Jacob Maentz

Morolandia

morolandia

The Moro or Bangsamoro people refer to the 13 Islamized ethnolinguistic groups of the Philippine islands who reside in areas of southern Mindanao, Palawan, and the Sulu archipelago. The culture of the indigenous ethnolinguistic groups of the Bangsamoro is a blend of Islam and adat; a mixture of both pre-Islamic culture and the philosophical interpretation of the Muslims on the teachings of Islam. Islam organically grew throughout the region from the time the first Muslim traders arrived in Tawi-Tawi in 1380. In 1457, the Sultanate of Sulu was founded which spread Islam further and local chiefs began to embrace the faith. In time, the Bangsamoro people and the Sultanate of Sulu would come to produced heroic resistance against the Western colonialism of the Spanish and Americans.

(Ongoing Work)

Bride and groom meet for the first time during a traditional Tausug wedding, Sulu.

A Sama-Bajau child flys a kite outside of his home. Many of the Sama who end up begging in the Philippines’ urban areas were displaced from their homes by the relentless conflicts between the Philippine armed forces and rebel forces, Sulu.

Women during Friday prayer at a mosque in Bongao, the capitol of Tawi-Tawi.

Tawi-Tawi is considered the largest seaweed producing province in the Philippines with roughly 80 percent of Tawi-Tawians earning a living from seaweed farming. Seaweed is sold to extract its carrageenan, a gelling and stabilizing agent used widely in dairy and meat products.

Sama-Bajau women apply burak, a natural paste made from pounded rice, turmeric, and other ingredients, on their faces. Used to beautify their faces and as a natural sunblock, burak is applied to the face as a wet paste that eventually dries, creating a white or yellowish coating.

A Sama man checks on farmed pearls. The dependence of the Sama on the sea is born of the archipelagic nature of Sulu, which is a principal food basin.

A livelihood of some Sama in Tawi-Tawi is the construction of large wooden prahus ships. Prahus refers to a type of boat originating in Malaysia and Indonesia that may be sailed with either end at the front.

The city of Jolo is centered around the Muslim mosque, Masjid Tulay.

One of five legitimate claimants to the Sultanship of Sulu, Sultan Phugdalun Kiram II, holds a younger photo of himself in his home. The position of sultan today carries with it no political powers or privileges and is mostly a cultural figure.

Call to prayer, Sulu.

Philippine special forces outside a detention camp for former Abu Sayyaf members in Sulu.

Homecoming gathering in Baung-Baung. Sama culture and religion is also an eclectic reflection of their wanderings; there are Muslim and Christian elements blended in with their indigenous belief system: God’s name is Magbabaya; He is accompanied by the anito (lesser spirits); and sicknesses and calamities are addressed with rituals performed by the balyan (shaman-healer).

A livelihood of some Sama in Tawi-Tawi is the construction of large wooden prahus ships. Prahus refers to a type of boat originating in Malaysia and Indonesia that may be sailed with either end at the front.

A boat full of Sama Balangingih offloading in Baung-Baung island for a homecoming gathering.

The pangalay is a Tausug dance that predates both Islam and Christianity in the Philippines and features a sophisticated vocabulary of movement comparable to classical forms of dance. It means “temple of dance” in Sanskrit, and the dancer casts their eyes down in a serious, mask-like expression.

The female guests gather around the brassware bearing food for a Maranao pagana, a feast that celebrates the happy occasions of Maranao life such as a wedding or a visit from relatives, friends, or dignitaries. Traditionally, the Maranao were socially divided into the Mapiyatao (pure) and the Kasilidan (mixed), though these distinctions have lessened in importance in modern times.

A woman goes into a trance during a rare Ipat ritual. Elements of animism and magic were not displaced with the introduction of Islam in the Philippines.

Maranao women head to mosque. Originally led by datus, Maranao communities developed into sultanates, sultan-led kingdoms, with the arrival of Islam in the 14th century.

The Sulu sultanate was the most influential and centralized indigenous political system in the country at the turn of the 20th century, though the sultan’s power was not absolute, depending on the support of his ruma bichara, a gathering of important datus.

Muedzul Lail Kiram, the current legitimate claimant and crowned as the 35th legitimate Sultan of Sulu and North Borneo in 2012. The position of sultan today is mostly a cultural figure, carrying with it no political powers or privileges.

A bride wearing customary garbs before seeing her groom on their wedding day.

A young Sama-Bajau bride on her wedding day. Henna tattoos are placed on both the bride and grooms hands to signify their bond together. The tattoo design is created by the couple. It is customary for the Sama-Bajau to marry off young women when they come of age.

To read more about my time spent in some of these communities please see the following post:

Tawi-Tawi: Into the Sulu Archipelgo