Gaddang people
| Total population | |
|---|---|
| 30,000 (estimate) | |
| Regions with significant populations | |
 Philippines:(Cagayan Valley, Cordillera Administrative Region) |
|
| Languages | |
| Gaddang, Ga'dang, Ibanag, Ilokano, English, Tagalog | |
| Religion | |
| Christianity (Predominantly Roman Catholic, with a minority of Protestants) | |
| Related ethnic groups | |
| Ibanag, Itawis, Ilokano, other Filipino people |
The Gaddang people are a linguistically identified ethnic group of related families sharing lengthy residence in the watershed of the Cagayan River in Northern Luzon, Philippines. Gaddang speakers are reported to number around 30,000, plus another 6,000 genetically related Ga'dang speakers whose vocabulary is more than 80% identical.
These two groups are often depicted in historic and cultural literature as a single population; distinctions between (a) the Christianized "lowlanders" and (b) the non-Christian residents in the mountains appear to be ignored by many sources. There are both intriguing similarities and unreconciled differences in history, location, lifestyle and beliefs between these two related populations.
The Cagayan Valley is cut off from the rest of Luzon by ranges of high, rugged mountains to both the east and west, which meet at Balete Pass in the south near Baguio City (geographically within Benguet province). Mary Christine Abriza reports "The Gaddang are found in northern Nueva Vizcaya, especially Bayombong, Solano, and Bagabag on the western bank of the Magat River, and Santiago, Angadanan, Cauayan, and Reina Mercedes on the Cagayan River for Christianed groups; and western Isabela, along the edges of Kalinga and Bontoc, in the towns of Antatet, Dalig, and the barrios of Gamu and Tumauini for the non-Christian communities. The 1960 census reports that there were 25,000 Gaddang, and that 10% or about 2,500 of these were non-Christian." There is a barangay named Gaddang in Aparri (formerly Faru).
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Wikipedia