Mythologies of the Zamboangueño Chavacano People

Zamboanga (also Zamboaŋga) was a province of the Philippines located in the western region of the southern island of Mindanao, Philippines. During the time of the United States' purchase of the Philippines (1898), the Republic of Zamboanga had its own independence and jurisdiction on what is now Zamboanga City. After the dissolution of the republic, Zamboanga was eventually consolidated into one major administrative area by the American government of the Philippines, consisting of an enormous region that was the Mindanao island's western peninsula, Basilan Island, and the entire Sulu archipelago, with the ancient namesake town/fort of Zamboanga as the seat of its government, and was called the Moro Province of the Philippines. The Moro Province, in 1914 was replaced by the Department of Mindanao and Sulu. It was divided into Zamboanga, Sulu, Cotabato, Davao, Agusan and Surigao. The town of Zamboanga as its capital. Luis Lim was appointed as the first governor of Zamboanga. In 1920, the Department of Mindanao and Sulu was officially dissolved and Zamboanga became an independent province. In 1922, elections were held for the first elected provincial officials of Zamboanga. Florentino Saguin was elected as first elected governor.

Chavacano or Chabacano ([tʃabaˈkano]) is a group of Spanish-based creole language varieties spoken in the Philippines. The variety spoken in Zamboanga City, located in the southern Philippine island group of Mindanao, has the highest concentration of speakers. Other currently existing varieties are found in Cavite City and Ternate, located in the Cavite province on the island of Luzon. Chavacano is the only Spanish-based creole in Asia. The responsible for this Spanish creole was Don Sebastian Hurtado de Corcuera, then governor of Panama, and also responsible for settling Zamboanga City by employing Peruvian soldiers and colonists. There was an Asian-American route, which led to traders and adventurers carrying silver from Peru through Panama to reach Acapulco, Mexico before sailing to Manila, Philippines using the famed Manila galleons.

Zamboangueno is the largest and most stable variety of Philippine Creole Spanish (PCS). The pioneering work of Whinnom (1956) grouped all PCS varieties together as 'Spanish contact vernacular-ff-," while the first serious study of Zamboangueno, by Frake (1971), stated that "Philippine Creole Spanish is not simply a Philippine language with unusually heavy Spanish lexical influence, nor is it Spanish with a large number of Philippine loan words. It is a distinct language, easily distinguishable from both its Romance and its Austronesian progenitors...". Two prevailing viewpoints exist on the origins of Zamboangueno, which shows both striking similarities and significant differences with respect to Manila Bay PCS dialects. The first holds that Zamboangueno is the direct offshoot of transplanted Manila Bay PCS, used by garrison troops and enriched by central and southern Philippine elements. The second is that Zamboangueno was formed in situ by repatriated slaves from all parts of the Philippines, who were recaptured from the Moslems of the Sulu Sea and set ashore at Zamboanga's Fort Pilar. The present study attempts to reconcile the similarities and differences among PCS dialects, thereby situating Zamboangueno in a refined geneological perspective. It is suggested that, although certain features of Zamboangueno almost certainly come from Manila Bay PCS, this did not result from a transplantation of a flourishing Manila Bay PCS variety in Zamboanga. Rather, Zamboangueño was formed gradually in a largely downward fashion from received Spanish, aided by two additional components. The first is the inevitable pidginization that resulted in the Spanish garrison at Zamboanga, reinforced by the concentration of freed slaves from all parts of the Philippines. The second was a continuing trickle of Manila Bay PCS speakers into Zamboanga, as well as a general awareness, by Spanish and Zamboangueno speakers, of linguistic features prevailing in Manila Bay PCS.

