Gaddang Identity, Language, and Cultural Change in Northern Luzon

Abstract

This narrative literature review examines how Gaddang identity, language, and cultural change are represented in scholarship on Northern Luzon. The study addresses the fragmented treatment of these topics across historical, sociolinguistic, literary, material-culture, and Indigenous-knowledge research. It uses a narrative review design and comparatively analyzes published and publicly accessible sources on Gaddang history, language attitudes and domains of use, garments and accessories, oral literature and legends, and ethnomathematical practices. The synthesis indicates that Gaddang identity is relational and place-based rather than a fixed cultural package or a simple function of language proficiency. Language attitudes and use vary by geography, age, socioeconomic status, educational attainment, and social domain; positive attitudes toward Gaddang coexist with strong roles for Tagalog/Filipino, Ilocano, and English. Cultural continuity likewise operates through selective renewal: inherited knowledge is taught, adapted, used in livelihoods, incorporated into education, and publicly represented. The review concludes that language maintenance and cultural change should be analyzed together through community-sensitive and regionally comparative approaches. It recommends community-controlled documentation, culturally responsive educational materials, stronger attention to intergenerational language use, and ethical safeguards for Indigenous knowledge.