Tagalog people
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| Traditional Tagalog attires during the early 1800s. |
| Total population |
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| Estimated: 15.9 Million |
| Regions with significant populations |
 Philippines(Aurora, Bataan, Batangas, Cavite, Bulacan, Laguna, Marinduque, Metro Manila, Nueva Ecija, Occidental Mindoro, Oriental Mindoro, Palawan, Quezon, Rizal, Tarlac, and Zambales) elsewhere |
| Languages |
| Religion |
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Christianity (Predominantly Roman Catholic, with a minority of Protestants) |
| Related ethnic groups |
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Other Filipinos |
The Tagalog people is an ethnic group in the Philippines. The name Tagalog comes from either the native term tagá-ilog, meaning 'people living along the river', or another native term, tagá-alog, meaning 'people living along the ford', a ford being a shallow part of a river or stream where people, animals, or vehicles can cross it. The prefix taga- means "coming from" or "native of", while the word ilog means 'river'. Translated, tagá-ilog means 'coming from the river' or 'native of the river', and tagá-alog means 'coming from the ford' or 'native of the ford' with 'the' being implied in both cases. Either way, the original name has been contracted to become simply Tagalog. [1] In more recent times, the people of this ethnolinguistic group rarely refer to themselves as "Tagalog", and instead, refer to themselves simply as "Filipino".
The Tagalogs are one of the most widespread groups of people in the Philippines. They form a majority in the provinces of Aurora, Bataan, Batangas, Cavite, Bulacan, Laguna, Marinduque, Metro Manila, Nueva Ecija, Occidental Mindoro, Oriental Mindoro, Quezon, and Rizal. Other provinces with some significant Tagalog populations include the provinces of Palawan, Tarlac, and in Zambales.
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[edit] Demographics
Tagalog people number about 28.1% of the Total Filipino population making them the largest Filipino ethnic group.[2] Tagalogs speak the Tagalog language, with many dialectal variations, although all Tagalog dialects are considered to be mutually comprehensible to each other. The main religion of Tagalogs is Christianity, mainly Roman Catholicism and some Protestantism, as well as other religions.
Tagalogs have ancestries in other ethnic groups such as East Asian and as well as some other South East Asian people that migrated/settled to Manila and CALABARZON that assimilated to Tagalog or came even long before the Spanish Conquest. That could have established several Native Tagalog communities formed by the assimilation of various Indigenous Philippine kingdoms.[3]
[edit] Culture
The Tagalog culture of the Pre-Hispanic times was totally different from its forms today although they were the most westernized out of all the Filipino ethnic groups. Tagalog culture grew steadily to accept foreign, especially Spanish, British, and American cultural influences. Traditionally, the Tagalogs are agriculturists, although there are a few who engage in fishing. Tagalogs have a very strict adherence to conduct politeness and respect, and this is exemplified by practices and their language structure. Tagalogs are also depicted by examples of bravery and courage, as manifested by historical events, e.g., the Philippine Revolution and World War II.
Tagalogs are also focused on food preparation and culinary activities. Women (and sometimes, men) are trained early on to become culinary experts. This is depicted in lavish celebrations during Fiestas and gatherings.
[edit] History
The present "center" of the Tagalog culture and people is Taal, Batangas, being its birthplace, and is still the "Heartland of the Tagalog Culture". Most of the culture of the Tagalog people is passed on by oral tradition, despite the existence of a writing system. This is because even if they were literate and had a written tradition before the Spaniards arrived, they wrote their ideas on perishable leaves and branches.
The Tagalogs were the first settlers of Manila. In the late 16th century, Spain chose Manila as the capital of its Philippine colony. From then onwards, it has been the political and economic center of the Philippines. Manila and the surrounding Tagalog areas played a leading role in the Philippine Revolution and the People Power Revolution. Throughout the centuries, there have been massive migrations by other ethnic groups to Manila, and many of them have intermarried with the Tagalog population.
A number of Philippine national heroes are of Tagalog heritage. The Tagalogs staged numerous revolts against Spanish colonization, and were also among the earliest. One such revolt was that of Apolinario de la Cruz (Hermano Pule), which was religious in orientation. National hero José Rizal, who hailed from Calamba, Laguna, was a Tagalog of mixed Hokkien Chinese and Japanese descent.
In 1898, many leaders of the Philippine Revolution were Tagalogs, including Emilio Aguinaldo, Apolinario Mabini, Andrés Bonifacio, Emilio Jacinto, among others.
Since Aguinaldo, other Tagalogs have assumed the presidency: Manuel L. Quezon (who was a Filipino mestizo of Tagalog descent), José P. Laurel, and Joseph Ejercito Estrada. Early Philippine history has always been actively participated by the struggles and triumphs of the Tagalog people and the Tagalogs came to take an active part in the present Philippine economy and politics.
[edit] References
- CCP Encyclopedia or Philippine Art, Peoples of the Philippines, Tagalog
- ^ "Tagalog, tagailog, Tagal, Katagalugan". English, Leo James. Tagalog-English Dictionary. 1990.
- ^ http://www.vtaide.com/ASEAN/Philippines/people.html
- ^ http://litera1no4.tripod.com/tagalog_frame.html
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