Sambal people
Encyclopedia
The Sambal are a Filipino ethnolinguistic group
living primarily in the province
of Zambales
, the city
of Olongapo, and the Pangasinense
municipalities
of Bolinao
and Anda
. The term may also refer to the general inhabitants of Zambales.
In 1950s, hundreds of Sambal-speaking people from the northern municipalities of Zambales, migrated and established a settlement in Quezon, Palawan
. The settlement was later on named Barangay Panitian
. The residents call themselves Sambal or Sambal-Palaweno.
inhabitants of the province of Zambales and the city of Olongapo in the Philippines
. They speak Sambal, Bolinao
, or Botolan
, all of which are Sambalic languages
. The Sambalic languages are most closely related to Kapampangan
and to an archaic form of Tagalog still spoken in Tanay
in the province of Rizal
. This has been interpreted to mean that the Sambal originated from that area, later being displaced by migrating Tagalogs
, pushing the original inhabitants northward to what is now the province of Zambales, in turn, displacing the Aetas.
The Spanish
, in their first encounters with the Sambal, supposedly found them to be highly superstitious and who worshipped the spirits of their ancestors. To this day, most Sambal still believe in superstitions and mysteries. This is said to be the origin of the name Sambal—the Spanish who first encountered them called them the sambali, coined from the Malay
word samba, which means "to worship." The term was later hispanized as zambal.
Like the Moros, the culture and customs of the Sambal are different from that of neighboring groups. This is evident in their traditional dress, which consists of a single-shoulder short-sleeved shirt, paired with short trousers. Usually worn at the chest and shoulder areas of the shirt are badges that resemble multicolored crosses. .
The Sambals were known to be fierce warriors, notorious for their bloody raids on Christian
settlements. They have been occasionally recruited by Indio commanders (indio
was the term used for the Austronesian inhabitants of the Philippines) in campaigns against the Spanish
, who then governed the islands. The Sambal were also once known to have captured and enslaved Diego Silang
as a child, eventually being ransomed by a Recollect
missionary in Zambales.
It was recorded as customary for the Sambal to perform an execution as punishment for those who have taken another person’s life. Their manner of execution was to bore a hole at the top of the skull and then scrape out the brain
s.
During the first hundred years of Spanish rule, the Sambal, like most other non-Spanish groups in the Philippines during the colonial era, had their village structures reorganized and were forced into reducciones in order to assimilate them into Spanish cultural norms.
ethno-liguistic subgroupings such as Sambali, Bolinao
, and Botolan
with approximately 200,000, 105,000 and 72,000 speakers, respectively based on 2007 population. The Sambali speakers are the residents of the municipalities of Santa Cruz
, Candelaria
, Masinloc, Palauig, and the capital town Iba
of the province of Zambales. The Bolinao subgroup is located in Anda
and Bolinao
municipalities of Pangasinan, while the Botolan subgroup is found in Botolan and Cabangan municipalities of Zambales. An estimated 6000 Sambali speakers can also be found in Panitian
, Quezon, Palawan
and Puerto Princesa City.
The language is also spoken by many Filipino immigrants in the U.S. and Canada. In Dartmouth, Nova Scotia, Canada, for instance, the language is spoken by a clan of Zambals consisting at least five families. It is interesting to note that in Casino Nova Scotia in the maritimes city of Halifax, a group of Sambals can be found running the card games. Community organizations of Sambal-speaking Filipino-Americans are found in San Diego and San Francisco, California as well as in Hawaii.
. Like in Masinloc, many residents of Panitian have their last names start with the letter E. Most common last names are Eclarino, Elefane, Echaluse, Echague, Elgincolin, Edquibal, Ednalino, Edora, Espinoza, Ecaldre and Ecle. Those who came from Sta. Cruz have their last names usually begin with the letter M, foremost of which are Misa, Mora, Moralde and Meredor. Other commom last names of Sambali people in Panitian are Angeles, Atrero and Agagas. There are now approximately 6000 Sambals residing in Palawan. Many of the Sambal-Palawenos have now relocated in Puerto Princesa City, although a majority still resides in Panitian. Many of those who moved to Puerto Princesa City have their residences in Barangay Mandaragat or New Buncag.
