MARANAO

THE PEOPLE OF THE LAKE

HOA 4 PROJECT 1 GROUP 2

THE PEOPLE OF THE LAKE

The term
Maranao is used
for the people living
in Lanao
Lanao was said to
be a predominantly
Muslim region in
the philippines. It is
Located on the
island of Mindanao

MARANAO
The Maranao people are
said to be the 6th largest
filipino Ethnic group
The word Maranaw
means people of the
Lake It refers to the
people who lives in the
land around the Lake
Lanao whose principal
town is the Marawi City

 Lanao is divided into 2

parts : Lanao del Norte
and Lanao del Sur.
The Maranaos inhabits
along the coastal
areas of Lanao
They are also included
in the ARMM and its
principal city is Marawi
City.

MARANAO
They are the descendants
of the Muslim Malays that
came to the Philippines
Their royalties have
various influsions of
Arabic, Malayan,
Indonesian as well as
Chinese Blood
The Maranao Tribe are
said to be the last group
to be converted to Islam

MARANAO HISTORY
There Ancestors in mainland
Mindanao are called Iranun
also spelled as Iranon
In the Maranao Vernacular the
word Ira means remains.
The Iranon term on who lives
in the coastal areas of Illana
Bay was derived from the word
Iranaon which means the
people living in the coastal
Areas
Their houses are found in the
shores, rivers or lake and roads

MARANAO CLOTHING
Malong a large, colorful
woven cloth
Women wear it around the waist,
with folds draped over left arm
Men wrap it around the waist like
a skirt
Many uses: cape, coat, blanket,
umbrella

Arbita a blouse worn by

women under the malong
Kombong a turban that is
often colorful in Muslim style,
otherwise it is white if the
wearer has been to Mecca

MARANAO CLOTHING
Sawal or kantyu loose baggy pants of soft cloth
Sambra collarless, v-neck blouse with short
sleeves for women, worn with the sawal
Sablay long-sleeved blouse for women that
reaches the hips, worn with the sawal
Biyatawi tight-fitting blouse that flares at the
waist and has a deep neckline
Tobao headwear with geometric, floral or Arabic
calligraphy designs

RELIGION, RITUAL, CEREMONY

Religion
98% Islam generally follow Islamic views of creation
2% Christian
20% Protestant
80% Roman Catholic

Believe that their land was picked up by Archangel Gabriel from mainland Asia
and transported to prevent world destruction and sin; a hole in the middle is
believed to be the center of the Earth, and it was filled with water by the angels,
resulting in Lake Lanao
Shamans and medicine Maranao keep to themselves regarding medical
practices, but at times they do utilize modern medicine opportunities in the city
when needed
Burials cleaning of the corpse, wrapping in white cloth and burying the deceased
with soil; cement is not used on the top because of their belief in resurrection
Pag-tamma ceremony recognizing boys intellectual maturity and their
reading/studying of the Quran
Kalilang celebration of a new Sultan

MARANAO RITUALS
COURTSHIP AND MARRIAGE
Marriage is considered an alliance of families
Both side have a say on the union
The man is to court and marry a woman of the
same status
Arranged marriages are due to prestige better
social and economic life
Bride-gifts are essential to compensate the
brides family for the loss of a woman-member
and to reimburse the cost of her upbringing

MARANAO MUSIC
Music for rituals is normally vocal only
Music for entertainment is vocal and instrumental
Instruments include:

Kulintang brass gong

Kagandong war drums
Gabbang xylophone-like instrument
Biyula string instrument
Kulintangan gong and drum ensemble
Kudyapi two-stringed lute
Kubling Jews harp-like instrument made of bamboo

MARANAO SONGS
Moro song types:
Kissa songs tell of love of datus and princesses
Parang sibil songs tell of heroic deeds
Kandidiagaois melodious lament over deads

Maranao song types:

Kambaiok free rythmic rendering of the baiok
(improvised poetry)
Kandarangen accompanied by gong
Kadikir Quran verses and Islam topics sung in slow,
free rhythm
Kandomana combination of kandarangen and kadikir
Kapranon softly sung songs of private sentimentality

MARANAO DANCE
Maranao dances are mostly related to pre-Islamic history
Males and females are not allowed to dance together
Pagipat (7 days) and pangubad (3 days) are animistic
rituals for healing
Sagaian war dance
Singkil solo female dance about a princess escaping
from an earthquake
Kapagasik graceful dance of beautiful maidens
Kaganat sa darangen song and dance showing different
ways of wearing the malong
Kapiil sa musala handkerchief dance usually performed
by women

MARANAO LANGUAGE
Branch of the Western Austronesian language
Mainly spoken by those in Mindanao, Lanao del
Norte and Lanao del Sur
Closely related to 1. Ilanun language spoken in
Sabah, Malaysia and 2. Maguindanaon spoken in
Maguindanao, North and South Cotabato, Sultan
Kuderat, and Zamboanga del Sur
Maranao alphabet: A B D AE E G H I K L M N NG O
PRSTWY

MARANAO LITERATURE
Popular forms of literature (written and oral):

Religious and ritual

Folk legends, myths, epics, folktales
Symbolic speech courtship, proverbs, riddles
Poems, songs, ballads

