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Ilocano people

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Ilocanos
Total population
9,136,000
(10.1% of the Philippine population)
Regions with significant populations
 Philippines
(Cagayan Valley, Cordillera, Ilocos, Metro Manila, Central Luzon, Mindoro, Palawan, Mindanao)
 United States
(Hawaii, California)
elsewhere
Languages
Ilocano, Cebuano (in Mindanao), Filipino, English
Religion
Predominantly Roman Catholic,
Aglipayan minority, Protestantism
Related ethnic groups
Ibanag, Ivatan, Kapampangan, Pangasinan,
other Filipino peoples,
other Austronesian peoples

The Ilocano or Ilokano people are the third largest Filipino ethnolinguistic group. Aside from being referred to as Ilocanos, from "i"-from, and "looc"-bay, they also refer to themselves as Samtoy, from the Ilocano phrase "sao mi ditoy", meaning 'our language here.' The word "Ilocano" came from the word "Iloco" or "Yloco."

Origin and distribution

File:Ilocos11.JPG

The Ilocano people are indigenous to coastal areas of northern Luzon in the Philippines.[1] Today, the Ilocanos are the dominant ethnic group in northern Luzon, and their language (Ilocano) has become the lingua franca of the region, as Ilocano traders provide highland peoples with their primary link to the commerce of the outside world.[1] Ilocandia is the term given to the traditional homeland of the Ilocano people; present-day Ilocandia roughly encompasses regions 1 through 3 of the Philippines (the Ilocos Region, Cagayan Valley, and parts of Central Luzon), as well as the Cordillera Administrative Region.

Many Ilocanos have left their homeland to settle elsewhere. The Ilocanos are the majority in the provinces of Ilocos Norte, Ilocos Sur, Abra, La Union, Apayao, Cagayan, Isabela, Nueva Vizcaya, and Quirino. They form 10-49% of the populations of the province of Aurora, Zambales, Kalinga, Nueva Ecija, Ifugao, Benguet, Pangasinan, and Tarlac. Less than 10% in the Batanes, and Mountain Province. Further government-sponsored migrations have led to the resettlement of Ilocanos to Mindanao, particularly to the provinces of South Cotabato, North Cotabato, and Sultan Kudarat. Other important Ilocano communities exist in Metro Manila and the world over.

Demographics

Ilocanos number about 9,136,000.[citation needed] The Ilocanos are primarily of Austronesian stock, like the rest of the Filipino people.[citation needed] As their homeland is the closest region in the Philippines to China, there are significant amounts of Southern Chinese DNA and even some Japanese blood as well. A very small number of Ilocanos have Spanish descent; others are city settlers with Indian and Arab blood. A few Ilocanos living in the Cordilleras have some Cordillerano blood. Ilocanos speak the Ilokano language (also called Iloko), which is part of the Northern Philippine subgroup of the Malayo-Polynesian family of languages. They also speak Cebuano (in Mindanao), Tagalog, and English as second languages. Most Ilocanos are Roman Catholics, while a significant number[quantify] belong to the Aglipayan Church, which originated in Ilocos Norte. Many Filipino-Americans are of Ilocano descent. They make up 85% of the Filipino-American population in Hawaii.

History

The Austronesian ancestors of the present-day Ilocanos came to the Philippines through bilogs, or outrigger boats during the Iron Age.

Spanish Era

In 1572, when the Spanish conquistador Juan de Salcedo conquered the Ilocanos, he described them as being more barbarous than the Tagalogs. During the Spanish Colonial Era, the Ilocanos were one of the first ethnic groups to revolt against the Spaniards. The first Ilocano revolt occurred in January 1661, when the Ilocanos proclaimed their illustrious leader and wealthy provincemate, Don Pedro Almazan as their King. Almazan was executed by the Spaniards after the kingdom was dissolved. Diego Silang and his wife Gabriela Silang declared independence of Free Ilocos on 1762-1764 during the British occupation of Manila. The said republic was dissolved on September 20, 1763 through the execution of Silang and his Ilocano associates. During the American Colonial Period and up to the Independence Years, leaders encouraged the Ilocanos to resettle in Mindanao. On 1965, Ferdinand Marcos was the fourth Ilocano to be elected president of the Philippines. Under his presidency, thousands of Ilocanos benefited from his land reforms.

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.

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 Hawaii, in which they make up more than 85% of the Filipino population there.[2]

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

Culture

They are characterized as being hardworking and frugal, and they engage primarily in farming and fishing. The Ilocano culture represents very simple, sometimes spartan day-to-day living, focusing mostly on work and productivity, spending only on necessities and not on so much on ostentatious material possessions. Ilocanos also exemplify a great degree of respect and humility in their everyday dealings, much similar to their Tagalog counterparts.

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 [1]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.

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.

Ilocanos are also known for their beautiful folk songs.

Notable Ilocanos

Philippine nationals of Ilocano ancestry

Foreign nationals of Ilocano ancestry

See also

Notes and sources

  1. ^ a b "Ilocanos." Junior Worldmark Encyclopedia of World Cultures. The Gale Group, Inc. 1999. Retrieved December 10, 2009.
  2. ^ Uhm Center For Philippine Studies
  3. ^ "Good To Know"
  4. ^ Belarde, Sonia (2010-02-05). "Municipal Background of Luna, The Show Window of Apayao". d' lunanians: The Official Site of the Municipality of Luna Apayao. Retrieved 2010-09-27. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)
  5. ^ http://www.filipinasoul.com/2007/05/filipinas-on-mt-everest/
  6. ^ http://www.imdb.com/name/nm1085391/
  7. ^ http://www.asianewsnet.net/news.php?sec=1&id=2950
  8. ^ Austin Craig, "The Story of Jose Rizal" (Lulu.com, 2005)
  9. ^ http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/inquirerheadlines/nation/view/20090415-199381/E-Timor-first-lady-takes-bus-to-Pangasinan
  10. ^ "Featuring 7-Year-Old Break Dancer Anjelo Lil' Demon Baligad! - The Ellen DeGeneres Show"
  11. ^ http://www.biomedexperts.com/Profile.bme/84906/Charlene_F_Barroga
  12. ^ Lauren Smiley. "The Eyes of the Hurricane". SF Weekly. March 10, 2010.
  13. ^ "Ana Julaton: Her Side of the Ring". Mightygloves.com. November 28, 2009.
  14. ^ "Famous Ilocanos and Ilocanas"
  15. ^ Official Bacarra Site Trivia
  16. ^ THE A-TRAIN: NASA'S EARTH OBSERVING SYSTEM (EOS) SATELLITES AND OTHER EARTH OBSERVATION SATELLITES, dlr.de
  17. ^ Aura Science Team Meeting : Boulder, Colorado : September 11 -15, 2006, avdc.gsfc.nasa.gov
  18. ^ Ensuring the Climate Record from the NPOESS and GOES-R Spacecraft : Elements of a Strategy to Recover Measurement Capabilities Lost in Program Restructuring, National Academies Press, p. 25 (online page 36)
  19. ^ "Munting Nayon News Magazine"


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