Visayans - WikiHQ

Visayans (Cebuano: mga Bisayâ ) are a Philippine ethnolinguistic family group or metaethnicity native to the Visayas, to the southernmost islands south of Luzon, and to a significant portion of Mindanao. They are composed of numerous distinct ethnic groups. When taken as a single group, they number around 45.5 million. The Visayans, like the Luzon Lowlanders (Tagalogs, Bicolanos, Ilocanos, etc.) were originally predominantly animist-polytheists and broadly share a maritime culture until the 16th

century when the Spanish Empire enforced Catholicism as the state religion. In more inland or otherwise secluded areas, ancient animistic-polytheistic beliefs and traditions either were reinterpreted within a Roman Catholic framework or syncretized with the new religion. Visayans are generally speakers of one or more of the distinct Bisayan languages, the most widely spoken being Cebuano, followed by Hiligaynon (Ilonggo) and Waray-Waray.

History

"Visayan" is the anglicization of the hispanized term Bisayas (archaic Biçayas), in turn derived from Visayan Bisaya. Kabisay-an refers both to the Visayan people collectively and the islands they have inhabited since prehistory, the Visayas. The exact meaning and origin of the name Bisaya is unknown. The word Bisaya, on the other hand, was first documented in Spanish sources in reference to the non-Ati inhabitants of the island of Panay. However, it is likely that the name was already used as a general endonym by Visayans long before Spanish colonization, as evidenced by at least one instance of a place named "Bisaya" in coastal eastern Mindanao as reported by the Loaisa (c.1526), Saavedra (c.1528), and the Villalobos (c.1543) expeditions. It is likely that the reason the Spanish did not use the term generally until the later decades of the 1500s is due to the fact that people were more likely to identify themselves with more specific ethnic names like Sugbuanon.

The "Pi-sho-ye" raiders of the southeastern Chinese coast has also been tentatively identified with Visayans by some authors. The "Pi-sho-ye" were first recorded by Song-era Chinese maritime official Zhao Rugua in the Zhu Fan Zhi (1225), who wrote that they raided the coasts of Fujian and Penghu during the late 12th century. If these were indeed Visayans, then it is the earliest record of the name "Bisaya." However, the association is tentative, and other authors identify the "Pi-sho-ye" with the Taiwanese indgenous peoples instead.

Pre-colonial period

Notable Visayan polities in the pre-colonial period include the following:

Kedatuan of Madja-as
Kedatuan of Dapitan
Rajahnate of Cebu
Rajahnate of Butuan
Sultanate of Sulu

Spanish colonial period

thumb|Visayans depicted in [[Velarde map 1734.|left]]

The first Filipino people encountered by the Magellan expedition (c. 1521) were Visayans from the island of Suluan; followed by two rulers of the Surigaonon and Butuanon people on a hunting expedition in Limasawa, Rajah Colambu and Rahah Siaui; and finally Rajah Humabon of Cebu. Magellan describes the Suluanon people he encountered as "painted" (tattooed), with gold earrings and armlets, and kerchiefs around their heads. They described Rajah Colambu as having dark hair that hung down to his shoulders, tawny skin, and tattoos all throughout his body. They also noted the large amount of gold ornaments he wore, from large gold earrings to gold tooth fillings. Rajah Colambu wore embroidered patadyong that covered him from the waist to the knees, as well as a kerchief around his head. They also described the boloto (bangka) and the large balanghai (balangay) warships, and the custom of drinking palm wine (uraka) and chewing areca nut. They also described the queen of Cebu as being young and beautiful and covered in white and black cloth. She painted her lips and nails red, and wore a large disc-shaped hat (sadok) made from elaborately-woven leaves.