Adhan call to prayer

Salat ritual player
Dua supplicatory prayer
Khutbah sermons
Tafsir Qur-anic exegesis
Tasawwuf on the Prophet Mohammad
Hadis on Muslim tradition
Darangen epic poetry and best known poetic narrative of Maranao about
Prince Bantugan
Tarsila written genealogy of aristocratic families from time of Muhammad
(considered source of history)

MARANAO ART
Maranao culture is known for its
excellent art forms
Major art forms are carving,
weaving and metalwork
Their art is highly symbolic of
their culture and the way that
they live
Their art forms are used widely
as decorative elements in their
architecture, tools, weapons,
jewelry, brassware,
clothweaving and matweaving
Colors often used are green,
yellow, red, violet and blue

MARANAO ART
Okir / Okil or Ukir / Ukil
Folk motifs of geometric and
flowing designs
Elaborate leaf and vine patterns
Maranao and Muslim-influenced
art
Okir a dato men
Okir a bay women
Matilak circle, basic element
of design representing the seed,
also used for eye of Sarimanok
or Naga
Pako rabong growing fern out
of the matilak

MARANAO ART
The Sarimanok

Sari cloth or garment

Manok chicken
Legendary bird that is the symbol of Maranao art
Colorful wings, feathered tail, fish on its beak or in its
talons, and head decorated with scroll, leaf, spiral motifs
Symbol of good fortune
Origin from the Itotoro totem bird of the Maranao,
medium to the spirit world
Often found atop bamboo poles placed at the center of
Muslim villages

MARANAO ECONOMY AND FOOD

Before aggressive farmers
industrialized and commercialized the
area, Lanao del Sur was virtually selfsufficient
Economy is widely based on wet-rice
agriculture
A typical Maranao farmer owns one or
two paddies at about a hectare each
Fishing another form of income,
making use of regular nets called
poket and nets with sinkers called
biala
Bamboo wooden traps are also used:
boo for catching shrimps and tintang
for fish

MARANAO FOOD
Known for spicy food
Their cuisine is rich and says a lot
about their culture, society and way of
life
The Legend of Maranao Food:
Panabi-nabian the belief that food is a
prophet, a mercy and a gift from Allah
"When the world was created, mankind had
no food to eat. The soil was asked to feed
mankind but it refused because it does not
have enough to feed mankind. And so one of
the sons of Fatima, Asa, was buried so that
Nabi Adam will also be fed and be able to
move. For seven days Nabi Saopak was
buried. After seven days, it grew. On the
head part grew a coconut, on the heart grew
the palay, on the pelvis grew cotton, and on
the lower art grew a white chicken. The
palay was harvested and fed to mankind."

MARANAO FOOD
Popular ingredients:
Palapa traditionally cultivated spices
Sakurab stewed scallion bulbs
Thinly sliced scallion bulbs and ginger caramalized by slow cooking
and mixed with chillies and coconut oil

Popular dishes:
Kiyoning yellow rice made by mixing rice, coconut milk and
powdered turmeric (kalawag)
Tiyateg dessert made of rice flour, coconut oil and brown sugar;
strained, dropped in hot oil and rolled or folded
Doldol a thick pudding made of coconut milk, rice flour and dark
sugar; cut into small pieces

Talam or tabak brass trays used for serving food on

special occasions

MARANAO ARCHITECTURE
Maranao arrange their houses in a line pattern along a river, road or
lake shore
Like many ordinary houses in the south, the old Maranao house is
simply one big partitionless room.
Bed spaces are created by using several carved sheets
the woven split rattan Sapiyay,or the mosquito screen, used as
dividers or headboards
Bundles of rice stalks are placed under woven mats to serve as beds
A long pillow stuffed with dried laing, or banana leaves, is placed at
the head and a long mat at the foot of the bed.
Three types of houses:
Lawig small houses
Mala-a-walai the large houses
Torogan datus home

CONSTRUCTION METHODS
Raised on pilings from .31 to 2.21 meters above the ground
Roof, walls, flooring, doors and windows are made of bamboo
material lashed together with rattan
Usually has 9 to 12 posts depending on the size of the house
The main room(without partitions) measures about 7.86 to
18.9 meters
Windows at front to watch neighbors pass by and at side to
check the carabao inside its corral below the house, esp. at
night
Porch Placed in front and fenced to prevent children from
falling off
Kitchen Built a half meter lower and is at the BACK
Roof Steep and shaped like carabaos horns

MATERIALS USED
Thick cogon grass
lashed to split bamboo
frame with rattan, but if
there is enough bamboo,
this is used for roofing
instead:
Some use wood shingles
for the roof, however, this
is not the traditional
practice.
Most of the houses have
no ceiling.

MARANAO TOROGAN
Torogan the traditional
Maranao home of the datu,
which serves as royal
headquarters, office, and
residence
Style is considered Maranaos
lasting legacy in Mindanao
Most important structure of the
community
Community issues and
ceremonies are held there

Zamboanga and Davao

international airports are
based on the torogan

FEATURES OF THE TOROGAN

Steep, high gable roof thin at
apex, flaring out to eaves
Lifted more than 2m off the ground
by 25 free-standing tree trunks
Panolong floor beams lengthened
and decorated with intricate
wooden carvings (okir)
No partitions
Slits for windows with rich wood
panel framing
Communal kitchen is 0.5m lower
than main house and is used for
cooking and eating
Decorated with diongal, walai, okir,
malongs
Built to sway during earthquakes