Ilocano people

Ilocano people
Tattao nga Iloko
Ilocano women from Santa Catalina, Ilocos Sur, c. 1900.
Total population
10,136,000
Regions with significant populations
 Philippines
(Ilocos Region, Cordillera, Cagayan Valley, Central Luzon, Metro Manila)
 United States
(Hawaii, California)
Worldwide
Languages
Ilocano, Tagalog, English
Religion
Predominantly Roman Catholicism,
Aglipayan minority, Iglesia ni Cristo, Protestantism, Members Church of God International, Jehovah's Witnesses, Islam, Buddhism [1][2]
Related ethnic groups
Filipinos (Ibanag, Ivatan, Pangasinan, Kapampangan), Austronesian peoples

The Ilocanos (Ilokano: Tattao nga Iloko/Ilokano), Ilokanos, or Iloko people are the third largest Filipino ethnolinguistic group that mostly reside within the Ilocos Region in the northwestern seaboard of Luzon, Philippines.

Etymology

The word Ilokano originates from Iloko (archaic form, Yloco), the conjugation of i- (meaning "of") and look (meaning "bay"), which means "from the bay" in Ilocano. Aside from being referred to as Ilocano, they are also identified as Samtoy, a portmanteau of the Ilocano phrase sao mi ditoy meaning "our language here" (sao mi - "our language"; ditoy - "here").

Ethnic homeland

Ilocandia is the term given to the traditional homeland of the Ilocano people. From the original western strip of Northern Luzon, Ilocandia has spread throughout the Cordillera Administrative Region, Cagayan Valley and some parts of Central Luzon.

Demographics

Ilocano people emigrating to the Cagayan Valley, c. 1920.

Ilocanos number about 9,136,000. A few Ilocanos living in the Cordilleras have some Cordillerano blood.

Language

Most Ilocanos speak Ilocano, which is part of the Northern Philippine subgroup of the Austronesian family of languages. They also speak Tagalog, and English as second languages.

Religion

Most Ilocanos are Roman Catholics, while a significant number belong to the Aglipayan Church, which originated in Ilocos Norte.[1][2][3]

Pre-Hispanic Beliefs and Traditions

Prior to the arrival of the Spanish, Ilocanos were animists who believed in spirits called anito who were either bad or good, male or female. These anito ruled over all aspects of the universe. For example, Litao were anitos of water, Kaibáan, also called Kanibáan were anitos of the undergrowth in a forest, and Mangmangkik were anitos of trees. The Mangamangkik were often feared for causing sickness when a fellow tree was cut down. To appease the mangmangkik before cutting down a tree, the following chant was made:

Bari Bari.
Dikat agunget pari.
Ta pumukan kami.
Iti pabakirda kadakami.

This chant calls on the Mangmangkik and beseeches them not to curse the people cutting the tree down.[4] Similar chants and phrases are uttered to appease the Kaibáan when hot cooking water is thrown out into the yard for disposal. The Kaibáan can be befriended, giving luck and blessing to the person. Likewise, if a Kaibáan is angered, illness and in some cases death would plague the person's health and family.

Other ways anitos were respected and appeased were through offerings and sacrifices to idols on platforms called a simbaan or designated caves where the anito frequents. These offerings, called 'Atang', consisted of various foodstuffs and sweets, as well as cigars and paan. Atang is also offered to the deceased during prayers for the dead or on All Soul's Day.

