Pangasinan

Rooted-ness of Pangasinan, a barter of cultures

Pangasinan has a rich cultural heritage, both tangible and intangible. This is due to its colorful history and various encounters and convergences of the many influences from other cultures from the western world. Sharing of edifying experiences is the key to the progression of civilization in our land.

These colonial influences were also instrumental in shaping much of who we are now as Pangasinan. However, a deep-rooted impact still prevails from our pre-colonial roots, and much of it is seen in our myths and legends, traditional practices, and belief systems that still run in our blood today.

It was not only trade items or products that have been exchanged among and between us and the foreign traders, vis-à-vis, the colonizers. It was not only gold, or porcelain, or silk, or salt that was exchanged from one hand to another in order to create a sustainable economy using the barter system.

Moreover, ideas and ideals have also been exchanged, much in the likes of religion or education that affected our perspectives. All of these influences are evident in our music, songs, dances, literature, our food and clothing, our shelter, our art and how we express ourselves during fiestas and celebrations.

Our intangible culture in the Philippines varies from region to region, from island to island. Pangasinan has been much influenced by the Chinese, Spanish, and American culture. Thus, their traces are extant in the way we think and express ourselves, especially the people in the urbanized areas. However, our oneness with our natural environment also effected a praxis reflective of our knowledge of the universe as seen also in our community practices like when to go out and fish in the seas, or when to start plowing the fields after the first rainfall in the month of May.

The whole point is that Pangasinan, although influenced by various colonizers and foreign traders of yore, still maintain its rootedness in nature and the practice of the old ways handed down by our ancestors. This is our heritage, this is our tawir.