Ilonggo Literature

• West Visayas


  Comprised of Iloilo, Capiz, Antique, Aklan, Negros Occidental, and Guimaras
• Languages of West Visayas


  Hiligaynon and Aklanon, which grew from Kiniray-a
• Kiniray-a


  The mother language of West Visayas, and thus, of Hiligaynon literature
• According to stories, 10 datus from Borneo gave a golden headgear and a necklace that reached the ground to the aboriginal Ati, in exchange for the island of Panay
• Oral tradition of Hiligaynon literature


  • Binalaybay (poem)
  • Balitaw (love song)
  • Paktakon (riddle)
  • Ambahan (long song)
  • Hurubaton (proverb)
  • Asoy (tale)
  • Ill-ili (lullaby)
  • Siday (poetic duel)
• Folk songs


  • Usually accomplished by string, percussion, or wind instruments
• Prominent Panay epics (also known as "sugidon")


  • Labaw Donggon
  • Hinilawod
• When the Spaniards arrived, the folk literature of the Hiligaynon tradition continued to prosper
• Composo


  A ballad sung as a tribute to a folk hero or a milestone event in a community
• Bordon


  1. A game commonly played during vigils for the dead

  2. The loser has to recite a quatrain called the "luwa"
• Passion


  A common religious text established across several local cultures
• Flores de Mayo


  A devotional prayer sung to the Virgin Mary during the month of May
• Novenas


  Prayers prayed for nine days in devotion to saints or virtues
• Pagdayaw


  An ode performed by local poets as a tribute to the fiesta queen during feasts celebrated in honor of saints
• Mariano Perfecto


  A Bicolano who contributed greatly to Hiligaynon literature by establishing the Imprenta La Panayana in Iloilo City around the late 1800s
• Imprenta La Panayana


  A publication that paved the way for the emergence of written Hiligaynon texts
• "Alamanake Panayanhon"


  A widely popular publication containing the "passion," novenas, and works by early Hiligaynon writers
• The "Almanake" is still published to this day
• Hiligaynon literary traditions


  • Zarzuela
  • Moro-moro
  • Corrido
• "Rodrigo de Villas"


  The most popular "corrido" from West Visayas during this time
• The arrival of the Americans ushered in a Golden Age of Hiligaynon literature
• Exemplary Hiligaynon poets


  • Delfin Gumban
  • Flavio Zaragoza Cano
  • Santiago Alv. Mulatom
  • Serapion Torre
• Notable Hiligaynon novelists


  • Angel Magahum
  • Ramon L. Musones
  • Magdalena Jalandoni
• Prominent playwrights


  • Jose Ma. Ingalla
  • Jose Ma. Nava
  • Miguela Montelibano
• Excellent essayists


  • Rosendo Mejica
  • Augurio Abeto
  • Abe Gonzales
• Rosendo Mejica was responsible for the establishment of Makinaugalingon Press in Iloilo City
• Liwayway Publications in Manila came up with "Hiligaynon" magazine, which allowed the Hiligaynon voice to be heard in the nation's capital and beyond
• The establishment of other publications like the "Yuhum" magazine (La Defensa Press) and "Kasanag" (Dioloso Publications) carried on the momentum into the Post-War period
• Novelists


  • Jose E. Yap
  • Conrado Norada
• Other prominent writers


  • Isabelo Sobrevega
  • Hernando Siscar
  • Ramon L. Muzones
  • Abe Gonzales
  • Santiago Alv. Mulato
• Hiligaynon fiction grew even more in subsequent decades, thanks to the Hiligaynon writers' application of formalist conventions, like irony and characterization
• The novel remained popular while the short story gained its own headway
• Names that emerged in the 1960s


  • Mario L. Villaret
  • Nilo P. Pamanog
  • Romeo Garganera
  • Ismaelita Floro-Luza
  • Ma. Luisa Defante Gibraltar
• In recent decades, government initiatives have helped Hiligaynon literature to continue thriving
• During the administration of President Corazon Aquino, campus writing in Kiniray-a was heavily promoted, and prominence in multilingual writing rose in the Hiligaynon region
• In 1997, the Palanca Awards began to recognize exemplary Hiligaynon short stories (side by side with stories written in English, Filipino, and other local languages)
• Today, writers from the West Visayas region write beautifully in Kiniray-a, Hiligaynon, and Aklanon—proof that the literary tradition of the area has blossomed across the centuries