Another practice which survived well into the 19th century was 'sibróng'. Associated with human sacrifice and headhunting, sibróng was a prevalent practice in the Ilocos region. The person who carried out the executions was called the 'mannibróng'; this term now means 'thief' in modern Ilocano. Before the death of a community leader or a member of the Principalía, the dying person would lift his hand raised with a certain number of fingers. The number of fingers raised would be the indicator of how many people would have to be killed in order to accompany the dying to the afterlife. In other cases, the people chosen by the mannibróng would have their fingers cut off instead of being executed. Síbrong can also refer to the practice of placing a human head in the foundations of the building to protect the structure from damage. [5][6]

Mythological Heroes

In Ilocano mythology, Angalo was a mythical creation giant who was also the first man.[7] Through his actions, he shaped the Cordillera Central, Luzon mountain range, formed the oceans and its saltiness, and put up the sky, moon, sun and stars. The Banaoang Gap, in Santa, Ilocos Sur was said to be created by Angalo when he kicked the mountain range while sleeping.[8]

Diaspora

Many Filipino Americans are of Ilocano descent. They make up 85% of the Filipino population in Hawai'i.

History

Classical period

From 300–200 BC[9] a migration of Austronesian speaking people from the island of Borneo arrived on the shores of northwest Luzon. They were the most recent of the three waves of migration to the Philippines known as the Malay. Before the arrival of these people, the inhabitants of northwest Luzon were a different Austronesian speaking people called the proto-Malay group whom consist of the modern Tinguian, Isneg, Kalinga, Kankanaey, Bontoc and other tribes collectively known today as the Igorot. Prior to the arrival of the Igorot were the people known today as the Aeta or Negritos.

Over time, the Malay people intermarried with the proto-Malay and or Aeta people, and it is their descendants who lived along the coasts of Northwestern Luzon that the Spanish first came in contact with and called Ilocanos.

Social structure

While Spain applied the term barangay to the settlements in the Ilocos region upon contact, the Ilocano people called their towns, íli, and a smaller group of houses, purók.[10]

These residents of the íli were organized in a class society. At the top of the class system was a chief or agtúray or ári and his family. The ári earned his position due to strength, wealth and or wisdom. [11] This position could also be inherited and usually reserved for a male, however, in the event that no male heir was available a strong female heir was accepted.[12] If the heir was found to be weak by the íli than another ári family would be put in place and the former ári family could fall down in class. Together with a community of elders called amáen or panglakáyen íli, the ari administered justice and governed the daily lives of the ili and led his people to war if necessary.

Below the ári were the wealthy babaknáng, or timawa in Tagalog, of who could easily move into the position of ári. Their wealth was maintained by their control of trade with primarily the Chinese, Japanese, Igorots, and the Tagalogs. Goods often traded were rice, cotton, gold, wax, iron, glass beads, honey, and stoneware jars called burnáy.

Below the babaknáng were the kailianes, a class that helped the ári in sailing, working his fields, and preparing for celebrations. In exchange, the kailianes were given gifts directly from the ári.[13]

The katalonan were below the babaknang and the kailianes and they were tenant farmers who consisted of the majority of the population in an ili. They largely practiced wet-rice agriculture which included rice and taro as well as dry agriculture that included cotton.

At the bottom of the pre-colonial Ilocano society were the ubíng and below them the tagábu, also called "adípen". The ubíng were servants while the tagábu were slaves. The tagábu acquired their status through unresolved debt, insulting a member of the babaknáng or ári, by being prisoners of war, or even inherting the debt of their ancestor.[14]

Appearances

An Ilocano woman and man wearing katukong and annangá, circa 1820s.

Both Ilocano men and women grew their hair long, but tied it up in different ways. Some women twisted their hair to create a bun, while some men twisted their hair and hid it under a turban like wrapping called a bangal or potong. The patterns and colors of the bangal had many meanings. For example, red potong indicated that the wearer had killed, while a striped pattern indicated that the wearer killed at least seven people.[15] In addition to the bangal, farmers and fishermen also wore a gourd hat called a kattukong on sunny or rainy days. The kattukong was made from a hollowed and dried calabash gourd or tabúngaw in Ilocano with a woven interior made of anahaw, nipa, bamboo, and/or rattan. Also often worn during rainy days was a cape called a annangá which was often made of nipa palm leaves.

