EARLY ETHNIC GROUPS

The Ibadoy (Ibaloy) 

      This group inhabited the municipalities of Kabayan, Bokod, Itogon, Tuba, Sablan, Tublay, La Trinidad and partly Atok.

      Their spoken dialect (Nabaloy) sounds nearer to the Pangasinense. According also to research, the Ibaloy has an affinity to the Kalanguya of Tinek, the Mandek-ey of Buguias, and the Kalahan who live along the mountain range from the foot of Mt. Pulag to Imogen including the I-owak of Kayapa in Nueva Ecija.

The Kankana-ey (Mangalkali)

      This population group populated Bakun, Mankayan, Kibungan, Kapangan and partly of Atok, Buguias and Tublay.

      Their dialect is called Kalkali, which is similar to the Bontocs and akin to the Iloko.

The Kalanguya

      The eastern parts of Buguias, Kabayan, Bokod and some areas of Itogon municipality are the places where this tribe stayed.

The Mandek-ey

      This ethnic group dwelled in Central Buguias.

The Ikarao

      This group is the occupied the barrio named Karao in Bokod. This group practice rituals peculiar to their own and encompassing their sister tribes in Benguet.

*The Bago or Bag-bag-o as called by their brothers in the highland, is another group from the root of the Ibadoy and Kankana-ey tribes. They marginally speak different ethnic dialects and adhere to an admixture of beliefs.  This people occupy the peripheral areas west and south of Benguet stretching from the east of Ilocos Sur to the North of Pangasinan.

*The group from Kapangan, who speaks the dialect that blends Nabaloy and the Kalkali, is the Katagwan. Their dialect is called katagwan which means modified Kalkali (from which they are called as a people). This group normally communicates among themselves in modified Kalkali, but they religiously observe the practice rituals common to Ibaloy.

*The group who resided in some parts of Bokod and Itogon in the later years is known as the I-owak.

*Today, the Mandek-ey, the Iklahan and the Manhikang of Amlimay are tend to be considered as the Kalanguyas already.