Ethnic groups in the Philippines
The Philippine islands are inhabited by number of different ethnic groups. The majority of the population is composed of ethnolinguistic groups whose languages are Austronesian in origin. Many of these groups converted to Christianity, and adopted many foreign elements of culture...
living primarily in the province
Provinces of the Philippines
The Provinces of the Philippines are the primary political and administrative divisions of the Philippines. There are 80 provinces at present, further subdivided into component cities and municipalities. The National Capital Region, as well as independent cities, are autonomous from any provincial...
of Zambales
Zambales
Zambales is a province of the Philippines located in the Central Luzon region. Its capital is Iba. Zambales borders Pangasinan to the north, Tarlac and Pampanga to the east, and Bataan to the south. The province lies between the South China Sea and the Zambales Mountains. With a land area of...
, the city
Cities of the Philippines
A city is a tier of local government in the Philippines. All Philippine cities are chartered cities, whose existence as corporate and administrative entities is governed by their own specific charters in addition to the Local Government Code of 1991, which specifies the administrative structure...
of Olongapo, and the Pangasinense
Pangasinan
Pangasinan is a province of the Republic of the Philippines. The provincial capital is Lingayen. Pangasinan is located on the west central and peripheral area of the island of Luzon along the Lingayen Gulf, with the total land area being 5,368.82 square kilometers . According to the latest census,...
municipalities
Municipalities of the Philippines
A municipality is a local government unit in the Philippines. Municipalities are also called towns . They are distinct from cities, which are a different category of local government unit...
of Bolinao
Bolinao, Pangasinan
Bolinao is a 3rd class municipality in the province of Pangasinan, Philippines. According to the latest census, it has a population of 69,568 people in 12,182 households.-History:...
and Anda
Anda, Pangasinan
Anda is a 4th class island-municipality in the province of Pangasinan, Philippines. The people of Anda generally speak Bolinao. The island is near the Hundred Islands, a popular tourist destination for its caves and beaches....
. The term may also refer to the general inhabitants of Zambales.
In 1950s, hundreds of Sambal-speaking people from the northern municipalities of Zambales, migrated and established a settlement in Quezon, Palawan
Quezon, Palawan
Quezon, Palawan is a 2nd class municipality in the province of Palawan, Philippines. According to the 2000 census, it has a population of 41,669 people in 8,453 households...
. The settlement was later on named Barangay Panitian
Panitian
Panitian is a barangay in the municipality of Quezon of the province of Palawan, established through Republic Act No. 2593 enacted on June 21, 1959...
. The residents call themselves Sambal or Sambal-Palaweno.
Traditions
The Sambal are the original AustronesianAustronesian people
The Austronesian-speaking peoples are various populations in Oceania and Southeast Asia that speak languages of the Austronesian family. They include Taiwanese aborigines; the majority ethnic groups of East Timor, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Brunei, Madagascar, Micronesia, and Polynesia,...
inhabitants of the province of Zambales and the city of Olongapo in the Philippines
Philippines
The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
. They speak Sambal, Bolinao
Bolinao language
The Bolinao language is spoken primarily in the Pangasinense municipality of Anda and the town of Bolinao. It has approximately 50,000 speakers , making it the second most widely spoken Sambalic language....
, or Botolan
Botolan language
Botolan is a Sambalic language spoken by 32,867 Sambal, primarily in the Zambal municipalities of Botolan and Cabangan in the Philippines.-Phonology:...
, all of which are Sambalic languages
Sambalic languages
The Sambalic languages are a part of the Central Luzon language family spoken by the Sambals, an ethno-linguistic group on the western coastal areas of Central Luzon as well as the Zambales Mountain ranges...
