The Maranao people (

Maranao The Maranao people ( Maranao: ''Bangsa'' ''Mëranaw''; Filipino: ''mga'' ''Maranaw''), also spelled Meranaw, Maranaw, and Mëranaw, is a predominantly Muslim Filipino ethnic group native to the region around Lanao Lake in the island of Mi ...

: ''Bangsa'' ''Mëranaw''; Filipino: ''mga'' ''Maranaw''), also spelled Meranaw, Maranaw, and Mëranaw, is a predominantly

Muslim Muslims () are people who adhere to Islam, a Monotheism, monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God ...

Filipino

ethnic group An ethnicity or ethnic group is a group of people with shared attributes, which they collectively believe to have, and long-term endogamy. Ethnicities share attributes like language, culture, common sets of ancestry, traditions, society, re ...

native to the region around Lanao Lake in the island of

Mindanao Mindanao ( ) is the List of islands of the Philippines, second-largest island in the Philippines, after Luzon, and List of islands by population, seventh-most populous island in the world. Located in the southern region of the archipelago, the ...

. They are known for their artwork, weaving, wood, plastic and metal crafts and epic literature, the

Darangen ''Darangen'' is a Maranao people, Maranao epic poem from the Lake Lanao region of Mindanao, Philippines. It consists of 17 cycles with 72,000 lines in iambic tetrameter or catalectic trochaic tetrameter. Each cycle pertains to a different self- ...

. They are ethnically and culturally closely related to the

Iranun people The Iranun are an Austronesian ethnic group native to southwestern Mindanao, Philippines. They are ethnically and culturally closely related to the Maranao, and Maguindanaon, all three groups being denoted as speaking Danao languages and giv ...

and

Maguindanao people The Maguindanaon people are an Austronesian ethnic group from the Philippines. The Maguindanaon are part of wider political identity of Muslims known as Moro, who constitute the third largest ethnic group of Mindanao, Sulu and Palawan. The Mag ...

, all three groups being denoted speaking

Danao languages The Danao languages are a group of Austronesian languages The Austronesian languages ( ) are a language family widely spoken throughout Maritime Southeast Asia, parts of Mainland Southeast Asia, Madagascar, the islands of the Pacific Ocean a ...

and giving name to the island of

. They are grouped with other

Moro people The Moro people or Bangsamoro people are the 13 Muslim-majority ethnolinguistic Austronesian groups of Mindanao, Sulu, and Palawan, native to the region known as the Bangsamoro (lit. ''Moro nation'' or ''Moro country''). As Muslim-majority ...

due to their shared religion.

Etymology

The name "Maranao" (also spelled "Mëranaw", or "Maranaw") means "people of the lake" (''lanaw'' or ''ranaw'', archaic ''danaw'', means "lake" in the

Maranao language Maranao (; Jawi Script, Jawi: ), sometimes spelled as Maranaw, Meranaw or Mëranaw, is an Austronesian languages, Austronesian language spoken by the Maranao people in the provinces of Lanao del Sur and Lanao del Norte and their respective c ...

). This is in reference to

Lake Lanao Lake Lanao ( Maranao: ''Ranao'' or ''Ranaw'') is a large ancient lake in the province of Lanao del Sur, Philippines. With a surface area of , it is the largest lake in Mindanao, the deepest and second largest lake in the Philippines, and counte ...

, the predominant geographic feature of the ancestral homeland of the Maranao people. The original

endonym An endonym (also known as autonym ) is a common, name for a group of people, individual person, geographical place, language, or dialect, meaning that it is used inside a particular group or linguistic community to identify or designate them ...

of the ancestral Maranao is believed to be "Iranaoan". This group later diverged, resulting in the modern Maguindanaon and the

(whose names can also be translated to "people of the lake"), while the ancestral Iranaoan who stayed in Lake Lanao became known as the Maranao. These three ethnic groups are still related to each other, share similar cultures and speak languages belonging to the Danao language family.

Confederate States of Lanao

The Maranao were the last of the Muslims of the Southern Philippines undergoing

Islamization The spread of Islam spans almost 1,400 years. The early Muslim conquests that occurred following the death of Muhammad in 632 CE led to the creation of the caliphates, expanding over a vast geographical area; conversion to Islam was boosted ...

, primarily under the influence of the Arab-Malay missionaries like Sharif Kabungsuan and other from

Borneo Borneo () is the List of islands by area, third-largest island in the world, with an area of , and population of 23,053,723 (2020 national censuses). Situated at the geographic centre of Maritime Southeast Asia, it is one of the Greater Sunda ...

