Hiligaynon people

(or tumao) couple, depicted in the Boxer Codex (c. 1595).|left|211x211px The demonym "Hiligaynon" is from Spanish Hiligueinos (also spelled Yliguenes, Yligueynes, or Hiligueynos), which is derived from the older demonym "Iligan" or "Iliganon", meaning "people of the coast", During the early Spanish colonial period, the conquistador Miguel de Loarca also used the name "Yliguenes" for other coastal-dwelling Visayan peoples in Cebu, Bohol, and Western Negros. The term "Ilonggo" is derived from "Ilong-ilong", the old name for Iloilo City, Panay. “Ilonggo” is considered to define a specific group of people whose ethnic origins are in the provinces of Iloilo, Guimaras, and Panay, while "Hiligaynon" defines the language and culture of the Ilonggo people. Thus, both terms are interchangeable in referring to the culture of the people or the people themselves. The term "Panayan" is derived from "Panay," the name of the island, with the addition of the suffix "-an," which typically denotes a group of people associated with a place. It is sometimes used as an umbrella term that encompasses not only the Ilonggo people but also the Karay-a, Capiznon, and Aklanon peoples. The definition can be used interchangeably with "Ilonggo people" to refer to the broader ethnic group of people from Panay. ==History==

The original inhabitants of Western Visayas were the Negritos, particularly the Ati people in Panay. Malay-speaking peoples settled in the island in the 13th century, but some of the facts of this settlements are clouded by folk mythology among the Hiligaynon. What is known is that in the 13th century, ten datu (chieftains) arrived from Borneo, fleeing the collapse of a central Indonesian empire. The Ati agreed to allow the newcomers to settle, who had purchased the island from them, and the island was named Madya-as. Since then, political organization was introduced to Panay under the Malay newcomers. By the arrival of the Spanish in 1569, the inhabitants of Panay were well-organized, yet became part of Spanish colonial rule. , The first Governor of Negros Occidental The 19th century was marked by the migration of the Hiligaynon from Panay to Negros. Their migration was due to the growth of sugarcane production in the later 19th century. This was also caused by the wane of the textile industry, increasing the labor pool for sugarcane in Panay through the industry's losses. Spanish colonials actively sponsored the migration, especially by prominent peninsulares and mestizos. It was such that between 1822 and 1876, the population in Negros increased so that it matched the population of Panay (756,000) from the 1822 count of 49,369. ==Culture==

Part of the dominant culture in the Philippines known as the Lowland Christians. Many cultural festivals are organized, serving a purpose of cultural preservation and celebration against the "homogenizing of the Philippine culture." Modeled after Ati-atihan in Kalibo, Aklan, Dinagyang venerates the Santo Niño, and specifically commemorates the purchase of Panay Island from the Indigenous Ati by 10 fleeing Bornean datus (chiefs). Arts festivals, such as the Ilonggo Arts Festival, have used contemporary media such as film and radio, in addition to public performances, and they have also sponsored engagement in dialogue over cultural preservation. The Iloilo Paraw Regatta, held each year in February, also has goals for cultural preservation: the ships used in the regatta, the paraw, are traditional sailboats that have long been used by the Hiligaynon. Competitors in the Paraw Regatta are local fishermen, who compete in a week-long competition at sea, accompanied by a festival on land. A prominent Hiligaynon profile exists in national and regional sports, notably in football. The popular national football team players Phil and James Younghusband have a mother who is Ilonggo. Football is very popular in Western Visayas, and the Iloilo town of Barotac Nuevo has been known to contribute many football players to the national team. Also of note are Hiligaynon athletes on the national track team. Hiligaynon settlers in Mindanao may have also assimilated Lumad and Moro traditions to varying degrees, and vice versa (e.g., the use of the Hiligaynon-language Toto as a nickname by non-Hiligaynons). ==Demographics==

