The Negrenses (; ) are the native cultural group of the Philippine provinces of Negros Occidental, Negros Oriental and Siquijor.
Overview
Negrense (English: Negrese; Hiligaynon and Cebuano: Negrosanon or Buglasnon) identity is closely intertwined with the history and culture of Negros and Siquijor, the latter which had been part of Negros Oriental until 1971. This identity first emerged in the 19th century when Spanish-speaking migrant landowners—mostly but not exclusively from Panay, Cebú and Bohol—and their families started to develop and strengthen an independent, common identity tied neither to ethnicity nor language but rather to the land.
History
Precolonial period
Negros was originally known as Buglas, an old Visayan word meaning "cut off". The original natives of the island are the dark-skinned Ati Negritos, from where the island would later derive its name after an expedition of Castilian conquistadors in April 1565 came in contact with the Ati in what is now the town of Ilog.
Southern Negros—in particular, Candoni—came to be settled by precolonial migrants from the island of Panay. These came to be known as the Negrense highlanders (Hiligaynon and Cebuano: bukidnong Buglasnon or Magahat). A second wave of migrants from Panay came to inhabit the northwestern portion of the island; they are known today as the Panayan highlanders (Hiligaynon and Cebuano: bukidnong Panaynon or Suludnon), who continue to reside on Panay as well as on Negros. The Madyaas Confederation would later exert nominal control over the villages and sakups of the Panayan highlanders.
Spanish colonial era
After the island was discovered by Castilian colonizers in April 1565, it was only in 1573 and 1583 that the island was settled permanently, centered around Binalbagan and the designated capital, Ilog in the present-day Negros Occidental, and Dumaguete in the present-day Negros Oriental. Miguel López de Legazpi placed Negros under the jurisdiction of the governor of Oton on Panay. In 1734, however, the island became a military district with Ilog as its first capital. The seat of government was later transferred to Himamaylan until Bacólod became the capital in 1849, heralding the opening of the sugar industry spearheaded by British diplomat and businessman Nicholas Loney. Through the missionary efforts of the Recollects, additional settlements in Hinigaran, Bago, Marayo (now Pontevedra), Mamalan (now Himamaylan) and San Enrique.
Sugar boom
The mass settlement of Negros, beginning in the 1850s and greatly encouraged by Loney, was triggered by the surge in the demand for sugar back in Europe. European demand and Philippine supply would place Negros squarely on the British-dominated global economic map for the next hundred years. The mass settlement was pioneered by Iloílo-based landowners, though the mountainous terrain of the island made it more practical for colonists to settle the coastal areas on opposite ends. As a result, the western half came to be settled by Hiligaynon-speaking migrants, while the eastern half was settled by Cebuano-speaking migrants, with subsequent settlers from other parts of the Philippines assimilating into either linguistic sphere. Administration became difficult as the trip between the eastern portions to Himamaylan (the second capital) and later on, Bacólod in 1849, required a 3–5-day trek through the mountains. Thirteen Recollect friars assigned to the eastern side appealed to the Governor-General to divide the island, with their side assigned to the civil government in Cebú.
Finally, on January 1, 1890, Governor-General Valeriano Weyler issued a decree, partitioning Negros into Negros Occidental, with Bacólod retained as its designated capital, and Negros Oriental, with Dumaguete as the designated capital. The division was not made along linguistic lines but rather for practical administrative purposes: those falling under the jurisdiction of the 13 friars composed the new Negros Oriental province, which also includes the Hiligaynon-speaking towns of Tolong (present-day Santa Catalina) and Tolong Nuevo (present-day Bayawan). The Cebuano-speaking towns of Sagay, Escalante, San Carlos (all three later converted into cities) and Calatrava chose to remain with Negros Occidental.