Aklanon people
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| Total population | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| (500,000-1,000,000 (est.) with Akeanon heritage) | |||
| Regions with significant populations | |||
 Philippines:Aklan Panay; Metro Manila, Mindanao, Romblon -----  United States----- Worldwide |
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| Languages | |||
| Philippine languages (Aklanon, Malaynon, Ati, Hiligaynon, Kinaray-a, Tagalog), English | |||
| Religion | |||
| Predominantly Roman Catholicism. Also minority, Protestantism, others |
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| Related ethnic groups | |||
| Filipinos (Ati, Karay-a, Hiligaynon, Romblomanon, Ratagnon, other Visayans), Austronesian peoples | |||
The Aklanon people are part of the wider Visayan ethnolinguistic group, who constitute the largest Filipino ethnolinguistic group.
Aklanon form the majority in the province of Aklan in Panay. They are also found in other Panay provinces such as Iloilo, Antique, and Capiz, as well as Romblon. Like the other Visayans, Aklanons have also found their way to Metro Manila, Mindanao, and even the United States.
The Aklanons are descendants of the Austronesian-speaking immigrants who came to the Philippines during the Iron Age. They got their name from the river Akean, which means where there is boiling or frothing.
Aklan, originally known as Minuro it Akean, is considered to be the oldest province in the country and is believed to have been established as early as 1213 by settlers from Borneo. According to the tales of the Maragtas, Aklan once enjoyed primacy among the realms carved out in Panay by the 10 Bornean datus. These datus, after fleeing the tyranny of Rajah Makatunaw of Borneo, purchased the island from the Ati King Marikudo. They then established the sakup (states) of Hamtik, Akean (which includes the Capiz area), and Irong-irong, cultivated the land, and renamed the new nation as the Confederation of Madya-as (Madjaas). The datus supposedly landed in Malandog, Hamtik, where a marker commemorates the event which is reenacted in the Binirayan (literally, "place where the boats landed") Festival.
Tradition holds that the first ruler of Aklan was Datu Dinagandan who was dethroned in 1399, by Kalantiaw. In 1433, Kalantiaw III formulated a set of laws that is known today as the Code of Kalantiaw. William Henry Scott, a well-known American historian, later debunked the Code of Kalantiaw as a fraud. However, many Filipinos, including Aklanons and other Visayans continue to believe this legend as true.
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Wikipedia