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The various ethnic groups in the Philippines identify themselves based on one or several factors most popularly by parental lineage and language. The majority of the population is composed of ethno-linquistic groups whose languages are Malayo-Polynesian and who had converted to Christianity and the European-American ways of life. From north to south, the most numerous of these groups are the Ilocanos, the Pangasinan, the Kapampangans, the Tagalogs, the Bicolanos and the Visayan. In Mindanao, there are several ethnic groups of similar ancestry, but converted to Islam. They are collectively called Moros. They have retained much of the Islamic way of life and living under the symbolic rules of sultanates. The Moro, along with other minority groups, still suffer discrimination in employment and media from the majority Christian groups. The Negritos are a Melanesian people that were the first to settle the archipelago and numbering some 30,000. In various parts of the country especially the highlands of Luzon are Austronesian tribes such as the Igorots and Kalingas. Their ways of life remains free from western or Islamic influence. They are said to be the best basis for the study of pre-Hispanic culture. Non-Austronesian groups also form part of the population. Those significant in number include descendants of Europeans, Americans, Arabs, Chinese, Japanese and lately Koreans. Mestizos refer to those of mixed Spanish and Austronesian ancestries but may also refer to those of pure Spanish ancestry that have lived in the islands since Spanish rule. Mestizos may also refer to other non-Austronesian mixes such as those of part American, German, British, Chinese, Japanese, or Arab ancestry. There are also ethnic Chinese in various parts of the archipelago. A well known district is Binondo. The Philippines is one of the most diverse countries in terms of ethnicity.1dubious
Ethnic identity
Ethnic identity in the Philippines, quite unlike neighboring Asian countries, is relatively fluid, informal and depends greatly on context. The most common mark of ethnic identity is language. For instance, a Kapampangan may identify himself as such by the fact that his mother tongue is the Kapampangan language. Many also identify themselves based on ancestry. For example, a woman who has Bicolano ancestry but has spent most of her life in Manila may identify herself as Bicolano, even if she doesn’t speak any of the Bikol languages. Others are lumped together to a certain grouping based on some shared characteristics. Tribal groups are commonly grouped together in spite of having very different customs and languages, and having had very little interaction with each other. Moros are similarly diverse and independent from each other, and they are many times grouped together due to a shared history, culture and religion. Similarly, lowland Christian Filipinos are many times lumped together due to their similar culture, despite having different languages or different ancestries. Given that ethnolinguistic boundaries are gradually blurring due to migration and intermarriage, regional identity (i.e. the place where one was brought up and whose language one speaks) serves as another very common identifier. One may identify oneself, for example, as a Davaoeño, Negrense, Ilonggo, Zamboangueño, Metromanileño, etc. Unlike China or the United States, there are no official ethnicities or "nations" in the Philippines, and migration and intermarriages between people of different ethnicities have been common throughout the past centuries. This has made ethnic identities of Filipinos greatly dependent on context, aside from being relatively fluid. For instance, a person who has Ilocano ancestry but who has spent his whole life in Davao may be identified as an Ilocano when he is in Davao and a Davaoeño when he is in Manila. And a Cebuano of Chinese ancestry may identify himself either as Chinese Filipino due to his ancestry; or as a Visayan because his primary language is Cebuano, a Visayan language; or Cebuano, based on his mother tongue (Cebuano) and the land of his birth (Cebu). People who identify themselves with multiple ethnicities and/or regional affiliations is not uncommon, particularly in major cities and in areas where a lot of migration has taken place, like Metro Manila, Metro Cebu, and many parts of Mindanao. The term mestizo (of mixed-ancestry) is used most commonly to those with part-Caucasian ancestry, and occasionally to those with part-Chinese ancestry. There are also a number of Filipinos who consider themselves of an ethnocultural origin distinct from that of the Philippines, and who tend to affiliate with either or both. Their "hyphenated" identities, as in the case of Chinese-Filipinos, apart from indicating ancestry, may connote a sense that they as individuals straddle two worlds—one experience is specific to their unique ethnic identity, while the other is that of broader Philippine society. These "hyphenated" Filipinos, many of whom have profound and immediate connections to their homelands, have often been accused and criticized of holding loyalties to other countries. However, they claim that critics miss important points. There are many "hyphenated" Filipinos who, while being unable to sacrifice half of who they are, do not define or desire to define themselves as such, but rather are defined as such by other people with different treatment. The result is that even if these Filipinos are, in the words of the Panatang Makabayan, "a true Filipino in thought, in word, [and] in deed," they still may end up having a different experience, and for that reason may develop shared understandings with others of their type, whether they want that or not. This in itself becomes, ironically, a reason for them to be interested in their "hyphenated" identity, as they learn how to cope with the unique experiences dealt them. Population history
Map of the ethnolinguistic groups of the Philippines.
