Sulu (Tausūg: Sūg Arabic script: سوگ) is an autonomous island province of the Philippines located in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao(ARMM). Its capital is Jolo and occupies the middle group of islands of the Sulu Archipelago, between Basilan and Tawi-Tawi. It is home to the historical Sultanate of Sulu.
HISTORY:
The advent of Islam around 1138 had a distinct influence on Southeast Asia. The exodus of Arabs, Persians and other Muslims paved the way for the arrival of religious missionaries, traders, scholars and travelers to Sulu and Mindanao in the 12th century.
A landmark born of the social process was the founding of the principality of Buansa Sumatra, who settled there and married the daughter. A decade earlier (1380), Karim-ul-Mahkdum, an Arab religious missionary and learned judge, reinforced the Islamic foundation of Rajah Baguinda’s polity (1390–1460) and that of the Sultanate of Sayid Abubakar, princely scholar from Arabia who married Paramisuli, the daughter of Rajah Baguinda. Sayid Abubakar eventually inherited the rule of Rajah Baguinda, established the Sultanate and became the first Sultan of Sulu. To consolidate his rule, Sayid Abubakar united the local political units under the umbrella of the Sultanate. He brought Sulu, Zamboanga Peninsula, Palawan and Basilan under its aegis. Later in 1704, Sabah was added to the constellation as a quid pro quo for the Sultan’s help in quelling the Brunei civil war which had been raging for decades.
The navigational error that landed Ferdinand Magellan to Limasawa brought the Philippines to the awareness ofEurope and opened the door to Spanish colonial incursion. The Spaniards introduced Christianity and a political system of church-state dichotomy encountering fierce resistance in the devastating Moro wars from 1578 to 1899.
After Spain ceded the Philippines to the United States, American forces came to Jolo and ended the 23 years of Spanish military occupation (1876- to 1899). On August 20, Sultan Jamalul Kiram II and Brig. Gen John C. Bates signed the Bates Agreement that continued the gradual emasculation of the Sultanate started by Spain (Treaty of 1878) until its final inertia on March 1915 when the Sultan abdicated his temporal powers in the Carpenter Agreement. The Agreement totally vanished opposition against the civilian government of Gov. Frank W. Carpenter.
The Department of Mindanao and Sulu under Gov. Carpenter was created by Philippine Commission Act 2309 (1914) and ended on February 5, 1920 by Act of Philippine Legislature No. 2878. The Bureau of Non-Christian Tribes was organized and briefly headed by Teofisto Guingona, Sr. With the enactment by the US Congress of the Jones Law (Philippine Autonomy Law) in 1916, ultimate Philippine independence was guaranteed and the Filipinization of public administration began. Sulu, however, had an appointed American governor until 1935 and the Governor General in Manila had a say in Sulu affairs. At any rate, the essence of local governance forged by Rajah Baguinda continued to permeate the ethos of Sulu politics despite centuries of colonial presence. History points to a local government in Sulu that antedates other similar systems in the country. Today, Sulu has a locally constituted government under the new leadership of Governor Benjamin T. Loong and is part of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao.
BURIAL PRACTICES
The madrasa-based QALAM (Qur'an-based
Alternative Learning and Social Action Module) of the Asian Muslim Action Network in the Philippines (AMANPHIL) in Sulu province is a values-based alternative learning that trains young Moro Muslims in basic social rituals
and cultural practices such as the janazaat or rite of burial.
PEOPLE, CULTURE AND THE ARTS
Although consisting of a mixed community of Muslims and Christians, the Tausug dominate the Sulu Archipelago. The Tausug were among the first inhabitants of the Philippines to embrace Islam as a religion and a way of life.
Their traditional religio-political structure is the sultanate. The sultan is the head of all ranks. Succession is by election by his staff although patrilineal succession is the ideal.
The Tausug are referred to as ‘people of the current’, reflective of their close ties to the sea. The handicrafts of Sulu mirror Islamic and Indonesian influences. Skilled artisans make boats, bladed weapons, bronze and brassware, pis cloth, embroidered textiles, shellcraft, traditional house carvings, and carved wooden grave markers.