. Like neighboring

Moros In Greek mythology, Moros /ˈmɔːrɒs/ or Morus /ˈmɔːrəs/ (Ancient Greek: Μόρος means 'doom, fate') is the personified spirit of impending doom, who drives mortals to their deadly fate. It was also said that Moros gave people the abi ...

and the Lumads, during the nominal occupation of the Philippines by the Spanish, and later the American and the Japanese, the Maranao had tribal leaders called ''datu''. In the 16th century, upon the arrival of

Islam Islam is an Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the Quran, and the teachings of Muhammad. Adherents of Islam are called Muslims, who are estimated to number Islam by country, 2 billion worldwide and are the world ...

, they developed into kingdoms with

sultans Sultan (; ', ) is a position with several historical meanings. Originally, it was an Arabic abstract noun meaning "strength", "authority", "rulership", derived from the verbal noun ', meaning "authority" or "power". Later, it came to be use ...

due to the influence of Muslim missionaries.

Culture

Maranao culture can be characterized by: *

Sarimanok The Sarimanok (Pronunciation: sá·ri·ma·nók), also known as papanok in its feminine form, is a legendary bird of the Maranao people, who originate from Mindanao, an island in the Philippines, and part of Philippine mythology. It comes fro ...

(''Papanoka a Məra'' or ''Marapatik'') *

Torogan A torogan () is a type of pre-colonial vernacular house of the Maranao people of the Philippines. A torogan was a symbol of high social status. They were very large buildings and served as the residence to a ''datu'' of a Maranao community, alon ...

, Maranao royal houses, where the architecture used is the most aesthetic in the Philippines *Darangən, an epic

UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO ) is a List of specialized agencies of the United Nations, specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) with the aim of promoting world peace and International secur ...

Intangible cultural heritage An intangible cultural heritage (ICH) is a practice, representation, expression, knowledge, or skill considered by UNESCO to be part of a place's cultural heritage. Buildings, historic places, monuments, and artifacts are cultural property. In ...

*Kirim, pre-Hispanic handwriting based from

Arabic Arabic (, , or , ) is a Central Semitic languages, Central Semitic language of the Afroasiatic languages, Afroasiatic language family spoken primarily in the Arab world. The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) assigns lang ...

letters with 19 consonants and 7 vowels *

Singkil Singkil is a Maranao people, Maranao royal dance from the Philippines. The dance features a prince and a princess weaving in and out of crisscrossed bamboo poles clapped in syncopated rhythm. While the man manipulates a sword and shield, th ...

, a Philippine dance based on a scene from the ''Darangən'' *

Okir Okir, also spelled okil or ukkil, is the term for rectilinear and curvilinear plant-based designs and folk motifs that can be usually found among the Moro and Lumad people of the Southern Philippines, as well as parts of Sabah. It is particu ...

wood and metal carvings *Kapmorod and Kakhalilang with Sambolayang and Pasandalan a Morog and Marigay for Kazipa sa Manggis *Kaplagod (racing horses) *Tabo, a drum used in mosques to call worshippers to prayer Maranao culture is centered around Lake Lanao, the largest

lake A lake is often a naturally occurring, relatively large and fixed body of water on or near the Earth's surface. It is localized in a basin or interconnected basins surrounded by dry land. Lakes lie completely on land and are separate from ...

in Mindanao, and second-largest and deepest lake in the Philippines. Lanao is the subject of various myths and legends. It supports a major fishery, and powers the

hydroelectric plant Hydroelectricity, or hydroelectric power, is electricity generated from hydropower (water power). Hydropower supplies 15% of the world's electricity, almost 4,210 TWh in 2023, which is more than all other renewable sources combined and also mo ...

installed on it; the Agus River system generates 70% of the electricity used by the people of Mindanao. A commanding view of the lake is offered by Marawi City, the provincial capital.

Visual arts

File:Mindanao Bangsamoro Islamic Art - 24556180573.jpg, alt=, Woodcarving of the

with ''okir'' motifs File:Food jar (gadur), Mindanao, Maranao, brass with silver inlay, Honolulu Academy of Arts.JPG, alt=, ''Gadur'' jar with silver inlay

, Papanok a "Məra" or ''"Marapatik"'' is a legendary bird of the Maranao that is a ubiquitous symbol of their art. It is depicted as a Hoodhud (Arabic) with colorful wings and feathered tail, holding a fish on its beak or talons. The head of Sarimanok is like the head of a

Hoopoe Hoopoes () are colourful birds found across Africa, Asia, and Europe, notable for their distinctive "Crest (feathers), crown" of feathers which can be raised or lowered at will. Two living and one extinct species are recognized, though for many y ...

(Balalatoc in maranaw) and is profusely decorated with scroll, leaf and spiral motifs (''

okir Okir, also spelled okil or ukkil, is the term for rectilinear and curvilinear plant-based designs and folk motifs that can be usually found among the Moro and Lumad people of the Southern Philippines, as well as parts of Sabah. It is particu ...

