Itneg people

{{Short description|Austronesian ethnic group in the Philippines}} {{distinguish|text = the Isneg people}} {{Infobox ethnic group | group = Itneg | image = {{multiple image | border = infobox | total_width = 250 | image_style = border:2; | perrow = 2/2 | image1 = A wild Tingian man of Aoan, district of Apayao, Cagayan, showing physical characteristics and dress (1906).png | image2 = A Tingian woman of Dallaoas, Apayao, Cagayan (1906).png | image3 = }} | caption = Itneg (Tinguian) man from Aoan and woman from Dallaoas in traditional attire, circa 1906 | total = 149,777 | total_year = 2020 | total_source = Census | total_ref = <ref>{{Cite report |title=Ethnicity in the Philippines (2020 Census of Population and Housing) |url=https://psa.gov.ph/content/ethnicity-philippines-2020-census-population-and-housing |date=July 4, 2023 |website=psa.gov.ph |access-date=March 21, 2025}}</ref> | regions = {{Flagcountry|Philippines}}<br />{{Smaller|(Cordillera Administrative Region and Ilocos Region)}}<hr/> | languages = Itneg, Ilocano, Tagalog, English | religions = Animism (Indigenous Philippine folk religions), Christianity (Roman Catholicism, Episcopalianism, other Protestant sects) | related = Cordilleran (Igorot), Ilocano, Austronesian peoples }} The '''Itneg people''' also known as "'''Tinguian'''" or "'''Tingguian'''" are an Austronesian ethnic group indigenous to the Philippines. They are part of the broader Cordilleran or Igorot group, despite the Itnegs themselves not identifying as such. The Itneg primarily inhabit the Cordillera Administrative Region in northern Luzon, particularly in the provinces of Abra, Kalinga, Apayao, and Mountain Province. The group is further divided into nine distinct sub-groups.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |title=Peoples of the Philippines: Tinggian |url=https://ncca.gov.ph/about-culture-and-arts/culture-profile/glimpses-peoples-of-the-philippines/tinggian/ |access-date=2025-03-19 |website=National Commission for Culture and the Arts |language=en-US}}</ref> They are also present in the upland areas of the Ilocos Region, notably in Nueva Era, Ilocos Norte and Ilocos Sur.

The Itneg are generally classified into two main groups. The ''valley Itneg'' form a homogeneous and concentrated population in the lower reaches of Abra, primarily engaged in wet rice cultivation. In contrast, the ''mountain Itneg'' inhabit higher elevations, relying on dry cultivation and root crops for subsistence.<ref name=":0" /> Further distinctions exist within the Itneg community, dividing them into nine subgroups: Adasen, Mabaka, Gubang, Banao, Binongon, Danak, Moyodan, Dawangan, and Inlaud (also spelled Illaud).<ref name=":0" />

Genetic studies indicate that the Itneg population is composed of approximately 75% Austronesian, 9% Austroasiatic, 10% Tai-Kadai, 3% South Asian, and 3% Negrito ancestry.

== Etymology == The term ''Itneg'' is often used interchangeably with ''Tinguian''. The name ''Itneg'' is believed to originate from the Ilocano phrase ''iti uneg'', meaning "the interior." Another theory suggests that it derives from the prefix ''i-'', which denotes a place of origin, combined with ''Tineg River'', a major river and geographical area associated with the Itneg people.<ref name=":1">{{Cite book |last=Schmitz |first=John N |url=https://doi.org/10.1177/00918296730010031 |title=The Abra Mission in Northern Luzon, Philippines. Cebu: University of San Carlos. |date=1971 |publisher=San Carlos Publications |series=D |volume=1 |location=Cebu City |translator-last=Vogelgesang |translator-first=John |issue=3|doi=10.1177/00918296730010031 |doi-broken-date=1 July 2025 }}</ref>

During the Spanish colonization of the Philippines, the Itneg were referred to by various names, including ''Tinguian'', ''Tinggian'', ''Tinguianes'', ''Tingues'', and ''Tingians'', all of which translate to "mountain dwellers." These terms were used to describe indigenous groups who withdrew into the Abra Valley and surrounding highlands to evade the advancing Spanish and Christianized Ilocano population.<ref name=":1" />

==History== === Spanish-era migrations to Abra === During pre-colonial times, the Itneg mostly lived near the coasts of Northern Luzon, where they interacted closely with the Ilocanos.<ref name="HImes1997"/> By the time the Spanish colonizers arrived, they had only a few inland settlements, but colonial pressures forced many of them to move inland during the sixteenth and seventeenth century.<ref name="HImes1997"/> Most of them settled in Abra, which then became the Itneg heartland.<ref name="HImes1997">Himes, R. S. (1997). Reconstructions in Kalinga-Itneg. Oceanic Linguistics, 36(1), 102–134. https://doi.org/10.2307/3623072</ref>