Spanish Era to the Philippine Republic

Juan de Salcedo

The Spanish conquistador Juan de Salcedo explored the northern regions of the Philippines in 1571, where he traveled to the Ilocos region (among other places), pacifying the North, and establishing several Spanish municipalities, including Villa Fernandina known as Vigan City in the present time and Tagudin.

War with Zambales and Pangasinan

In 1660, Andres Malong, a chief of San Carlos, Pangasinan or Binalatongan as it was called than, allied with the people of Zambales in an effort to throw out the Spanish and plunder those who opposed them. Malong was once employed by the Spanish to help pacify and conquer non-Christian towns and villages in Pangasinan, however, as Malong conquered others, he realized he could also overcome the outnumbered Spanish.

With his Zambales allies, Malong crowned himself the king of Pangasinan and sent out letters to all the chiefs of the Ilocos Region, Pampanga and Cagayan Valley and demanded that they too align and recognize Malong as their king and kill any Spaniards among them. If they did not, Malong warned that he would invade and punish them for not joining his cause.[16]

Unlike Pangasinan and the Zambales, The Ilocos at the time was a region that the Spanish invested its soldiers and missionaries in and routinely secured. Towns such as Vigan, Ilocos Sur and Tagudin, Ilocos Sur were quickly conquered with Spanish encomiendas, fortifications and Catholic churches quickly established to subdue the Ilocano people into the Spanish Empire. The Spanish were swift in this process to stake their claim on the region's gold trade with the Igorots.[17] They sought to protect this trade from Chinese and Japanese pirates and different European powers such as the Dutch or English. Considering this relatively recent history with the Spanish and primarily under the influence of Catholic missionaries, many of the Ilocano chiefs rejected Andres Malong's offer.

Ilocano merchants in the mid-19th century.

In response to their rejection, Malong sent a Zambales chief named Don Pedro Gumapos, who had recently conquered the Pampanga region with 6,000 men, to invade the Ilocos as well as Cagayan regions. Gumapos and his men were met with only 1,500 loyalist Ilocanos under the command of the Spanish alcalde mayor of the region and even missionaries. As such, the Zambales and Pangasinese army quickly defeated them and marched as far north as Vigan, Ilocos Sur where they pillaged and burned the Spanish stronghold and nearby villages. With many of the Spanish missionaries and authorities in the Ilocos evacuated and in retreat, Malong than asked Gumapos to assist him in Pangasinan, where the Spanish were beginning to advance on him. As Gumapos and his troops traveled back down through Narvacan, Ilocos Sur, they continued to raid Ilocano towns and villages for supplies and spoils. Ultimately, the people of Narvacan responded in guerrilla tactics aided by their Tinguian allies.[18] This retaliation by the Ilocano people was devastating and caused more fatalities on Gumapos' army than with the Ilocano forces led by the Spanish.

As the invading army headed south they sacked and burned the coastal towns of Santa Maria, Ilocos Sur, San Esteban, Ilocos Sur, Santiago, Ilocos Sur and Candon, Ilocos Sur. When they finally approached Santa Cruz, Ilocos Sur, Gumapos encountered a Spanish led army who had just finished reconquering Pangasinan and captured Andres Malong. Despite learning of Malong's defeat, Gumapos led his army to battle. Gumapos and his army were defeated after two large battles. After being captured, Gumapos was sent back to Vigan, Ilocos Sur where he was executed by hanging.[19] The Ilocos Region would not see another revolt against the Spanish until 1762.

Present

The mounting population pressure due to the substantial population density during the mid-19th century caused the migration of the Ilocanos out of their historic homeland. By 1903, more than 290,000 Ilocanos migrated to Central Luzon, Cagayan Valley, and Metro Manila. More than 180,000 moved to Pangasinan, Tarlac, and Nueva Ecija. Almost 50,000 moved to Cagayan Valley; half of them resided in Isabela. Around 47,000 lived in Zambales and the Sultan Kudarat more than 11,000.

