LESSON 1:

ILOCANO
LITERATURE
■ The Northern Region of the Philippines is home
to the people of the Cagayan Valley Region.
They inhabit Ilocos Norte, Ilocos Sur,
Panggasinan, The Cordillera Region, and other
Nearby Areas.
How the Diversity Unfolded:
■ Over the centuries, Ilokano literature has proliferated and endured.
Ilokano folk songs are filled with happiness, dynasium, ilokano
persona.
■ Various types of folksongs spread among the ilokanos.
■ There was war songs that (perhaps with a touch of irony) celebrated
joy and freedom. The ceremonial song known as the “dallot”
performed during baptismal and wedding festivities.
■ In the case of the latter the “dallot” was an improvised musical
exchange between a man and a woman.
■ Aside from this, there was also the courtship song known as the
“badeng”, with “Pamulinawen” as one of the most popular.
■ Ilokano folk speech included the “burburtia”, the ilokano form of the
riddie, and the “Pagsasao” or ilokano proverb.

■ Here is and example of a proverb from Pangasinan

. Say koli pakalmoay liket ;
Say ngiras pakalmoay irap.
Which Means :
Industry is the sibling of prosperity;
Laziness is the sibling of starvation.
■ 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)

Bari, bari!
. Bari, bari , Di ka agung-unget pari!
Ta pumukankami
. Iti pabakirdad kadakami.
. Bari, bari!

Don’t you get angry, comrade!

And we shall cut some trees
. We were told to cut.
■ Ilokanos had their own folk tales and myths
featuring theme like creation, honor and
beast.
■ Characters in these stories included the
mythical creatures named Angalo and Aman
grant that were considered to be the first
being that roamed the earth
■ 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.
■ 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, Translated by P. Fr. Francisco Lopez ,
an Augustinian Father, into Samtoy).
■ The poetry of the ilokanos has a rich tradition. One of
the crowning achievements in all ilokano literature was
the epic “ Biag ni Lam-ang” orally transmitted for
centuries.
■ Pedro Bukaneg, the 17th Century poet was one of the
ilokano luminaries created for the preservation of this
epic.
■ Another prominent poetic work was the ilokano
“Pasion” a rendering of Christ ‘s passion and death.
■ Fr. Garriz and Fr. Mejia were among the writers who
created the ilokano versions of the “Pasion” other
poetic forms included the “panagbiag” and other
metrical romances