TAUSUG

By:
RICHARD DIMAYUGA
JOHN MAR ABRIZA
•The Tausug is a native tribe found in Jolo at the
Sulu archipelago of the Philippines.

•The name Tausug is derived from two words: “tau” meaning man
and “sug “ or “suluk” meaning current thus making Tausug
as “people of the current”.
ECONOMY

Farming, fishing, and trading are the principal economic activities of the
tausug, who can divided into two groups: the parianon (people of the
landing) and the guimbahanon (hill people).
POLITICAL SYSTEM
•Before the sultanate of Sulu was founded, the Tausugs were organized into various
independent communities, each community was called a Banwa. When the sultanate
was established, it was divided into districts administered by a mayor called as the
Panglima.
 ruma bichura (state council advisers);
 datu raja muda (crown prince),

 datu maharaja adenduk (palace

commander)
 datu ladladja laut (admiral),

 datu maharaja layla(commisoner of

customs),
 datu amir bahar (speaker of the ruma
bichara),
 datu juhan (secretary of information)
 datu muluk bandarasa (secretary of
commerce)
 datu sawajaan (secretary of interior),

 datu bandahala (secretary of finance)

 mamaneho (inspector general),

 datu sakandal(sultan’s personal envoy)

 datu nay (ordinance or weapon commander)

 wazil (prime minister).

SOCIAL ORGANIZATION AND CUSTOMS
1. Nobility
- Comprised of the sultan’s family and court
3. Slaves
2. Commoners
– They are either war captives, sold into slavery or
- They are the free people of the sultanate are the children of slaves.
FAMILY SYSTEM
Tausug Family Terminologies
1. Magtaymanghud – to
people of the same generation
2. Magtaliapu – Relationship
between alternate generations
(grandparents – grandchildren)
3. Ama – Father
4. Ina – Mother
5. Apu – Grandparent or
grandchild
6. Taymanghud – relationship
between siblings
7. Magulang – Older siblings
8. Manghud – Younger
Siblings
FAMILY SYSTEM
Tausug Family Terminologies

9. Inaun – Sister of the father

10. Amaun – Brother of the
father
11. Pagtunghud – Cousin
12. Anak – Child
13. Anakun – kin of child’s
generation
14. Bana – Husband
15. Asawa – Wife
16. Ugangan – In-laws
RELIGION BELIEFS AND PRACTICES
• The Tausug are a Muslim tribe that follows standard Islamic beliefs and
cultures. Together with all other muslims, they believe that the Quran as the
words of Allah given to Muhammed by the archangel Gabriel. They follow
the 5 pillars of Islam as a declaration of Beheb in the oneness of God.

• they are also concerned with

the presence of spirits who inhabit
nature such as rocks and trees who they
believe are the cause of human pain and
suffering.
• Indigenous healing practices were headed by the mangungubat
(curer) who is believed to have direct access to the spirit world.
PERFORMING ARTS
•Varied musical instruments are available to the Tausug for their cultural
performances and celebrations.
• the Kulintangan ensemble which consists of two gandang(drums),
a tungallan (large gong), a duwahan (Set of two paired gongs), and
thekulintangan (a graduate series of 8 to 11 small gongs). The ensemble is
usually played to accompany dances or to provide music during
celebration.
 The most popular instrument in Sulu is the Gabbang. It is a
traditionl xylophone with 14-24 keys divided into 7 note
standard scales.

•They have two forms of vocal music, the narrative and lyric songs. The
lyric songs express ideas and feelings and consist of the langan
batabata (Children’s songs), the baat(occupational songs), baat
caallaw (funeral songs) and the bridal songs (funeral and bridal songs).
VISUAL ARTS AND CRAFTS
•The tausug sunduk or grave marker are
wood or stone carvings of geometric or floral
forms. Women’s grave markers are flatter
with the carved geometric designs, those of
the men are more floral.

• Tausug mananasal or blacksmiths

produce bolo, kalis, and barong (bladed
weapons).
• Gold and silver-smithing for jewelry remain lucrative. Items produced include
thesingsing (ring), galang (bracelet), gantung
liug (necklace), bang (studearring), aritis(dangling earring), pin (brooch),
gold teeth, and tambuku (buttons).
•An example of tausug woodwork is the puhan (wooden handle) of
bladed weapons which may be simple or decorated with gold or silver
wires, strings, and rings.
•The tausug male hat is made by weaving bamboo strips over nipa leaves.
The femalebiyatawi is a blouse made of plain material like satin and is
ornamented with tambuku(gold or silver buttons) on the breast, shoulders,
and cuffs. It is usually worn with sawwal(loose trousers) of silk or brocade.

•The patadjung is an all purpose skirt worn by

male and female. It has various other uses:
as turung or head cover, sash or
waistband, blanket, hammock, and others.

•Men wear the sawwal kuput (tight and

loose trousers respectively), and match
this with the badju lapi, a collarless short
tailored jacket similar to the biyawi.
• Calligraphy is found printed on doors and gates, as
well as on tapestries. Musical instruments, especially
the gabbang (native xylophone) are also decorated.
ARCHITECTURE AND COMMUNITY PLANNING
•The Bay sug or the house of the tausug si usually a one-room
partitionless structure. The nine posts of the tausug home correspond to
varius parts of the human anatomy:

•The center post, the pipul (navel); the southeast and southwest corners,
the pigi(hip); the northeast and northwest corners, the agata (shoulder);
the eastern and western sides of the center post , the gusuk (ribs); the
north post, the liug (neck); and the south post, the hita (groin). All the
eight noncenter posts support the roof, which is given form by the ridge
beam and is made from sari, nipa, sago palm, or plaud(coconut palms
from the marang tree.)
•The sungan is a roof style, which is
ventilated by a hole formed by having only
two slopes meeting at the apex.
•They decorate the bilik (room) with a
large luhul or rectangular cloth to catch
leaves, dust, and pests.

•Usually on flatland, the house is entered

through sala (porch), a roofless platform
attached to the sides of the structure.

•the porch serves as a welcoming area for

visitors
•Sometimes the porch has railings of bamboo and
wood. On the front porch is a long high bench
comfortable enough for resting on especially during
warm weather. Here older people gather to smoke
or chew their tobacco and buyo.
THE END