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:''This article is about the people named Tausūg. For their language, see
Tausug language.
:
Suluk redirects here. For the Islamic or Sufi term, see Sulook; for the Libyan town see Suluq.
The
Tausūg or
Suluk people are an ethnic group of
Sulu and
Malaysia. The term
Tausūg was derived from two words
tau and
sūg (or
suluk) meaning "people of the current", referring to their homelands in the
Sulu Archipelago.
Sūg and
suluk both mean the same thing, with the former being the phonetic evolution in Sulu of the latter (the L being dropped and thus the two short U's merging into one long U). The Tausūg people in Sabah refer to themselves as Tausūg but refers to their race as
Suluk as documented in official documents such as birth certificates in
Sabah,
Malaysia. The Tausūg are part of the wider political identity of Muslims of Mindanao, Sulu and Palawan known as
Moro ethnic group, who constitute the third largest
Ethnic groups of Mindanao, Sulu and Palawan. They originally had an
independent state known as the
Sulu Sultanate, which once exercised sovereignty over the present day provinces of
Basilan,
Palawan,
Sulu,
Tawi-Tawi, and the eastern part of the
Malaysian state of
Sabah (formerly
North Borneo).
Area
The Tausūg presently populate the Filipino province of
Sulu as a majority, and the provinces of
Zamboanga del Sur,
Basilan,
Tawi-Tawi,
Palawan,
Cebu and
Manila as minorities. There is a large population of Tausūgs in all parts of
Sabah, Malaysia, who mainly work as construction laborers with a substantial number as skilled workers. The Tausūg workers tend to be confused with the more numerous
Bajau workers in Sabah.
In Sabah, there are groups of Tausūg that had settled in the areas to the east of Sabah, from Kudat town to the north, to Sempurna, to the south east, since the Sulu Sultanate rule over the eastern part of Sabah. However most had interbred with other ethnic groups in Sabah, especially the Bajaus, that what remained is only their Suluk race as documented in birth certificates.
The etymology of the conjugated word "Tausug" comes from the word "Tau" which means man and "Sug" which means current. Basically, they are the people of the current. Suluq-is a name of one place in Libya, suluq means a spiritual pathway in Libyan Arabic.
Demographics
The Tausūg currently number about 953,000 in the Philippines. The Tausug language is called "
Sinug" with "Bahasa" to mean Language. The
Tausug language is related to
Bicolano,
Tagalog and
Visayan languages, being especially closely related to the
Butuanon language of northeastern
Mindanao, sharing many common words. The Tausūg, however, do not consider themselves as
Visayan, using the term only to refer to Christian
Bisaya-language speakers, given that the vast majority of Tausūgs are Muslims. Tausug is also related to the
Waray-Waray language
In Malaysia, they number around 300,000. Recent migrants also speak Zamboangueño Chavacano, other Visayan languages, and Tagalog in the Philippines; Malay in the Philippines, Malaysia and Indonesia; and English in both Malaysia and Philippines as second languages.
Malaysian Tausūg, descendants of residents when the Sulu Sultanate ruled the eastern part of Sabah, speak or understand the Sabahan dialect of Suluk, Bahasa Malaysia, and some English or Simunul. Those who come in regular contact with the Bajau also speak Bajau dialects. By the year 2000, most of the Tausūg children in Sabah, especially in towns of the west side of Sabah, were no longer speaking Tausūg; instead they speak the Sabahan dialect of Malay and English.
Culture
Tausūgs are experienced sailors and are known for their colorful boats or
vintas. They are also superb warriors and craftsmen. They are known for the
Pangalay dance (also known as
Daling-Daling in Sabah), in which female dancers wear artificial elongated fingernails made from brass or silver known as
janggay, and perform motions based on the
Vidhyadhari (Bahasa Sūg:
Bidadali) of pre-Islamic
Buddhist legend.
Sultanate of Sulu
Prior to modern times, the Tausūg people were under the
Sultanate of Sulu. The system is a
patrilineal system, consisting of the title of
Sultan as the sole sovereign of the Sultanate (in Tausūg language:
Lupah Sug, literally: "Land of the Current"), followed by various
Maharajah and
Rajah-titled subdivisional princes. Further down the line are the numerous
Panglima or local chiefs, similar in function to the
Philippine political post of the Baranggay
Kapitan in the
Baranggay system.
Of significance are the Sarip (Shariff) and their wives, Sharifah, who are descendents of Arabic royalty. They are respected as religious leaders, though some may take up administrative posts.
History
Sultanate Era
The history of Sulu begins with Makdum, a Muslim missionary, who arrived in Sulu in 1380. He introduced the
Islamic faith and settled in Tubig Indangan, Simunul, until his death. The Mosque's pillars at Tubig-Indangan, which he built, still stand.
In 1390, Raja Baguinda landed at Buansa, and extended the missionary work of Makdum. The Arabian scholar Abu Bakr arrived in 1450, married Baguinda's daughter, and after Baguinda's death, became Sultan, thereby introducing the sultanate as a political system. Political districts were created in Parang, Pansul, Lati, Gitung, and Luuk, each headed by a panglima or district leader.
After Abu Bakr's death, the sultanate system had already become well established in Sulu. Before the coming of the Spaniards, the ethnic groups in Sulu — the Tausug, Samal, Yakan, and Bajau - were in varying degrees united under the Sulu sultanate, considered the most centralized political system in the Philippines. Called the "Moro Wars", these battles were waged intermittently from 1578 till 1898, between the Spanish colonial government and the Muslims of Mindanao.