. The Sambalic languages are most closely related to Kapampangan
Kapampangan language
The Pampangan language, or Kapampangan , is one of the major languages of the Philippines. It is the language spoken in the province of Pampanga, the southern half of the province of Tarlac and the northern portion of the province of Bataan. Kapampangan is also understood in some barangays of...
and to an archaic form of Tagalog still spoken in Tanay
Tanay, Rizal
Tanay is a 1st class municipality in the province of Rizal, Philippines. It is located 57 kilometers east of Manila, although a typical commute between Manila and Tanay will take between one to three hours depending upon traffic conditions...
in the province of Rizal
Rizal
Rizal is a province located in the CALABARZON , just 16 kilometers east of Manila. The province was named after the country's national hero, José Rizal. Rizal Governor Casimiro A. Ynares III on June 17, 2008 announced the transfer of the Capitol from Pasig. Its P 270-million capitol building,...
. This has been interpreted to mean that the Sambal originated from that area, later being displaced by migrating Tagalogs
Tagalog people
The Tagalog people are an ethnic group in the Philippines. The name Tagalog comes from either the native term tagá-ilog, meaning 'people living along the river', or another native term, tagá-alog, meaning 'people living along the ford', a ford being a shallow part of a river or stream where people,...
, pushing the original inhabitants northward to what is now the province of Zambales, in turn, displacing the Aetas.
The Spanish
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
, in their first encounters with the Sambal, supposedly found them to be highly superstitious and who worshipped the spirits of their ancestors. To this day, most Sambal still believe in superstitions and mysteries. This is said to be the origin of the name Sambal—the Spanish who first encountered them called them the sambali, coined from the Malay
Malay language
Malay is a major language of the Austronesian family. It is the official language of Malaysia , Indonesia , Brunei and Singapore...
word samba, which means "to worship." The term was later hispanized as zambal.
Like the Moros, the culture and customs of the Sambal are different from that of neighboring groups. This is evident in their traditional dress, which consists of a single-shoulder short-sleeved shirt, paired with short trousers. Usually worn at the chest and shoulder areas of the shirt are badges that resemble multicolored crosses. .
The Sambals were known to be fierce warriors, notorious for their bloody raids on Christian
Christianity in the Philippines
The Philippines is one of two predominantly Roman Catholic nations in Asia, the other being East Timor. About 93% of the population is Christian, about 5% are Muslim and about 2% are other or none.-History:...
settlements. They have been occasionally recruited by Indio commanders (indio
Indio
Indio may refer to:* Indio, California* Indio, person of indigenous peoples of the Americas* The Spanish Colonial racial term for the native Austronesian peoples of the Philippines between the 16th and 19th centuriesSpecific people:...
was the term used for the Austronesian inhabitants of the Philippines) in campaigns against the Spanish
Spanish Government
Spain is a constitutional monarchy whose government is defined by the Constitution of Spain. This was approved by a general referendum of the people of Spain in 1978...
, who then governed the islands. The Sambal were also once known to have captured and enslaved Diego Silang
Diego Silang
Diego Silang y Andaya was a revolutionary leader who conspired with British forces to overthrow Spanish rule in the northern Philippines and establish an independent Ilocano nation...
as a child, eventually being ransomed by a Recollect
Recollets
The Récollets were a French branch of the Roman Catholic order, the Franciscans , which developed out of a reform movement that began in the 15th century in Spain and established itself in France in Tulle in 1585, at Nevers in 1592, at Limoges in 1596 and in Paris in 1603...
missionary in Zambales.
It was recorded as customary for the Sambal to perform an execution as punishment for those who have taken another person’s life. Their manner of execution was to bore a hole at the top of the skull and then scrape out the brain
Brain
The brain is the center of the nervous system in all vertebrate and most invertebrate animals—only a few primitive invertebrates such as sponges, jellyfish, sea squirts and starfishes do not have one. It is located in the head, usually close to primary sensory apparatus such as vision, hearing,...
s.
During the first hundred years of Spanish rule, the Sambal, like most other non-Spanish groups in the Philippines during the colonial era, had their village structures reorganized and were forced into reducciones in order to assimilate them into Spanish cultural norms.