=== Discrimination during the Marcos dictatorship === The Itneg have faced ethnic discrimination and violence, with the era of Martial law under Ferdinand Marcos being a well-documented period of particular violence,<ref>{{cite journal | url=https://www.ukdr.uplb.edu.ph/journal-articles/3918/ | title=The Solid North myth: An Investigation on the status of dissent and human rights during the Marcos Regime in Regions 1 and 2, 1969-1986 | journal=U.P. Los Baños Journal | date=4 May 2021 | last1=Pawilen | first1=Reidan }}</ref> mostly linked to the infringement of the Marcos crony linked Cellophil Resources Corporation on forest resources in traditionally Itneg lands.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://verafiles.org/articles/anti-cellophil-struggle-a-continuing-source-of-inspiration-to-ips | title=Anti-Cellophil struggle: A continuing source of inspiration to IPs | work=VERA Files | date=9 December 2012 | author1=Verafiles }}</ref>

== Culture == [[File:An Itneg shaman renewing an offering to the spirit shield (1922, Philippines).jpg|thumb|1922: a shaman of the Itneg people renewing an offering to the spirit ({{Transliteration|itb|anito}}) of a warrior's shield ({{Transliteration|itb|kalasag}})]] [[File:Potters at work. The one on the right is a man in woman's garb (Itneg people, 1922).jpg|thumb|Itneg potters, the person on the right is a {{Transliteration|itb|bayok}} in female attire (c. 1922)]] thumb|A 1922 photograph of an Itneg shaman making an offering to an {{Transliteration|itb|apdel}}, a guardian {{Transliteration|itb|anito}} of her village. {{Transliteration|itb|Apdel}} are believed to reside in the water-worn stones known as {{Transliteration|itb|pinaing}}. The Tinguians still practice their traditional ways, including wet rice and swidden farming. Socio-cultural changes started when the Spanish conquistadors ventured to expand their reach to the settlements of Abra. The Spaniards brought with them their culture some of which the Tangguians borrowed. More changes in their culture took place with the coming of the Americans and the introduction of education and Catholic and Protestant proselytization.<ref name=Itnegs/>

=== Social organization === Wealth and material possessions (such as Chinese jars, copper gongs called {{Transliteration|itb|gangsa}}, beads, rice fields, and livestock) determine the social standing of a family or person, as well as the hosting of feasts and ceremonies. Despite the divide of social status, there is no sharp distinction between rich ({{Transliteration|itb|baknang}}) and poor. Wealth is inherited but the society is open for social mobility of the citizens by hard work. Shamans are the only distinct group in their society, but even then it is only during ceremonial periods.<ref name="Itnegs">{{cite book |last1=Sumeg-ang |first1=Arsenio |title=Ethnography of the Major Ethnolinguistic Groups in the Cordillera |date=2005 |publisher=New Day Publishers |location=Quezon City |isbn=9789711011093 |pages=177–194 |chapter=9 The Tingguians/Itnegs}}</ref>

The traditional leadership in the Tangguian community is held by {{Transliteration|itb|panglakayen}} (old men), who compose a council of leaders representing each {{Transliteration|itb|purok}} or settlement. The {{Transliteration|itb|panglakayen}} are chosen for their wisdom and eagerness to protect the community's interest.<ref name="Itnegs" /> Justice is governed by custom ({{Transliteration|itb|kadawyan}}) and trial by ordeal. Head-hunting was finally stopped through peace pacts ({{Transliteration|itb|kalon}}).<ref name="Itnegs" />

=== Marriage === The Itnegs’ marriage are arranged by the parents and are usually between distant relatives in order to keep the family close-knit and the family wealth within the kinship group. The parents select a bride for their son when he is six to eight years old, and the proposal is done to the parents of the girl. If accepted, the engagement is sealed by tying beads around the girl's waist as a sign of engagement. A bride price ({{Transliteration|itb|pakalon}}) is also paid to the bride's family, with an initial payment and the rest during the actual wedding. No celebration accompanies the Itneg wedding and the guests leave right after the ceremony.<ref name=Itnegs/>

=== Clothing === The women dress in a wrap-around skirt ({{Transliteration|itb|tapis}}) that reaches to the knees and fastened by an elaborately decorated belt. They also wear short sleeved jacket on special occasions. The men, on the other hand, wear a G-string ({{Transliteration|itb|ba-al}}) made of woven cloth ({{Transliteration|itb|balibas}}). On special occasions, the men also wear a long-sleeved jacket ({{Transliteration|itb|bado}}). They also wear a belt where they fasten their knife and a bamboo hat with a low, dome-shaped top. Beads are the primary adornment of the Tingguians and a sign of wealth.<ref name=Itnegs/>

