- published: 27 Nov 2015
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The Cebuano people (Cebuano: Sugbuanon) are a subgroup of the Visayan people whose primary language is Cebuano, an Austronesian language native to the Central Visayas which is also the lingua franca of Mindanao.
Oceanic or Austronesian people called Malayo-Polynesians settled Cebu island and the rest of the Philippines around 30,000 years ago. Most Cebuanos today have Malayo-Polynesian ancestry. The early Cebuanos developed similar seafaring cultures to the Micronesian people; however, being closer to mainland Asia, the Cebuanos also engaged in trade with Japan, Okinawa, India, China, Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand and Sri Lanka. The ancient Cebuanos developed a culture with influence from mainly Japan, China, India and Borneo. They traded pearls and coral for silk, gold, weapons and spices. The early Cebuanos held animist beliefs and worshiped anitos (spirits) until the introduction of Roman Catholicism.
The famous encounter between explorer Magellan and the local chieftain Lapu-Lapu ended in the death of Magellan at the Battle of Mactan. The Cebuanos held off colonization for a while until a Spanish explorer colonized Cebu and the Cebuanos came under Spanish rule.