The 16th century marks the beginning of the Christianization of the Visayan people, with the baptism of Rajah Humabon and about 800 native Cebuanos. The Christianization of the Visayans and Filipinos in general, is commemorated by the Ati-Atihan Festival of Aklan, the Dinagyang Festival of Iloilo, and the Sinulog festival the feast of the Santo Niño de Cebu (Holy Child of Cebu), the brown-skinned depiction of the Child Jesus given by Magellan to Rajah Humabon's wife, Hara Amihan (baptized as Queen Juana). By the 17th century, Visayans already took part in religious missions. In 1672, Pedro Calungsod, a teenage indigenous Visayan catechist and Diego Luis de San Vitores, a Spanish friar, were both martyred in Guam during their mission to preach Christianity to the Chamorro people.

By the end of the 19th century, the Spanish Empire weakened after a series of wars with its American territories. The surge of newer ideas from the outside world thanks to the liberalization of trade by the Bourbon Spain fostered a relatively larger middle class population called the Ilustrados or "the Enlightened Ones." This then became an incentive for the new generation of educated political visionaries to fulfill their dreams of independence from three centuries of colonial rule. Some prominent leaders of the Philippine Revolution in the late 19th century were Visayans. Among leaders of the Propaganda movement was Graciano López Jaena, the Ilonggo who established the propagandist publication La Solidaridad (The Solidarity). In the Visayan theater of the Revolution, Pantaleón Villegas (better known as León Kilat) led the Cebuano revolution in the Battle of Tres de Abril (April 3). One of his successors, Arcadio Maxilom, is a prominent general in the liberalization of Cebu. Earlier in 1897, Aklan fought against the Spaniards with Francisco Castillo and Candido Iban at the helm. Both were executed after a failed offensive. Martin Delgado led the rebellion in neighboring Iloilo. Led by Juan Araneta with the assistance of Aniceto Lacson, Negros Occidental was freed while Negros Oriental was liberated by Diego de la Viña. The former would be called the Negros Revolution or the Cinco de Noviembre. Movements in Capiz were led by Esteban Contreras with the aid of Alejandro Balgos, Santiago Bellosillo and other Ilustrados. Meanwhile, Leandro Locsin Fullon spearheaded the liberalization of Antique. Most of these revolutionaries would continue their fight for independence until the Philippine–American War. There was also a less heard and short-lived uprising called the Igbaong Revolt which occurred in Igbaong, Antique steered by Maximo and Gregorio Palmero. This revolt, however, was secularly-motivated as they clamored for a more syncretic form of religion based on Visayan animist traditions and Christianity.

Federal State of the Visayas

thumb|Visayan family. early 1900's.

At the peak of the Philippine Revolution, anti-colonial insurgencies sprung from Luzon up to the Visayas. Despite military support from the Tagalog Republic led by Emilio Aguinaldo, Visayan revolutionary leaders were skeptical toward the real motives of the Tagalogs. Such ethnic animosity was notable to the point that local Visayan leaders demanded forces sent from the north to surrender their armaments and were prohibited to leave revolutionary bases. Moreover, this apprehension led to the full declaration of the Federal State of Visayas on December 12, 1898. This short-lived federal government, based in Iloilo, was an accumulation of revolutionary movements across Panay and Negros. The following were the elected officials four days prior to the declaration:

{| class="wikitable"

! Position !! Name

| General-President || Anecito Lacson

| Treasurer || Eusebio Luzurriaga

| Executive Secretary || Melecio Severino

| Secretary of War || Juan Araneta

| Secretary Of Interior || Simeón Lizares

| Secretary of Public Works || Nicolás Gólez

| Secretary of Justice || Antonio Jayme Ledesma

| Secretary of Agriculture and Commerce || Agustín Amenablar

|}The federation was immediately formed upon the merger of the Cantonal Government of Negros, the Cantonal Government of Bohol and the Provisional Government of the District of Visayas (based in Panay) which included Romblon. It was said to be based on American federalism and Swiss confederacy. Despite their skepticism towards Malolos, the Visayan government proclaimed its loyalty to the Luzon-based republic while maintaining their own governance, tax collection and army. Apolinario Mabini, then the prime minister of the Malolos republic convinced the Visayan leaders that the Malolos Constitution was only provisional and that the governments in Visayas and Mindanao were promised the power to co-ratify it.

