Million USD, and jailed its first democratically elected president. The USA then proceeded to stamp out the independence movement in its new colony. (Here’s a brief TikTok summary. Here’s an Instagram Infographic Summary.)
Philippine American War (1899-1902) is sometimes called the Philippine Insurrection in American history books. After the initial war ended, guerilla warfare continued for the next 7 years. It’s estimated that more than 200k Filipinos were directly killed during the war, but when the total includes those who died of disease and famine caused by the war, the total rises closer to 1 million. The total population of the Philippines was only 8 million before the war.
Note: Official death counts vary due to a lack of record keeping. In the books referenced below, the estimated death counts are inconsistent. Some deaths are also brushed off as the result of famine induced by Spanish policies during the Philippine Revolution (1898), even though the American army continued those policies.
In some regions, entire villages were burned down, farm animals slaughtered, food stores wiped out, and entire populations were moved into camps. Here’s an article about Reconcentration Camps in the Philippines Any male older than 10 would be shot if found outside these camps. Here are some letters sent home by American soldiers for a first hand account of the atrocities carried out.
For academic articles see: Selling Empire: American Propaganda and War in the Philippines and The War of 1898 which add global context along with the debate about American Manifest Destiny and the goals of American imperialism, as well as an academic article on Soldier’s Letters and the Anti-Imperialist league (PDF link). Mark Twain was active in the anti-imperialist movement and who wrote the poem, “The Battle Hymn of the Republic“. JSTOR article is available here.
US Senator Albert J. Beveridge speaks on the Philippine Question gives the justification given for American colonization of the Philippines. “Self-government is no base and common thing to be bestowed on the merely audacious. It is the degree which crowns the graduate of liberty, not the name of liberty’s infant class, who have not yet mastered the alphabet of freedom. Savage blood, Oriental blood, Malay blood, Spanish example – are these the elements of self-government?”.
David Fagen Turncoat Hero and How Racism Pushed This U.S. Soldier to Join Filipino Guerrillas – During the Philippine-American War, regiments of Black American soldiers were sent to the Philippines to suppress the local population. These soldiers were eager to prove their allegience to their new country. David Fagen was one of them, however, fed up with American war crimes and white racism, he defected (along with more than 20 others). He led guerilla raids on the Americans and became a captain in the Filipino Revolutionary army. Here’s a brief summary by @JasonChuMusic – How a Black Soldier Became a Filipino Folk Hero. Note: When the American’s arrived, they didn’t bother to call the Filipinos by a new slur, they simply called them the N-word and treated them accordingly.
How the Philippine-American War led to the invention of the Colt .45 Handgun – The local insurrectos were so fierce that they would not die, and would keep fighting even when shot. The Americans needed a new weapon to subdue them, which resulted in the Colt .45.
The Pensionado Act – During the American colonial period, Filipino scholars were sent to America to study in their universities, in the hope that they would bring American culture back to the country, and continue to carry out their colonial vision. Here is a list of Pensionados. Related history fact: Harvard’s first female law graduate was a Filipina: Erlinda Arce Ignacio Espiritu LL.M.
But Filipinos were also shipped overseas and displayed in Human Zoos. The most infamous display in the USA was the St. Louis World Fair (1904): Igorot Headhunters Inside America’s Human Zoos: The Untold Dark Story. Indigenous Filipinos were made to perform multiple times a day, wearing little clothing, and forced to eat dog daily, which would have typically only been consumed for ritual purposes. In addition to making money, the zoos were a tool of western proaganda, meant to portray the colonized as savages, and how superior the west was to their colonial aquisitions.
Women did not shy away from the fight for independence. Agueda Kahabagan is said to have gone into battle with a bolo knife in one hand and a rifle in the other. General Agueda and fought in both the Philippine Revolution of 1896-1898 and the Philippine-American War of 1899-1902. Another notable female general is Teresa Magbanua. And here’s a list of 6 Badass Filipinas.
The History of the Barong Taglog – The mythos around the barong Tagalog, is that the local peoples of the Philippines were not allowed to wear their shirts tucked in, to distinguish them from the Spanish ruling class. While there are no official sumptuary laws around the barong, when US Colonial rule began, Western dress styles became a signifier of professionalism and authority. Clothing has always been a class marker. Whatever the truth is, the modern barong is always worn untucked.
Monsters and mythology used a tool of war? It happened in 1955. How the CIA Used Aswang (Vampires) to Win a War in the Philippines. You can also read more about the CIA’s psychological tactics in the book: THE JAKARTA METHOD by Vincent Bevins.
A Token of Our Friendship is a photo album containing mementos saved by a queer couple in the early 1900s. From the private collection of John L Silva and his lover.
Here’s a brief TikTok explaining the history of American intervention in the Philippines including the post war period.
Spanish Colonial Period
The Spanish Explorer Who Desecrated Graves in the Name of Science – Domingo Sánchez snuck into cemeteries and stole bodies. One of which was a Filipina woman’s skeleton which was acquired by a museum in the same box as an orangutang’s body. Many of these grave goods and bodies are still on display in the National Anthropology Museum in Madrid.
