Ilocano people

Etymology

The word Ilokano originates from Iloko (archaic form, Yloco), the conjugation of i- (meaning "of") and look (meaning "bay"), which means "from the bay" in Ilokano. Aside from being referred to as Ilokano, they are also identified as Samtoy, a portmanteau of the Ilokano phrase sao mi ditoy meaning "our language here" ("sao mi" = "our language;" "ditoy" - "here").

Ethnic homeland

Ilocandia is the term given to the traditional homeland of the Ilokano people. From the original western strip of Northern Luzon, Ilocandia has spread throughout the Cordillera Administrative Region, Cagayan Valley and some parts of Central Luzon.

Demographics

Ilokanos number about 9,136,000. A few Ilokanos living in the Cordilleras have some Cordillerano blood.

Language

Most Ilokanos speak Ilokano, which is part of the Northern Philippine subgroup of the Austronesian family of languages. They also speak Tagalog, and English as second languages.

Religion

Most Ilokanos are Roman Catholics, while a significant number belong to the Aglipayan Church, which originated in Ilocos Norte.

Diaspora

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

History

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

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), pacifying the North, and establishing several Spanish municipalities, including Villa Fernandina and Tagudin.

Present

The mounting population pressure due to the substantial population density during the mid-19th century caused the migration of the Ilokanos out of their historic homeland. By 1903, more than 290,000 Ilokanos 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 Ilokano Diaspora continued in 1906 when Ilokanos started to migrate to Hawaii and California. Ilokanos composed the largest number of expatriates in the United States, though most are bilingual with Tagalog. There is a significant Ilokano community in Hawai'i, in which they make up more than 85% of the Filipino population there.

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

Food

Ilokanos 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. Ilokanos 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 Ilokanos is the Moringa or "Malunggay". It is a good condiment for meat soup(e.g. tinola) or it can be mixed with the famous "dinengdeng", a soup made of mainly vegetables with prawns "alamang". Most households grow this tree in their backyards and usually offered free for all the neighbors who may want them. Many Ilokanos from Hawai'i are fond of eating them.

Literature

One of the most well-known Ilokano 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 Ilokano hero named Lam-ang. The Ilokano writer Elizabeth Medina is probably the most remarkable living Ilokano writer in Spanish language.

Philippine nationals of Ilokano ancestry

Foreign nationals of Ilokano ancestry