American colonization

thumb|Visayan women presumed to be part of the Philippine Reservation during the [[Louisiana Purchase Exposition|1904 St. Louis World's Fair]]

thumb| A Map of Mindanao c. 1900, made by the US Army in the Philippines, showing the different ethnic groups of Mindanao, and their respective Ancestral Domains. Most of the northern and eastern coasts are territories of Visayans ([[Surigaonon people|Surigaonon and Butuanon peoples); the western and some southern coasts are territories of Islamized groups (Moros), including the Tausug (who are Islamized Visayans); and the interior highlands are territories of the Lumad. Mixed Visayan and Lumad groups also existed in areas like Camiguin and Cagayan de Oro|275x275px]]

After the 1898 Treaty of Paris, the American colonial government saw the integral part of indigenous elites particularly in Negros in local affairs. This was a different move compared to the previous Spanish imperialists who created a racial distinction between mestizos and native Austronesians (indios). As such, this paved the way for a homogenous concept of a Filipino albeit initially based on financial and political power. These said elites were the hacienderos or the landed, bourgeois-capitalist class concentrated within the sugar cane industry of Negros. The Americans' belief that these hacienderos would be strategic elements in their political hold within the newly acquired colony bolstered the drafting of a separate colonial constitution by and for the sugar industry elites. This constitution likewise established the Negros Cantonal Government. This ensured that the island of Negros would be governed by an indigenous civilian government in contrast to the rest of colonist-controlled areas governed by the American-dominated Philippine Commission.

During this period, the eastern islands of Samar, Leyte and Biliran (including Marinduque) were directly governed by the Malolos Republic through Vicente Lukban and later by Ambrosio Mojica. Meanwhile, prior to the full abolition of the federal government on November 12, 1899, Emilio Aguinaldo appointed Martin Delgado as the civil and military governor of Iloilo on April 28, 1899, upon American invasion of Antique. The federal government, much to its rejection of the Cebuano leaders who supported the Katipunan cause, was dissolved upon the Iloilo leaders' voluntary union with the newly formed First Philippine Republic. Other factors which led to Aguinaldo forcing the Visayans to dissolve their government was due to the federation's resistance from reorganizing its army and forwarding taxes to Malolos.

Contemporary

Since Philippine independence from the United States, there have been four Philippine Presidents from the Visayan regions: the Cebuano Sergio Osmeña, the Capiznon Manuel Roxas, the Boholano Carlos P. García (who is actually of Ilocano descent through his parents from Bangued, Abra), and the Davaoeño Rodrigo Duterte.

thumb|left|Visayans from [[Bohol in traditional kimona and patadyong dancing tinikling]]

In addition, the Visayas has produced three Vice-Presidents, four Senate Presidents, nine Speakers of the House, six Chief Justices, and six Presidential Spouses including Imelda Marcos, a Waray. The then-president Gloria Macapagal Arroyo is also half Cebuano. Former president Rodrigo Duterte, who is of Visayan ethnicity, also has Leyteño roots. Incumbent president Bongbong Marcos, is of Visayan descent through his Waray mother Imelda Marcos. In international diplomacy the Visayas has produced a United Nations Undersecretary general, the Negros Occidental native Rafael M. Salas who served as the Head of the UNFPA. In the lines of religion, there have been three Visayan Cardinals, namely Julio Rosales from Samar, Jaime Sin from Aklan and Jose Advincula from Capiz. The first Visayan and second Filipino that was canonized is Pedro Calungsod.