The Sad Story of the Filipino Slave known as the Painted Prince – He wasn’t a prince, but he was taken to England as part of the slave trade along with his mother. They were sold to William Dampier (the inspiration for Robinson Crusoe). He was put on display for his tattoos (there was even merchandise sold of him) and called Prince Giolo, though he was treated more like property than a prince. When he died his body was acquired by Oxford University – where researchers skinned his body, and put his tattoos on display. Another link that provides academic references: Tattoos That Repel Venomous Creatures: The Tragic Tale of Prince Giolo
Listen to the The Story of the Moth told in José Rizal’s words. When Rizal was a child, his mother told him a story about a moth, that was a warning about being obedient to your elders or else be burned to death by a flame. But Rizal thought the fire beautiful – representative of an ideal that the moth found worthy of dying for. A supporter of Filipino nationalism, he wrote the novel Noli Me Tángere and it’s sequel, which exposed the coruption of the Spanish colonial government. His books were banned, but smuggled into the country and became extremely popular. His writings led to his exile and arrest. He was executed by the Spanish for rebellion at age 35. He’s known as a national hero of the Philippines.
Indigenous Filipino Cultures
Note: Because it is an archipeligo, there are more than 182 ethnolinguistic groups in the Philippines, resulting in many differing cultural practices and mythologies.
Púgot: Head Taking, Ritual Cannibalism, and Human Sacrifice in the Philippines – Like other groups worldwide that practiced head hunting, it was a ritual experience, with rules for when it should happen, and when peace would be agreed upon. It’s also important to note that not all indigenous peoples practiced cannibalism or human sacrifice, however the image of cannibals and headhunters was frequently used as propaganda to support American colonization, even though Christianity had already been widely adopted due to the Spanish, and the southern Philippines remained predominantly Muslim.
The Hanging Coffins and Burial Caves of Sagada – Burial practices of the Igorot tribes in Sagada included placing the bodies on cliffs. This was thought to put them closer to the spirit relam, as well as protect their bodies from predators. Now a tourist destination, the coffins are under threat due to theft and vandalism by visitors.
Stone Houses in Batanes – While the most famous style of traditional house in the Philippines is the bahay cubo (nipa hut), the Ivatan people in Batanes built limestone houses with wood and thatch roofs to help withstand typhoons. Further reference: Heritage Architecture of Batanes Islands.
Traditional Filipino Hairstyles (Instagram) – “Her hair is arrange in a bun resmbling a spiral-like effect or rosette – an indigenous manner of arranging long hair… to this rosette of hair they added flowers and fragrant herbs” Excerpt from History of the Bisayan People of the Philippine Islands, by Francisco Akina 1668.
The Fall of The Babaylan and Babaylan: The Ancient Witches of Tribal Philippines – When the Spanish arrived in the Philippines, one of their goals was to eradicate the entire social class of babaylan* who were women (and trans women) who served as spiritual guides and advisors to the community. The punishment for being discovered as a babaylan was to be dismembered and have your body parts thrown to the crocodiles. Some practices continued on in secret, in remote villages, and some are now practiced by men.
* Indigenous groups had a varying names for their shamans: A list here.
The Painted Ones – A brief introduction to tattooing practices in the Philippines and the modern revival. It is important to note that in many communities, just like the spiritual practices of the babaylan, tattooing traditions were typically passed down matrialinially. Meet the 106-Year Old Woman Keeping Filipino Tattooing Practices Alive. Also a video here: The Last Tattoo Tribes in the Mountains (Bukindon)
Exploring the Brilliant World of Filipino Beadwork – Beadwork / Baliog are traditional beadwork necklaces that are worn in layers by multiple Filipino ethnic groups. Examles here and here. Also see The Role of Beads in Filipino Tribal Clothing.
Filipino Folk Music – Here’s a sample of some of it sounds like: Traditional Filipino Music from the Mountains to Manila. Also check out Grace Nono. Nono is an ethnomusicologist who in addition to singing, has also published multiple books on traditional music.
Movies and Novels about the Phlippine-American War:
- Heneral Luna – 2015 Movie
- Insurrecto by Gina Apostol – Novel
- Bone Talk by Candy Gourlay – Novel
Non-Fiction**
- How to Hide an Empire: A History of the Greater United States by Daniel Immerwahr
- Battle for Batangas: A Philippine Province at War by Glenn Anthony May
- A War of Frontier and Empire: The Philippine-American War, 1899-1902 by David Silbey
- America’s Needless Wars: Cautionary Tales of US Involvement in the Philippines, Vietnam, and Iraq by David R. Contosta
- Arc of Empire: America’s Wars in Asia from the Phlippines to Vietnam by Michael H. Hunt
- Mark Twain’s Weapons of Satire: Anti-imperialist Writings on the Phlippine-American War by Mark Twain
**These books were not written by Filipinos but they are easily available at the library, so watch for bias if you decide to do further reading. There is racism in some of the older books, “it wasn’t that bad” apologia, and photos of dead bodies.
