Ami(h)anan Study Group: Awakening discussions on experts from the North
By Leia Castro-Margate
A few young academics and intellectuals tied by their common thread of love for Northern Luzon recently grouped together to talk about their predecessors: eminent scholars who studied the north.
The Ami(h)anan Study Group, which is composed of University of the Philippines faculty and graduate students from various disciplines, formally introduced themselves on May 6, 2025 with a brown bag discussion on the life and works of Isabelo De Los Reyes or Don Belong.
In introducing the group, Asst. Prof. Joao Reginaldo of the UP College of Social Sciences said “what binds us is not just region and nostalgia but to see the north not just as a peripheral zone but also a source of the best minds in the country.”
The name Ami(h)anan pertains to both the Amianan or north and the bracketed H for Amihan or the northeasterly wind blowing through the country. “It gestures to the winds of the north sometimes gentle, sometimes sharp,” Reginaldo added.
Reginaldo said Don Belong took seriously the world views of ordinary people particularly “what they can teach us about being Filipino.” This is why the group chose Isabelo de los Reyes as their first subject. Reading his works is not just an academic pursuit; it is a pursuit of what makes us Filipino, the group added.
The multi-faceted life and legacy of Isabelo de los Reyes was tackled by Assoc. Prof. Junley Lazaga who discussed his field notes from archival work particularly on El Ilocano, the newspaper De los Reyes wrote and published; Aldous Rubio who discussed De los Reyes as a [failed] liturgist to the Iglesia Filipina Independiente; and Alvin Jhon Abril who discussed De los Reyes as “excessively” Ilocano.
Don Belong, who would have turned 161 on July 7, was still the topic of the conversation as the Ami(h)anan Study Group met again on July 10, 2025. This time, they added American anthropologist William Henry Scott to the mix in the round table discussion they called “Scotty Meets Belong.”
Their discussion revolved around the topic: What do an Ilocano born in Vigan and an American born in Detroit have in common? The group’s answer: “They both left a legacy that continues to shape how we understand Northern Luzon’s histories and cultures today.”
