Maguindanao people

The Maguindanao 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 Maguindanaons constitute the ninth largest Filipino ethnic group and are known for being distinguished in the realm of visual art. They have been renowned as metalworkers, producing the wavy-bladed keris ceremonial swords and other weapons, as well as gongs. The Maguindanaons historically had an independent sultanate known as the Sultanate of Maguindanao which comprises modern day Maguindanao del Norte, Maguindanao del Sur, Zamboanga Peninsula, Davao Region and Soccsksargen. The name "Maguindanao" itself was corrupted by Spanish sources into "Mindanao", which became the name for the entire island of Mindanao. The word Maguindanao or Magindanaw means "people of the flood plains", from the word Magi'inged means "people or citizen" and danaw means "lake or marsh". Thus Maguindanao or Magindanaw can also be translated as "people of the lake", identical to their close neighbors, the Maranao and Iranun. These three groups speak related languages belonging to the Danao language family. Before the arrivals of the first Muslim missionaries, the ancestors of both Maguindanaon and Teduray peoples lived as one in the Cotabato lowlands, among them the brothers Mamalu and Tabunaway. When the first missionary, Sharif Kabungsuwan, came to preach Islam, the younger Tabunaway embraced the faith while the elder Mamalu refused, holding to old beliefs. To maintain peace between the conflicting faiths, the brothers formed a pact for Mamalu to settle in the mountains and Tabunaway to remain in the lowlands along the Pulangi, both with their respective followers. Thus, after separating, over time the lowland muslims led by Tabunaway became the Maguindanaon and the highland animists of Mamalu the Tiruray. Both groups have since maintained a largely peaceful relationship through history.