=== Housing === The Itneg people have two general types of housing. The first is a 2–3 room-dwelling surrounded by a porch and the other is a one-room house with a porch in front. Their houses are usually made of bamboo and cogon. A common feature of a Tingguian home with wooden floors is a corner with bamboo slats as flooring where mothers usually give birth. Spirit structures include {{Transliteration|itb|balawa}} built during the {{Transliteration|itb|say-ang}} ceremony, {{Transliteration|itb|sangasang}} near the village entrance, and {{Transliteration|itb|aligang}} containing jars of basi.<ref name=Itnegs/>

=== Tattoos === {{see also|Batok}} [[File:Tingian woman of Balbalasan, Bontoc, showing tattoos on forearms (1906).png|thumb|Tattoo patterns on the forearms of an Itneg woman from Balbalan, Kalinga (1906)<ref name="Worcester">{{cite journal |last1=Worcester |first1=Dean C. |title=The Non-Christian Tribes of Northern Luzon |journal=The Philippine Journal of Science |date=Oct 1906 |volume=1 |issue=8 |pages=791–875 |url=https://archive.org/details/mobot31753002572680/page/791/mode/1up}}</ref>]] In ''The Inhabitants of the Philippines'' (1900), the author describes two subgroups of the Banao people (itself a subgroup of the Itneg or "Tinguian" people), the Busao and the Burik people, as having elaborate tattoos, though he also notes that the custom was in the process of disappearing by the time he described them:<ref name="Sawyer">{{cite book |last1=Sawyer |first1=Frederic Henry Read |title=The Inhabitants of the Philippines |date=1900 |publisher=S. Low, Marston |location=New York |page=255 |url=https://www.gutenberg.org/files/38081/38081-h/38081-h.htm}}</ref><ref name="ancient ink 1">{{cite book |last1=Krutak |first1=Lars |editor1-last=Krutak |editor1-first=Lars |editor2-last=Deter-Wolf |editor2-first=Aaron |title=Ancient Ink: The Archaeology of Tattooing |date=2017 |publisher=University of Washington Press |location=Seattle, Washington |isbn=978-0-295-74282-3 |chapter=Burik: Tattoos of the Ibaloy Mummies of Benguet, North Luzon, Philippines |pages=37–55 |edition=First}}</ref>

{{Blockquote |text="The Busao Igorrotes who live in the North of Lepanto, tattoo flowers on their arms, and in war-dress wear a cylindrical shako made of wood or plaited rattan, and large copper pendants on their ears. These people do not use the talibon, and prefer the spear. The Burik Igorrotes tattoo their body in a curious manner, giving them the appearance of wearing a coat of mail. But this custom is probably now becoming obsolete, for at least those of the Igorrotes who live near the Christian natives are gradually adopting their dress and customs." |author=Frederic Henry Read Sawyer |title = ''The Inhabitants of the Philippines'' (1900) |source=<ref name="Sawyer"/> }}

The hafted tools used by the Itneg were described as having a brush-like bundle of ten needles made of plant thorns attached to a handle made from a bent buffalo horn. The "ink" was made from soot obtained by burning a certain type of resinous wood.<ref name="ancient ink 1"/>

Most other groups of Itneg people were already being assimilated by Christianized lowlanders in the Abra valley by the 19th century. Among these groups of Itneg, tattooing was not as prominent. Adult women usually tattooed their forearms with delicate patterns of blue lines, but these are usually covered up completely by the large amounts of beads and bracelets worn by women.<ref name="Cole1922">{{cite journal |last1=Cole |first1=Fay-Cooper |last2=Gale |first2=Albert |title=The Tinguian: Social, Religious, and Economic Life of a Philippine Tribe |journal=Publications of the Field Museum of Natural History. Anthropology Series |date=1922 |volume=14 |issue=2 |pages=231–233, 235–489, 491–493 |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/i29782147}}</ref> Some men tattoo small patterns on their arms and legs, which are the same patterns they use to brand their animals or mark their possessions. Warrior tattoos that indicate successful head-hunts were already extinct among the "civilized" Itneg, and warriors were not distinguished with special identifying marks or clothing from the general population.<ref name="Cole1922"/>

=== Cuisine === Rice is extensively grown by the Itneg. There are two types of practices for rice cultivation namely wet-rice cultivation and swidden/kaingin. Corn is also planted as a major subsistence and as a replacement for rice. Other products consumed are camote, yams, coconut, mango, banana and vegetables. Sugarcane is planted to make wine usually consumed during traditional rituals and ceremonies. Pigs and chickens are consumed for food or for religious rituals while carabaos are killed during large celebrations. Hunting wild animals and fishing is also prevalent. Eel and other freshwater fish such as paleleng and ladgo (lobster) are caught to make viands for most families.<ref name=Itnegs/>

== Weapons == The Tinguians use weapons for hunting, headhunting, and building a house, among others. Some examples of their weapons and implements are the lance or spear ({{Transliteration|itb|pika}}), shield ({{Transliteration|itb|kalasag}}), head axe ({{Transliteration|itb|aliwa}}). Foremost among all these weapons and implements is the Bolo knife which the Tangguians are rarely seen without.<ref name=Itnegs/>

== Language == {{Main|Itneg language}} The native Itneg language is a South-Central Cordilleran dialect continuum. The Itneg speak Ilocano as second language.