The first humans in the Philippines are the Tabon Man, who was postulated to have lived at 0-1 BC, and the Cagayan Man, who is in turn thought to live at about 250,000-500,000 BC. The archaeological evidences indicate similarities of the two aforementioned fossils to fossils found in China and Indonesia. The next group that arrived are the nomadic Negritos, whose ancestors were similar to the ancestors of the Andamanese and occupied several scattered areas throughout the islands. Unlike the following groups, they arrived before the Last Ice Age ended and were able to use land bridges. Current archaeological evidences subscribe to the "Mainland Theory" of Peter Bellwood, that the ancestors of Malays, Indonesians, and the Pacific Islanders first crossed the Taiwan Strait 4,000 years ago, during the Iron Age. These early voyagers are thought to be the Austronesians. They used balangays (boats) to cross the Bashi Channel to the Philippines. This is attested by the fact that in Taiwan and the Philippines, the peoples are subdivided into several small tribes, whereas in Malaysia and Indonesia, most peoples are homogenous or are divided into large tribes, indicating that Taiwan, then the Philippines, was the starting point for Austronesian migration, and that Malays and Indonesians, as well as the Pacific Islanders instead came from the Philippines, and not from Malaya or Sumatra.citation needed By the 14th century, the ethnic landscape in the country was already relatively fixed. The Austronesians gradually displaced the Negritos then occupied the plains, deltas, and the coastal areas. Frequent trades with China and Japan in the north, and with the other Malays, Indians, Persians, and Arabs from the west and south also contributed to the ethnic and cultural make-up of the coastal areas. These included th adoption of Baybayin, Islam, as well as the concept of Karma. With the Spanish colonization of the Philippines, two new groups of people were introduced to the archipelago. These are the Europeans and the American Indians. The Europeans settled in the plains around Manila and Cavite, and some of them intermarried with the natives. These gave rise to the Mestizos or peoples of mixed Austronesian and Spanish descent. Over time, Mestizo communities have also sprung up in various parts of the archipelago, particularly in Cebu, Iloilo, and Bacolod. The American Indians that were brought here, according to author Austin Craig, nearly numbered similar to the native population. Most of them are of Nahuatl (Aztec) or Yaqui descent, or are Mexican mestizos themselves. Many of them intermarried with the indigenous population, particularly in Luzon. By the opening of the Suez Canal in 1867, the Philippines was opened for foreign trade, and there are many Europeans, particularly Britons, Germans, and French, who have settled in the islands. By the end of Spanish rule, the loosely-bound ethnic groups of the islands began calling themselves Filipinos, a term that began with persons of pure Spanish descent born in the Philippines. American colonization in 1898 brought in a new ethnic group, the Anglo-Americans, and the Philippines was held by most American authors as the westernmost outpost of American ethnic and territorial expansion. A plan formulated by the American government was to transfer all the African Americans in the Mainland United States to the Philippines, but this never materialized, due to the Philippine-American War. From 1898 until the present-day, a continuous trickle of American immigration to the Philippines, mostly White Americans, has resulted to the country’s having the largest American and Amerasian population outside of North America. Presently, the Philippines has over 160 distinct indigenous ethnic groups, over half of which are unique linguistic groups, but aside from this, there has been a great deal of intermarriage between the indigenous population and the foreign colonizers and immigrants that it is nearly impossible to set the proportion constants between the various groups. Prehistoric movements of people throughout the region have resulted to the country’s having a large minority of Southern Chinese, Indians, and Arabs, while contemporary migrations have also led to a sizeable Spanish and American populations. More modern immigrations to the country have seen large numbers of Americans, Koreans, Japanese, and Indonesians settle in the islands, particularly during the 21st century. As of now, about 10% of all Filipinos have Southern Chinese ancestry, and 10% of the population is at least partly descended from the European and American colonizers and immigrants. Current increasing trends in immigration and interracial marriage with Caucasians, particularly Americans, as well as with East Asians, particularly Chinese and Japanese, are expected to result to a significant rise in the number of Filipino mestizos by the end of the first half of this century. Indigenous ethnic groupsBicolanoThe Bicolanos originate from the southeastern tip of Luzon: Bicolandia or the Bicol region. There are several Bicolano languages, of