Most of the speakers of this Bicolano variant reside in the province’s capital, Virac, which also serves as an alternate name for the group.
According to legend, Catanduanes is the corrupted Spanish version of either “Katanduan” (from tandu, a type of beetle) or “Kasamdongan” then “Katandungan” (from samdong, a kind of tree), both of which abounded in the island. The province is sometimes called the “Land of the Howling Winds” because its proximity to the Pacific Ocean makes it vulnerable to tropical storms. One of the island’s main sources of livelihood is fishing.
Sources:
Catanduanes-Online Community, http://catanduanes.info/
CCP Encyclopedia of the Philippine Art. Volume I: Peoples of the Philippines Aeta to Jama Mapun. 1994. Manila : Cultural Center of the Philippines
Lewis, M. Paul (ed.), 2009. Ethnologue: Languages of the World, Sixteenth edition. Dallas, Tex.: SIL International, http://www.ethnologue.com/