==Indigenous Itneg religion== {{Main|List of Philippine mythological figures}} The Itnegs believe in the existence of numerous supernatural powerful beings. They believe in spirits and deities, the greatest of which they believe to be Kadaklan who lives up in the sky and who created the earth, the moon, the stars, and the sun. The Itnegs believe in life after death, which is in a place they call {{Transliteration|itb|maglawa}}. They take special care to clean and adorn their dead to prepare them for the journey to {{Transliteration|itb|maglawa}}. The corpse is placed in a death chair ({{Transliteration|itb|sangadel}}) during the wake.<ref name=Itnegs/>

===Immortals=== {{div col|}} *Bagatulayan: the supreme deity who directs the activities of the world, including the celestial realms<ref>Gaioni, D. T. (1985). The Tingyans of Northern Philippines and Their Spirit World. Nomos Verlagsgesellschaft mbH.</ref> referred also as the Great Anito<ref name="Peraren, A. A. 1966">Peraren, A. A. (1966). Tinguian Folklore and how it Mirrors Tinguian Culture and Folklife. University of San Carlos.</ref> *Gomayen: mother of Mabaca, Binongan, and Adasin<ref name="Peraren, A. A. 1966"/> *Mabaca: one of the three founders of the Tinguian's three ancient clans; daughter of Gomayen and the supreme deity<ref name="Peraren, A. A. 1966"/> *Binongan: one of the three founders of the Tinguian's three ancient clans; daughter of Gomayen and the supreme deity<ref name="Peraren, A. A. 1966"/> *Adasin: one of the three founders of the Tinguian's three ancient clans; daughter of Gomayen and the supreme deity<ref name="Peraren, A. A. 1966"/> *Emlang: servant of the supreme deity<ref name="Peraren, A. A. 1966"/> *Kadaklan: deity who is second in rank; taught the people how to pray, harvest their crops, ward off evil spirits, and overcome bad omens and cure sicknesses<ref>Millare, F. D. (1955). Philippine Studies Vol. 3, No. 4: The Tinguians and Their Old Form of Worship. Ateneo de Manila University.</ref> *Apadel (Kalagang): guardian deity and dweller of the spirit-stones called pinaing<ref>Apostol, V. M. (2010). Way of the Ancient Healer: Sacred Teachings from the Philippine Ancestral Traditions. North Atlantic Books.</ref> *Init-init: the god of the sun married to the mortal Aponibolinayen; during the day, he leaves his house to shine light on the world<ref name="Cole, M. C. 1916">Cole, M. C. (1916). Philippine Folk Tales . Chicago: A.C. McClurg and Co.</ref> *Gaygayoma: the star goddess who lowered a basket from heaven to fetch the mortal Aponitolau, who she married<ref name="Cole, M. C. 1916"/> *Bagbagak: father of Gaygayoma<ref name="Cole, M. C. 1916"/> *Sinang: mother of Gaygayoma<ref name="Cole, M. C. 1916"/> *Takyayen: child of Gaygayoma and Aponitolaul popped out between Gaygayoma's last two fingers after she asked Aponitolau to prick there<ref name="Cole, M. C. 1916"/> *Makaboteng: the god and guardian of deer and wild hogs<ref>Demetrio, F. R., Cordero-Fernando, G., & Zialcita, F. N. (1991). The Soul Book. Quezon City: GCF Books.</ref> {{Div col end}}

===Mortals=== {{div col|}} *Aponibolinayen: mortal spouse of the sun god, Init-init<ref name="Cole, M. C. 1916"/> *Aponitolau: mortal who was fetched by the star goddess Gaygayoma, despite him being already married<ref name="Cole, M. C. 1916"/> {{Div col end}}

==References== {{Reflist}}

==External links== * {{Commons category-inline}} * [http://www.gutenberg.org/files/12849/12849-h/12849-h.htm The Tinguian: Social, Religious, and Economic Life of a Philippine Tribe by Fay-Cooper Cole at Project Gutenberg] * [http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/12545 Traditions of the Tinguian: a Study in Philippine Folk-Lore by Fay-Cooper Cole at Project Gutenberg]

Category:Igorot