Throughout centuries, non-Visayan groups, most notably migrants from Luzon and foreigners such as the Chinese, have settled in predominantly-Visayan cities in Visayas like Iloilo, Bacolod, Dumaguete and Cebu and Mindanao such as Cagayan de Oro, Iligan, Davao and General Santos. These Filipino-Chinese have been assimilated to mainstream society. One factor would be the limited number of Chinese schools in the Visayas which help maintain the Chinese identity and a stronger sense of a distinct community. Many of them, particularly the younger generation, have been de-cultured from Chinese traditions, share values about family and friends with other Filipinos, and do not write or speak Chinese well.

Meanwhile, Negritos, locally called Ati, have also been assimilated into mainstream Visayan society.

In Mindanao, migrant ethnic individuals from Luzon as well as Lumad assimilated into a society of Cebuano-speaking majority (Hiligaynon-speaking majority in the case of Soccsksargen) over many years, identifying themselves as Visayans upon learning Cebuano (or Hiligaynon) despite many of them still know and retain their non-Visayan roots and some speak their ancestor's language fluently at least as their second or third languages, since Mindanao is melting pot of different cultures as a result of southward migration from Luzon and Visayas to the island since 20th century. Descendants of these migrant Luzon ethnic groups especially newer generations (as Mindanao-born natives) and Lumad individuals now speak Cebuano or Hiligaynon fluently as their main language with little or no knowledge of their ancestors' native tongues at the time of leaving their respective homelands in Luzon heading south, as for the Lumad, due to the contact with Cebuano- and Hiligaynon-speaking neighbors.

Visayans have likewise migrated to other parts of the Philippines, especially Metro Manila and Mindanao. The Visayans have also followed the pattern of migration of Filipinos abroad and some have migrated to other parts of the world starting from the Spanish and American period and after World War II. Most are migrants or working as overseas contract workers.

Terminology

thumb|228x228px|Visayan warriors with both [[Taming (shield)|taming and kalasag shields from the Historia de las Islas e Indios de Bisayas (c. 1668) by Francisco Ignacio Alcina.]]

Visayans were first referred to by the general term Pintados ("the painted ones") by the Spanish, in reference to the prominent practice of full-body tattooing (batok). The word Bisaya, on the other hand, was first documented in Spanish sources in reference to the non-Ati inhabitants of the island of Panay. However, it is likely that the name was already used as a general endonym by Visayans long before Spanish colonization, as evidenced by at least one instance of a place named "Bisaya" in coastal eastern Mindanao as reported by the Loaisa (c.1526), Saavedra (c.1528), and the Villalobos (c.1543) expeditions. It is likely that the reason the Spanish did not use the term generally until the later decades of the 1500s is due to the fact that people were more likely to identify themselves with more specific ethnic names like Sugbuanon.<!-- SEE TALK

At the advent of Spanish colonialism after the Legazpi Expedition in 1565, the term Visayan was first applied only to the people of Panay and to their settlements eastward in the island of Negros, and northward in the smaller islands, which now compose the province of Romblon. In fact, even at the early part of Spanish colonialization of the Philippines, the Spaniards used the term Visayan only for these areas. While the people of Cebu and nearby areas were for a long time known only as Pintados. The name Visayan was later extended to them because, as several of the early writers state (especially in the writings of the Jesuit Lorenzo Hervás y Panduro published in 1801), albeit erroneously, their languages are closely allied to the Visayan "dialect" of Panay.

Gabriel Rivera, a captain of the Spanish royal infantry in the Philippine Islands, also distinguished Panay from the rest of the Pintados Islands. In his report (dated 20 March 1579) regarding a campaign to pacify the natives living along the rivers of Mindanao (a mission he received from Dr. Francisco de Sande, Governor and Captain-General of the Archipelago), Ribera mentioned that his aim was to make the inhabitants of that island "vassals of King Don Felipe... as are all the natives of the island of Panay, the Pintados Islands, and those of the island of Luzon..."

In Book I, Chapter VII of the Labor Evangelica (published in Madrid in 1663), Francisco Colin, S.J. described the people of Iloilo as Indians who are Visayans in the strict sense of the word (Indios en rigor Bisayas), observing also that they have two different languages: Harayas and Harigueynes, which are actually the Karay-a and Hiligaynon languages.-->

In Sucesos de las Islas Filipinas (1609) by Antonio de Morga, he specifies that the name "Biçaya" is synonymous with Pintados.

