Mythologies of the Kapampángan People

The Kapampangan people (Kapampangan: Taung Kapampangan), Pampangueños or Pampangos, are the sixth largest ethnolinguistic group in the Philippines, numbering about 2,784,526 in 2010. They live mainly in the provinces of Pampanga, Bataan and Tarlac, as well as Bulacan, Nueva Ecija and Zambales. Kapampangans have played a dynamic yet conflicting role in Philippine history. It was the Kapampangans of Macabebe who were formerly Muslim were the first to defend the Luzon Empire from Spanish domination in 1571. Yet it was the Kapampangans that the Spaniards relied on to defend their new colony from the Dutch. It was at this time that "one Castillan plus three Kapampangans" were considered as "four Castillans" as long they gallantly served in the colonial armed forces. Such behaviour earned them the stereotype of being quislings in exchange for personal wealth and self-aggrandisement all throughout the archipelago. After their successful battle against the Dutch in 1640, only Kapampangans were allowed to study side by side with the Spaniards in exclusive Spanish academies and universities in Manila, by order of Governor-General Sebastián Hurtado de Corcuera. When British occupation of Manila happened in 1762, many Tagalog refugees from Manila escaped to Bulacan and to neighboring Nueva Ecija, where the original Kapampangan settlers welcomed them; Bulacan & Nueva Ecija were natively Kapampangan when Spaniards arrived; majority of Kapampangans sold their lands to the newly-arrived Tagalog settlers and others intermarried with and assimilated to the Tagalog, which made Bulacan & Nueva Ecija dominantly Tagalog. In 1896, Kapampangans were one of the principal ethnic groups to push and fuel the Philippine revolution against Spain. Yet it was also the Kapampangans of Macabebe that fiercely defended the last Spanish garrison against the revolutionaries.

Kapampangan, ethnolinguistic group living in the Philippines, principally in the central plain of Luzon, especially in the province of Pampanga, but also in parts of other adjoining provinces. Kapampangans numbered some two million in the early 21st century. The Kapampangan language is closely related to others of the central Philippines, all of which belong to the Austronesian (Malayo-Polynesian) family of languages. The Kapampangan homeland, which extends north from Manila Bay, has a relatively high population density. Many Kapampangans are tenant farmers and landless workers. Artists of the group are mostly potters, jewelers, lantern makers, blacksmiths, and wood-carvers. Most Kapampangans are Christians, predominantly Roman Catholics. Philippine opposition leader Benigno Aquino, Jr., and his wife, Corazon Aquino, who was president of the country (1986–92), were ethnic Kapampangans.

Kapampangans talk loud when they’re together. They enjoy listening to themselves and to the sound of their language. They love their language with a child’s love for his mother, calling it amanung sisuan (“suckled word”). They’d navigate across a crowded room to find anyone speaking in Kapampangan, and when they do, they’d gush like long lost friends. They sound like they’re arguing, but they’re actually just tracing their six degrees of separation in search of a blood relation or a common acquaintance. You can’t blame them for savoring each other’s company. There are only two million of them left on Earth, compared with 22 million Tagalogs, 20 million Cebuanos and eight million Ilocanos. Kapampangans are proud of their race. Call them conceited, call them ethnocentric, but they sincerely believe that they’re the first, the best and the most in everything. Bravest soldiers? Check. First Jesuits? Check. Best cooks? Check. Prettiest women? Check. Longest literary work, first woman author, first vernacular zarzuela, first novel in English. Check, check, check, check! Kapampangans are fiercely patriotic — not to the Filipino nation, but to the Kapampangan Nation, which they claim (correctly) to be older by a thousand years. Other Filipinos deny their ethnicity, but Kapampangans will announce it even when no one’s asking! Their attachment to their land of birth compels them to stay, but if they leave at all, they always look to Mt. Arayat as a sentimental beacon guiding them on their way back. Kapampangans are offended when they’re called dugong aso (dog-blooded). They take it as an attack on their personal integrity and an affront on the memory of their ancestors. Generations of Kapampangans have endured humiliation from people carelessly and even maliciously calling them traitors. Who wouldn’t resent being told that treachery runs in your blood?