Tribe Warriors during the 2026 Tribe Dance Competition. According to a 2010 census, 8.44% of the national population is Hiligaynon/Ilonggo, compared to 24.44% Tagalog (the plurality group). This makes the Hiligaynon the fourth most populous ethnic group in the nation behind the Tagalog (24.44%), the Cebuano (9.91%), the Ilocano (8.77%), Two provinces have populations above one million since a 1990 census: Iloilo (1,608,083) and Negros Occidental (1,821,206), comprising 97.6% and 80.7%, respectively, with urban centers taken into account. in Eastern Mindanao). Overseas Like many other Filipino ethnic groups such as the Ilocano, there are organized associations of migrant Hiligaynon that aim to celebrate their culture through their own communities. Several publicly known organizations are concentrated in California and Hawaii, among other locations in the United States. Religion is mostly spoken in Panay, Guimaras, Negros, and southern parts of Mindanao. Most Hiligaynons are Christians, with a majority of these Christians being Roman Catholics. There are also smaller populations of Hiligaynons who are Aglipayan, Protestants, and Muslims. The Indigenous Hiligaynon faiths were largely eliminated during the Spanish era and survived as Folk Catholicism. Language The Hiligaynon language is part of the Visaya (Bisaya) family of languages in the central islands of the Philippines, and is particular to the Hiligaynon people. Ultimately, it is a Malayo-Polynesian language like many other languages spoken by Filipino ethnic groups, as well as languages in neighboring states such as Indonesia and Malaysia. This language is marked by its song-like intonation in speech, while also having a more prevalent "l" sound than "r" sound. Its related language on Panay, Kinaray-a, is similar to Hiligaynon but older. Throughout the nation, the Hiligaynon speak Tagalog and English as second languages, especially outside of Western Visayas. Many Hiligaynon residents in Mindanao and their descendants can speak and understand Cebuano with Ilonggo accent in addition to their own native language since these both languages are related to Visayan languages and many vocabularies of both are very mutually intelligible to each other, both due to the huge influx of Cebuano-speaking individuals from Cebu, Bohol, Leyte, Siquijor and other Cebuano-speaking majority areas in Mindanao residing in Soccsksargen, and Hiligaynons residing in Cebuano-speaking areas in the island especially in cities. Some even speak Ilocano (a native language of the Luzon ethnic group of the same name sharing residency with Hiligaynons in Soccsksargen area) as well as the island's Indigenous languages because of intermingling and coexistence between the Indigenous and migrant ethnicities in the area, resulting from southward migration from Luzon and Visayas since the 20th century since Mindanao, particularly in Soccsksargen, is a melting pot of cultures. Likewise, Hiligaynons in eastern Negros Occidental can also speak and understand Cebuano with Ilonggo accent (slightly different from Hiligaynons in Mindanao) due to its geographical contact with the Cebuano-speaking Negros Oriental. A mixture of Cebuano and Hiligaynon is spoken in Sagay and neighboring cities and municipalities facing both Iloilo and Cebu. There has also been overlap between the Visayan languages in terms of vocabulary and the knowledge of the languages by the Hiligaynon. For example, some towns in Capiz use Aklanon words in their competency of Hiligaynon, while Kinaray-a and Hiligaynon are spoken by the residents of Guimaras, as well as residents in some parts of southern Iloilo. According to Spanish era tribute-censuses, Spanish-Filipinos compose 1% of the Ilongo/Hiligaynon people's population. ==Economy==

The local economy of the Hiligaynon is mostly based on agriculture and fishing, as well as the production of woven cloths and crafts. A statue that celebrates the contributions of the Ilonggo in agriculture and fishing was erected in Iloilo City. "Ang Linay Sang Iloilo" (The Lady of Iloilo) makes references to rice growing, sugarcane, and fishing, standing to emphasize the economic importance of Iloilo and the importance of the Ilonggo in general. Agriculture Rice and sugarcane are significant agricultural products that are produced in great volume. Cultivation practices for rice and sugarcane were well established among the early Hiligaynon before the arrival of the Spanish, who were also able to produce wine from the juice of these crops. The Spanish became the catalysts for large-scale agricultural production, dividing Panay into encomienda and enlisting the natives of Panay, including the Hiligaynon, into labor for the haciendas. The British vice-consul in Iloilo, Nicholas Loney, was instrumental in introducing technological and financial resources to the existing sugar elites. Better sugarcane seeds were introduced from Sumatra, and Loney undertook the purchasing of centrifugal iron mills, as well as the provision of loans to planters. These, accompanied by the demand for sugar, helped to encourage the movement of the sugarcane planters to Negros, expanding the hacienda system to there. Many of the workers (many native to Panay) who were part of the hacienda system, the "dumaan", became the underclass beneath the "sugar barons" of the haciendas, with a middle class existing between who maintained urban stores and banks. This class structure was to persist into the Commonwealth era and as the sugar industry shifted its focus from Panay to Negros following a labor strike in 1930–1931. The slash-and-burn system known as kaingin was and continues to be used by farmers in the mountainous interior of central Panay, using bolo knives to cut trees and wooden dibbers to plant seeds. Hunting has also supplemented the farmers' livelihood but has decreased with the decline of the forests since the 1970s. Today, local weavers have found a niche market in specialty fabrics such as hablon, an expensive cloth woven out of jusi and piña fibers. & Kabankalan hablon The hablon weaving industry has traditionally been dominated by skilled women working in weaving cooperatives, notably in the town of Miagao in Iloilo. Knowledge of weaving is passed down from mother to daughter. The daughters are expected to help their families in becoming involved with the trade as they get older. They produce hablon at a net profit of 35%, being paid at an average of 45 pesos per meter. Their hablon is used in barongs — a traditional men's formalwear — decorative linens for the home, and other accessories sold locally and internationally. Cebu Pacific introduced its QR Flight codes pattered after traditional weaving of hues of brightness and plaid designs of Iloilo's Hablon to promote local tourism. New products With the spread of the Hiligaynon and their culture throughout the country, many business have catered to exporting aspects of the Hiligaynon culture in marketable products, appealing to urban tastes and members of the culture. These have included food, crafts, fashionable apparel, and art pieces, especially those that exhibit the cultures particular to Iloilo City and Bacolod. ==Food==

'' (sago in coconut syrup with toasted rice) Common meals have fish and other seafood as a main component. They are often cooked with local green produce and other spices. Rice is also served as part of the meal, as in the rest of the country. Kadyos, baboy, kag lanka (KBL), Laswa, and Kansi are some of the other soup dishes originating from the Hiligaynon people. served at the Camiña Balay nga Bato. ==See also==