The first Spanish-Visayan dictionary written was for the Waray language in the Bocabulario de la lengua Bisaya by Mateo Sánchez, which was completed in 1617 in Leyte. This was followed by the Bocabulario de la lengua Bisaya-Hiligueyna y Haraía de las islas de Panay y Sugbu, y para las demás islas (1637) by Alonso de Méntrida which in turn was for the Hiligaynon language, with notes on the Aklanon and Kinaray-a languages. Both these works demonstrate that the term Bisaya was used as a general term for Visayans by the Spanish.

In Northern Mindanao, Visayans (both Mindanao natives and modern migrants) are also referred to by the Lumad as the dumagat ("sea people", from the root word dagat - "sea"; not to be confused with the Dumagat Aeta in Luzon). This was to distinguish the coast-dwelling Visayans from the Lumad of the interior highlands and marshlands.

Regions with significant populations

The following regions and provinces in the Philippines have a sizeable or predominant Visayan population:

{| class="wikitable"

|+Regions and provinces with significant Visayan populations

! scope="col" style="width: 11%;" | Mimaropa and Bicol

! scope="col" style="width: 11%;" | Western Visayas

! scope="col" style="width: 11%;" | Negros

! scope="col" style="width: 11%;" | Central Visayas

! scope="col" style="width: 11%;" | Eastern Visayas

! scope="col" style="width: 11%;" | Zamboanga Peninsula

! scope="col" style="width: 11%;" | Northern Mindanao

! scope="col" style="width: 11%;" | Caraga Region

! scope="col" style="width: 11%;" | Davao Region

! scope="col" style="width: 11%;" | Soccsksargen

| style="font-size: 80%;" |

Palawan
Romblon
Masbate
Sorsogon

| style="font-size: 80%;" |

Aklan
Antique
Capiz
Iloilo
Guimaras

| style="font-size: 80%;" |

Negros Occidental
Negros Oriental
Siquijor

| style="font-size: 80%;" |

Cebu
Bohol

| style="font-size: 80%;" |

Leyte
Southern Leyte
Biliran
Samar
Northern Samar
Eastern Samar

| style="font-size: 80%;" |

Zamboanga del Norte
Zamboanga Sibugay
Zamboanga del Sur

| style="font-size: 80%;" |

Misamis Occidental
Misamis Oriental
Camiguin
Bukidnon
Lanao del Norte

| style="font-size: 80%;" |

Agusan del Norte
Agusan del Sur
Dinagat Islands
Surigao del Norte
Surigao del Sur

| style="font-size: 80%;" |

Davao de Oro
Davao del Norte
Davao del Sur
Davao Occidental
Davao Oriental

| style="font-size: 80%;" |

Cotabato
Sultan Kudarat
South Cotabato
Sarangani

Language

thumb|200px|right|The [[Visayas, Mindanao and Luzon divisions of the Philippines. The culturally and linguistically Visayan provinces of Masbate, Palawan and Romblon are not usually geographically included as the former is under Bicol Region and the latter two are under Mimaropa, both Luzon-associated regions.]]

thumb|200px|right|Geographic extent of Visayan languages based on [[Ethnologue and the National Statistics Office 2000 Census of Population and Housing

]]

Ethnic Visayans predominantly speak at least one of the Bisayan languages, most of which are commonly referred as Binisaya or Bisaya. The table below lists the Philippine languages classified as Bisayan languages by the Summer Institute of Linguistics. Although all of the languages indicated below are classified as "Bisayan" by linguistic terminology, not all speakers identify themselves as ethnically or culturally Visayan. The predominantly Muslim Tausūg people prefer to identify as a Moro ethnic group and only use Bisaya to refer to the predominantly Christian lowland natives, despite speaking the Bisayan Tausug language and being closely related to the Visayan Surigaonon and Butuanon people.

