The Pangasinan people ( pag, Totoon Pangasinan), also known as Pangasinense, are an

ethnolinguistic group An ethnolinguistic group (or ethno-linguistic group) is a group that is unified by both a common ethnicity and language. Most ethnic groups share a first language. However, "ethnolinguistic" is often used to emphasise that language is a major ...

native to the

Philippines The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no), * bik, Republika kan Filipinas * ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas * cbk, República de Filipinas * hil, Republ ...

. Numbering 1,823,865 in 2010, they are the tenth largest ethnolinguistic group in the country. They live mainly in their native

province A province is almost always an administrative division within a country or state. The term derives from the ancient Roman ''provincia'', which was the major territorial and administrative unit of the Roman Empire's territorial possessions out ...

Pangasinan Pangasinan, officially the Province of Pangasinan ( pag, Luyag/Probinsia na Pangasinan, ; ilo, Probinsia ti Pangasinan; tl, Lalawigan ng Pangasinan), is a coastal province in the Philippines located in the Ilocos Region of Luzon. Its cap ...

and the adjacent provinces of

La Union La Union (), officially the Province of La Union ( ilo, Probinsia ti La Union; Kankanaey'': Probinsyan di La Union;'' Ibaloi'': Probinsya ne La Union;'' pag, Luyag/Probinsia na La Union; Tagalog'': Lalawigan ng La Union),'' is a province in th ...

and

Tarlac Tarlac, officially the Province of Tarlac ( pam, Lalawigan ning Tarlac; pag, Luyag/Probinsia na Tarlac; ilo, Probinsia ti Tarlac; tgl, Lalawigan ng Tarlac; ), is a landlocked province in the Philippines located in the Central Luzon region. It ...

, as well as

Benguet Benguet (), officially the Province of Benguet ('';'' ; pag, Luyag/Probinsia na Benguet; ilo, Probinsia ti Benguet; ), is a landlocked Provinces of the Philippines, province of the Philippines located in the southern tip of the Cordillera Admi ...

Nueva Ecija Nueva Ecija, officially the Province of Nueva Ecija ( tgl, Lalawigan ng Nueva Ecija , also ; ilo, Probinsia ti Nueva Ecija; pag, Luyag/Probinsia na Nueva Ecija; Kapampangan: ''Lalawigan/Probinsia ning Nueva Ecija''), is a landlocked province ...

Zambales Zambales, officially the Province of Zambales ( fil, Lalawigan ng Zambales; ilo, Probinsia ti Zambales; Pangasinan: ''Luyag/Probinsia na Zambales''; xsb, Probinsya nin Zambales), is a province in the Philippines located in the Central Luzon re ...

, and

Nueva Vizcaya Nueva Vizcaya, officially the Province of Nueva Vizcaya ( ilo, Probinsia ti Nueva Vizcaya; gad, Probinsia na Nueva Vizcaya; Pangasinan: ''Luyag/Probinsia na Nueva Vizcaya''; tl, Lalawigan ng Nueva Vizcaya ), is a landlocked province in the ...

. Smaller groups are found elsewhere in the Philippines and worldwide in the

Filipino diaspora An overseas Filipino ( fil, Pilipino sa ibayong-dagat) is a person of full or partial Filipino origin—i.e., people who trace back their ancestry to the Philippines but living or residing outside the country. This term generally applies to ...

Etymology

The name Pangasinan means "land of salt" or "place of salt-making". It is derived from ''asin'', the word for "salt" in

. The Pangasinan people are referred as ''Pangasinense''. The term ''Pangasinan'' can refer to the indigenous speakers of the

Pangasinan language Pangasinan (''Pangasinense'') is an Austronesian language, and one of the eight major languages of the Philippines. It is the primary and predominant language of the entire province of Pangasinan and northern Tarlac, on the northern part of L ...

or people of Pangasinan heritage.

Demographics

玳瑁 Taipue - Unknown couple - Boxer Codex (1590)

The estimated population of the Pangasinan people in the province of Pangasinan is 2.5 million. The Pangasinan people are also living in the neighboring provinces of Tarlac and La Union (which used to be parts of Pangasinan Province), Benguet, Nueva Ecija, Zambales, and Nueva Vizcaya; as well as in Pangasinan communities in the Philippines and overseas.

Indigenous religion

Prior to Spanish

colonization Colonization, or colonisation, constitutes large-scale population movements wherein migrants maintain strong links with their, or their ancestors', former country – by such links, gain advantage over other inhabitants of the territory. When ...

, the Pangasinan people believed in a pantheon of unique deities (gods and goddesses).