Sultan
The tausugs dominate the Sulu Archipelago. They are referred to as ‘people of the current’, reflective of their close ties to the sea. They are known for their bravery, independence, and love for adventure. They are also an extremely proud people are also shrewd traders and excellent sailors and fighters. Protecting the family name is very important to the Tausugs that they would never tarnish their family honor with cowardice.
The Tausugs were among the first Filipinos to embrace Islam as a religion and a way of life.Their traditional religio-political structure is the sultanate. The sultan is the head of all ranks within the sultanate. Succession is by election by his staff although patrilineal succession is the ideal.
Tausug HouseThe typical Tausug house is made of bamboo and lumber. It has a sala, a rectangular room beneath a thatched roof. Some houses showcase elaborate woodcarving , and have slits instead of windows. This is both for protection and to keep its young maidens from view. They are fond of inviting many guests to their parties thus their sala is filled with thick mattresses and mats covered with colorful cloths, that are laid at the floor and large pillows placed against the wall.
Arts (Burda)The Tausugs are also a very artistic. Their traditional dress, jewelry, weapons, brass artifacts, music, dance and architecture, mirror their rich cultural heritage The handicrafts of Sulu mirror Islamic and Indonesian influences. Skilled artisans make boats, bladed weapons, bronze and brassware, pis cloth, embroidered textiles, shellcraft, traditional house carvings, and carved wooden grave markers. Jewelry is a measure of wealth, and is fashioned by Tausug goldsmiths using the simplest of tools to produce the most intricate and delicate pieces.
Tausug Dance (Pangalay)The Pangalay is popular festival dance in Sulu, it is performed in wedding celebrations among the wealthy families. They may last for several days or even weeks depending on the financial status and agreement of both families. Dancers perform this dance to the music of the kulintangan, gabbang, and agongs during the wedding feast. Pangalay ha Agong is another traditional dance of courtship. Two Tausug warriors vie for the attention of a fair maiden using their agong (large, deep, brass gongs) to show their prowess and skill.
LIHAL-LIHAL
An elderly guru and her murid engaged in the traditional pangadjih ha
lihal-lihal, a customary educational tradition among Sulu mountain people.
HARI RAYA PUASA
Though subject to the sighting of the crescent moon or astronomical calculations (hisab),Hari Raya Puasa always falls on the first of Shawwal. Celebrations start with prayers and a two-part sermon (khutbah), and continue over three days during which Muslims visit family, friends, and neighbors in order to ask their forgiveness for having wronged them. The Hari Raya Puasa sermon closes an intense period of seeking God's forgiveness for past sins by fasting, reading from the Qurʾan, reciting prayers, and almsgiving (zakat al-fitr) throughout Ramadan. Indeed, after this particular sermon is delivered, the value of almsgiving decreases to that of an act of charity (sadaqah), entailing lesser rewards.For this feast, it is recommended that Muslims wear their best attire and perfume. In the Malay world, the meals served on this occasion feature traditional Malay-Indonesian food, such as rice wrapped in leaves. Children usually receive presents and special attention.
HARI RAYA PUASA
The Hari-Raya Hadji is celebrated on the tenth day of the month of Jul-Hadji. It is the Feast of Sacrifice, during which the wealthy among the Muslims are enjoined to sacrifice a sheep, a goat, or a bull in the name of Allah, and to distribute the meat among relatives, neighbors, and the poor. The Hari-Raya Hadji is also a day of prayer, of forgiveness, of charity, of family reunion, of rejoicing, and of general festivity.
Other festivals observed among Muslim Filipinos include the sacred festival of Mauliden Nabi, birthday of the prophet Mohammed observed on the twelfth day of the month of Maulud; Mispu, a festival equivalent to the Christian All Saints' Day and celebrated on the fifteenth day of the month of Shaaban or Taitih; Panulak Balah, a festival which falls on the last Wednesday of the month of Sappal and during which all Muslims from all walks of life go to the beach and take a bath to rid themselves of various "evils"; Miraj, a feast held on the twenty-seventh of the month of Rajab during which an account of the Holy Prophet's majestic ascension to heaven is recited in Arabic and translated into the dialect at the town plaza; and Lailat Al-Qadr, the anniversary of the revelation of the Holy Quran held on one of the last two nights of the month ofRamadan.
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