Filipino people

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Filipinos
Pictures of Filipinos
From left to right: An Ayta man, President Corazon Aquino, Bagobo chieftain Datu Attos, Muslim women's rights activist Yasmin Busran-Lao, President Sergio Osmeña, and actor Cesar Montano.
Total population

 Philippines      91,077,287 (2007) [1]
Regions with significant populations
Significant overseas populations
Note: No data available on number of Filipino descendants in Southeast Asia-Pacific, Latin America, China and Spain (approximation for Mexico)
 United States 4,000,000 (2007) [USA]
 Saudi Arabia 800,000 (2005) [SAU]
 Malaysia 352,650 (2004) [2]
 Canada 327,550 (2003) [CAN]
 Japan 300,000 (2004) [JPN]
 UAE 250,000 (2003) [ARE]
 United Kingdom 200,000 (2007) [3]
 Taiwan 158,116 (2003) [TWN]
 Italy 200,000 [ITA]
 Singapore 136,489 (2004) [2]
 Hong Kong 130,810 (2005) [HKG]
 Australia 129,400 (2007) [AUS]
 Kuwait 91,789 (2004) [2]
 Ireland 3,900 (2005) [IRL]
 Indonesia 68,000 (2005) [citation needed]
 Qatar 58,358 (2004) [2]
 Germany 55,628 (2004) [2]
 Guam 45,600 (2007) [GWM]
 South Korea 41,000 (2004) [ROK]
 Israel 37,155-50,000(2004) [2][4][5]
 Bahrain 36,718 (2004) [2]
 France 32,085 (2004) [2]
 Lebanon 30,000 (2006) [LBN]
 Austria 25,973 (2004) [2]
 Spain 25,292 (2004) [2]
 Greece 25,146 (2004) [2]
 Macau 18,447 (2004) [2]
 New Zealand 16,938 (2006) [NZL]
 Sweden 5,186 (2004) [6]
 Norway 9,482 (2007) [7]
Languages
Filipino, Tagalog, Bikol, Cebuano, English, Hiligaynon, Ilokano, Kapampangan, Pangasinan, Tausug, Waray-Waray, Spanish,
and over 100 others
Religion
Predominantly Roman Catholic
Various smaller Christian denominations
Significant Muslim minority, Buddhist, others
Related ethnic groups
Taiwanese aborigines, Dayak, Indonesians, Malays, Chamorro, other Austronesians, Bisaya (not to be confused with Filipino Visayans)

Filipinos or the Filipino people are the citizens of the Philippines. The term (feminine: Filipina) may also refer to people of Philippine descent, regardless of citizenship. There are now over 100 million ethnic Filipinos worldwide.

Throughout the colonial era, the term "Filipino" originally referred to Spaniards born in the Philippines, also known as insulares, criollos or español filipino. This distinguished them from Spaniards born in Europe who were known as peninsulares. By the mid to late nineteenth century, however, the term "Filipino" had begun to refer to the indigenous population of the Philippines. According to historian Ambeth Ocampo, José Rizal was the first to call the native inhabitants "Filipinos". Today, Filipino is also used to signify the nationality and citizenship of one who is from the Philippines. This means that Filipino now may refer not only to the indigenous Austronesian majority, but also to those of other ethnic origins, such as American, Spanish, Indian, Japanese, and Chinese Filipinos.[8]

Colloquially, Filipinos may refer to themselves as Pinoy (feminine: Pinay), which is formed by taking the last four letters of Pilipino and adding the diminutive suffix -y. The word was coined by expatriate Filipino Americans during the 1920s and was later adopted by Filipinos in the Philippines.[8]

Many Philippine languages lack /f/ as a phoneme. In these, /p/ is substituted and Filipino is denoted Pilipino.

Contents

[edit] History

Main article: History of the Philippines

American anthropologist H. Otley Beyer was the first to propose that Malays who came from Malaysia populated the Philippines in a handful of waves of migration. However, most contemporary anthropologists, linguists (Blust, Reid, Ross, Pawley), and archaeologists (Bellwood) propose the opposite to be true. The vast majority of Filipinos are said to be descended from Austronesian-speaking migrants who arrived in what is now the Philippines from Southern China and Taiwan during the Iron Age.

Filipinos are sometimes said to be part of a "Malay race"; however, modern anthropologists contend that the classification has little taxonomic validity. The term Malay race was a term coined in 1795 by Johann Friedrich Blumenbach to refer to the brown-skinned inhabitants of the Indian (Malay) archipelago, Oceania, Melanesia, and Australia. It was one of five other categories which Blumenbach created for classifying humans, including what he called the black race and the yellow race. Since then, anthropologists have debunked this concept, citing the complexities of human races being unable to fit into a handful of oversimplified categories. Genetically, there are no distinct units of human population and all human beings are genetically related. [9]

The term Malay is also considered misleading because it gives the impression that the route for the populating of the Philippines was via Malaysia. Current theory holds instead that the Malays who inhabit the rest of the Malay Archipelago and mainland Malaysia are the descendants of Austronesian-speaking immigrants who first went to the Philippines. Then those Austronesian-speaking immigrants ventured further south to what are now Malaysia, Indonesia, and East Timor, as well as to the other Pacific Islands.

