Explaination

History and Location

"Aklanon" is a Spanish word for the people of what is now Aklan province in Panay; the people
had thought the Spaniards were asking the name of the local river, which was actually "Akean."
The entire island was supposedly purchased from the local Aetas (the Ati group still live there) by
10 datus from Borneo who brought with them a syllabic script. Each local datu called his subjects
sinakpan, and redistributed their property when they died. The 5 class feudal order (datu, timawa
or noble, oripun or commoner, Negrito, and outsider) was maintained by the warrior class called
timawa, who owed their loyalty to the datu.
Kinship is traced bilaterally, marriage is by arrangement in a costly ceremony called pamaeaye,
which resembles the general Philippine pattern. Although largely Christianized, some of the
traditional religion remains; the chief deity, Bululakaw, lives in the sacred mountain Madya-as,
whereas the goddes Laon lived on Negros. Manunubon is the sea spirt. The baybaylan are a
priestly class who organize the worship of animistic spirits called engkanto.
The Aklanon area exports copra, pineapple, melon, and banana. Slippers, mats, and bags are made
from the local abaca; rattan furniture is also manufactured here. Fine pina fabric is also an
important export.

Location:
Aklanon form their majority in the province of Aklan in Panay. They also found in other
Panay province such as Iloilo, Antique, and Capiz, as well as Romblon.

Aklan was formerly a part of Capiz province on the island of Panay in Western Visayas; hence, its
history is often connected with that of Capiz. It became a separate province on 8 Nov 1956 under
Republic Act No 1414, with Kalibo as its capital. The province has 17 municipalities: Altavas, Balete,
Banga, Batan, Buruanga, Ibajay, Kalibo, Lezo, Libacao, Madalag, Makato, Malay (which includes the
island of Boracay), Malinao, Nabas, New Washington, Numancia, and Tangalan.

Customary law

The traditional social hierarchy consisted of five classes: datu, timawa, oripun, Aeta, and outsiders
from across the seas. An origin myth claims these were the classes that made up all of humankind.
The term “datu” referred to both the social class and the headman who belonged to this class. He
had a retinue of personal vassals called timawa. The two upper classes were economically supported
by the commoner class, called oripun, which was further divided into 12 subclasses, ranging from
the bihag ‘captive slaves’ to the tumataban ‘the most respected’ commoner serving only five days of
labor per month.

The princesses were binukot, lit. ‘caged’ or ‘wrapped up’, meaning reserved for the
appropriate marriage. The illegitimate sons of a captive binukot princess and the datu became
the timawa. Upon their father’s death, they were set free and called ginoo.

By the 17th century, the noble classes—datu and timawa alike—had been absorbed into the Spanish
colonial structure. The timawa, now subjugated by Spanish military might, had to make a living by
farming or fabric weaving. The word’s current meaning is “poor” or “destitute.”
The datu class was also called manggaranon ‘rich’, halangdon ‘held in high respect’,
and dungganon ‘honorable’. Among the other halangdon and dungganon were the sabiosar ‘wise’
and the babaylan ‘shaman’. The datu was also the feudal lord and agalon ‘master’ of the timawa and
the oripun. Because the present agricultural system remains feudal, these terms are still in current
use.

The traditional Aklanon kinship system followed the general Philippine pattern, relationship being
traced along both paternal and maternal lines, with terms of address for each member of the family.
Marriage arrangements were traditional: parental approval and arrangement were requisite to a
ceremony called pamaeayi or pabaeayon. The marriage celebration itself was festive and costly. The
newlyweds could stay with the bride’s family for a few days, then moved in with the groom’s family
for a longer period until the couple set up residence, usually as decided on by the husband, with his
wife’s concurrence. In the past, the groom was expected to serve the bride’s family for the first few
months.
Then and now, the father was the head of the family, although household matters—preparing the
meals, buying clothing for the family, entertaining visitors and relatives, attending to the children’s
needs—were the mother’s responsibilities. Grandparents were respected and cared for, their
opinions sought and advice followed. Children inherited property equally.

RELIGIOUS BELIEFS AND PRACTICES

The early aklanon believed in many gods. Bululakaw lived in the island’s sacred mountain
called Madya-as. A chief goddess was believed to reside in the mountain of the nearby island of
Negros Occidental. She was called Laon, after whom Mt Kanlaon is named. There were mediators to
the gods, also said to be the first priests: Bangutbanwa, who prayed for good harvests and an
orderly universe; Mangindalon, who interceded for sick persons and prayed for the punishment of
enemies; and Soliran and Solian, who performed marriage ceremonies. Manunubo was the good
spirit of the sea.
Although the majority of the Aklanon population is now Christian, belief in the power of
the babaylan has not completely disappeared in spite of their dwindling numbers. In pre-Christian
times, the babaylan played an important political, social, religious, and cultural role. They advised
the datu, and were the spiritual and physical healers of the community. They officiated in
ceremonies that marked the life cycle of each villager. The babaylan were most resistant to Spanish
rule. They tried to maintain their influence over the Christianized villagers, sometimes succeeding in
winning them back to the worship of their anito, and at times leading popular revolts.
Reverence for patron saints has not completely replaced the belief that engkanto ‘supernatural
beings’ reside in places called mari-it, such as cliffs, bamboo groves, boulders, and earth mounds.
The palhi may refer either to evil spirits or their dwelling place. Aswang ‘flesh-eating ghouls’ come in
different forms. The tiktik is a bird that eats human liver; the bagat, usually in the form of a huge dog
or some grotesque creature, preys on lone travelers; the sigbin, also a dog, preys on people at
noontime; the bawa looks like a big hen, but it can easily snap its victim’s neck. The amaeanhig is a
zombie-like creature.
The kama-kama are lazy and fun-loving dwarfs living in earth mounds. The tamawo are either
friendly or evil spirits, and live in resplendent palaces that look like mere boulders to the human eye.
Through a peculiar act of courtship called yanggaw, they entice humans who attract
them. Hiwit or barang is a ritual that gives one the power to inflict pain on an enemy.

