Sambal people

Sambal

Regions with significant populations
Zambales, Bolinao, Anda, Olongapo, Metro Manila
Languages
Sambal, Bolinao, Botolan, Ilokano, Kapampangan, Tagalog, English
Religion
Predominantly Roman Catholic
Related ethnic groups
Other Filipinos

The Sambal (Spanish: Zambales) are a Filipino ethnolinguistic group living primarily in the province of Zambales, the city of Olongapo, and the Pangasinense municipalities of Bolinao and Anda. The term may also refer to the general inhabitants of Zambales.

In 1950s, hundreds of Sambal-speaking people from the northern municipalities of Zambales, migrated and established a settlement in Quezon, Palawan. The settlement was later on named Barangay Panitian. The residents call themselves Sambal or Sambal-Palaweno.

Traditions

The Sambal are the original Austronesian inhabitants of the province of Zambales and the city of Olongapo in the Philippines. They speak Sambal, Bolinao, or Botolan, all of which are Sambalic languages. The Sambalic languages are most closely related to Kapampangan and to an archaic form of Tagalog still spoken in Tanay in the province of Rizal. This has been interpreted to mean that the Sambal originated from that area, later being displaced by migrating Tagalogs, pushing the original inhabitants northward to what is now the province of Zambales, in turn, displacing the Aetas.

The Spanish, in their first encounters with the Sambal, supposedly found them to be highly superstitious and who worshipped the spirits of their ancestors. To this day, most Sambal still believe in superstitions and mysteries. This is said to be the origin of the name Sambal—the Spanish who first encountered them called them the sambali, coined from the Malay word samba, which means "to worship." The term was later hispanized as zambal.

Like the Moros, the culture and customs of the Sambal are different from that of neighboring groups. This is evident in their traditional dress, which consists of a single-shoulder short-sleeved shirt, paired with short trousers. Usually worn at the chest and shoulder areas of the shirt are badges that resemble multicolored crosses. .

The Sambals were known to be fierce warriors, notorious for their bloody raids on Christian settlements. They have been occasionally recruited by Indio commanders (indio was the term used for the Austronesian inhabitants of the Philippines) in campaigns against the Spanish, who then governed the islands. The Sambal were also once known to have captured and enslaved Diego Silang as a child, eventually being ransomed by a Recollect missionary in Zambales.

It was recorded as customary for the Sambal to perform an execution as punishment for those who have taken another person’s life. Their manner of execution was to bore a hole at the top of the skull and then scrape out the brains.

During the first hundred years of Spanish rule, the Sambal, like most other non-Spanish groups in the Philippines during the colonial era, had their village structures reorganized and were forced into reducciones in order to assimilate them into Spanish cultural norms.

Sambal Languages

The Sambal people are categorized into three major Sambalic ethno-liguistic subgroupings such as Sambali, Bolinao, and Botolan with approximately 200,000, 105,000 and 72,000 speakers, respectively based on 2007 population. The Sambali speakers are the residents of the municipalities of Santa Cruz, Candelaria, Masinloc, Palauig, and the capital town Iba of the province of Zambales. The Bolinao subgroup is located in Anda and Bolinao municipalities of Pangasinan, while the Botolan subgroup is found in Botolan and Cabangan municipalities of Zambales. An estimated 6000 Sambali speakers can also be found in Panitian, Quezon, Palawan and Puerto Princesa City.

The language is also spoken by many Filipino immigrants in the U.S. and Canada. In Dartmouth, Nova Scotia, Canada, for instance, the language is spoken by a clan of Zambals consisting at least five families. It is interesting to note that in Casino Nova Scotia in the maritimes city of Halifax, a group of Sambals can be found running the card games. Community organizations of Sambal-speaking Filipino-Americans are found in San Diego and San Francisco, California as well as in Hawaii.

Sambals in Palawan

Hundreds of Sambals coming from Candelaria, Sta. Cruz, and Masinloc, Zambales migrated to an undeveloped and forested area in southern Palawan in the 1950s. They established a settlement which was later on named Barangay Panitian. Like in Masinloc, many residents of Panitian have their last names start with the letter E. Most common last names are Eclarino, Elefane, Echaluse, Echague, Elgincolin, Edquibal, Ednalino, Edora, Espinoza, Ecaldre and Ecle. Those who came from Sta. Cruz have their last names usually begin with the letter M, foremost of which are Misa, Mora, Moralde and Meredor. Other commom last names of Sambali people in Panitian are Angeles, Atrero and Agagas. There are now approximately 6000 Sambals residing in Palawan. Many of the Sambal-Palawenos have now relocated in Puerto Princesa City, although a majority still resides in Panitian. Many of those who moved to Puerto Princesa City have their residences in Barangay Mandaragat or New Buncag.