Pangasinan (historical polity)

Pangasinan, referred to in Literary Chinese records as 馮嘉施蘭,[1] historically romanized as Feng-chia-hsi-lan[2] (Mandarin simplified Chinese: 冯嘉施兰; traditional Chinese: 馮嘉施蘭; pinyin: Féngjiāshīlán; IPA: /fɤŋ˧˥ t͡ɕi̯ä˥ ʂʐ̩˥ län˧˥/) Hokkien Chinese: 馮嘉施蘭; Pe̍h-ōe-jī: Pâng-ka-si-lân; lit. 'Pangasinan'; IPA: /paŋ˨ ka˧ ɕi˧ lan˨˦/, was a sovereign coastal pre-colonial Philippine polity (panarian) located at the coasts of Lingayen Gulf.[3] South of Pangasinan was the kingdom of Caboloan (Luyag na Caboloan), located in the interior of Central Luzon, beside the Agno River basin.[4]

Pangasinan
before 1225–1572
Common languagesPangasinan and other Northern Luzon languages
Religion
Buddhism, Hinduism, Animism and folk religion
GovernmentMonarchy
History 
• Established
before 1225
• Spanish conquest of Pangasinan
1572
CurrencySilver, barter
Succeeded by
Captaincy General of the Philippines
Pangasinan
Today part ofPhilippines
Pangasinan
Traditional Chinese馮嘉施蘭
Simplified Chinese冯嘉施兰
Transcriptions
Standard Mandarin
Hanyu PinyinFéngjiāshīlán
Wade–GilesFêng2-chia1-shih1-lan2
Southern Min
Hokkien POJPâng-ka-si-lân

Etymology

edit

The term "Pangasinan" is toponymic, as it derives from the root word 'asin' (salt) with the prefix 'pang-' or 'panag-a' and suffix '-an', denoting place. Therefore, Panag-aasinan or Pangasinan meant "land of salt", suggesting that Pangasinan was a coastal region where salt was found. Pangasinan was also referred by the natives as "luyag ed dapit-baybay" (place near the coast).[4]

History

edit

Territory

edit

Pangasinan's territory occupied the entirety of the coasts of Lingayen Gulf, spanning from near Bolinao in Zambales to Balaoan in La Union. Due to Bolinao's proximity with the rest of Pangasinan, Miguel de Loarca assumed that the people of Bolinao and the rest of Pangasinan spoke the same language.[5] Ancient potteries were also found in Bolinao during the precolonial period, suggesting active trade with the Chinese in the region.[1] Agoo, the most prosperous port of Pangasinan, engaged in frequent trade with the Igorots in exchange for their gold. The Igorots then received carabaos and pigs which they took back to the mountains. This prosperity attracted many traders from Japan, eventually earning the name "Port of Japan".[5][6][7] There were several chiefs who also ruled in Calasiao, Lingayen and Binmaley.

Culture

edit

The locals wore apparel typical of other maritime Southeast Asian ethnic groups in addition to Japanese and Chinese silks. Even common people were clad in Chinese and Japanese cotton garments. They also blackened their teeth and were disgusted by the white teeth of foreigners, which were likened to that of animals. They used porcelain jars typical of Japanese and Chinese households. Japanese-style gunpowder weapons were also encountered in naval battles in the area.[8] In exchange for these goods, traders from all over Asia would come to trade primarily for gold and slaves but also for deerskins, civets and other local products. Other than a notably more extensive trade network with Japan and China, they were culturally similar to other Luzon groups to the south, especially the Kapampangans and the neighboring Ilocanos.

During the late 16th and 17th centuries, Spanish records often stated that the region of Pangasinan were war-like. They were often deemed rebellious, unconquered or "fond of blood" by conquistadors. Bishop Domingo de Salazar described them as "really the worst people–the fiercest and the cruelest in the land–an unconquered tribe who's fiestas were cutting off one another's heads".[5]

Chinese records

edit
 
Possible inhabitants of Pangasinan with kampilan sword, depicted in the Boxer Codex (1590) surmised to come from Taimei Anchorage, Lingayen Gulf, Luzon

Places in the present-day province of Pangasinan like Lingayen Gulf were mentioned as early as 1225, when Lingayen, then known as Li-ying-tung, was listed in Chao Ju-kua's Chu Fan Chih (an account of the various barbarians) as one of the trading places along with Ma-i.[9] Pangasinan sent emissaries to China in 1406–1411.[2] The emissaries reported three successive paramount leaders of Pangasinan to the Chinese: Kamayin on September 23, 1406, Taymey ("Tortoise Shell"), and Liyli in 1408 and 1409, and on December 11, 1411, the emperor tendered the Pangasinan party a state banquet.[10]

Limahong's conquests and early Spanish period

edit

After the conquest of Pangasinan by Juan de Salcedo in 1572, the encomienda of Pangasinan was founded as an encomienda.[11]

Limahong, a Chinese corsair and warlord, briefly invaded the polity after his failure in the Battle of Manila (1574). He then set up an enclave of wokou (Japanese and Chinese pirates) in Pangasinan. Nevertheless, the Mexico-born Juan de Salcedo and his force of Tagalog, Visayan, and Latino soldiers assaulted and destroyed the pirate kingdom and then incorporated the Pangasinan people and their polity into the Spanish East Indies of the Spanish Empire. To escape, the pirate Limahong dug up a canal in the Agno river delta as a means of escape on 4 August 1575.[4]: 383 

See also

edit

References

edit
  1. ^ a b Scott, William Henry (1984). Prehispanic Source Materials for the Study of Philippine History. Quezon City: New Day Publishers. ISBN 9789711002275.
  2. ^ a b Scott, William Henry (1989). "Filipinos in China in 1500" (PDF). China Studies Program. De la Salle University. p. 8.
  3. ^ "Single Post".
  4. ^ a b c Flores, Marot Nelmida-. The cattle caravans of ancient Caboloan : interior plains of Pangasinan : connecting history, culture, and commerce by cartwheel. National Historical Institute. Ermita: c2007. http://www.kunstkamera.ru/files/lib/978-5-88431-174-9/978-5-88431-174-9_20.pdf
  5. ^ a b c Scott, William Henry (1994). Barangay Sixteenth-Century Philippine Culture and Society. Ateneo de Manila University Press. pp. 248–249. ISBN 9789715501354.
  6. ^ de Loarca, Miguel (1582). Relacion de Las Yslas Filipinas.
  7. ^ Sals, Florent Joseph (2005). The history of Agoo : 1578-2005. La Union: Limbagan Printhouse. p. 80.
  8. ^ Scott, William Henry (1994). Barangay. Manila Philippines: Ateneo de Manila University Press. p. 187.
  9. ^ Towards an Early History of Pangasinan: Preliminary Notes and Observations By: Erwin S. Fernandez. Page 181
  10. ^ FILIPINOS IN CHINA BEFORE 1500 BY WILLIAM HENRY SCOTT p. 8
  11. ^ "History". The Official Website of the Province of Pangasinan. Retrieved 2024-12-21.