Yakan people
Students from the Datu Bantilan Dance Troupe in traditional Yakan costume with US Ambassador Kristie Kenney. | |
| Total population | |
|---|---|
| 282,715 (2020 census) | |
| Regions with significant populations | |
| Basilan, Zamboanga Peninsula | |
| Languages | |
| Yakan, Tausug, Zamboangueño Chavacano, Cebuano, Filipino, English, Malay | |
| Religion | |
| Sunni Islam | |
| Related ethnic groups | |
| Sama-Bajau, other Muslim Filipinos, Lumad, Visayans, Malagasy other Filipinos, other Austronesian peoples |
The Yakan people are among the major Filipino ethnolinguistic groups in the Sulu Archipelago. Having a significant number of followers of Islam, it is considered one of the 13 Muslim groups in the Philippines. The Yakans mainly reside in Basilan but are also in Zamboanga City. They speak a language known as Bissa Yakan, which has characteristics of both Sama-Bajau Sinama and Tausug (Jundam 1983: 7-8). It is written in the Malayan Arabic script, with adaptations to sounds not present in Arabic (Sherfan 1976).
The Yakan have a traditional horse culture. They are renowned for their weaving traditions. Culturally, they are Sama people who eventually led a life on land, mostly in Basilan and Zamboanga city. They are included as part of the Sama ethnic group, which includes the Bajau, Dilaut, Kalibugan, and other Sama groups.