A discussion about Ilocano tribe. Their history, traditions, Culture and Customs PDF

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It contains a lot of information about ilocano tribe. This is a part of coltural mapping, it covers the history of the ilocano tribe, population of the tribe and some traditions and customs that the ilocano people observe. This also covers the origin of ilocano....

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CHAPTER 1 HISTORY AND ORIGIN OF ILOCANO

Ilocano, also spelled Ilokano, or Ilokan, also called Iloko, or Iloco, third largest ethnolinguistic group in the Philippines. When discovered by the Spanish in the 16th century, they occupied the narrow coastal plain of northwestern Luzon, known as the Ilocos region. The growth of their population later led to much migration to neighbouring provinces, to the southern Philippine island of Mindanao, and to Hawaii. Their language is closely related to others of northern Luzon, all of which belong to the Austronesian (Malayo-Polynesian) family of languages. In the early 21st century the Ilocano (Iloko) language was spoken by roughly 10 million people. The word Ilocano or Ilokano originates from the word Iloko (archaic Spanish form, Yloco), the conjugation of i- (meaning 'of') and look (meaning 'bay'), which means 'from the bay' in Ilocano. Alternatively, according to some records, the name “iluko” is derived from “l-”(originating from) and “luku” or “lukung (a valley or depression of land, hence "lowland"). It is located between the “gulod” (mountains) and the “luek” (sea or bay). Iloc“ano” is the Spanish word for "us" ano, which refers to the people (e.g., Americano, Italyano, Africano, Mexicano, etc.). Males are referred to as Ilocano or Ilokano while females are referred to as Ilocana or Ilokana. The major Ilocano provinces, Ilocos Norte, Ilocos Sur, and La Union, are among the most densely populated areas in the Philippines. Rice is the staple crop, grown on small fields and irrigated by rainfall during the rainy season. Vegetables and pigs, goats, and chickens are also raised. Tobacco is an important cash crop. Many Ilocano supplement their incomes by wage work or handicrafts.

The wealthier families generally reside in the cities and towns. Marriages are usually arranged so as to maintain class lines, the husband’s family providing the sabong, or dowry of land. Most of the people are Roman Catholic.

Pre-history 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, posits that from 300 to 200 BC 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, consisting 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 studies show that the Ilocanos came to the Northwestern Luzon along with the Kalingas, Apayaos, and Tingguians. 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.

Early History 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. 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. 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. If the heir was found to be weak by the íli, then 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, some of whom 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 ári in sailing, working his/her fields,

the kailianes, and preparing

a for

class celebrations.

that

helped

In

exchange,

the kailianes were given gifts directly from the ári. 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 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 inheriting the debt of their ancestor.

Appearances

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. 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.

Spanish Era to the Philippine Republic

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), colonizing 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 1660 In 1660, Andres Malong, a chief of San Carlos, Pangasinan or Binalatongan as it was called then, allied with the people of Zambales in an effort to remove the Spanish colonizers and subdue those who supported Spain. Malong was formerly employed by the Spanish to help colonize non-Christian towns and villages in Pangasinan, however, as Malong subjugated 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.[15] 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 by the Spanish encomiendas, fortifications and Catholic churches quickly established to subjugate 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.[16] They sought to prevent Chinese and Japanese pirates and different European powers such as the Dutch or English from taking these trade routes. 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 Spanish loyalist Ilocanos under the command of the 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 sacked and burned the Spanish stronghold and nearby villages. With many of the Spanish missionaries and colonial authorities in Ilocos evacuated and/or in retreat, Malong then 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. Ultimately,

the

people

of

Narvacan

responded

with

guerrilla

tactics

aided

by

their Tinguian allies. This retaliation by the Ilocano people was devastating and caused more fatalities on Gumapos' army than with the Spanish lead Ilocano forces. As the invading army headed south, they sacked and/or 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. The Ilocos Region would not see another revolt against the Spanish until 1762.

The Basi Revolt 1807 The Basi Revolt, “also known as Ambaristo Revolt,” erupted on September 16, 1807 in the present-day town of Piddig, Ilocos Norte. Led by Pedro Mateo a “cabeza de barangay” of Piddig

