Most of the region lies in a large valley in northeastern Luzon, between the Cordilleras and the Sierra MadreCagayan River, the country's longest river runs through its center and flows out to Luzon Strait in the north, in the town of Aparri, Cagayan. The Babuyan and Batanes island groups that lie in the Luzon Strait also belong to the region. mountain ranges. The
People, Culture and the Arts
Due to the influx of Ilokano migrants in the last century, majority of
the people of Cagayan speak Iloko as their primary tongue. Aside from
the Ilokanos, there are several smaller ethnic groups that live in the
province. The Ibanags are the dominant ethnic group in the vicinity of
the provincial capital of Cagayan-—Tuguegarao, now a city. The closely
related Itawits inhabit the Pinacanauan River valley as well as areas of
Amulung and Tuao. The Malawegs are found mainly in the municipality of
Rizal. In the foothills and the mountains of the Sierra Madre Range,
several Negrito groups called the Agtas forage and hunt for food. The
established lingua franca of the province is Ibanag.
The Ibanags,
Itawits and Malawegs are mainly lowland farmers whose agricultural
practices are similar to those of the Ilokanos. The Ibanags used to
inhabit the area along the Cagayan coast but migrated further inland.
They conducted trade with neighboring areas using distinctive seacrafts,
and their commercial interests made their language the medium of
commerce throughout the region before the influx of Ilokano migrants.
They are also excellent blacksmiths and continue to make good bolos. The
Ibanags are reputed to be the tallest of all the ethno-linguistic
groups in the Philippines.
The Itawits are
almost indistinguishable from the Ibanags. They build their houses with
separate kitchens, connected by a narrow walkway that is used as washing
area for hands and feet. The Itawits are noted for their pottery and
basket-weaving traditions.
The culture of
Cagayan is showcased in museums, historical buildings and archeological
sites spread across the province. In Solana, the Neolithic archeological
sites in Lanna have yielded stone tools used as early as 20,000 years
back. The Cabarruan jar burial site, also in the town, features ancient
Filipino traditions of taking care of their dead. The Cagayan Museum is a
repository of the province´s cultural heritage. Iron Age pottery,
Chinese Ming and Sung dynasty porcelain pieces as well as Church
paraphernalia are on display together with Paleolithic fossils. The
oldest bell in the country, cast in 1592, still peals from the tower of
the church in Camalaniugan. The old brick works in Tuguegarao lie inside
the city and speak of a time when bricks were extensively used to build
the beautiful churches of the Cagayan Valley.
