Being Visayan

A. Paulita Roa

MANY people believe that the Bukidnons specifically the Higaunons, once lived along the central coast of northern Mindanao. However, research shows that long before the coming of Islam and the Spaniards in 1521, all of northern Mindanao is considered by Philippine prehistorians as part of the Visayan homeland. Early Spanish explorers noted that the Visayan culture and language extended even as far as Sarangani bay.

The proximity of northern Mindanao to central Visayas, combined with strong similarities in landform and climate make the landscape of this coastal area similar to that of the Visayas (Wernstedt, F. and J.E. Spencer 1967). The ancient Visayans were excellent sailors and skilled boat builders. With boats as their prime mode of transportation, it was easy for them to travel and settle in many parts of northern Mindanao.

They also sailed and conducted a flourishing maritime trade around Southeast Asia. In A.D. 1001, Butuan through its influential trading partners from the Kingdom of Champa (Vietnam) was able to send a tribute mission to the Imperial Court of China. This yearly mission was to last for over a decade. It is interesting to know that the earliest mention of the Visayans is found in the Chinese imperial records that reported about a group of heavily tattooed pirates known as the P’i-she-ya who raided the coastal areas of China in A.D. 1172. What is amazing was when the Spaniards came to our shores in the 16th century, Visayan bards were still singing about the romance of a local hero who raided China to win the hand of a beautiful princess from Bohol (Scott, W.H. 1984).

The most distinctive regional characteristic of northern Mindanao is its close ethnolinguistic ties with the Visayans. This can be gleaned from its populace , majority of whom came from Central Visayas islands That plus the common language spoke known by all as the “Binisaya” which has been spoken by the inhabitants for many centuries already.The two Recollect missionaries who were the first Spaniards to enter the Cagayan territory in 1622, were able to communicate with the ruler named Salangsang and his people in Binisaya. They learned this in Cebu before they were sent to their missionary station in northern Mindanao.

The priests also wrote that “…the customs of those people are like those related of the inhabitants of Caraghas.” (Blair, E.H.and J.A. Robertson. 1903 – 1907 Vol.21). Caraghas is known today as the Caraga region. Philippine prehistorian William Henry Scott (1997) wrote that the people of Caraga were like the Boholanos and Samarenos. Their warriors were heavily tattooed just like the P’i-she-yas of old which later were called the pintados by the Spaniards.

Now that we know that the early Kagay-anons were Visayans in speech and customs, our knowledge does not end there. Do you know that Dona Magdalena Bacuya (Baluyo in some historical records), the grandmother of Datu Salangsang, was a princess from Bohol? She and her family were mentioned by Jesuit historian, Francisco Combes (1667) in his book on the history of Mindanao. It will take another article to write about the life of this extraordinary lady and her family. Her father, Datu Pagbuaya, a ruler of Bohol, founded a town in northwestern Mindanao that is named after his clan – Dapitan. Dona Magdalena played a prominent role as a peacemaker during the tumultuous early Spanish rule in Butuan.  It is believed that she was married to a member of Butuan royalty. Now, we see that Kagay-anon ruler, Salangsang clearly had Visayan roots and so, I think with the rest of his subjects.

But how come that today, we are made to believe by local cultural stakeholders and festival organizers that the Kagay-anons are descended from the Higaunons?

 A. (The author is a member of the Cagayan de Oro Historical and Cultural Commission, and curator of the City Museum. She will be writing for this paper at least once a week.)’