The earliest aboriginal inhabitants of the Philippines are known as the Negrito groups. Their ancestors arrived thousands of years prior to the Austronesian-speaking migrants. Their descendants, the Aetas, constitute a very small minority of the population.

Prior to the arrival of the Spaniards in 1521, the Philippines was not united as a single nation. Instead, the inhabitants were essentially divided into ethnolinguistic tribal states, or barangays, with some acquiring cultural sophistication, including caste systems (Maharlika).

By the mid-to-late sixteenth century, the archipelago was included in the Spanish East Indies. The Spaniards called the islands Filipinas (Philippines) in honor of King Philip II of Spain. During the 333 years of Spanish rule, through New Spain (Mexico), the term Filipino referred to the Spaniards who were born in the archipelago.

Indigenous Filipinos were usually referred to as "indios". This was a result of Spaniards misnaming indigenous peoples of the Americas when they first reached that continent and believed they had arrived in India. By the time the Spaniards arrived in the Philippines, they used the term "indio" as synonymous with "indigenous". Following the Philippine Revolution, the Spanish-American War in 1898, and the Philippine-American War, the native indios were left searching for a national identity. The native revolutionaries then known by themselves as tagalogs (and their nation as Katagalugan, pertaining to the whole archipelago), called themselves Filipinos, taking ownership of the term earlier used by the Philippine-born Spaniards. General Emilio Aguinaldo was among the first to apply "Filipino" as the national designation for the indigenous inhabitants of the Philippines, as well as all other persons born in the country. This act was intended to help unite the population and establish nationalism in the 1900s against the U.S. presence and occupation of the islands. The term indio, however, was still being used well into the mid-part of the twentieth century, as evidenced by Roman Catholic baptismal records.

[edit] Ancestry

Filipinos are largely descended from Austronesian-speaking migrants who came in successive waves from the island of Taiwan, ultimately hailing from the Fujian coast of China. They are most closely related to the Ami tribe which are one of the Austronesian aborigines of Taiwan, with whom they share similar physical appearance, prehistoric culture, and certain linguistic patterns, such as grammar and vocabulary. According to the Stanford University study mentioned below, Filipino and Ami genetic composition are exactly similar, except for a tiny fraction.[10]

More recent genetic admixtures come from migrants from China, Spain, United States, United Kingdom, Australia, India, Arabian Peninsula, Japan, and South Korea, which collectively form around 10~25% of the current Filipino population.[citation needed]

[edit] Genetic Studies

Some genetic studies, based upon very small samples of the population, have begun to provide clues to the origins of Filipino people. Much remains to be learned by larger studies of valid statistical significance about the ancestry of the various Austronesian Philippine ethnic groups.

A Stanford University study conducted during 2001 revealed that Y-chromosome Haplogroup O3-M122 (labeled as "Haplogroup L" in this study) predominates among Filipino males. This particular haplogroup is also predominant among Chinese and Korean males. That finding is consistent with the theory that people migrated from China south into the Philippines. Another haplogroup, Haplogroup O1a-M119 (labeled as "Haplogroup H" in this study), is also found among Filipinos. The rates of Haplogroup O1a are highest among the Taiwanese Aborigines. Overall, the genetic frequencies found among Filipinos point to the Ami tribe of Taiwan as their nearest genetic relative.[10]

A 2002 China Medical University study indicated that certain Filipinos shared a particular gene marker that is also found among Taiwanese aborigines and Indonesians, and concluded that Taiwan aborigines are of Austronesian derivation.[11]

A 2003 University of the Philippines study based on 50 participants each from the islands of Luzon and Cebu provided some insight into the various places of origin of early Filipinos. Some rare genetic markers were found which are shared by people from the different parts of Central and East Asia, reinforcing their mainland Asian origins. [12]

[edit] Languages

 This section called "Languages" does not cite any references or sources.
Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unverifiable material may be challenged and removed. (January 2008)
Main article: Languages of the Philippines

According to Ethnologue, there are more than 170 languages spoken in the country. English and Filipino are the official languages, with "Taglish" (a portmanteau of Tagalog and English) as a lingua franca, and many other major regional languages also serve as working languages where English or Filipino is not as entrenched. Ilokano, for example, is widely spoken as a second language in Northern Luzon. The Cebuano is considered the lingua franca of Visayas and Mindanao.

Filipino, the national language, as of 2008 is heavily based on Tagalog with only minor contributions from other languages. The language is evolving, however, and is assimilating terminologies from various sources both national and foreign. For instance, terms used only by, say, the Bisaya (from southern Bicol, the Visayas island group, and north Mindanao) which were not generally used 20 years ago have now become part of the everyday Filipino lexicon.

Other major languages of the country include Hiligaynon, Waray, Kapampangan, Bikol, Pangasinan, Tausug, Maguindanao, Maranao, Chabacano, Kinaray-a, kan-kan-a-ey| benguet and many others.

