Abstract

This paper attempts to reconstruct the linguistic and historical origins of the Isinay people, an indigenous group from Nueva Vizcaya in Northern Luzon, Philippines. Through document reviews, this study incorporates knowledge from linguistic analysis, historical texts, and oral accounts to suggest a more nuanced view of the Isinay’s route to their current domicile. Drawing heavily from the works of Lawrence Reid and other Austronesian linguists, the research traces Isinay ancestry to voyagers from Taiwan who, by following the Meso-Cordilleran linguistic lineage, navigated the Cordillera region and down the river systems of Northern Luzon. Using comparative linguistic methodology, the paper highlights phonological, lexical, and morphosyntactic relationships between Isinay and related Central Cordilleran languages, especially Ifugao, to propose a possible migration route. Historical records, including Spanish missionary accounts and local oral histories are examined to provide further context for linguistic patterns. This is done to make sense of contradictions in existing origin stories and to complement recent studies that challenge linear tree models in favor of a linkage model that better captures language evolution through contact and divergence. The study also discusses material culture, notably the role of ikat weaving in translocal trade, to illustrate broader cultural exchanges. The paper aims to serve as a foundation for further ethnolinguistic and historical inquiry by asserting the value of interdisciplinary reconstruction in documenting and revitalizing indigenous identities like that of the Isinay.

Keywords: Folklore, Folk History, Ethnohistory, Identity, Isinay

DOI: https://doi.org/10.64743/SLGS4548