THE RAIDERS OF SULU

It is the 18 th Century, and life from some of the • The pirates that were described by the Colonial
coastal inhabitants of the Philippines was anything Powers involved activities of different tribes in the
but idyllic For without warning, they could be Mindanao Area as well as the Sulu Archipelago These
attacked by the merciless Illanuns the raiders of the 3 Muslim Groups were the Balangingi Samal Tribe,
Sulu Sea These raiders were fearless and fiercer in the Illanuns and the Taosugs The Illanuns and
battle even against better armed, technologically Balangingi Samal group were both long standing
superior colonial forces To the western colonists, seafaring communities and would often join forces
these raiders are nothing but barbaric pirates and with the Taosugs that is known for its fierce warriors
they were hunted down and such But there is All of the piratical attacks and retaliatory attacks
speculation that these raiders are not the savages conducted from Sulu and Maguindanao always
they were made out to be, but nearly indigenous carried these contingents.
people defending their way of life against the foreign
There was also a certainly great deal of pressure
oppressor.
from the South for populations in the Visayas to
• There is little doubt that these raiders were skilled become Islamized But, the presence of the Spanish in
fighters and deadly swordsmen, but they are also the Visayas and Northern Luzon disrupted the spread
expert sailors and builders of formidable vessels of of Islam The Spanish Colonial Administration thought
war These raiders are not just bandits but a well it was their responsibility to prevent the spread of
organized force that could attack with the precision Islam from the south to the Christianized populations
of strategy, giving these western colonial forces a run in the North They have an impressive empire that
for their lives their conquest is not only motivated by these
colonies but also by the opportunity to propagate
• On December 8 th, 1720 the Southern regions of
Christianity Therefore, Christianity deploys quickly
Mindanao were occupied by Spanish soldiers that
displacing Islam and Indigenous Tribal beliefs The
were then identified as Zamboanga City It sits at the
Spaniards weren’t concern about what the people in
tip of the Southwest peninsula of the Philippines that
the South were after but rather, was really more than
is protected by the city’s Fort Pilar a ten meter high
that they really undermined the commercial
wall that acted as a defense, fortress The Fort served
interests of the region Through this, they gained new
as the base of operations to check on slave raiding
power in the region which was exerting its own
going on the north and back.
agendas and its own influences However, the
King Dalasi was the King of Bulig in Maguindanao Sultanates in the South just wanted to do was to
who led in attacking the Fort Pillar together with the maintain their power, if not, increase it a little bit
forces of the Sulu Sultanate burned the town around more Both sides use religious ideologies to further
the Fort, cut down the line of provisions for them influence and feed their objectives Behind the clash
Spaniards, and began a war against the soldiers of religious doctrines was a more compelling reason
inside the Fort Dalasi’s raiders fight with a vengeance for the Spanish to bring the slave raiders to the hill
and desire to rip Zamboanga City off the Spanish the spoils of trade with the orient Something the
Forces They really had to suppress the Spanish Spanish wanted a full control of In many respects,
presence here in the peninsula because the Fort was the Spanish wanted to be a part of this exchange in
their base of operations. trade but also wanted to do so in conjunction with
the conversion of religious perspective and mindset
• According to some historians, slave raiding and colonization of our Islands.
happened in the Philippines long before the Western
Powers arrived but it was never widespread
productivity The arrival of the Spanish and the desire The Three Muslim Tribes
to dominate trade in the region trigger slavery The
Spanish refer to the slave raiders as Moros If they
weren’t from different tribes, they would challenge
the Spanish authority for occupancy

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THE RAIDERS OF SULU

part of the Austronesian family that is most closely

related to Maranao. When the Spaniards left,
however, contact between the Maranao and Illanun
decreased.