[edit] Diaspora

Main article: Overseas Filipino

Filipinos form the largest ethnic group in the Northern Marianas Islands, the second largest in both Palau and Guam, and the second largest Asian American group in the United States. They also form significant minorities in Canada, United Kingdom, Australia, Japan, Israel, Hong Kong, Saudi Arabia, Spain, France, and even Ireland.

[edit] Filipinos in the Americas

The arrival of Filipinos in the Americas began during the Spanish colonial era. At that time, many Filipino men were hired as sailors to man ships bound for the "New World". Upon arrival, many sailors mutinied, others settled there after marrying locals.

However, Filipino migration only began in the mid-1800s, beginning with the United States. In 1903, "pensionados" arrived there as students in colleges and universities. Laws against marriage to Whites (a group which included Hispanic Americans) were enforced throughout California and the West. Starting in 1906, Filipinos were hired as laborers for plantations, farms, salmon canneries, and the like. In the post-World War II era, Filipino nurses and other health care workers began immigrating. Filipinas comprise a large portion of women who come to the U.S. via international marriage agencies[13]. Many of the Filipinos who settled in the United States during the Martial Law are Spanish Filipino mestizo families whose businesses were taken over by the government.

Filipinos remain one of the largest immigrant group to date with 80,000 people migrating per annum. About 75% consist of family sponsorship or immediate relatives of American citizens while the remainder is employment-oriented. A majority of this number prefer to live in California, followed by Hawaii, Illinois, New York, New Jersey, Washington, Florida, Louisiana, Texas, Colorado, Nevada, Alaska, Maryland and Virginia. Tagalog, on which Filipino is primarily based, is the fifth most common language spoken by Americans at home.

There is also a significant population of Filipinos in Canada, mostly belonging to Chinese Filipino ancestry[citation needed].

[edit] Filipinos in Oceania

Filipinos have been settled in the islands of Oceania, particularly in Micronesia. Also, the vast majority of Filipino exiled patriots were sent to Oceania. As a result, they now form the largest ethnic group in the Northern Marianas Islands, as well as the second largest in both Palau and Guam. To this day, about five in ten Northern Marianas islanders have a direct Filipino ancestor.

There is also a sizeable Filipino minority in Australia, primarily settling in Sydney and New South Wales. They form roughly 1% of the Australian population, although this proportion is highly debated because of the number of Filipinos indicating Spanish as their ancestry[citation needed].

[edit] See also

[edit] References

  1. ^ "The World Factbook - Philippines". U.S. Central Intelligence Agency. Retrieved on 2007-06-08.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l "Stock Estimate of Overseas Filipinos" (MS Excel). Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) (2004). Retrieved on 2007-08-01.
  3. ^ The Manila Times Internet Edition | OPINION > Filipino baby boom in the United Kingdom
  4. ^ Catholic News for Thursday, December 28, 2006
  5. ^ Filipinos Won't Leave Israel
  6. ^ Åke Nilsson (2004), [http://www.scb.se/statistik/_publikationer/BE0701_1950I02_BR_BE51ST0405.pdf Efterkrigstidens invandring och utvandring], DEMOGRAFISKA RAPPORTER, <http://www.scb.se/statistik/_publikationer/BE0701_1950I02_BR_BE51ST0405.pdf>. Retrieved on 5 April 2008 
  7. ^ nnvandrerbefolkningen og personer med annen innvandringsbakgrunn, etter landbakgrunn og kjønn 1. januar 2007 [Rettet 25. mai 2007 kl. 12:22.], Statistics Norway, <http://www.ssb.no/innvbef/tab-2007-05-24-05.html>. Retrieved on 5 April 2008 
  8. ^ a b Zaide 1994, p. 19
  9. ^ "Asian Genes link Asian Genes". Retrieved on 2006-08-28.
  10. ^ a b Capelli, Cristian; James F. Wilson, Martin Richards, Michael P. H. Stumpf, Fiona Gratrix, Stephen Oppenheimer, Peter Underhill, Vincenzo L. Pascali, Tsang-Ming Ko, David B. Goldstein1 (2001). "A Predominantly Indigenous Paternal Heritage for the Austronesian-Speaking Peoples of Insular Southeast Asia and Oceania" (pdf). American journal of Human Genetics 68: 432–443. doi:10.1086/318205. Retrieved on 2007-06-24. 
  11. ^ Chang JG, Ko YC, Lee JC, Chang SJ, Liu TC, Shih MC, Peng CT. "Molecular analysis of mutations and polymorphisms of the Lewis secretor type alpha(1,2)-fucosyltransferase gene reveals that Taiwan aborigines are of Austronesian derivation". Journal of Human Genetics, abstract from PubMed (www.pubmed.gov).
  12. ^ Miranda JJ, Sugimoto C, Paraguison R, Takasaka T, Zheng HY, Yogo Y. "Genetic diversity of JC virus in the modern Filipino population: implications for the peopling of the Philippines". Journal of Human Genetics, abstract from PubMed (www.pubmed.gov). Retrieved on 2007-03-26.
  13. ^ The "Mail-Order Bride" Industry and its Impact on U.S. Immigration, Robert J. Scholes.
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