Diverse Cultures of our Community

Purposes

- To learn about Ibajaynon's culture.

- To promote tourism in Ibajay.

- To share the beauty and fun that can be find in aklan.

History

The organized human occupation of Ibajay can be traced back at least as far as the 16th century. The social unit in the Philippines during that time is the barangay, from the Malay word balangay, meaning boat. The local term for it is sakup, meaning, an occupied territory.

The sakup was generally small. Most of the villages consisted of only thirty to one hundred houses and their population varied from one hundred to five hundred persons.
People moved principally by water. Trails followed the streams and rivers. There were no roads. There were no wheeled vehicles. Houses were made out of the abundance of raw materials from nature.
The rivers played a major role in the sakups. They were the major source of water for bathing, washing, drinking and farming. The water reservoirs were the source of life. Hence, the first known community in Ibajay was situated in Sitio Boboc-on, Barangay Naile located at the confluence of Ibajay and Panakuyan Rivers.
Three chieftains were known to have ruled over the natives of Ibajay. They were Hangoe, Sandok and Kabatak. They provided them the low-level organization in their agricultural, social, political and economic lives. The Chiefs mainly administered the lands in the name of the community. Social order was an extension of the family with them embodying the higher unity.
Each individual participated in the ownership of the land and the instruments of production. The land was basically held in common. The produce was geared to the use of the one who toiled and the fulfillment of kinship obligations.
Most of the sakups can be found near coastal and ravine terrains. The principal source of protein came from the rivers and seas, the people relied more on fishing than on hunting. Pork, chicken and carabao meat were eaten mainly as ritual and festival foods. Rice was the main food article.
The villagers practiced the wet-rice agriculture. They put a basketful of it into the river to soak. After a few days, they take it away from the water. What has not sprouted is thrown away. The rest is put on a bamboo mat and covered with earth, and leave it in place where it is kept moist by the water.
After the sprouting grains have germinated sufficiently, they were transplanted one by one. In this way, the locals of Ibajay have the abundance of rice in a short period of time.
Aside from rice, they also planted cotton from which they weaved to clothe themselves. Fruit trees, vegetables and root crops were planted near their houses.
The place, the Spaniards called “PANAY Y BAJAY”: The autonomous barangays that the Spaniards encountered in Cebu could barely provide them with food enough for their needs. Miguel Lopez de Legaspi has to move his camp sailing from Cebu to Panay Island in 1569.

Desiring to explore the island for food and spice, Legaspi ordered some of his men to move further on the Island until they run out of bread to eat. Tired and hungry, the Spaniards solicited something to eat from the natives. To their surprise, they were given a container full of brown rice.
When the Spaniards asked the natives what kind of rice they gave, they politely replied, “ba-hay,” meaning, a third class rice.
In recognition of the generosity of the natives, they named the place, “Panay y bahay” – the place in Panay where there was and the Spaniards were given “ba-hay” rice.
The word Ibajay was originally written with the capital letter Y. It was only in 1902 when an American supervising teacher made the change of Ybajay to Ibajay because of the preference to the English alphabet and the difficulty of the Americans in spelling the word.

Barangay in Bagacay:

Agbago
Agdugayan
Antipolo
Aparicio
Aquino
Aslum
Bagacay
Batuan

Buenavista
Bugtongbato
Cabugao
Capilijan
Colongcolong
Laguinbanua
Mabusao
Malindog
Maloco

Mina-a
Monlaque
Naile
Naisud
Naligusan
Ondoy
Poblacion
Polo
Regador

Rivera
Rizal
San Isidro
San Jose
Santa Cruz
Tagbaya
Tul-ang
Unat
Yawan

Practices of the People

- People in Ibajay are the most respectful people in aklan, every barangay has different saint that is been honor by celebrating their fiesta. One of the practice of ibajaynon that is very active and most famous if the ati-atihan.

Traditions of the Community

-Celebrating ati-ati

-Celebrating barrio fiesta in honor of their saints.

Celebrations of the Community

- Celebration of Ibajay ati-ati Festival