which there is a total of 3.5 million speakers.2 Bicol played a major role in shipbuilding for the Manila-Acapulco trade.3 However, possibly due to its being located in the typhoon belt,4 Bicol remains one of the country’s most economically depressed areas, with the lowest income recorded among the regions,3 despite its abundant mineral reserves, and its lumber, abaca and tourism industries.3 The most popular religious icon of Bicol is the Nuestra Señora de Peñafrancia, Patroness of Bicol. This image of the Blessed Virgin Mary is endearingly addressed as "ina" (mother).3 The Bicolanos number about 5,907,000.citation needed They are descended from the Austronesian-speaking immigrants who came from South China during the Iron Age. Some Bicolanos also have Chinese, Arab, and Spanish admixtures. Their language is referred to as Bikol or Bicolano. The Bicolano language is very fragmented, and its dialects are mutually incomprehensible to speakers of other Bicolano dialects. The majority of the Bicolano people are devout Roman Catholics. Catholic Mass is celebrated daily in many churches in the Bicol Region. IbanagThe Ibanags are an ethnic minority numbering a little more than half a million people, who inhabit the provinces of Cagayan, Isabela and Nueva Vizcaya. They are one of the largest ethnic minorities in the Philippines. Ilocano
The Ilocos
Akin to the Ibanag peoples and Ivatans, the Ilocanos are the inhabitants of the lowlands and coastal areas of northern Luzon. Throughout the centuries of the Spanish colonial era up to the present, the Ilocano were noted for their tendency to migrate.5 Today, there is Ilocano presence in central Luzon, Manila, and some towns in the Visayas and Mindanao. 5 Many Filipino-Americans are of Ilocano descent. In Hawaii, they make up 85% of the Filipino-American population.6 There are more than 8 million speakers of the Ilocano language7, making it the third most widely spoken language in the Philippines. Most Ilocanos are Catholics; however, Ilocanos comprise the largest membership within the Philippine Independent Church. IvatanThe Ivatan are predominant in the Batanes Islands of the Philippines. KapampanganThe Kapampangan or Capampañgan (English: Pampangan; Spanish: Pampangueño or Pampango) people originate from the central plains of Luzon, starting from Bataan up to Nueva Ecija. The Kapampangan language is spoken by more than two million people, and has been shown to be related to some Indonesian dialects.8 Most Kapampangans are Catholics. In the Spanish colonial era, Pampanga was known to be a source of valiant soldiers. There was a Kapampangan contingent in the colonial army who helped defend Manila against the Chinese Pirate Limahon. They also helped in battles against the Dutch, the English and Muslim raiders.9 Kapampangans, along with the Tagalogs, played a major role in the Philippine Revolution.10 The Kapampangans are known for their talent in cooking, especially those exotic but delicious foods. Kapampangans are also known to be friendly and happy people. MoroThe Moros comprise of various ethnolinguistic groups in southern and western Mindanao who have a similar ancestry to other lowland Filipinos, but whose religion is Islam. The largest of these are the Tausug, the Maguindanao, the Maranao, the Samal, the Yakan, and the Banguingui. These ethnolinguistic groups are very diverse in terms of language and culture, and have been politically independent from each other up until recently.11 Collectively, they are also called Moros. The word Moro in English means 'moor'. Hence, it has been used by other ethnic groups as a pejorative term. However, some Muslims have used the word moro and have taken pride in it, that they have applied the term Bangsamoro, meaning 'Moro nation', to their homeland. Muslim Filipinos have an independent justice and education system centrally based in Cotabato City. All in all, they comprise 5% of Filipinos,12 making them the sixth largest ethnic group in the country. PangasinenseThe Pangasinan are the ninth largest Filipino ethnic group. They originate from the northwestern seaboard of Luzon. Anthropologically speaking, the Pangasinan and dwellers of the Cordilleras are linguistically related. However, it has not yet been established whether the Cordilleranos descended from the Pangasinan or vice-versa. The Pangasinan are one of the first peoples in the Philippines to have contacts with the Chinese through regular trade as well as the permanent settling of the Chinese, especially in the towns bordering Lingayen Gulf. [1] SambalThe Sambal are the original Austronesian inhabitants of the province of Zambales and the city of Olongapo in the Philippines. They have traditionally been a highly superstitious warrior culture. Sambals currently make up a large proportion of the population in the municipalities of Zambales province north of Iba. TagalogTagalog territory stretches from the central plains of Luzon to the islands of Mindoro and Marinduque.13This article incorporates facts obtained from The Political Graveyard. The Tagalogs were initially animists. From