Ilocano people

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.

Most Ilocanos are Roman Catholics, while a significant number belong to the Aglipayan Church, which originated in Ilocos Norte.[2][3][5]

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 Mangmangkik 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:

This chant calls on the Mangmangkik and beseeches them not to curse the people cutting the tree down.[6] 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.[7][8]

In Ilocano mythology, Angalo was a mythical creation giant who was also the first man.[9] 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.[10]

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

Two theories are prominent among historians regarding the Spread of what historians call the Austronesian peoples.

• A theory posted by the anthropologist Henry Otley Beyer, known as the Wave of Migration Theory, posists that from 300–200 BC[11] a migration of Austronesian speaking people from the island of Borneo arrived on the shores of northwest Luzon. They were supposedly the most recent of the three waves of migration to the Philippines known as the Malays. 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. Different study shows that the Ilocanos came to the Northwestern Luzon along with the Kalingas, Apayaos and Tingguians [12] 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.
• Nowadays, the most commonly accepted theory is the "Out of Taiwan" model. In this model, it is suggested that the ancestors of today's Austronesian peoples originated from migrations from the island of Taiwan during the Neolithic period.

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.[13]

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.[14] 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.[15]

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 ári administered justice and governed the daily lives of the íli and led his/her people to war if necessary.

Below the ári were the wealthy babaknáng, or Maharlika 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/her fields, and preparing for celebrations. In exchange, the kailianes were given gifts directly from the ári.[16]

The katalonan were below the babaknáng and the kailianes and they were tenant farmers who consisted of the majority of the population in an íli. They largely practised 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 inheriting the debt of their ancestor.[17]

An Ilocano woman and man wearing kattukong 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.[18] 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, also called "lábig" or "kalapiáw", which was often made of nipa palm leaves.

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.

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.[19]

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.[20] 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.[21] 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.[22] The Ilocos Region would not see another revolt against the Spanish until 1762.

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.[23]

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

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 moringa (marunggay). It is a good condiment for meat soup called la'uya (e.g. tinola) or it can be mixed with the famous dinengdeng, a soup made of mainly vegetables with prawn aramang. 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.[24]

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.

• Matthew Libatique, an American Hollywood cinematographer and Oscar nominee, best known for his work with director Darren Aronofsky on such films as A Star is Born, Iron Man 1 and Iron Man 2, Inside Man, Miracle at St. Anna, Gothika, Cowboys & Aliens, π, Requiem for a Dream, The Fountain and Black Swan
• Jasmine Trias, 3rd-place winner in American Idol Season 3.
• Jocelyn Enriquez, singer in the Dance Music Genre who did the hit songs A Little Bit Of Ectasy and Do You Miss Me.
• Benny Agbayani, professional baseball player.
• Larry Ramos (born Hilario Ramos on April 19, 1942 in Hawaii), professional guitar player and singer who was awarded a Grammy for his participation in the 1962 album, Presenting The New Christy Minstrels, and who was a key part of the 1960s American pop band the Association.
• Thelma Buchholdt, J.D., elected member, Alaska State House of Representatives (1974–1982).
• Carlos Bulosan, writer from Binalonan, Pangasinan.
• David Bunevacz, athlete.
• Mikey Bustos, YouTube star and Canadian Idol finalist.[50]
• Ben Cayetano, 5th Governor of Hawaii (1994–2002).
• Philip Vera Cruz, labor union leader.
• Emil Guillermo, journalist and 2000 American Book Award winner.
• Gina Ortiz Jones, Filipina-American Iraq War veteran, intelligence officer and politician.[51]
• Ana "The Hurricane" Julaton (from Pozorrubio, Pangasinan) is a boxer. She won the San Francisco Golden Gloves, the California State Championships, was a Diamond Belt champion, and closed out her amateur career by winning the silver medal in the United States Amateur Championships. As a professional boxer, Julation is close to the top in winning world titles with the fewest professional bouts. As of 2010, she is a world-title holder of the International Boxing Association and the World Boxing Organization.[52][53]
• Lt. Gen. Edward Soriano, first Filipino American General of the US Army (ret).
• Maj. Gen. Antonio Taguba, second Fil-Am General of the US Army.
• Brian Viloria, light flyweight boxing champion.
• PJ Raval, Fil-Am filmmaker and director of feature documentary Call Her Ganda about the murder of Jennifer Laude by US Marine Joseph Scott Pemberton.
• Bretman Rock, a YouTube star, his parents were from Cagayan Valley, and now currently living in Hawaii