and Saralogo

Ambaristo an Ilocano and Tinguian and

composed

of townspeople from Piddig, Badoc, Sarrat, Laoag, Sinait, Cabugao, Magsingal and other towns of Ilocos, they marched under their own flag of yellow and red horizontal bands and made their way southward towards the provincial capital of Vigan to protest against the abuses of the Spanish colonial government. Historical accounts said in the year 1786, It began as a result of the people’s frustration over the “Basi” (the local beverage of the Ilocos, where it has been consumed even before the Spanish conquest) Wine Monopoly imposed by the Spanish Colonial government and prohibited the private manufacture of basi, forcing Ilocanos to buy from government stores. It was a draconian colonial policy that deeply impacted both the economy and the culture of the Ilocanos. Even before the arrival of the Spaniards, Basi was an important part of the Ilocanos' society and culture. Drinking Basi plays such a great importance in Ilocano culture, from marriage to childbirth and to death, it is a part of their ritual, tradition, and daily life; It's also one of the things that brings happiness to Ilocano people especially the masses despite the cruelty of colonialism. Basi was a major industry in the Ilocos Region at that time, therefore in addition to the grief of Ilocanos had also lost their livelihood, in other words, they had been robbed of their happiness as well as an essential part of their culture and heritage. Fueled by these abuses, the wine-loving Ilocanos were then prompted to start the uprising in Piddig town and later spread in the northern and southern towns of Ilocos province. On September 28, 1807, Ilocano forces on their way to the capital "Ciudad Fernandina de Vigan" were assassinated by Spanish forces while crossing the Bantaoay River in San Ildefonso, Ilocos Sur, resulting in the deaths of hundreds of Ilocano forces. Those who survived the battle were hanged and their heads pierced with wooden poles and flagged by the Spaniards as a warning to anyone who wanted to strike and fight against the Spaniards. The Basi Revolt lasted for 13 days and almost liberated Ilocos from colonialism. The series of unrest also led the colonial government to divide the province into the now Ilocos Norte and Ilocos Sur. Despite failing to attain their ultimate goal of liberation for Ilocanos, the

Basi Revolt succeeded in inspiring future movements for justice and freedom in Northern Luzon.

American Colonial era and World War II In 1901, the region came under American colonial rule, and in 1941, under Japanese occupation. During 1945, the combined American and the Philippine Commonwealth troops including with the Ilocano and Pangasinan guerillas liberated the Ilocos Region from Japanese forces during the Second World War.

Modern history Post-Independence Period Several modern presidents of the Republic of the Philippines hailed from the Region: Elpidio Quirino, Ferdinand Marcos. Marcos expanded the scope of the original Ilocos Region by transferring the province of Pangasinan from Region III into Region I in 1973, and imposed a migration policy for Ilokanos into Pangasinan; He also expanded Ilokano influence amongst the ethnic peoples of the Cordilleras by including Abra, Mountain Province, and Benguet in the Ilocos region in 1973 although these were later integrated into the Cordillera Administrative Region in 1987. A third "Ilocano" President, Fidel V. Ramos, hailed from Pangasinan. Martial Law Era Ilocanos were also among the victims of human rights violations during the martial law era which began in September 1972, despite public perception that the region was supportive of Marcos' administration. In Ilocos Norte, various farmers from the towns of Vintar, Dumalneg, Solsona, Marcos and Piddig were documented to have been tortured, and eight farmers in Bangui and three indigenous community members in Vintar were "salvaged" in 1984. Ilocanos who were critical of Marcos' authoritarian rule included Roman Catholic Archbishop and Agoo, La Union native Antonio L. Mabutas, who spoke actively against the torture and killings of church workers. Others were student activists student activists Romulo and Armando Palabay of San Fernando, La Union, whose torture and death in a Military camp in Pampanga would lead to then being honored as martyrs of the fight against the dictatorship at the Philippines' Bantayog ng mga Bayani memorial. Another prominent opponent of the martial law regime was human rights advocate and Bombo Radyo Laoag program host David Bueno, who worked with the Free Legal Assistance Group in Ilocos Norte during the later part of the Marcos administration and the early part of the succeeding Aquino administration. Bueno was assassinated by motorcycle-riding men in fatigue uniforms on October 22, 1987 – part of a wave of assassinations which coincided with the 1986–87 coup d'etat which tried to unseat the democratic government set up after the 1986 People Power Revolution.

CHAPTER 2 DEMOGRAPHIC GEOGRAPHIC DISTRIBUTION OF ILOCANOS According to the 2000 census, Ilocanos numbered 6.89 million (9% of the national population). Among all Filipino ethno-linguistic groups, the Ilocanos are the most famed as migrants, settling since the 19th century in sparsely populated expanses of the northern Central Plain of Luzon (provinces of Pangasinan, Tarlac, and Nueva Ecija) and of the Cagayan Valley in the northeast. In addition, many Ilocanos have established themselves in Manila and other major cities of the country, as well as in frontier lands on Mindanao. In 2000, Ilocanos were the majority group in the Ilocos region at 66.36%. They were the largest single ethnic group in the Cordillera Administrative Region, 39.83% of the population, twice the largest indigenous group, the Kankanay, and formed 11.48% of the population of Central Luzon, with 40.9% in Tarlac, almost as numerous there as Kapampangan, and 19.3% in Nueva Ecija. In Southern Mindanao, Ilocanos formed 11.48% of the population (as high as 17.7% in Sultan Kudarat). The mounting population pressure due to the substantial population density during the mid-19th century caused the migration of the Ilocanos out of their traditional homeland. By 1903, more than 290,000 Ilocanos migrated to Central Luzon, Cagayan Valley, and Metro Manila. More than 180,000 moved to the provinces of 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 more than 11,000 in Sultan Kudarat. Later migrations brought Ilocanos to the Cordilleras, Mindoro, Palawan,

and

Cotabato, and South Cotabato. Population breakdown: black: >90% dark red: 70-89% red: 50-69% light red: 30-49% dark yellow: 10-29% light yellow: 1-9% white:...