 Cebuano family early 1900's. | |
| Total population | |
|---|---|
| 8,683,525 (2020)[1] | |
| Regions with significant populations | |
| Philippines (Central Visayas,Negros Oriental,Masbate, western parts ofEastern Visayas, large parts ofMindanao) Worldwide | |
| Languages | |
| Cebuano,Filipino,English | |
| Religion | |
| Christianity: PredominantlyRoman Catholicism. Minority others:Aglipayan,Protestantism,Islam,Buddhism,Hinduism,Taoism | |
| Related ethnic groups | |
| Boholano,Ilonggo,Waray, otherVisayans otherAustronesian peoples |
TheCebuano people (Cebuano:Bisaya) are the largest subgroup of the largerethnolinguistic groupVisayans. They constitute the largestFilipino ethnolinguistic group in the country. They originate from theregion ofCentral Visayas, includingCebu,Siquijor,Bohol,Negros Oriental, western and southernLeyte, westernSamar,Masbate, and (from recent migrations) large parts ofMindanao.
In general, "Cebuano" is ademonym that refers to the native speakers of theCebuano language in various regions in the Philippine archipelago. In the narrower definition,Cebuano (Cebuano:Sugbuanon) refers to the native inhabitants ofCebu Island.
The earliest European record of Cebuanos was byAntonio Pigafetta of theMagellan expedition. He provided some descriptions of their customs as well as samples of theCebuano language.[2][3]Ferdinand Magellan was killed in Cebu during theBattle of Mactan against the forces ofLapulapu.[4][5]
Later early Spanish colonists referred to the Cebuanos (and otherVisayans) as thepintados ("the painted ones"), due to their widespread practice of tattooing to record battle exploits.[5]
They are crucial for being part of the 300 Visayans that conquered the Island of Luzon, and especially Manila withSpanish Empire together with 90 Spaniards.[6] They are also a crucial part of the native middleman for the trade between China and Spain. For the early years of the Spanish era in the Philippines.[6]
Cebuanos have migrated for centuries, with the most significant waves occurring during the early to mid-20th century due to economic hardship, displacement,[7] and government-sponsored resettlement programs that encouraged settlement in Mindanao.[8]
Cebuano migration to Mindanao accelerated in the 1930s and 1950s due to economic unrest in the Visayas and government-sponsored land settlement programs, making Cebuano the dominant language in many parts of Mindanao. Migrants often moved in groups from their home towns, bringing their language and culture with them. This influx of Cebuano speakers, alongside migrations from other Visayan islands like Bohol and Panay, led to the widespread adoption of Cebuano as the lingua franca across Mindanao.[8]
![The Cebuano, Dr. Espina family 1900's[9]](/mt/?noimg=&dark=on&url=http%3a%2f%2fen.wikipedia.org%2fwiki%2fFile%3aEspina_family_of_Cebu%2c_Philippines_1900%2527s.jpg)
![The Cebuano, Alvarez - Pido Family in the 1960s. Headed by Capt. Pablo Pido Sr. His wife, Luisa Alvarez - Pido, was given the Papal Cross; Pro Ecclesia et Pontifice by Archbishop of Cebu Julio Rosales, which she was wearing in the photo.[10]](/mt/?noimg=&dark=on&url=http%3a%2f%2fen.wikipedia.org%2fwiki%2fFile%3aAlvarez-Pido_Family_of_Cebu%2c_Philippines.jpg)
Part of the dominant culture in the Philippines known as the Lowland Christians.[11] The majority of Cebuanos areRoman Catholic, with many in rural areas synchronizing Catholicism with indigenous Bisayan folk religion. A minority of Cebuanos (specifically those inMindanao) areRoman Catholic, or in mixed Chinese-Cebuano families, incorporate Catholic beliefs with aspects ofBuddhism orTaoism.[12]
Among the island's notable festivities are theSinulog[13] festival, which is a mixture of Christian and native cultural elements, celebrated annually every third week of January.
TheCebuano language is spoken by more than twenty million people in the Philippines and is the most widely spoken of theVisayan languages. Most speakers of Cebuano are found in Cebu, Bohol, Siquijor, southeastern Masbate,Biliran, Western and Southern Leyte, easternNegros and most of Mindanao exceptBangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao. Like with other Filipino ethnolinguistic groups,Tagalog (Filipino) andEnglish are also spoken by Cebuanos as second languages.
Despite being one of the largest ethnic groups, Cebuanos outside their homeland tend to fluently learn the languages native in areas where they settled and assimilated, along with their native language.Hiligaynon is spoken and understood by the Cebuanos living inNegros Occidental andSoccsksargen. They often speak a mixture of Cebuano and Hiligaynon inSagay and neighboring municipalities of Negros Occidental facing Iloilo and Cebu and municipalities borderingNegros Oriental,Bukidnon andDavao del Sur. Cebuano residents inZamboanga City andCaraga Region are fluent inZamboanga Chavacano,Butuanon andSurigaonon respectively, with the two latter are related to Cebuano. They have also varying fluencies in various Lumad languages, theDanao languages,Tausug (linguistically related to Cebuano),Yakan, andSama, in which these languages are native to the areas where Cebuanos also inhabit, coexist with and even assimilated to the natives, and to the lesser extent,Ilocano (a language originated inIlocandia), which is also spoken in Soccsksargen and various parts of Bukidnon,Misamis Oriental, Caraga,Zamboanga Sibugay andDavao Region. Cebuanos in Masbate and Eastern Visayas can also speakMasbateño, one of theBicol languages andWaray.