Sambal Languages
The Sambal people are categorized into three major SambalicSambalic languages
The Sambalic languages are a part of the Central Luzon language family spoken by the Sambals, an ethno-linguistic group on the western coastal areas of Central Luzon as well as the Zambales Mountain ranges...
ethno-liguistic subgroupings such as Sambali, Bolinao
Bolinao
Bolinao or Bolinaon may refer to:*Bolinao, Pangasinan*Bolinao language*The Philippine Anchovy , which is known in Cebuano as bolinao....
, and Botolan
Botolan language
Botolan is a Sambalic language spoken by 32,867 Sambal, primarily in the Zambal municipalities of Botolan and Cabangan in the Philippines.-Phonology:...
with approximately 200,000, 105,000 and 72,000 speakers, respectively based on 2007 population. The Sambali speakers are the residents of the municipalities of Santa Cruz
Santa Cruz, Zambales
Santa Cruz is a 2nd class municipality located on the northern edge of the province of Zambales, Philippines. According to the latest census, it has a population of 52,202 people in 9,754 households....
, Candelaria
Candelaria, Zambales
Candelaria is a 3rd class municipality in the province of Zambales, Philippines. According to the latest census, it has a population of 24,243 people in 4,321 households.Candelaria is approximately 42 km from the capital town of Iba...
, Masinloc, Palauig, and the capital town Iba
IBA
-Iba:People*Clarence Iba , American basketball coach*Erol Iba , Indonesian footballer*Henry Iba , American basketball coach*Moe Iba , American basketball coach*Itsuki Iba, a fictional characterPlaces...
of the province of Zambales. The Bolinao subgroup is located in Anda
Anda
-Places:*Anda, Heilongjiang, a city in Suihua, Heilongjiang, China**Anda Town*Anda, Norway, an island**Anda lighthouse*Anda, Bohol, the Philippines*Anda, Pangasinan, the Philippines*Anda, Afghanistan*Anda, Mymensingh, Bangladesh-Other uses:...
and Bolinao
Bolinao
Bolinao or Bolinaon may refer to:*Bolinao, Pangasinan*Bolinao language*The Philippine Anchovy , which is known in Cebuano as bolinao....
municipalities of Pangasinan, while the Botolan subgroup is found in Botolan and Cabangan municipalities of Zambales. An estimated 6000 Sambali speakers can also be found in Panitian
Panitian
Panitian is a barangay in the municipality of Quezon of the province of Palawan, established through Republic Act No. 2593 enacted on June 21, 1959...
, Quezon, Palawan
Quezon, Palawan
Quezon, Palawan is a 2nd class municipality in the province of Palawan, Philippines. According to the 2000 census, it has a population of 41,669 people in 8,453 households...
and Puerto Princesa City.
The language is also spoken by many Filipino immigrants in the U.S. and Canada. In Dartmouth, Nova Scotia, Canada, for instance, the language is spoken by a clan of Zambals consisting at least five families. It is interesting to note that in Casino Nova Scotia in the maritimes city of Halifax, a group of Sambals can be found running the card games. Community organizations of Sambal-speaking Filipino-Americans are found in San Diego and San Francisco, California as well as in Hawaii.
Sambals in Palawan
Hundreds of Sambals coming from Candelaria, Sta. Cruz, and Masinloc, Zambales migrated to an undeveloped and forested area in southern Palawan in the 1950s. They established a settlement which was later on named Barangay PanitianPanitian
Panitian is a barangay in the municipality of Quezon of the province of Palawan, established through Republic Act No. 2593 enacted on June 21, 1959...
. Like in Masinloc, many residents of Panitian have their last names start with the letter E. Most common last names are Eclarino, Elefane, Echaluse, Echague, Elgincolin, Edquibal, Ednalino, Edora, Espinoza, Ecaldre and Ecle. Those who came from Sta. Cruz have their last names usually begin with the letter M, foremost of which are Misa, Mora, Moralde and Meredor. Other commom last names of Sambali people in Panitian are Angeles, Atrero and Agagas. There are now approximately 6000 Sambals residing in Palawan. Many of the Sambal-Palawenos have now relocated in Puerto Princesa City, although a majority still resides in Panitian. Many of those who moved to Puerto Princesa City have their residences in Barangay Mandaragat or New Buncag.