The Ilocano diaspora continued in 1906 when Ilocanos started to migrate to Hawaii and California. Ilocanos composed the largest number of expatriates in the United States, though most are bilingual with Tagalog. There is a significant Ilocano community in Hawai'i, in which they make up more than 85% of the Filipino population there.[20]

Later migrations brought Ilocanos to the Cordilleras, Mindoro, Palawan, and Mindanao provinces of Sultan Kudarat, North Cotabato, and South Cotabato.

Food

Pinakbet, one of the staples of the Ilocano diet.

Ilocanos boast of a somewhat healthy diet heavy in boiled or steamed vegetables and freshwater fish, but are particularly fond of dishes flavored with bagoong, fermented fish that is often used instead of salt. Ilocanos often season boiled vegetables with bagoong monamon (fermented anchovy paste) to produce pinakbet. Local specialties include the "abuos," soft white larvae of ants, and "jumping salad" or tiny, live shrimp with kalamansi juice. Another food that is popular for many Ilocanos is the Moringa or "Malunggay". It is a good condiment for meat soup(e.g. tinola) or it can be mixed with the famous "dinengdeng", a soup made of mainly vegetables with prawns "alamang". Most households grow this tree in their backyards and usually offered free for all the neighbors who may want them. Many Ilocanos from Hawai'i are fond of eating them. The Ilocano people are also known to be the first ethnic group in the Philippines to eat the larvae and eggs of abuos (weaver ants). The practice has since been infused as well with other ethnic groups in northern Luzon.[21]

Literature

One of the most well-known Ilocano literary works written in Iloco is the Biag ni Lam-ang (The Life of Lam-Ang), an epic poem about the fantastic life and escapades of an Ilocano hero named Lam-ang. "Biag ni Lam-ang" is a testament in the Ilocano literature. The Ilocano writer Elizabeth Medina is probably the most remarkable living Ilocano writer in the Spanish language.

Notable Ilocanos


.*Benito Soliven, studied law at the University of the Philippines, graduated summa cum laude, placed third in the 1921 Bar Examinations, the first lawyer of Santo Domingo, Ilocos Sur, an intellectual, a linguist, a successful political leader, an Outstanding Congressman, a three-termer in the House of Representatives acclaimed as "Valedictorian" in congress having the greatest number of bills most of which were passed/approved by his Colleagues, a hero of World War II, and most of all a very saintly and charitable man, ready to help the needy and his clients free of charge to those who didn't have the money. He is the father of the late Maximo Villaflor Soliven, a prominent Filipino journalist and newspaper publisher and Realtor Victorio V. Soliven. A school and a town are also named after him, the Benito Soliven Academy, located in Santo Domingo, Ilocos Sur and Benito Soliven in the province of Isabela.

  • Carlos P. Garcia, 8th President of the Philippines (1957-1961), his parents were natives from Bangued, Abra.
  • Máximo Villaflor Solivén (September 4, 1929 – November 24, 2006) was a prominent Filipino journalist and newspaper publisher. In a career that spanned six decades, he attained his greatest peak and influence with the Philippine Star, which he co-founded in 1986, and where he served as publisher until his death. His daily column published in the Star, titled "By The Way", was one of the most widely read newspaper columns in the Philippines
  • Bryan Termulo, Filipino singer, His mother is Ilokana from La Union[43]
  • Fabian Ver, former General and Chief of the Armed Forces of the Philippines.
  • Glennifer Perido, beauty pageant titleholder, from Tabuk, Kalinga.
  • Teófilo Yldefonso, "the Ilocano Shark" (February 9, 1903 – July 19, 1943), was a Filipino swimmer who specialized in the breaststroke. He was the first Filipino to win an Olympic medal, and the only Filipino to win multiple medals. He was born in Piddig, Ilocos Norte.
  • Nova Villa, Filipino actress.[44]
  • Vice Ganda Also Known as Jose Mari Viceral, a Filipino comedian, his mother is Ilokana from La Union[45]

