ILOCANO
LITRATURE
ILOCANO LITERATURE
Ilocano Literature or Iloko Literature pertains to the literary
works of writers of Ilocano ancestry regardless the language
used – be it Ilocano, English, Spanish or other foreign and
Philippine Languages. In Ilocano language, the term
“Ilocano” are different. Generally “Iloko” and “Ilocano” are
different. Iloko is the language while Ilocano refers to the
people on the ethnicity of the who speak the Iloko language.
The Ilocano people are one of many ethnic groups from
the archipelagic country of the Philippines in Southeast
Asia. Ilocano people originate from a northwestern strip
of Coastal land, called the Ilocos Region, on the
Northernmost Island in the Philippines, Luzon.
How the Diversity Unfolded
Over the centuries, Ilokano literature has
proliferated and endured, thanks to the
creative and careful hands of writers and
scholars who speak the Ilokano language.
ILOCANO FOLK SONGS
Are filled with happiness, dynamism, and optimism. Indeed, they are
statements about the collective Ilokano persona.
Examples;
• Pamulinawen
- Is a popular old Ilocano folk song possibly from the pre-Spanish era.
• Manang Biday
• Naraniag a Bulan
Various Types of Folk Songs Spread Among the
Ilocanos
1. War Songs – that (perhaps with a touch of irony) celebrated
joy and freedom.
2. Ceremonial Songs – known as “dallot” performed during
baptismal and wedding festivals.
3. Courtship Songs – known as the “badeng” with
“Pamulinawen” as one of the most popular.
Ilokano Folk Speech
Included the "burburtia," the Ilokano form of the riddle,
and the "pagsasao" or Ilokano proverb.
Say koli pakalmoay liket;
Say ngiras pakalmoay irap
Ilokano Riddles
1. Langit ngato, langit baba, danum agtinga.
2. Ania ti pinarsua dios nga ipagnana ti bukol.
3. Adda maysa a lakay kalbo ngem nakawaray.
4. Adda maysa a prinsesa nakatungaw iti tasa.
5. Adda tapis ni kaka saanman a mabasa.
Other Short Forms Of Ilokano
Oral Literature
included invocations to spirits that
inhabited forests, and songs performed as
tribute to the dead (called the "dung-
aw").
• Had their own folk tales and myths,
featuring themes like creation, heroes, and
beasts.
• Characters in these stories included the
mythical creatures named Angalo and Aran.
• The Spanish Conquest led to the proliferation of
religious Ilokano literature, beginning in the
17th century.
• 1621 saw the publication of the first ever Ilokano
work to be printed.
ILOCANO ARTS
Inabel Weaving
Abel or Inabel is a fabric
customarily made of
cotton fiber turned into
spools of beeswax-
brushed yarn and woven
in a handloom.
Burnay Pottery
Burnay pottery is an
ancient art form in Ilocos
this tradition of molding
unglazed earthen jars is
called “burnay”.
Religious Work
A religious work, it was entitled "Libro a
naisuratan amin a bagas ti doctrina cristiana
nga naisurat iti libro ni Cardenal a agnagan
Bellarmino, ket inaon ni P. Fr. Francisco
Lopez, padre, a S. Agustin, iti sina Samtoy"
Book in which is Written All the Contents of the Christian
Doctrine as Written in the Book of a Cardinal Named Bellarmino,
and Translated by P. Fr. Francisco Lopez, an Agustinian Father,
into Samtoy.
Over the next two centuries, other friars with key literary
contributions included Fr. Antonio Mejia, Fr. Jacinto Guerrero, Fr.
Alonso Cortes, and Fr. Guillermo Sebastian.
Poetry of the Ilokanos
The poetry of the Ilokanos has a rich tradition.
One of the crowning achievements in all of
Ilokano literature was the epic "Biag ni Lam-
ang," orally transmitted for centuries.
Biag ni Lam-ang
Biag ni Lam-ang ( 'The Life of Lam-ang') is an epic story of the
Ilocano people from the Ilocos region of the Philippines. It is notable for
being the first Philippine folk epic to be recorded in written form, and was
one of only two folk epics documented during the Philippines Spanish
Colonial period, along with the Bicolano epic of Handiong. It is also noted for
being a folk epic from a "Christianized" lowland people group (the Ilocano
people), with elements incorporated into the storytelling.
Pedro Bukaneg
Early 20 Centuryth
By the early 20th century, the American anthropologist,
Henry Otley Beyer, had estimated that about 500
publications of Ilokano literature and 40 Ilokano periodicals
had been accounted for.
The literary anthologist Leopoldo Yabes challenged Beyer's
figure for published works, saying that the number was
actually closer to 2,000.
Henry Otley Beyer Leopoldo Yabes
Today, the Ilokano literary tradition continues to thrive. GUMIL
Filipinas (the Ilokano Writers Association of the Philippines) serves
to empower writers producing works in the Ilokano language.
Aiming to be the foremost proponent of literary criticism, history,
and research in the Ilokano literary scene, GUMIL Filipinas
ensures that the literary gem of the North-Ilokano literature-prospers
in the 21st century.
Pamulinawen Lyrics - Ilocano Songs
Pamulinawen
Pusok imdengam man
Toy umas-asug
Agrayo ita sadiam.
Panunotem man
Dika pagintultulngan
Toy agayat, agruknoy ita emmam.
Issemmo diak kalipatan
Ta nasudi unay a nagan,
Ta uray sadin ti ayan,
Disso sadino man,
{Aw-awagak a di agsarday
Ta naganmo nga kasam-itan}
No malagipka, pusok ti mabang-aran
Adu nga sabsabong, adu nga rosrosas
Ti adda't ditoy, Nena, nga mabuybuyak,
Ngem awan manlaeng ti sabali nga liwliwak
No di la dayta sudim ken imnas.
No umulogak nga mapan magmagna
Dayta raniagmo, Neneng nga gapu kenka.
