BOTANICAL STRUCTURE OF THE TARLAC GRASS

      Indigenous Name: TARLAC GRASS

      Spanish Name: Hierba Tarlaquena

      Scientific Name: Themeda arundinacea (Roxb.) Ridl.

      Kapampangan Name: Dikut Tarlac

      Aboriginal Name: Tallak

      Ilocano Name: Tanglar; Tarlar

      Popular Name: Matarlac; Malatarlac

      Family: Gramineae

      Location Discovered: Bamban, Tarlac

      Date Found: November 21, 2002

      Other Places Located: Capas, Tarlac City, San Jose, Mayantoc, Camiling, Santa Ignacia, Camiling, San Clemente

      Researcher: Dr. Rodrigo M. Sicat

      Asst. Researchers: Rodel T. Botio/Delfin J. Sibal

TARLAC PROVERBS, RIDDLES AND SUPERSTITIOUS BELIEFS

Tarlac is a landlocked province in Luzon with Tarlac City as its capital. It is considered as the first melting pot in Central Luzon if not in the entire archipelago.

 As such, the province enormously thrives with varieties of cultures, which is why, the culture is predominantly a chemistry of Kapampangan, Ilokano, Pangasinense and Tagalog. The blend is largely due to its history and geographical borderlines.   

 It is a province colored with merry people and languages. As border languages speakers, the usage of the verbal and written language today may seem not to be as puritan as that of the pioneering settlers, yet, are instinctively spoken by the contemporary Tarlakenos.

 Corollary, classical culture vis-à-vis mores, norms, knowledge, customs and traditions are still evident. The following are cultural examples that are germane among the people these days:  

TOPONOMY OF TARLAC TOWNS AND VILLAGES

Reminiscent of the indigenous origin of Tarlac, most of its towns and villages are aboriginally named based on faunal, floral and geographical nature. The place-names indicate the pre-historic conditions of Tarlac. The names also provide the ingenuity of the early people of Tarlac as regards their way of life, traditions, customs, mores, and other cultural elements that helped configured their identity, what Tarlac is about nowadays. This is toponomy, the study of the origins and meanings of Tarlac towns and villages. It is note worthy that some Tarlac names of places contain stories (contrary to tales and myths), which serve as empirical groundwork in laying the foundation of the unknown ancient roots of Tarlac as a unique and multi-dimensional province.

 Tarlac

 Tarlac (Themeda arundinacea (Roxb.) Ridl.) is species of wild grass that selectively and abundantly grows in moist and sloping hilly areas. The reed is aboriginally called tallak and is popularly known tanglar among Ilocanos and malatarlak to the Kapampangans. The word Tarlac is an orthographic term probably used by the Spaniards. The early orthography of the Filipinos uses k instead of c. Letter c is Spanish in origin.