In 1578, an expedition sent by Gov Francisco de Sande and headed by Capt Rodriguez de Figueroa began the 300-year warfare between the Tausūg and the Spanish authorities. In 1579, the Spanish government gave de Figueroa the sole right to colonize Mindanao. In retaliation, the Muslims raided Visayan towns in Panay, Negros, and Cebu. These were repulsed by Spanish and Visayan forces. In the early 17th century, the largest alliance composed of the Maranao, Maguindanao, Tausūg, and other Muslim groups, was formed by Sultan Kudarat or Cachil Corralat of Maguindanao, whose domain extended from the Davao Gulf to Dapitan on the Zamboanga peninsula. Several expeditions sent by the Spanish authorities suffered defeat. In 1635, Capt Juan de Chaves occupied Zamboanga and erected a fort. In 1637, Gov Gen Hurtado de Corcuera personally led an expedition against Kudarat, and triumphed over his forces at Lamitan and Ilian. On 1 January 1638, de Corcuera, with 80 vessels and 2000 soldiers, defeated the Tausūg and occupied Jolo. A peace treaty was forged. The victory did not establish Spanish sovereignty over Sulu, as the Tausūg abrogated the treaty as soon as the Spaniards left in 1646.
In 1737, Sultan Alimud Din I entered into a "permanent" peace treaty with Gov Gen F. Valdes y Tamon; and in 1746, befriended the Jesuits sent to Jolo by King Philip. The "permission" of Sultan Azimuddin-I (*the first heir-apparent) allowed the Christian Jesuits to enter Jolo, but was argued against by his young brother, Raja Muda Maharajah Adinda Datu Bantilan (*the second heir-apparent). Datu Bantilan did not want the Christian Jesuits to disturb or dishonor the Muslims faith in the Sulu Sultanate kingdom. The brothers then fought, causing Sultan Azimuddin-I to leave Jolo and head to Zamboanga, then to Manila in 1748. Then, Raja Muda Maharajah Adinda Datu Bantilan was proclaimed as sultan, taking the name as Sultan Bantilan Muizzuddin.
Sultan Bantilan Muizzuddin was a "Saviour" to the Sulu Sultanate kingdom in 1748. If he had not fought against his brother for permitting the Christian Jesuits to enter Jolo and spread their "Christian Doctrine" throughout Sulu, it might have become a Christian area today.
In 1893, amid succession controversies, Amirnul Kiram became Sultan Jamalul Kiram II, the title being officially recognized by the Spanish authorities. In 1899, after the defeat of Spain in the Spanish-American War, Col Luis Huerta, the last governor of Sulu, relinquished his garrison to the Americans (Orosa 1970:25-30).
Modern Era
A "policy of attraction" was introduced, ushering in reforms to encourage Muslim integration into Philippine society. "Proxy colonialism" was legalized by the Public Land Act of 1919, invalidating Tausūg
pusaka (inherited property) laws based on the Islamic
Shariah. The act also granted the state the right to confer land ownership. It was thought that the Muslims would "learn" from the "more advanced" Christian Filipinos, and would integrate more easily into mainstream Philippine society.
In February 1920, the Philippine Senate and House of Representatives passed Act No 2878, which abolished the Department of Mindanao and Sulu, and transferred its responsibilities to the Bureau of Non-Christian Tribes under the Department of the Interior. Muslim dissatisfaction grew as power shifted to the Christian Filipinos. Petitions were sent by Muslim leaders between 1921 and 1924, requesting that Mindanao and Sulu be administered directly by the United States. These petitions were not granted. Realizing the futility of armed resistance, some Muslims sought to make the best of the situation. In 1934, Arolas Tulawi of Sulu, Datu Manandang Piang and Datu Blah Sinsuat of Cotabato, and Sultan Alaoya Alonto of Lanao were elected to the 1935 Constitutional Convention. In 1935, two Muslims were elected to the National Assembly.
The Commonwealth sought to end the privileges the Muslims had been enjoying under the earlier American administration. Muslim exemptions from some national laws, as expressed in the administrative code for Mindanao, and the Muslim right to use their traditional Islamic courts, as expressed in the Moro Board, were ended. It was unlikely that the Muslims, who have had a longer cultural history as Muslims than the Filipinos as Christians, would surrender their identity. Fearing government persecution, he went to the hills. On "death row," he was finally pardoned by Pres Marcos on 11 September 1968. This incident contributed to the rise of various separatist movements - the Muslim Independence Movement (MIM), Ansar El-Islam, and Union of Islamic Forces and Organizations (Che Man 1990:74-75). In 1969, the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) was founded on the concept of a Bangsa Moro Republic by a group of educated young Muslims. In 1976, negotiations between the Philippine government and the MNLF in Tripoli resulted in the Tripoli Agreement, which provided for an autonomous region in Mindanao. Nur Misuari was invited to chair the provisional government, but he refused. The referendum was boycotted by the Muslims themselves. The talks collapsed, and fighting continued. On 1 August 1989, Republic Act 673 or the Organic Act for Mindanao, created the Autonomous Region of Mindanao, which encompasses Maguindanao, Lanao del Sur, Sulu, and Tawi-Tawi. Many leaders of the Abu Sayyaf, a terrorist group operating in Mindanao, are of Tausūg descent.
References
External links
Tausug Blogs
Connecting Tausugs Globally
Category:Ethnic groups in Sabah
Category:Muslim communities of the Philippines
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