1.Balangingi Samal Tribe

The Balangingi also known Northern Sama or

Northern Sinama is an ethnolinguistic group living on
the Greater Sulu Archipelago and the southern and
western coastal regions of the Zamboanga peninsula
in Mindanao. They are mostly found in Lutangan and The majority of Illanun live along the coastline in the
Olutangga islands in Zamboanga del Sur, Basilan of the towns of Nulingi Parang Matanog and Barira in
Island of the Sulu Archipelago, coastal areas of Maguindanao Province, Mindanao; along the Iliana
Zamboanga coast peninsula, and as far north as Bay coast, north of the mouth of the Pulangi River;
Luzon particularly in White Beach near Subic Bay, and all the way to Sibugay Bay in Zamboanga del Sur
Zambales. Balangingis are considered to be part of and even the western coastal plain of Borneo. Illanun
the larger group of Sama Badjao and speak the a Malay term meaning” PIRATE “ is appropriate for
Balangingi dialect. the people of this ethnic group, who were once
regarded as the fiercest pirates in the Malay area.
In the early nineteenth century, an entire ethnic
group, the Samal Balangingi of the Sulu Mindanao 3. The Taosug Tribe
region, specialized in state sanctioned maritime The dominant ethnic group in the Sulu archipelago
raiding, attacking Southeast Asian coastal because of their political and religious institutions, the
settlements and trading vessels. Tausug occupy Jolo Indanan Siasi and Patikul in Sulu
(ARMM). There are also scattered settlements in
History traces the process of the formation of the Zamboanga del Sur and Cotabato, and all the way to
Samal Balangingi as an ethnic group comprised of ' Malaysia, which has an estimated Tausug population of
and their captives, and their continued sense of more than 110 000. Tausug is a combination of tau
belonging to the island stronghold of Balangingi even (PERSON) and suug (the old name of Jolo Island) The
after its inhabitants were forcefully resettled present generation of Tausugs are believed to be
between 1848 and 1858 also stresses just how descended from the different ethnic groups that had
critical the Spanish resettlement policy directed migrated to the Sulu archipelago.
against the deported Samal Balangingi was for their
future cultural and social life. It highlights the
inextricable relationship between maritime raiding,
slavery, forced migration,migration,' and cultural
identity as being critical factors that led to the
emergence of new ethnicities and diasporas.

2. The Illanuns

The Illanun called Iranun and Ilianon as well, are

closely related culturally and linguistically to the
Maranao and Maguindanaon. The Illanun language is

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THE RAIDERS OF SULU

Traditionally the Tausug are sailors, pearl divers and century in most of Southeast Asia. Large lanongs
traders, their ancestral homelands in the Sulu were also inaccurately known by the Spanish as
Archipelago have vigorous tidal currents that flow joangas or juangas. The name Lanong is derived from
from the Sulu and China Seas to the Celebes Sea. Lanun an exonym of the Iranun people.
This translates literally into the name people of the
current This native tribe, the first group in the
archipelago to be converted to Islam, possess a
courage that is beyond doubt, their bravery is
supposed to be unquestionable, therefore the
Tausug are often named Tau Maisug or brave people.

