Násî: An Investigation into Kapampángan & Indonesian Cultural & Historical Relations

Násî: A Preliminary Investigation into Kapampángan and Indonesian Cultural and Historical Connections

More than a couple of decades ago, a good number of educated individuals began to believe that Kapampángans are descended from Indonesians. This belief is further reinforced when they encounter words similar to both Kapampángan and Indonesian but different from Tagálog (Filipino), like Nasi, Babi, Datang and Angin. More so when they encounter words found only in Kapampángan and Javanese but not in Indonesian or Filipino (Tagalog) ~ timbul, sugi, dalan, bengi, etc. To compound this even more, the word for cooked rice, NASI, is shared by both Kapampángans and Indonesians but not even by the Muslims of Mindanao, like the Tausugs of Sulu and the Magindanawons in the Sultanate of Maguindanao, who live much closer to Indonesia.

Is there any truth to this belief? Why and how did this trend even start?

Please attend our lecture forum on Kapampángan and Indonesian cultural & historical connections and explore this question further.