Foreign nationals of Ilocano ancestry

See also

Notes and sources

  1. 1 2 "Ilokanos." Junior Worldmark Encyclopedia of World Cultures. The Gale Group, Inc. 1999. Retrieved December 10, 2009.
  2. 1 2 Ilocano in Philippines/Religion
  3. ↑ "UCLA Language Materials Project". Retrieved 2012-09-28.
  4. ↑ Florentino de los Reyes, Isabelo (1890). History of Ilocos. p. 85-88. ISBN 978-971-542-729-6.
  5. ↑ Mayor Apostol, Virgil (2010). Way of the Ancient Healer: Sacred Teachings from the Philippine Ancestral Traditions. p. 100-101. ISBN 978-155-643-941-4.
  6. ↑ Florentino de los Reyes, Isabelo (1890). History of Ilocos. p. 131. ISBN 978-971-542-729-6.
  7. ↑ C. Mateo, Grace Estela (2004). A History of Ilocos: The Regionalization of Spanish Colonialism (PhD). University of Hawaii. p. "40".
  8. ↑ Y. Yabes, Leopoldo (1981). Short Papers on Philippine Folk Lore and Life. Quezon City, Philippines: University of Philippines Press. p. 223-224.
  9. ↑ Nydegger, William F; Nydegger, Corinne (1966). Tarong an Ilocos Barrio in the Philippines. p. 2. ISBN 052-000-157-5.
  10. ↑ Forentino de los Reyes, Isabelo (1890). History of Ilocos. p. 52. ISBN 978-971-542-729-6.
  11. ↑ C. Mateo, Grace Estela (2004). A History of Ilocos: The Regionalization of Spanish Colonialism (PhD). University of Hawaii.
  12. ↑ Forentino de los Reyes, Isabelo (1890). History of Ilocos. p. 55. ISBN 978-971-542-729-6.
  13. ↑ Forentino de los Reyes, Isabelo (1890). History of Ilocos. p. 56. ISBN 978-971-542-729-6.
  14. ↑ Forentino de los Reyes, Isabelo (1890). History of Ilocos. p. 56-57. ISBN 978-971-542-729-6.
  15. ↑ Forentino de los Reyes, Isabelo (1890). History of Ilocos. p. 114-115. ISBN 978-971-542-729-6.
  16. ↑ Helen Blair, Emma; Alexander Robertson, James (1906). The Philippine Islands, 1493–1898. Cleveland, Ohio: The Arthur H. Clark Comopany. p. 169-181. ISBN 9332857164.
  17. ↑ A. Newson, Linda (2009). Conquest and Pestilence in the Early Spanish Philippines. Honolulu, HI: University of Hawaii Press. p. 188-189. ISBN 9715506364.
  18. ↑ Helen Blair, Emma; Alexander Robertson, James (1906). The Philippine Islands, 1493–1898. Cleveland, Ohio: The Arthur H. Clark Comopany. p. 199-200. ISBN 9332857164.
  19. ↑ M. Cortes, Rosario (1974). Pangasinan 1572-1800. Quezon City, Philippines: University of Philippines Press. p. 164-165. ISBN 9789711004583.
  20. ↑ Uhm Center For Philippine Studies Archived 2007-08-09 at the Wayback Machine.
  21. ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v6txMKRYsg8
  22. ↑ http://www.asiancinevision.org/marilou-diaz-abaya-obsessions-and-transitions-a-biographical-survey-16/
  23. ↑ Mac C. Alejandre [@macalejandre] (7 July 2011). "@KarmaWins80 my father is ilocano, my mother is tagalog/ilocano. Very native. Alejandre though is portuguese italian. I wonder hw we got it" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  24. ↑ http://globalbalita.com/2006/11/
  25. ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y_k7Q60fXqM