Livelihood aklanon
The Aklanon people of Aklan, Philippines, rely on agriculture, fishing, and traditional crafts for their
livelihoods. Key agricultural products include rice and corn, while fishing supports both sustenance
and the economy. The local craft industry thrives on abaca fiber, producing items like slippers and
woven fabrics such as pina.
Tourism has recently become a significant economic driver, especially with the popularity of
Boracay. This has created jobs in hospitality and retail but also raises concerns about
environmental sustainability and cultural preservation.
Despite opportunities, the Aklanon face challenges like poverty, unemployment, and vulnerability
to natural disasters. However, their resilience and strong community ties enable them to navigate
these complexities. By balancing economic growth with cultural heritage, the Aklanon can
leverage their rich traditions and natural beauty to foster sustainable development for the future.

VISUAL ARTS AND CRAFTS

The traditional weaving method of piña is called pili, or sinuksuk. This is a floating weft technique
for embellishing piña fabric accomplished after the cloth weaving and before it is cut and sewn into a
gown. A typical design is a cluster of five-petaled flowers surrounding a butterfly. This is repeated in
a series along the borders of the cloth. The pili, or sinuksuk, tradition continues to live because of
weavers like Magdalena Marte, who was conferred the Manlilikha ng Bayan Award in 1990. Her
niece, Sosima de la Cruz. Marte, continues the tradition.

Pina weaving – aklan is known as the top producer of pina fabric in the Philippines. This sheer,
delicate cloth typically use to make barong tagalog, the country national costume – a product of a
long, painstaking and intricate process of weiving fiber from pineapple leaves.

Tam-o (Fil. pusô) is the art of weaving palm leaves into sculptured shapes. The woven figures are
named after the objects they resemble, such as the eaki tam-o, the masculine rice pouch, which
is esquinado (with angular corners), and the bayi tam-o, the female rice pouch, which resembles a
pair of hands clasped together. In Barangay Gibon mat weavers embroider floral patterns into their
mats with strips of white buri leaf. Abaca cloth and mats are made into handcrafted bags, shoes, and
slippers. Piña cloth is used for exquisitely embroidered handkerchiefs, baro ‘upper clothing’ for
women, and barong for men. The tradition of pottery making continues in the small town of Lezo.
Old traditional clay pots, jars, bricks, and garden decorations are made by senior residents in their
workshops. The Uswag Development Foundation Inc., in Kalibo, Aklan, supports such local artisans to
create and market their works not only by traditional means but also on the internet.

Language

Aklanon (akeanon) also known as Bisaya/binisaya nga Aklanon/inaklanon or simply Aklan, is an

Austronesian language of the Bisaya subgroup spoken by the Aklanon people in the province of
Aklan on the island of panay in the Philippines.

Its unique feature among other Bisaya language is the close-mid back unrounded vowel, occurring as
part of diphthongs and traditionally written with the letter Ee such as in the autonyms Akean and
Akaeanon. However, this phoneme is also present in other but geographically scattered and distant
Philippines language.
Festivals of aklanon tribe
1. The ati-atihan held annually in january to honor of the sto.nino in several days, the
biggest celebration is held in the 3rd Sunday of January in the town of Kalibo. The
festival is consist of religious processions and street-parades, showcasing themed float,
dancing and people sporting face and body paint. The street parade is known as
Sadsad, which is also what locals call their way of dancing where the foot is
momentarily dragged along the ground in tune to the beat played by the marching
band.
2. Nabas Bariw Festival - May 12-15. This festival is to commemorate the Feast Day of
St. Isidore the farmer, the towns patron saint. Bariw (Common Name Pandan) a palm
tree that abundantly grows in the coastal communities in western Aklan and parts in
Antique and it is color brown. The women weaver of this barrios who are adept in
cutting and drying bariw leaves and turn them into handicraft of mats and baskets.
This festival showcasing the the unique skills of nabasnon weavers of bags, mats and
hats made of indigenous bariw leaves. The highlight of the celebration is a dance
performance by local talents and ingenuity accompanied with the aboriginal rhythm
beat of drums or bamboo instrument, the townfolks dances wearing the indigenouse
bariw leaves costume.
3.