The Maranao have many cultures and traditions one of them is there

dances. Maranaos have a lot of cultural dances. Most of these cultural dances were

derived from their ancient epic, the Darangen. One of the most famous royal dances of
the Maranaos is the kasingkil or singkil where the women step in and out of the clipping
or clashing bamboos. It was derived by the event in Darangen where the princess was
escaping the rolling stones and clipping bamboos that tonongs (evil spirits) did to make
fun of her. When I was still in Mindanao we were taught to dance singkil and we perform
it when there was an occassion. Kasagayan is another ritual dance of the men where it
showcases their preparation for the battle with their swords. . Kapagaper is also a
famous dance where the Maranao women use fans in dancing called “apir.”, this is the
other games we used to play when we were kids just for fun. Other Maranao dances
include kakini-kini (Maranao women’s traditional way of walking), kadsadoratan (a
dance that shows graceful walking, turning and balancing covering their
faces), kanggarotaya (a dance that uses a knot to show the strength of men)
and kapmalo-malong (a cultural dance performed by men and women showing the
different ways to use malong). The Maranao have a very rich cultural heritage which
they seem to enjoy sharing with those outside their culture. Textiles, metalwork,
woodcraft, and architecture are all important cultural expressions. The AWANG, or
dugout boat used in Lake Lanao, is possibly the most unique and ornate of dugouts.
Maranao textiles, which indicate the status of the wearer, are known for their very
ornate designs and colors. The predominate instrumental music of the Maranao people
is the KULINTANG, performed on a unique set of eight melodious gongs. The
KULINTANG musical tradition predates Islam, and is thus shared by both Muslim and
non-Muslim people groups throughout Mindanao, as well as in other island nations to
the south. You can hear and see it when there is a contest or maybe at a wedding,
every time we go to a wedding when we are still in Mindanao they play it when the
wedding starts and it is often done in the provinces of Mindanao only, But now that we
are in Baguio, those weddings here they don't use kulintang, so like I said that you will
really experience it when you are in mindanao. Moreover, Sarimanok served as the
symbol of Maranaos. Built in certain infrastructures and building, it is a legendary bird of
Maranao people which symbolizes fortune and good wealth. Sarimanok came from the
word “sari” which means garment and “manok” meaning chicken.  When I was a child
when I went with my mother when she went somewhere else I always saw a chicken
symbol made of wood or maybe stone, I often saw it on the roads at crossing roads.