Kapampangan refers to the people who speak the Kapampangan language or inhabit the province of Pampanga. The name of the province derives from pangpang or pangpangan, meaning “riverbank.” Pampango is the Spanish version of “Pampanga.” Pampanga has a small land area of 2,180.68 square kilometers, which forms part of the central plain extending from Manila Bay north to the Gulf of Lingayen. It consists of three subsections. The first is the mountainous section that includes the entire stretch of the Zambales range, of which Mount Pinatubo is the highest peak, on the western border and Mount Arayat at the northeastern part. This area is inhabited mostly by the Aeta who depend primarily on hunting, gathering, and raising corn on the slopes for subsistence. The second section, located in the southwestern and southern parts of the province, is bounded by the Pampanga River, or Rio Grande de la Pampanga, and its estuaries. This river, the largest body of water in the province, flows south through the eastern portions of the province into Manila Bay. Between its eastern bank and the Bulacan boundary is the Candaba swamp, which becomes a large lake during the rainy season. This section provides livelihood to many Kapampangan who have established a fishing industry in the area. The third section covers the flatlands of the Central Luzon plains that have been utilized for rice and sugar growing. It represents the bulk of the province’s landmass and is considered the biggest source of livelihood for its people. Pampanga is largely agricultural, and the major changes occurring in Kapampangan society can be linked to the changes in the agricultural pattern. However, the 1991 eruption of Mount Pinatubo, which covered most of the agricultural land of Pampanga, has changed the topography and the economic profile of the province.

Angeles, the economic, business, educational, culinary, tourist and heritage pivot of Central Luzon and of the Kapampángan Region, Indúng Kapampángan, is also at the center of the historically Kapampángan area that includes most of the Central Plain. Today, the intensity of language change has seen more and more children brought up speaking Tagalog around the Philippines so that the Northern Philippines (Luzon and Palawan) is now considered one of the 20 global language hot spots, with the greatest number of endangered languages. In Central Luzon, as in much of the Philippines, town after town has experienced a language shift from non-Tagalog languages to Tagalog, leaving most of the area Tagalized. In the past few decades, most of Northern Nueva Ecija, which used to be Ilocano, has shifted to Tagalog. In Zambales, Iba, the capital, has switched from Sambal to Ilocano, while Castillejos has shifted from Ilocano to Tagalog, and Cabangan from Ilocano and Sambal to Tagalog. Of the seven provinces in Region III, only Pampanga and Tarlac do not have Tagalog pluralities these days – they are the last two holdouts. The “national language” (which is known as the imperial or infernal subdialect by many in cyberspace)2, overruns more and more non-Tagalog areas each day and delivers their populations to the speech of Manila. Tagalization is an ever-intensifying threat to the non-Tagalog languages of the entire Philippines.

The Kapampangan people, or Pampangueños and Pampangos to some, are the sixth largest ethnolinguistic group in our country. With more than 2 million in population, you have probably met or talked to one yourself. Some say they are quite a handful, while some are amazed by their unique charm. So if you're planning on relocating to Pampanga or living with these much-admired yet much-misunderstood people, here's a quick guide to survive and conquer the Kapampangans. In 1571, Spanish conquistador, Martin de Goiti named Pampanga after the natives living along the riverbanks (pangpang ilog). It was the first province founded by Spaniards on Luzon island. The province also played a vital role in the founding of the Catholic Church, and as a result, Pampanga produced the country's first Filipino priest, cardinal, Jesuits, and the most devout Catholics. It was, at one point, the provisional capital of the Philippines from 1762 to 1764 during the British occupation of Manila. Pampanga is also among the eight rays of the sun depicted in our Philippine flag which represents the provinces that allied against Spain in the late 19th century. Even though Pampanga and Metro Manila are not too far apart, the Tagalog and Kapampangan languages differ significantly. The province may be close to Manila, but early anthropologists suggested that the language may have come from Java in Indonesia. More importantly, the Philippine language of Kapampangan is an important one that is taught and even formally studied in universities and schools. Up to date, the province celebrates 18 festivals with a wide range of themes including religious or public statements, culinary happenings, and even international attractions.

Kapampangan is a language of the Philippines spoken as mother tongue by roughly two million people in Central Luzon. Most speakers live in the province of Pampanga and Tarlac, although there are a few speakers in the provinces of Nueva Ecija, Bulacan, Bataan and Zambales . The map below shows the extent of the language cover. Most of the Kapampangan people are tri-lingual: Kapampangan, Tagalog and English, since the education system is English and Tagalog, nearly all master these languages well enough to get around. However, when together with other Kapampangan people, they will prefer to use their mother tongue over the other two. Very little books have been written in Kapampangan, as the language is not considered “formal” enough for the purpose of written documents. This is a biased but common view from a people whose education system is not in their own mother tongue. For those of you that are linguists, you may want to know that Kapampangan is, generally classified in the central Luzon branch of languages of the Malayo-Polynesian branch of Austronesian family. It is also an an ergative-absolutive language, so there is a little difficulty in the grammar that will appear early in the learning process for those who know only English and other nominative-accusative languages.