The vigorous original Zamboangueño Chavacanos, also referred to as simply Chavacanos, are composed of families that are native to the old Zamboanga. Their language is called Zamboangueño, which is a one of six Chavacano dialects found in the Philippines. The other five are Cotabateño (Cotabato City) and Davaoeño (Davao) in Mindanao; and Caviteño (Cavite City), Ternateño (Ternate, Cavite) and Ermiteño (Ermita) in Luzon. Ermiteño is no longer spoken.The Zamboangueño Chavacanos mostly live in Zamboanga City, but many others dwell in the central area and southernmost tip of the Zamboanga peninsula, Basilan, and parts of Sulu and Tawi-Tawi in Western Mindanao and the Sulu Archipelago. There is also a significant number of Zamboangueño Chavacanos abroad — part of the Filipino Diaspora; in Semporna-Sabah, Malaysia, Zamboangueño is recognized as an official language alongside Malay. The Zamboangueño Chavacanos are predominantly Roman Catholic, although the group comprises a significant Muslim segment, as well as a growing Protestant population. In 1635, Zamboanga was known as San José Fort and was under Spanish control. Spanish Friars, hoping to spread Christianity in Islamic Mindanao and defend the fort against Muslim pirates, petitioned the military for support. Thus, during this period, laborers from Luzon and the Visayas; Spanish soldiers; masons from Cavite (the largest number of newcomers to the area); sacadas from Cebu, Iloilo, and Dapitan; and Samals and Subanons (local tribes) were all thrown together. The vast variety of languages, the presence of the Spanish military, and the establishment of religious and educational institutions engendered a pidgin, which eventually developed into a Spanish Creole that has survived for over 400 years.

Zamboangueno is the largest and most stable variety of Philippine Creole Spanish (PCS). The pioneering work of Whinnom (1956) grouped all PCS varieties together as ‘Spanish contact vernacular-ff-,” while the first serious study of Zamboangueno, by Frake (1971), stated that “Philippine Creole Spanish is not simply a Philippine language with unusually heavy Spanish lexical influence, nor is it Spanish with a large number of Philippine loan words. It is a distinct language, easily distinguishable from both its Romance and its Austronesian progenitors, ”Two prevailing viewpoints exist on the origins of Zamboangueno, which shows both striking similarities and significant differences with respect to Manila Bay PCS dialects. The first holds that Zamboangueno is the direct offshoot of transplanted Manila Bay PCS, used by garrison troops and enriched by central and southern Philippine elements. The second is that Zamboangueno was formed in situ by repatriated slaves from all parts of the Philippines, who were recaptured from the Moslems of the Sulu Sea and set ashore at Zamboanga's Fort Pilar. The present study attempts to reconcile the similarities and differences among PCS dialects, thereby situating Zamboangueno in a refined geneological perspective. It is suggested that, although certain features of Zamboangueno almost certainly come from Manila Bay PCS, this did not result from a transplantation of a flourishing Manila Bay PCS variety in Zamboanga. Rather, Zamboangueño was formed gradually in a largely downward fashion from received Spanish, aided by two additional components. The first is the inevitable pidginization that resulted in the Spanish garrison at Zamboanga, reinforced by the concentration of freed slaves from all parts of the Philippines. The second was a continuing trickle of Manila Bay PCS speakers into Zamboanga, as well as a general awareness, by Spanish and Zamboangueno speakers, of linguistic features prevailing in Manila Bay PCS.

