Negrense
| Total population | |
|---|---|
| 4,414,131 (Negros Island Region only) |
|
| Regions with significant populations | |
 PhilippinesHome region: (Negros Island Region) Other regions with significant populations: (Western Visayas, Central Visayas, SOCCSKSARGEN, Northern Mindanao, Davao Region, Metro Manila)  United States Australiaelsewhere |
|
| Languages | |
| Bacolodnon Hiligaynon dialect, Negrense Hiligaynon, Negrense Cebuano (parent tongues), Philippine Spanish, English | |
| Religion | |
| Predominantly Roman Catholic, Aglipayan minority, Protestant minority |
|
| Related ethnic groups | |
| other Visayans (Hiligaynons, Cebuanos, Karay-a, Boholanos), other Filipinos, other Austronesian peoples, Spanish Filipino |
The Negrenses, alternatively called Negrosanons locally, are people born in and became residents of the Negros Island Region. Years of migration in Negros have created a mix of people and languages, with the western section comprising Negros Occidental and Bacolod City having a Hiligaynon-speaking majority, while the eastern section comprised Negros Oriental, having a Cebuano-speaking majority. The native Buglas Bukidnon and Ati peoples, with their interactions and intermarriage with recent migrants from Antique and Iloilo, speaking a variant of Kinaray-a. The general area of Metro Bacolod is noted to speak a dialect of Hiligaynon called Bacolodnon.
Negrenses are not officially classified as an ethnolinguistic group, but rather an identity closely related to the history and culture of Negros Island Region, first presented in the turn of the 19th century when migrant landowners started to develop an identity distinct from their Ilonggo and Cebuano roots. Rather than language, Negrenses are identified with their affinity to the island and most of which are known through their residence in Negros or self-identity by the overseas communities. The Negrense people from both sides of the island are known for their colorful festivals and highly skilled cooking skills, as defined by the festivals and craved-for cuisines dotting each locale.
Negros was originally known as "Buglas", an old Ilonggo word meaning "cut off". The original natives of the island are the dark-skinned Aetas or "Negritos", from where the island would later derive its name after an expedition of Spanish conquistadors in April 1565 came in contact with these Negritos in what is now the town of Ilog.
Portions of Negros Island were settled by earlier pre-colonial migrations from the island of Panay, they are the descendants of the present-day Magahats or Buglas Bukidnon, as distinguished from the Panay Bukidnon. Most of the Magahats settled in the southern valley of Negros Island called Tabla Valley, most of which comprise the present-day town of Candoni.
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Wikipedia