  26. ↑ Anne Curtis-Smith [@annecurtissmith] (15 September 2012). "@leizion she's ilocana. No I don't. I wish I could though!!!" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  27. ↑ Ces Oreña-Drilon [@cesdrilon] (3 July 2013). "@CarisaManuel it was my dad who was Ilocano and the staple we had once a week was saluyot & labong w/ inihaw na isda" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  28. ↑ Coleen Garcia [@coleengarcia] (20 June 2011). "haan ko ammo ngem ni nanang ko ilokana ☺ RT @aprilonbloom: @coleengarcia AMMUM AGILOKANO TEH?" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  29. ↑ Jhong hilario [@jhongsample] (13 April 2011). ""@simply_resi: @jhongsample ano po province nyo?"-pangasinan po.ilocano :)" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  30. ↑ bianca king [@bianca_king] (26 March 2011). "I'm ilocana. I'm cheating. I have a translator. My friend here in cebu teaches me. Heehee" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  31. ↑ Doug Kramer [@DougKramer44] (6 November 2011). "@anklethan wen iloKANO ak! Ilocanong American" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  32. ↑ Carlo Lacana [@Itscarlolacana] (13 February 2013). "@MaureenValerio Oo Ilocos norte ako" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  33. ↑ Japoy Lizardo [@japoy_lizardo] (29 March 2013). ""@myzMycel: @japoy_lizardo ilocano ka gayam kuya Japs? O_o"- wen!! ^^" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  34. ↑ http://www.asianave.com/music/view/artist.html?owner_user_id=34900
  35. ↑ http://www.philstar.com/entertainment/2015/11/11/1520468/big-pbb-737-winners
  36. ↑ Jane Oineza [@itsJaneOineza] (6 June 2013). ""@Missashleyjoyy: @itsJaneOineza Nalpas kamin. ilokana ka gayam. :)" - wen ah. Ni mamang ken papang ko. :)" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  37. ↑ Bela Padilla [@padillabela] (2 November 2010). "@dealwithAYISHA no haha my lola naman is from nueva ecija so half of me is pure ilocano :) I can say nagpudot and magan tayon. Hahaha" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  38. ↑ Jim [@Jimparedes] (1 July 2010). "My father s from Abra. I grew up in MLA RT @chrisduran81: @jimparedes oh you're ilocano sir, are you from San Juan, La Union?" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  39. ↑ https://twitter.com/markusrpaterson/status/868009183337103360
  40. ↑ http://www.spin.ph/basketball/news/marc-pingris-depensang-ilocano-import-stopper-ivan-johnson-purefoods-talk-n-text-pba-commissioners-cup-semifinals
  41. ↑ Richard Faulkerson© [@R_FAULKERSoN] (12 October 2015). "@ofcaldub_ILS my mom is from Sinait. :)" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  42. ↑ Jericho Rosales [@jericho_rosales] (12 August 2013). "@jairusdevirus apologies.. Although i'm an Ilocano" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  43. ↑ http://www.launion.gov.ph/page.php?10
  44. ↑ http://www.pep.ph/photos/611/Nova_Villa,_Happy_Homebody/num/3/635
  45. ↑ jose marie viceral [@vicegandako] (16 October 2011). ""@mariceldeleon: @vicegandako ilocano ka?"-opo. Taga batangas kasi tatay ko e. ☺" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  46. ↑ YouTube sensation Mikey Bustos and how to be 'Pilipino' - Pinoy Abroad - GMA News Online gmanetwork.com
  47. ↑ Pastor, Rene. "Will Gina Ortiz-Jones become the first Filipina American in Congress? | INQUIRER.net". usa.inquirer.net. Retrieved 2018-07-09.
  48. ↑ Lauren Smiley. "The Eyes of the Hurricane". SF Weekly. March 10, 2010.
  49. ↑ "Ana Julaton: Her Side of the Ring". Mightygloves.com. November 28, 2009.
  50. ↑ "Munting Nayon News Magazine" Archived 2009-06-03 at the Wayback Machine.

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