The Zamboangueño people are a Filipino ethnic group native to Zamboanga. Although the product of Spanish colonization in the southern Philippines. Spanish censuses record that as much as one third of the inhabitants of Zamboanga City possess varying degrees of Spanish and Latino admixture. In addition to this, select cities such as Bacolod, Cebu, Iloilo or Zamboanga which are home to historical military fortifications or commercial ports during the Spanish era also holds sizable mestizo communities. The Zamboangueños constitute an authentic and distinct ethnolinguistic identity for two reasons: claim to a distinct language, Chavacano, and undeniable vestiges of a Spanish colonial past, physical features of local mestizos, Spanish folk art, fiestas and Roman Catholicism. The Character of the Zamboangueño People are unique as we can say for their Kinship Family System, Love for one's Cultural Heritage, Propensity for extravagance, Fiestas and Siestas, and Aristocratic behavior. While their social lives usually resolve around religious practices, the tradition of the bantayanon, fiestas, fondas, includes their bailes the baile-valse, regodon and paso doble. The Zamboangueño customs are based on Spanish, Latin America and European notions of patriarchal authority, etiquette, familial obligation, as well as a feeling of superiority - characterized by excessive pride, vanity, jealousy, boastfulness, and snobbishness - over their less-Westernized neighbors. They are mostly devout Roman Catholics. The Zamboangueño courtship traditions are elaborate and regulated by a long list of required social graces. For example, a perfectly respectable Zamboangueño Latino caballero (gentleman) would not sit unless permitted to do so by the woman’s parents, he then had to endure questions pertaining to his lineage, credentials, and occupation. Finally, the courtship curfew, and the need to cultivate the goodwill of all the members of the woman’s family were paramount considerations before any headway could be made in pursuing a Zamboangueña senorita's hand in marriage.

The vigorous original Zamboangueño Chavacanos, also referred to as simply Chavacanos, are composed of families that are native to the old Zamboanga. Their language is called Zamboangueño, which is a one of six Chavacano dialects found in the Philippines. The other five are Cotabateño (CotabatoCity) and Davaoeño (Davao) in Mindanao; and Caviteño (CaviteCity), Ternateño (Ternate, Cavite) and Ermiteño (Ermita) in Luzon. Ermiteño is no longer spoken. The Zamboangueño Chavacanos mostly live in Zamboanga City, but many others dwell in the central area and southernmost tip of the Zamboanga peninsula, Basilan, and parts of Sulu and Tawi-Tawi in Western Mindanao and the Sulu Archipelago. There is also a significant number of Zamboangueño Chavacanos abroad — part of the Filipino Diaspora; in Semporna-Sabah, Malaysia, Zamboangueño is recognized as an official language alongside Malay. The Zamboangueño Chavacanos are predominantly Roman Catholic, although the group comprises a significant Muslim segment, as well as a growing Protestant population. In 1635, Zamboanga was known as San José Fort and was under Spanish control. Spanish Friars, hoping to spread Christianity in Islamic Mindanao and defend the fort against Muslim pirates, petitioned the military for support. Thus, during this period, laborers from Luzon and the Visayas; Spanish soldiers; masons from Cavite (the largest number of newcomers to the area); sacadas from Cebu, Iloilo, and Dapitan; and Samals and Subanons (local tribes) were all thrown together. The vast variety of languages, the presence of the Spanish military, and the establishment of religious and educational institutions engendered a pidgin, which eventually developed into a Spanish Creole that has survived for over 400 years.

The Zamboangueño people (Chavacano/Spanish: Pueblo Zamboangueño) are a creole ethnolinguistic nation of the Philippines and Malaysia originating in Zamboanga City. Spanish censuses record that as much as one third of the inhabitants of the city of Zamboanga possess varying degrees of Spanish and Hispanoamerican admixture. In addition to this, select cities such as Bacólod, Cebú, Iloílo and Zamboanga, which were home to military fortifications or commercial ports during the Spanish era also hold sizable mestizo communities. The Zamboangueño constitute an authentic and distinct ethnolinguistic identity because of their coherent cultural and historical heritage, most notably Chavacano, that distinguishes them from neighboring ethnolinguistic nations. People from other ethnolinguistic nations came to Jambangan (present-day Zamboanga), when the construction of the present-day Fort Pilar began. The colonial Spanish government ordered the construction of a military fort to guard off the city from Moro pirates and slave raiders of Sulu. Labourers from Cebú, Cavite, Bohol, Negros, Panay and other islands were brought to the city to help build the fort. Eventually, these people settled in the city to live alongside and intermarried with other ethnolinguistic nations, primarily among the Subanon Ethnic <--That an entire ethnicity is descended from one clan is a grand claim. (from the Royal Ethnic lineage of Macombong and Tongab whose father is Shariff Bungsu of Brunei royalty and mother is Princess Nayac, the daughter of the late King of Kingdom of Jambangan, Datu Timuay of the Subanon ethnolinguistic nation who are the ancestors together with other ethnolinguistic nation - the Lutao,)--> Together, they would form the nucleus of the present-day Zamboangueño people. To this nucleus were added the descendants of labourers from Iloílo (also in Panay) and of soldiers from New Spain and Peru. Through intermarriage, Ilongos, Hispanoamericans and with the Spanish, they created a new culture which gradually developed a distinct identity—the Zamboangueños (Zamboangueño: magá/maná Zamboangueños; Spanish: Zamboangueños). Furthermore, because these people come from different islands and even nations and spoke different languages, they together developed a new pidgin language called Chavacano. Chavacano then evolved into a full-fledged Spanish-based creole to become the lingua franca of Zamboanga City and then the official language of the Republic of Zamboanga.