Kapampangans are very proud of their origin and language that remains the bedrock of their existence. Today, the Province of Pampanga is considered one of the Fastest-growing provinces in the Philippines, notwithstanding it was devastated by the eruption of Mt. Pinatubo in 1991. Perhaps the behavior and culture of the Kapampangans that made them bounce back from nature's wrath and, in a short span of time, fully recover and on the track again. The objective of the study is to understand the Kapampangan and its language, origin and development. In particular, it seeks to answer the following: What are the sources of the Kapampangan language? What makes the language unique among other languages? What are the roles of the Kapampangan during colonization? Why the Kapampangan language is an endangered language? The finding of the study: The provincial government of Pampanga, in coordination with the Department of Education, must revive the Pampangan language in all schools in Pampanga as a medium of instruction for Kinder to Grade 12. In coordination with all the cities and towns, the provincial government of Pampanga should practice as part of their official communication the Pampangan language. The provincial government of Pampanga must create a center for Kapampangan Studies. If both Kapampangans make it compulsory to converse in Pampangan The scope of the research concentrates on the Kapampangan language. It will be presented through available records, media interviews and historical data. Social scientists, in particular, have made wide use of qualitative research methods to examine contemporary real-life situations and provide the basis for the application of ideas and extension of methods.

One way for Kapampangans to share their delicacies is to throw a party and invite neighbors, family, and friends for a meal. Pampanga is well-known not just for its sumptuous dishes, but also for hosting festivals. It is no secret that Kapampangans love to party, as seen by the nightlife in San Francisco and Clark City. As a matter of fact, the province is a popular destination for tourists who enjoy partying. Even if you don’t question their race or where they’re from, Kapampangans will gladly toot their own horns to let you know about their cultural identity. Despite perceptions that they are ‘traitors,’ Kapampangans are passionate about their pride in their race. They proclaim to the world that they are the first and finest at everything. One of the stereotypes connected with them is haughty and ethnocentric. But it isn’t correct; it’s simply that they dress well. Some argue that Kapampangans are ruthless when it comes to food tasting; if they don’t like what they eat, they certainly tell you. One cause might be that they are colonizers’ favorite and had provided them with exclusive access to elite schools. Early Kapampangans were exposed to the opulent lifestyle of their colonial overlords. During the height of hispanization, mestizos and ilustrados would imitate European fashion trends, even if they were unsuitable with our climate. When Americanization arrived, kapampangans adjusted their wardrobes to reflect American fashion trends such as wearing americana, baston slacks, white polo, pointed shoes, and a long necktie. During the period of US bases, they were also allowed access to commodities in Dau and Nepo market where they could buy these clothes. With an estimated population of 2 million, Kapampangans couldn’t help but feel proud of their race. They are the Philippines’ sixth-largest ethnolinguistic group. You should know that historically, kapampangans have placed great importance on their freedom and have been hesitant to acquiesce to the Spaniards’ occupation. Despite successful Spanish colonization, locals like Francisco Maniago waged revolutions against tyrants. It was, in fact, the first province to join uprisings. Furthermore, Kapampangans fought alongside Hukbalahap Communist guerillas in the Battle of Pamapanga and World War II.

Beyond the captivating landscapes and delectable culinary delights that Pampanga is renowned for, the province offers an enchanting journey into its heritage and cultural tapestry. Visitors can immerse themselves in the vibrant spirit of Kapampangan culture as they explore the rich artistic traditions and historical landmarks that shape the identity of the region. We suggest that travelers start their cultural adventure in Guagua, where they’ll have the opportunity to visit the farm and soon-to-open museum of Maestro Willy Layug. This esteemed ecclesiastical artist has left his mark on churches around the world with his awe-inspiring creations. Set to open in October, this museum is poised to become a beacon for aspiring artists and craftsmen. During a recent NLEX Lakbay Norte trip, Layug gave a sneak peek of the diverse collection of artwork that guests will soon enjoy at the museum.