''). It is a symbol of good fortune. The Maranao have also developed their own adaptation of the ''

Ramayana The ''Ramayana'' (; ), also known as ''Valmiki Ramayana'', as traditionally attributed to Valmiki, is a smriti text (also described as a Sanskrit literature, Sanskrit Indian epic poetry, epic) from ancient India, one of the two important epics ...

'' epic, the ''

Maharadia Lawana The Maharadia Lawana (sometimes spelled Maharadya Lawana or Maharaja Rāvaṇa) is a Maranao epic which tells a local version of the Indian epic Ramayana. Its English translation is attributed to Filipino Indologist Juan R. Francisco, assisted by M ...

''. They also have a traditional dance, the

, which was based on another local Ramayana adaptation, the ''Darangən''.

Architecture

Traditional Maranao architecture, like elsewhere in the

Philippines The Philippines, officially the Republic of the Philippines, is an Archipelagic state, archipelagic country in Southeast Asia. Located in the western Pacific Ocean, it consists of List of islands of the Philippines, 7,641 islands, with a tot ...

and at large

maritime Southeast Asia Maritime Southeast Asia comprises the Southeast Asian countries of Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, and East Timor. The terms Island Southeast Asia and Insular Southeast Asia are sometimes given the same meaning as ...

, follows the Austronesian framework of wooden structures on piles, divided in three tiers pertaining to social class: ''

torogan A torogan () is a type of pre-colonial vernacular house of the Maranao people of the Philippines. A torogan was a symbol of high social status. They were very large buildings and served as the residence to a ''datu'' of a Maranao community, alon ...

'' of royalty, ''mala a walay'' of lesser nobility, and the common ''lawig'' analogous to the ''bahay kubo''.

Music and performing arts

Maranao

kulintang Kulintang (, ) is a modern term for an ancient instrumental form of music composed on a row of small, horizontally laid gongs that function melodically, accompanied by larger, suspended gongs and drums. As part of the larger gong-chime culture ...

music is a type of a

gong A gongFrom Indonesian language, Indonesian and ; ; zh, c=鑼, p=luó; ; ; ; ; is a percussion instrument originating from Southeast Asia, and used widely in Southeast Asian and East Asian musical traditions. Gongs are made of metal and ...

music. Sarunaay is also found among both Muslim and non-Muslim groups of the Southern Philippines. Kobbing is a Maranao instrument and Biyula is another popular Instrument. Biyula is a string instrument. In 2005, the Darangen Epic of the Maranao people of Lake Lanao was selected by

as a

Masterpiece of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity The Proclamation of Masterpieces of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity was made by the Director-General of UNESCO starting in 2001 to raise awareness of intangible cultural heritage—such traditions, rituals, dance, and knowledge—and ...

Cuisine

Maranao cuisine is spicier compared to most regions elsewhere in the Philippines, a trait largely shared with much of Mindanao. Traditionally cultivated spices, locally known as ''

palapa Palapa is a series of communications satellites owned by Indosat, an Indonesian telecommunications company (formerly by Telkom Indonesia, Perumtel and then by PT Satelit Palapa Indonesia/Satelindo). The first satellite was launched in July 197 ...

'' (Bontang, native product of Gandamatu) are a common

condiment A condiment is a preparation that is added to food, typically after cooking, to enhance the Flavoring, flavour, to complement the dish or to impart a specific flavor. Such specific flavors generally add sweetness or pungency, or sharp or piquant ...

. It is made of stewed '' sakurab'' scallion bulbs,

ginger Ginger (''Zingiber officinale'') is a flowering plant whose rhizome, ginger root or ginger, is widely used as a spice and a folk medicine. It is an herbaceous perennial that grows annual pseudostems (false stems made of the rolled bases of l ...

, and

chillies Chili peppers, also spelled chile or chilli ( ), are varieties of fruit#Berries, berry-fruit plants from the genus ''Capsicum'', which are members of the nightshade family Solanaceae, cultivated for their pungency. They are used as a spice to ...

coconut oil Coconut oil (or coconut fat) is an edible oil derived from the kernels, meat, and milk of the coconut palm fruit. Coconut oil is a white solid fat below around , and a clear thin liquid oil at higher temperatures. Unrefined varieties have a disti ...

. Dishes are intertwined with important cultural rituals across all aspects of Maranao culture: from birth to death.

Social structure

Traditionally, Maranao society is divided into two strata. Namely, ''mapiyatao'' (pure) and ''kasilidan'' (mixed blood). ''kasilidan'' is further subdivided into categories which are as follows; ''sarowang'' (non-Maranao), ''balbal'' (beast), ''dagamot'' (Sorcerer/Sorceress) and ''bisaya'' (Slave). The ''mapiyatao'' are natives entitled to ascend to thrones by pure royal bloodline. On the other hand, the ''kasilidan'' are natives suspected of mixed bloodline. However, due to the changes brought by time, these social strata are beginning to decline due to the rise of wealth of each and every Maranao families.