They are proud Muslims renowned for their fierce

resistance in the face of Spanish Conquerors, for 300
years the Tausug and the Spanish were engaged in
almost continuous warfare, which ended when the
Spaniards left the Philippines. The Tausug regards
2. Garay
themselves superior to other Philippine Muslims and
still live a combative way of life, running away from a Garay is a traditional native warship of the
fight is considered shameful. One old Tausug proverb Banguingui people in the Philippines. These are the
says Hanggang maybuhay may pag asa meaning fast attack boats of the Samalian Tribes. They were
Never admit defeat as long as you live. made of Bamboo wood and Nipa Palm and could
carry more than 100 sailors. The ship was 25 meters
long and 6 meters across and hounds the power
The Ancient Maritime Vessels of the Moro People magazine and cannon at the barrel With 30 to 60
oars in each side, the Garay was faster than any
The Moro People used compasses, browsed
other sea going vessel of its time. In the 18 th and 19
telescopes, and the stars to navigate the seas They
th centuries, they were commonly used for piracy by
are also knowledgeable about the monsoon of the
the Banguingui and Iranun people against unarmed
region and use them to travel extensively during the
trading ships and raids on coastal settlements in the
month of August and October in a period called “The
regions surrounding the Sulu Sea. They are smaller,
Pirate Season.
faster and more manoeuvrable speeding boats
replaced from the juangas. The name means
"SCATTERED” or "WANDERER” in the Sama language
1.Lanong of the Banguingui.
Lanong is a large outrigger warship used by the
Iranun and the Banguingui people of the Philippines
It could reach up to 30 m 98 ft in length with 6
meters wide hounds, each at cannons mounted at
the bar and had two biped shear masts which
doubled as boarding ladders. It has 24 oars at each
side rowed by captures slaves that served as their
flagships. Each vessel carried a hundred to hundred
fifty men including a captain, soldiers, slaves to row
and captured local slaves to navigate unknown
waters. The vessels were specialized for naval battles.
They were prominently used for piracy and slave
raids from the mid 18 th century to the early 19 th

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THE RAIDERS OF SULU

3.Salisipan Kakap 2.Barong

(also known as salisipan) is a canoe shaped boat Barong or Barung is the one Taosug warriors use to
which sometimes have outriggers. They are often cut off an M 14 and a carabiner because its blade is
used by the Iranun and Banguingui people of the thick. It is a deadly weapon and a sword with a single
Philippines for piracy and for raids on coastal areas. edge leaf shape blade made of thick type of steel. It
They are usually part of fleets with larger is also a 1 meter long weapon that was used to
motherships like pangajava garay or lanong warships enclose hand to hand battle to cut Spanish firearms
Among Malays, this type of boat is used as a boat of down to size. This weapon is used by Muslim Filipino
war or passenger boat. Raiding fleets are used as ethnolinguistic groups like the Tausug.
auxiliary vessels. These boats were used to collect
manpower and ships from friendly raiding bases
along the way eventually, building a fearsome,
organized sea force.

3.Kampilan

Kampilan is the longest sword that was used by the

Illanuns. It is a heavy, single edge sword that has two
horns projecting from the blunt side of the tip which
was used to pick up the head of the decapitated
body. The Kampilan has a distinct profile, with the
Ancient Weapons of the Moro People tapered blade being much broader and thinner at
the point than at its base, sometimes with a
1.Kalis Kris protruding spikelet along the flat side of the tip and a
bifurcated hilt which is believed to represent a
It is a type of double edged Filipino sword, often with
mythical creature's open mouth. At about 36 to 40
a "WAVY” section The kalis's double edged blade can
inches 90 to 100 cm) long, it is much larger than
be used for both cutting and thrusting. The sword is
other Filipino swords.
more than 300 years old and it was used during the
time of the Spanish colonization. It is a weapon for
warfare and servility. It is 2 meters in length and was
carried not only by slave raiders into battle but also
nobles and high ranking officials of southern
Sultanates. It’s double edge blade is used for easier
slashing and penetration to the bone that would
stick so it’s very hard to pull.

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THE RAIDERS OF SULU

4.Armor

The armor was made from carabao horn. Its steel

plate was molded to fit the body and held together
by chain mail. It could also deflect the blows from a
sword but useless against firearms.

Ancient Weapons of the Spanish Forces

1. Musket

The musket could fire 90 meters. It was inaccurate

and took several stages steps to reload.

2. Cannons

It is a type of gun classified as artillery that launches

a projectile using propellant. In the past, gunpowder
was the primary propellant before the invention of
smokeless powder in the 19 th century. Cannons vary
in caliber, range, mobility, rate of fire, angle of fire,
and firepower. Different forms of cannon combine
and balance these attributes in varying degrees,
depending on their intended use on the battlefield.