the 14th to the 16th century, Islam had made inroads among the Tagalog ruling class.14 The Tagalogs were Christianized, as were most ethnic groups in the Philippines, during the Spanish colonial era between the sixteenth and nineteenth century. The Tagalogs are the first settlers of Manila. In the late 16th century, Spain chose Manila as the capital of its Philippine colony.13 From then onwards, it has been the political and economic center of the Philippines. Manila and the surrounding Tagalog areas played a leading role in the Philippine Revolution and the People Power Revolution. Throughout the centuries, there have been massive migrations by other ethnic groups to Manila, and many of them have intermarried with the Tagalog population.13 The Tagalog language was chosen as the basis for a national language in 1937. Today, Filipino, a de facto standardized version of Tagalog, is taught nationwide, and is the language of national television, cinema and popular music.15 There are more than 15 million native speakers of Tagalog.16 However, around 70% of Filipinos can speak the national language.13 VisayanVisayans are a multilingual ethnic groupcitation needed located in the Visayas and a large part of Mindanao. Visayan languages with the most number of native speakers are Cebuano, with 20 million;17 Ilonggo (or Hiligaynon), with 7 million;18 and Waray-Waray, with 2.5 million.19 There are some ethnolinguistic groups however that have languages which are classified as Visayan but do not refer to themselves as Visayan. For instance, the Muslim ethnolinguistic group Tausug only use Bisaya to refer to those who are Christian. Meanwhile, there are people who identify as Visaya (primarily those from Metro Manila13 and the United Statescitation needed) but do not speak Visayan languages. Visayans were initially animists who were known for being traders and raiders.20 Magellan’s landing in the Visayas in 1521 marks the start of Christianization of the Visayas and the rest of the Philippines. This event is celebrated by the feast of the Sto. Niño, the most popular religious icon of the Visayas. Major Visayan cities like Cebu , Bacolod and Iloilo played major political, economic and cultural roles during the Spanish colonial era.20 Visayans were also involved in the Philippine Revolution,20 and in the modern Philippine Republic; so far, there has been three Presidents from the Visayas. Aside from the three largest groups, namely Hiligaynon, Cebuano, and Waray, who speak Visayan languages, there are also the Romblomanon, Masbateño, Karay-a, Aklanon, and Cuyonon, to name a few others. Tribal groups
There are 100 or so different sea-based or highland-based tribal groups in the Philippines. Among Filipinos, they are ones least influenced by western or Islamic cultures. While some tribal groups living in Luzon have been Americanized and Westernized--an example of which is the predominance of Protestantism in Cordillera Administrative Region—the tribal groups living in Mindoro and Palawan are still generally animistic, while many of those in Mindanao practice folk Islam. BadjaoThe Badjao of the Sulu Archipelago are sometimes described as the sea gypsies due to their semi-nomadic nature. Despite being Muslim, they are distinct from the Moro. IgorotThe Cordillerano or Igorot, live in the highlands of Luzon. They are primarily located in the Cordillera Administrative Region. Lumad
A T'Boli woman
The Lumad of Mindanao includes several tribes such as the Manobo, the Tasaday, the Mamanwa, the Mandaya, and the Kalagan. They primarily inhabit eastern parts of Mindanao such as the Caraga and Davao Regions. MangyanThe Mangyan of are the primary inhabitants of Mindoro. They are known for their Buhid and Hanuno'o scripts. Negrito groups
An Ati woman
The scattered Negritos include the Aeta in Luzon and the Ati of Panay, the Batak of Palawan, and the Mamanwa of Mindanao. They have features that are distinct from the majority. Palawan tribesThe tribes of Palawan are a diverse group of tribes primarily located in the island of Palawan. The Tagbanwa is know for their script. Non-indigenous ethnic groupsChinese
Most Chinese Filipinos, or Tsinoys, are located in centers of commerce. They have been instrumental in the growth of small and medium-sized businesses and large corporations in the past centuries up to the present. Not surprisingly, the old center of trade and industry in Manila is Binondo, the biggest Chinatown in the Philippines. Many Filipinos with Chinese ancestry played major roles in the Philippine Revolution.23 The Philippines has one of the most assimilated Chinese communities in Asia.24 It is estimated that among Filipinos, 9% have some Chinese ancestry and 2% are "full-blooded" Chinese. SpanishThere has been a Spanish presence in the Philippines since the early sixteenth century. The Spanish colonial era in the country (1565-1898) in the early stages of colonization were mostly government officials, soldiers and religious missionaries. Many of these came from Mexico, as the Philippines was, for many years, governed as its province. Later in the colonial era, Spanish entrepreneurs, most of whom where Basques, also arrived. There has been a significant Hispanic influence on Philippine religion and culture;25 85% of Filipinos are Catholics, and Philippine languages contain thousands of Spanish loanwords. Since Spanish was only taught to a small minority, the ilustrados, and migrations of Spanish speakers was small compared to that of Latin America, Spanish language speakers in the Philippines never went beyond 5% of the population.26 According to a genetic study which included 28 genotyped individuals from the Philippines, "Some European introgression was also evident in Southeast Asia (2.3%–7.8%) and the Philippines (3.6%)."27.