Immortals

*Ama: the supreme deity, ruler of others, and the creator of mankind; sees everything through his aerial abode; father of Agueo and Bulan also referred as Ama-Gaolay *Agueo: the morose and taciturn sun god who is obedient to his father, Ama; lives in a palace of light *Bulan: the merry and mischievous moon god, whose dim palace was the source of the perpetual light which became the stars; guides the ways of thieves

Mortals

*Urduja: a warrior princess who headed a supreme fleet

Notable individuals

Urduja Urduja was a legendary warrior princess recorded in the travel accounts of Ibn Battuta (1304 – possibly 1368 or 1377 AD). She was described to be a princess of ''Kaylukari'' in the land of ''Tawalisi''. Though the locations of ''Kaylukari'' and ...

was a legendary woman warrior who is regarded as a heroine in Pangasinan. Malong and Palaris fought for independence from Spanish rule. Other prominent people of Pangasinan descent include

Fidel Ramos Fidel Valdez Ramos (, ; March 18, 1928 – July 31, 2022), popularly known as FVR and Eddie Ramos, was a Filipino general and politician who served as the List of presidents of the Philippines, 12th president of the Philippines from 1992 to ...

, born in Lingayen, he served in the Cabinet of President

Corazón Aquino Maria Corazon "Cory" Sumulong Cojuangco-Aquino (; ; January 25, 1933 – August 1, 2009) was a Filipina politician who served as the 11th president of the Philippines from 1986 to 1992. She was the most prominent figure of the 1986 People ...

, first as chief-of-staff of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), and later on, as Secretary of National Defense from 1986 to 1991 before becoming the Philippine's 12th president. Tania Dawson whose mother hails from Santa Maria, Pangasinan, lawmaker

Jose de Venecia, Jr. Jose Claveria de Venecia Jr. (), also known as JDV, Joe De V or Manong Joe (born December 26, 1936), is a former Speaker of the House of Representatives of the Philippines, serving from 1992 to 1998 and from 2001 to 2008. As Speaker, he was the ...

, who was born in Dagupan City, Pangasinan; and actor and presidential candidate

Fernando Poe, Jr. Ronald Allan Kelley Poe (August 20, 1939 – December 14, 2004), known professionally as Fernando Poe Jr., and often referred to by his initials FPJ, was a Filipino actor, film director, producer, screenwriter, and politician. His long and s ...

, whose father was from San Carlos City, Pangasinan. Other notable Pangasinenses are Victorio C. Edades,

Angela Perez Baraquio Angela Perez Baraquio Grey (born June 1, 1976), known professionally by her birth name of Angela Perez Baraquio, is an American educator. She was crowned Miss America 2001 on October 14, 2000 in Atlantic City, New Jersey, becoming the first As ...

Ambrosio Padilla Ambrosio Bibby Padilla (December 7, 1910 – August 11, 1996The Philippine Daily Inquirer, In Loving Memory on the 7th Death Anniversary of Ambrosio Padilla', The Philippine Daily Inquirer, B.14 (11 augustus 2003)) was a Filipino basketball ...

, Cheryl Cosim (reporter), Marc Pingris, and

Ric Segreto Richard Vincent Macaraeg (September 27, 1952 – September 6, 1998) was an American-born Filipino singer recording artist, singer-songwriter, actor, teacher, journalist and historian, who became popular in the Philippines. Early life Ric Segre ...

. Notable Pangasinense actresses include Donita Rose, Marlou Aquino,

Lolita Rodriguez Dolores Marquez Clark, better known by her screen name Lolita Rodriguez (January 29, 1935 – November 28, 2016), was a multi-awarded actress in the Philippines. She was paired with Eddie Arenas in ''Gilda'' (1956), in which she won her first F ...

Barbara Perez Barbara Perez (born January 4, 1938) is a Filipina actress in movies and television in the Philippines. She was tagged as the "Audrey Hepburn of the Philippines" due to her doe eyes, pixie face, swan-like neck and 19-inch waistline. In the west s ...

, Gloria Romero,

Carmen Rosales Januaria Constantino Keller (March 3, 1917 – December 11, 1991), better known by her stage name Carmen Rosales and by her nickname Mameng, was a noted Filipina actress and World War II guerilla fighter. Her acting career spanned the decades ...

Nova Villa Novelita Villanueva Gallegos (born April 16, 1946), better known as Nova Villa, is a Filipino actress and a veteran comedian. With a career spanning more than 50 years, Villa is recognized as the original 'Goddess of Comedy' and one of the defi ...

, Jhong Hilario, and

Liza Soberano Hope Elizabeth Soberano( , ; born January 4, 1998), professionally known as Liza Soberano, is a Filipino actress, model and singer. She started in a range of television series and films, including ''Wansapanataym'' (2011), ''Kung Ako'y Iiwan Mo ...

References

External links

Sunday Punch

Sun Star Pangasinan

Pangasinan Star Online

{{DEFAULTSORT:Pangasinan People Pangasinan Ethnic groups in Luzon Ethnic groups in the Philippines