Learning Task 3: Case Study (pp.

28-29)
People tend to be more tolerant of another culture’s customs when they understand and learn
the meaning behind them. In order to understand an unfamiliar culture, social scientists
conduct researches. The best way to do this study is to experience that culture by living with
people practicing it. Additionally, this experience should be done for a long period.

In this activity, you will be asked to conduct a simple case study examining the culture of other
people that is somehow different from yours. If you are an Ilocano, the subject of your study
could be people who identify themselves as Tagalog, Bisaya, Bicolano, or other ethnicity. If you
know someone who belongs to an indigenous group of people, it is much better to have them
as subjects. Since you are not allowed to go out at present because of the threat of COVID-19
pandemic, look for someone who is near to your place or whom you have contact with through
social media.

THE CULTURE OF ILOCANOS

A Case Study
In
Understanding Culture, Society, and Politics

September 2021
I. INTRODUCTION

Cultural diversity is prevalent in the Philippines. There goes the quote, “One
nation, different cultures” as it is how we can describe our country. One’s culture
is reflected by the complexity of the history of the Philippines through the
blending of Pre-Hispanic indigenous Austronesian civilizations. There are
countless countries that brought influence to the Philippines so their practices
are visible to our own culture. Since we have different cultural and ethnic
groups, we have various unique practices and their way of living is apart from
each other.

The Ilocanos are one of the dominating ethnicities because they are the third-
largest ethnic group in the Philippines. They are the people born in and
inhabiting the north-eastern part of Luzon, such as the provinces of Ilocos Norte,
Ilocos Sur, and La Union. There are also Ilocanos who migrated to the nearby
provinces of Pangasinan, Tarlac, Cagayan, and Isabela. They are known as
hardworking, god-fearing, and thrifty people. The majority of Ilocanos are
farmers whose main crops are rice and tobacco, because of their geographical
location. Moreover, they have a very interesting, unique, and meaningful culture.

With this, the researcher decided to choose the Ilocanos’ way of living as the
subject of the case study examining the culture of other people.

II. WAY OF LIFE IN TERMS OF:

a. Social Organization

Ilocanos are usually what they are called in their place and when other people go
to their city. According to the Journal of Tinguian Social, Religious, and Economic
Life of a Philippine Tribe, while Spain applied the term barangay to the
settlements in the Ilocos region upon contact, the Ilocano people called their
towns, íli, and a smaller group of houses, purok. These residents of the town were
organized in a class society. At the top of the class system was a chief or ari and
his family. The chief earned his position due to strength, wealth, and or wisdom.
This position could also be inherited and was usually reserved for a male.
However, if no male heir was available, a strong female heir was accepted.

b. Language

The Ilocanos speak a Western Austronesian language from the Northern

Philippine group, which has a strong kinship with the languages of neighboring
mountain peoples. Ilocano has become the lingua franca of northern Luzon, with
Ilocano traders serving as the highlands' principal gateway to global commerce.

c. Religion

The Roman Catholics and Aglipayan Ilocanos are the most prominent. About 85
percent of the total population professes Roman Catholicism, the prevailing
religion in the province. The remaining percentage of the population professes
Protestantism, Buddhism, Iglesia Ni Cristo, Islamism, Jehovah's Witnesses,
Seventh-Day Adventists, and Born Again Christians.

d. Arts and literature

Ilocano literature refers to the works of literature of writers of Ilocano origin,
regardless of the language in which they are written. This legacy includes a great
number of religious writings, poetry, riddles, parables, epic tales, folksongs, and
other literary works. One of the most well-known Ilocano literary works written
in Ilocos is The Biag ni Lam-ang (The Life of Lam-Ang), an epic poem about the
fantastic life and escapades of an Ilocano hero named Lam-ang. Their arts, on the
other hand, are well-known for their traditional handicrafts, such as inabel
fabrics and burnay jars, which are folk arts that have been telling their stories for
hundreds of years. They are not only relevant to the northern region but also to
the development of art and culture in the Philippines.
e. Economic systems
The economic system of Ilocanos relies mostly on agriculture and agricultural
trade. Ilocanos grow rice, tobacco, corn, sugarcane, and fruits, as well as pigs,
chickens, goats, and carabaos (water buffalos). Also, it is known for its many
industries, such as tobacco, burnay (jars), bagoong (fish/shrimp sauce), basi and
tapuy (rice wine), and weaving.

f. Values, beliefs, and traditions

Ilocanos have many values, beliefs, and traditions, and some of the most popular
are as follows: The courtship begins with a normal conversation, where the boy
meets the girl and her family to get to know them better. They also fund lengthy
courtships to ensure that they are truly in love with each other. Also, they do
“harana” or serenade in English as one of their ways of expressing love for
Ilocanos, where the boy asks his friends to join him on a moonlit night to wake up
his beloved lady with love songs. “Atang” is usually done by the Ilocanos who live
in the provinces and barrios. This traditional food was offered to ward off evil
spirits. It may also be a harvest offering. This can also be offered to their relatives
who have passed away, to commemorate and show that they are still important
and are still in our hearts even if they are already gone. Next is the “Gulgul”. This
practice is popular as it is done after the burial of a member of the family,
wherein they wash their heads and is usually done in the sea or river. It is said
that this is done for the family members to wash away the pain of losing
someone, the sickness, and bad luck associated with the death of the family
member. Then, the next tradition is by saying “Dayu-dayu, bari-bari”. This
practice is usually done when someone goes to a place that they are not used to
going to. “Dayu” literally means “leave,” while “Bari” is derived from the Ilocano
word “bakir,” which means “a creepy or distant place.” Ilocanos say “Dayu-dayu ,
bari-bari”  to send out spirits that might harm them while they are on their way
to a place they’re not used to going to. And lastly, by saying, “Awidun (your
name), di ka agbatbati (your name).” This practice is usually done when they are
on their way home from a creepy or faraway place. Ilocanos say “Awidun (your
name), di ka agbatbati (your name)” because they believe that when you don’t
say this word while going home, your souls might be left behind. They are telling
their souls to come with them. “Awidun”  actually means “go home,” and “di ka
agbatbati” means "don’t stay there or come with me.”

III. Summarize what you have learned using the 3-2-1 chart below:

3 Things I learned from them

•They are still using "harana", to show the love of the boy to the girl.

•They are enriched of arts and literature wherein Biag ni Lam-ang became
popular because it reflects values important to traditional Ilokano society; it is a
hero's journey steeped in courage, loyalty, pragmatism, honor, and ancestral and
familial bonds.

•Until now, they have kept their traditional handicrafts such as the "inabel
fabrics" and the "burnay jar".

2 Things I found interesting

•I found interesting the Ilocanos' traditional food, "Atang," even though it says
that they just offered it to ward off bad spirits. I want to try and taste what it
tastes like.

•Another one that interests me is the "Gulgul". It is their practice of washing their
heads in the sea or river after the burial of their family members that help them
to wash away the pain of losing them. 

1 Thing I realize

•So I realized that no matter what our differences in culture are, all the ethnic
groups have their own way of enriching and protecting it, so we don’t need to be
ethnocentric and we should stop comparing one culture to another.