{p.434} A large part of this European introgression is very likely of Spanish origin. Filipinos with a mix of Spanish ancestry, Spanish mestizos, are particularly visible in show business, and some leaders in Philippine business and comerce are of Spanish descent.28 Spanish and Spanish-speaking families are mostly found in areas that had agricultural importance during the Spanish colonial era, like Bacolod and Iloilo, and old centers of commerce, like Cebu and Manila. Today, the Spanish-Filipinos are estimated to be numbering around several hundreds of thousands of the Philippine population and constitute the seventh largest Filipino ethnic group.citation needed Despite being a minority, the Spanish maintains control over major industries in the Philippines, including banking, power and transportation. American
Arab
Indian
Indonesians
Registration, Residency and DeportationAs early as 1999, the Philippine government had been attempting to get Indonesians to register with the authorities, holding out the possibility that they might be granted citizenship as an incentive. However, a survey the next year, which counted 7,200 Indonesians living illegally in the area, found that few wanted to be naturalized in the Philippines, though they hoped to obtain permanent residency in order to regularize their living situation, while 30-35% hoped to be repatriated to Indonesia. That survey found the largest community of Indonesians in Sarangani province, with others in South Cotabato, Sultan Kudarat, Davao City, Davao del Norte, Davao Oriental, and North Cotabato. At that time, they planned to deport 1,738 of them. In 2002, the Philippine government, alarmed by the number of Indonesian nationals implicated in recent Jemaah Islamiyah bombings in the Philippines, drew up a plan to deport a further 12,000 Indonesians from Mindanao; however, the implementation of the plan stalled due to disagreements between the Philippine and Indonesian governments over who would pay for it. Indonesians in the Philippines are often stereotyped as terrorists as a result. In 2003 and again in 2005, the Philippine government initiated another survey and registration drive; that one registered 2,448 Philippine-born Indonesians, including 247 in General Santos, 371 in Glan-Sarangani, 265 in Davao del Sur, 108 in Davao City, 339 in Kiamba, Tupi and Malapatan, another 253 in Sarangani Island, 341 in Isulan, Sultan Kudarat and Kidapawan, and an additional 154 in Sarangani and Davao del Sur. The Indonesian government is also attempting to convince them to register with the local Indonesian consulate and with the Philippine government, and offered to pay their registration fees for identity documents. Japanese
Jewish
Korean
LatinMexicans
Colombians
Venezuelans
Other
There is also the presence of other Asian nationalities in the country. Indonesians, Malaysians, as well as Thais and Vietnamese form the bulk of the Asian expatriate population in the Philippines. Most are Muslims, and some are Christians, Animists, or Buddhists. Most of them are businessmen or students.citation needed Indonesians, in particular, number about 36,000 according to a recent surveycitation needed. Most Indonesians in the Philippines are of Javanese or Sundanese extractioncitation needed, while some are Sulawesi or Maluku nativescitation needed. Although Indonesians have been prejudiced as terrorists and extremistscitation needed, the majority of them are peaceful Islamic missionaries living in Mindanao, although there are also some who are members of the Jemaah Islamiyah terrorist group.citation needed Most of them live in Mindanao, and speak Indonesian, Cebuano, Tagalog, and English. There are also at least 4,000 Canadians living in the Philippines but most of them are commonly mistaken as Americans. There is also a large African population in the Philippines normally from Nigeria, Togo, Ghana, Benin, Somalia, Egypt, South Africa, Libya and Kenya. The Philippines has also accepted refuges from Rwanda, Uganda, Sudan and Congo. Pakistanis
RussiansThere are over 700+ Russians residing in the Philippines normally for work or education. Many of the Russians in the Philippines are either working as nurses, doctors or petrochemical companies in the Philippines. Vietnamese
Notes
SHAMOY-expression na pinasikat ni sir rodante ricanfranca See alsoExternal links
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