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| Regions with significant populations | |
|---|---|
| Zambales,Bolinao,Anda,Infanta,Metro Manila,Quezon | |
| Languages | |
| Sambal,Bolinao,Botolan,Ilocano,Pangasinan,Kapampangan,Tagalog,English | |
| Religion | |
| PredominantlyCatholicism | |
| Related ethnic groups | |
| OtherFilipino ethnic groups |
TheSambal people are aFilipino ethnolinguistic group living primarily in theprovince ofZambales and thePangasinensemunicipalities ofBolinao,Anda, andInfanta. The term may also refer to the general inhabitants of Zambales. They were also referred to as theZambales (singularZambal)during theSpanish colonial era.
In 1950s, hundreds of Sambal from the northern municipalities of Zambales migrated to and established a settlement inQuezon, Palawan; this settlement was namedPanitian. The residents call themselvesPalawenyong Sambal (Spanish:zambales palaweños) or simplySambal.
The Sambal are the originalAustronesian inhabitants of the province of Zambales in thePhilippines. They speak varieties of Sambal (Sambal,Sambal Botolan, andSambal Bolinao). These languages they speak belong to the Sambalic family of languages, which includes the Sambalic Ayta languages (Abellen,Mag-antsi,Mag-indi,Ambala, andMagbeken).[1] Further, belonging to the larger Central Luzon language family, these languages are also related toKapampangan (primarily spoken in the province of Pampanga and souther Tarlac) andHatang Kayi (currently spoken in the mountains of Tanay, Rizal and General Nakar, Quezon province).[1][2] Though Hatang Kayi has been call Sinauna or Sinaunang Tagalog in the literature, it is erroneous and the language is not very closely related toTagalog,[2] and hence, neither are the languages of the Sambals. Sambal people had once inhabited South Luzon, later being displaced by migratingTagalog settlers, pushing the original inhabitants northward to the modern province of Zambales,[3][4] in turn, displacing theAetas.
The Sambals were known to be militant and fierce fighters,[5][6] notorious for their bloody raids onChristian settlements.[7] They were described by European writers as being excellent archers who usedpoison arrows. They were also armed withshort spears, a short blade or dagger, and carried large rectangularkalasag shields. Fr. Manuel Buzeta inDiccionario Geográfico, Estadístico, Histórico de las Islas Filipinas (1850) describes the Zambales region during the early Spanish period as being sparsely populated by a small number of Sambal villages, with huge distances between them. Each village had about ten to thirty families and were often at war with other villages. The Sambal wereheadhunters, with similar headhunting traditions as theCordillerans. A warrior's status was tied to the number of enemies they had killed. They kept a collection of heads or skulls to indicate this, which is also represented by certain ornaments worn on the body.[8] When a person dies by violent or natural means, the immediate male relatives would wear a strip of black cloth to signify mourning. They would be forbidden from singing, dancing, or participating in festivities until they kill an enemy. Murderers within a community are also punished by death, unless a payment of a certain quantity of gold or silver or slaves is accepted by the family of the deceased.[8]
In theBoxer Codex, they were said to immediately cut off the head of people they kill with abararao dagger. They then make a crown-shaped incision on the head and remove the brains. The head is kept as a trophy. The Boxer Codex also mentions other customs whose veracity is questionable, including claims that they eatcarabao intestines raw, or that only the first and second sons inherit their father's property while the rest are enslaved or sacrificed in amanganito ritual.[9]
The Sambals have been occasionally recruited byIndio commanders (indio was the term used for the Austronesian natives) in campaigns against theSpanish, who then governed the islands. The Sambal were also once known to have captured and enslavedDiego Silang as a child, eventually being ransomed by aRecollect missionary in Zambales.[10][11]
During the first hundred years ofSpanish rule, the Sambal, like most other non-Spanish groups in the Philippines during the colonial era, had theirvillage structures reorganized and were forced intoreducciones in order to assimilate them intoSpanish cultural norms.[12] They were gradually Christianized by Spanish missionaries, especially after the establishment ofFort Paynauen (Paynaven) in what is nowBotolan.[8]
During the colonial period, the Sambals primarily sold valuable timber, which they shipped byindigenous boats toManila. This trade was often targeted byMoro pirates, contributing to the relative poverty of the province in the 18th and 19th centuries. The sparsely populated valley of the Zambales region was also later settled by migrants, largely from theIlocos and theTagalog regions, leading to the modern decline in the Sambal identity and language.[8][13][14]
During the 1950s, hundreds of Sambals coming fromCandelaria,Santa Cruz, andMasinloc in Zambales migrated to an undeveloped and forested area in southern Palawan. They established a settlement which was later on namedPanitian. Like in Masinloc, many residents of Panitian have their last names start with the letter E. Most common last names are Eclarino, Elefane, Echaluse, Echague, Español, Ebuen, Ebilane, Edquid, Escala, Edquilang, Ebueng, Ebuenga, Ebalo, Ejanda, Elacio, Elfa, Eliaso, Elgincolin, Edquibal, Ednalino, Edora, Espinoza, Ecaldre, Eufeminiano, Edilloran, Ermita, and Ecle. Those who came from Santa Cruz have their last names usually begin with the letter M, foremost of which are Misa, Mora, Moraña, Moralde and Meredor. Other common last names of Sambali people are Ángeles, Atrero, Agagas, Hebron, Hitchon, Hermoso, Hermosa, Hermana, and Hermogino. There are now approximately 6,000 Sambals residing in Palawan. Many of the Palawan Sambals have since moved to the provincial capital,Puerto Princesa, settling in Mandaragat and New Buncag, in particular, although a majority still resides in Panitian. These Sambals living in Palawan often learn to speak Cuyonon, Palawano and Tagbanwa with varying levels of fluency, along with their native Sambal language and Tagalog.
The Sambal people have a complexindigenous religion since before Spanish colonization. The highest-rankingshaman was called abayoc, who consecrated other shamans and led rituals to the spirits. Only the bayoc could lead rituals and offer sacrifices to Malayari or Malyari, thesupreme being and thecreator deity of the Sambals. Other benevolent spirits were also worshiped who had various functions, mostly agricultural.[8]
ThreeSambalic languages are spoken by the Sambal:Sambali,Bolinao, andBotolan, with approximately 200,000, 105,000 and 72,000 speakers, respectively, based on the 2007 population statistics from the National Statistical Coordination Board (NSCB).[19] The Sambali speakers are the residents of the municipalities ofSanta Cruz,Candelaria,Masinloc,Palauig, and the capital townIba of the province of Zambales & of Infanta & some towns in Pangasinan. The Bolinao subgroup is located inAnda andBolinao municipalities of Pangasinan, while the Botolan subgroup is found inBotolan andCabangan municipalities of Zambales. Sambals also speak Kapampangan, Tagalog, Ilocano, and Pangasinense; all those languages spoken in Zambales, while Ilocano, Pangasinense, and Tagalog in Pangasinan. An estimated 6,000 Sambali speakers can also be found inPanitian inQuezon, Palawan, and in Puerto Princesa. They also speakCuyonon,Palawano andTagbanwa, along with Tagalog, with varying fluency upon learning them from their nativeCuyonon,Palawano andTagbanwa neighbors.[citation needed]
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