Demographics

Maranaos number 1,800,000 in 2020, representing 1.65% of the population. Along with the Iranun and Maguindanao, the Maranao are one of three, related, indigenous groups native to Mindanao. These groups share genes, linguistic and cultural ties to non-Muslim Lumad groups such as the Tiruray or Subanon. Maranao royals have varied infusions of Arab, Indian, Malay, and Chinese ancestry

Language

is an

Austronesian language The Austronesian languages ( ) are a language family widely spoken throughout Maritime Southeast Asia, parts of Mainland Southeast Asia, Madagascar, the islands of the Pacific Ocean and Taiwan (by Taiwanese indigenous peoples). They are spoken b ...

spoken by the Maranao people in the provinces of Lanao del Norte and Lanao del Sur. Because of the mass influx of Cebuano migrants to Mindanao, many Maranaos are also fluent in Cebuano. Tagalog is also spoken by the Maranaos, which ranks second among its native language, along with English, and Arabic due to its importance to

and Maranao culture.

Notable Maranaos

* Abdullah Maute, a jihadist and co-founder of Maute Group and a brother of Omar Maute. * Omar Maute, a jihadist and co-founder of Maute Group and a brother of Abdullah Maute. * Saidamen Pangarungan, a lawyer, businessman, and former chairman of COMELEC and

National Commission on Muslim Filipinos National may refer to: Common uses * Nation or country ** Nationality – a ''national'' is a person who is subject to a nation, regardless of whether the person has full rights as a citizen Places in the United States * National, Maryland, ...

. * Sultan Topaan Disomimba, is a traditional leader, the chairman of the 16 Royal Houses of Lanao and a long time Mayor in the town of Tamparan, Lanao del Sur. * * Datu Benasing "Jun" Macarambon, Jr., former Congressman of Lanao del Sur, 2nd District. He successfully served three terms. During the Duterte Administration, he was appointed as a Board of Director at the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority. Currently, he serves as a political consultant to successful leaders of Lanao del Sur and even across Lanao del Norte and the NCR. * * Bae Lindao Macarambon-Boransing, the first M'ranao lady lawyer, and the younger sister of Former Congressman Benasing "Jun" Macarambon, Jr. * * Bea Ditma Onayan Macarambon, the first educated M'ranao woman, and the mother of Former Congressman Jun Macarambon and Atty. Lindao Macarambon-Boransing. * * Datu Manaros Boransing, the first M'ranao Certified Public Accountant. He is married to Atty. Lindao Macarambon, and they have 5 children. * * Bae Potre Aguam Macarambon, the first M'ranao lady CPA. She is married to the late Atty. Dagoroan Macarambon, the elder brother of Former Congressman Jun Macarambon. * * Japar Dimaampao is a present Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the Philippines * Mamintal A.J. Tamano was a Filipino statesman and a former Senator of the Philippines. * Adel Tamano is a Filipino educator, lawyer and former politician. *

Domocao Alonto Ahmad Domocao "Domie" Alangadi Alonto Sr. (August 1, 1914 – December 11, 2002) was a Filipino Muslim lawyer, educator, author, traditional leader, and Islamic figure from Lanao del Sur. He served as a Senator of the Philippines and was electe ...

is a former Filipino politician and senator of the Philippines. In 1988, he was awarded the prestigious King Faisal Prize for Service to Islam. * Mamintal M. Adiong Sr. was a long-time Filipino politician, serving as Governor of Lanao del Sur from 2001 until his death in 2004. * Mamintal Alonto Adiong Jr. is the present governor of the Province of Lanao del Sur. * Abul Khayr Alonto is a Filipino businessman and lawyer and a former Moro freedom fighter. He once became the chairman of the

Moro National Liberation Front The Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF; ) is a political organization in the Philippines that was founded in 1972. It started as a splinter group of the Muslim Independence Movement. The MNLF was the organization most active in the Moro conf ...

. * Dimasangcay Pundato is a former Moro revolutionary leader and current undersecretary of the Office of the Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process. He served as the Secretary of the now defunct Office on Muslim affairs (NCMF) for 2 straight administrations. * Samira Gutoc-Tomawis is a Filipino civic leader, journalist, environment and women's rights advocate, and legislator who has served as member of the Regional Legislative Assembly of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao and a member of the Bangsamoro Transition Commission which was tasked to draft the Bangsamoro Basic Law.

Notes and references

External links

*
MaranaoMaranao OnlineRanao
Ranao (Lake) terms for Lanao del Sur. {{Authority control Ethnic groups in Mindanao Islam in the Philippines Muslim communities of the Philippines Moro ethnic groups