The Zamboangueños have a unique connection to Roman Catholicism. Their social lives typically revolve around various religious practices and traditions. Some of these traditions still observed up to some extent are the bantayanon, fiestas, and fondas. Their dances (bailes) include the vals, regodon, and paso doble. The community also continues various traditions connected to religious celebrations and enjoys its own festivals. For instance, the Hermosa Festival, also called the Fiesta Pilar, honors Zamboanga City’s patron saint, Nuestra Señora de la Virgen del Pilar. This fiesta is celebrated every October 12, which is also a special holiday in the city. Another festival that is connected to the people’s strong Catholic belief is the Pascua na Zamboanga (Christmas in Zamboanga). During this time, families and communities come together to enjoy various activities. Nowadays, this event is also filled with numerous spectacles to make Christmas special for the Zamboangueños. Aside from the religious practices and the festivals, further evidence of European influences can be observed in the jota zamboangueña dance. Here, women perform to Zamboangueño songs with movements similar to the quick-stepping flamenco but with bamboo clappers instead of Spanish castanets. This dance, along with other dances with Iberian influences, is performed during the fiestas and other formal tertulias (festivities).

Zamboanga always throbs with the colorful cultures, traditions, and lifestyles of people shaped by the confluence of native Subano, Malay, Islamic (Yakan, Samal, Tausug and Badjao), Spanish and American cultures that spanned the course of centuries. Of all these, the Spanish culture had the strongest impact – about 50% of Zamboangueño culture is anchored on España and its three centuries of presence. Love of one’s heritage is typical value, which clearly manifests the extent of Hispanic culture, and influence among the Zamboangueños. Despite the authenticity and distinctiveness of the Zamboangueños as a cultural group in the Zamboanga Peninsula, there is not much that can be identified as indigenous in terms of beliefs and practices. All of these cultures, however, are fascinating and form the essence of Zamboanga’s cultural heritage, unique and the envy of many less fortunate cities and provinces who cannot lay claim to such a colorful past and history. The diversity of Zamboanga flows together in a single stream – the Christians and Muslims living in harmony for centuries, the Chinese and the Spanish or American mestizos transacting the daily business of life, and the women of all races giving Zamboanga the face of beauty the world has known for many years.

Zamboangueño customs and traditions are quaint and replete with old world courtesy. Modernity and western influences have somewhat modified them through the years. Among them: the role of the father as the family model quite strict, specially with daughters, and the mother as the light of the family whose kingdom was the home; or table manners that required a code of courtesy; the respect for elders and visitors that saw children relegated to their rooms until guests had left; or the Zamboangueño who was often called “un hombre de cojones.” On the other side, though, there are also traits such as misplaced or excessive pride, vanity, jealousy, boastfulness, and snobbishness that detracted. But put them all together, this was the Zamboangueño package, like it or not.