Conversely, the natives of Capul in Northern Samar speak Abaknon, a Sama–Bajaw language, but still identify as culturally Visayan. The Ati people also delineate Visayans from fellow Negritos, despite also being native to the Visayan islands.

{| class="wikitable sortable"

! style="width:130px;"| Language

! style="width:80px;"| Speakers !! style="width:80px;"| Date/source</tr>

| Aklanon ||align="right"| || style="text-align:center;"| 1990 census</tr>

| Ati ||align="right"| || style="text-align:center;"| 1980 SIL</tr>

| Bantoanon (Asi) ||align="right"| || style="text-align:center;"| 2002 SIL</tr>

| Butuanon ||align="right"| || style="text-align:center;"| 1990 census</tr>

| Caluyanon ||align="right"| || style="text-align:center;"| 1994 SIL</tr>

| Capiznon <td align="right"> </td>|| style="text-align:center;"| 2000</tr>

| Cebuano1 ||align="right"| || style="text-align:center;"| 1995 census</tr>

| Cuyonon ||align="right"| || style="text-align:center;"| 1990 census</tr>

| Hiligaynon1 ||align="right"| || style="text-align:center;"| 1995</tr>

| Inonhan ||align="right"| || style="text-align:center;"| 2000 WCD</tr>

| Kinaray-a ||align="right"| || style="text-align:center;"| 1994 SIL</tr>

| Malaynon ||align="right"| || style="text-align:center;"| 1973 SIL</tr>

| Masbatenyo ||align="right"| || style="text-align:center;"| 2002 SIL</tr>

| Porohanon <td align="right"> </td>|| style="text-align:center;"| 1960 census</tr>

| Ratagnon <td align="right"> </td>|| style="text-align:center;"| 2010 Ethnologue</tr>

| Romblomanon ||align="right"| || style="text-align:center;"| 1987 SIL</tr>

| Sorsogon, Masbate ||align="right"| || style="text-align:center;"| 1975 census</tr>

| Sorsogon, Waray ||align="right"| || style="text-align:center;"| 1975 census</tr>

| Surigaonon ||align="right"| || style="text-align:center;"| 1990 census</tr>

| Tausug2 ||align="right"| || style="text-align:center;"| 2012 SIL</tr>

| Waray-Waray ||align="right"| || style="text-align:center;"| 1990 census</tr>

| style="width:130px;"| Total || style="width:80px; text-align:right;"| 33,463,654</tr>

Culture

Tattoo

Like most other pre-colonial ethnic groups in the Philippines and other Austronesian groups, tattooing was widespread among Visayans. The original Spanish name for the Visayans, Los Pintados ("The Painted Ones") was a reference to the tattoos of the Visayans. Antonio Pigafetta of the Magellan expedition (c. 1521) repeatedly describes the Visayans they encountered as "painted all over".

thumb|Part of the [[principalia in the very early Spanish colonial period, wearing richly-embroidered pre-hispanic Visayan clothing typical of the kadatuan caste. Note that the datu only wears a bahag under a long cotton tunic, with clearly seen tattooed legs and face. He is accompanied by a binukot or local princess with golden bangles. Depicted in Historia de las Islas e Indios de Bisayas (1668) by Francisco Ignacio Alcina.]]

Tattoos were known as batuk (or batok) or patik among Visayans. These terms were also applied to identical designs used in woven textiles, pottery, and other decorations. Tattooed people were known generally as binatakan or batokan (also known to the Tagalog people as batikan, which also means "renowned" or "skilled"). Both sexes had tattoos. They were symbols of tribal identity and kinship, as well as bravery, beauty, and social status. It was expected of adults to have them, with the exception of the asog (feminized men) for whom it was socially acceptable to be mapuraw or puraw (unmarked). Tattoos were so highly regarded that men will often just wear a loincloth (bahag) to show them off.