The Sulu Archipelago and Its People

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THESULU ARCHIPELAGOAND 1 1 " S PEOPLE

BYSIXTO Y. OROS.l\, M.D.

District Health Officer, SuluSupervising Physician, Sulu Public Hospitaland United States Quarantine Officerfor the Port of Jolo, Sulu, P. I.

Yonkers-on-Hudson, New YorkWORLD BOOK COMPANY1931




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WORLD BOOK COMPANYTHE HOUSE OF APPLIED KNOWLEDGEEstablished 1905 by Caspar W. Hod.gson

YONKERS-ON-HuDSON, NEW YORK2126 PRAIRIE AV.ENUE, CHICAGO

Since World Book Company published itsfirst text for the Philippine schools, in 1905,the Insular Bureau ofEducation has extendedits work to the remotest corners of theArchipelago; and the land of the Moro, forcenturies unpacified, now constitutes severaleffective school divisions. Though wonderfulprogress has been made in the assimilation ofMohammedan and Christian Filipinos, oneof the chief needs of the Philippines is stillfor a better understanding between thesetwo groups; and another need is for a betterunderstanding reciprocally of the people ofthe Philippines with the people of theUnited States. Itwas to aid in meeting theseneeds that Dr. Orosa, after years of serviceamong those of his fellow countrymen whoare of the Mohammedan faith, undertook towrite The Sulu Archipelago and Its People.The publishers offer this little book in fullconfidence that it meets the requirements oftheir motto, "Books that Apply the World'sKnowledge to the 'World's Needs"

OSAIP-2

Copyright 1923 by 'World Book CompanyCopyright in Great Britain

All rights reseroed




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CONTENTSPAGE

11\TTRODUCTION.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . VllCHAPTER

1. THE LAND.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1Location and General Description. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1Jolo, the Island and the Town. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3Administration of the Province. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10Industries and Natural Resources. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15Trade '" '" 20Government Finance........................... 22

2. THE LONG FEUD WITH SPAIN..... . . . . . . . . .. .. .. . 23The Power of Sulu. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23The Decline of Sulu. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29

3. AMERICAN ADMINISTRATION. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37Military Government. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37Civil Government. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47

4. THE SULTANATE. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58Government. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58Law......................................... 61Piracy. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63Penalties for Crime. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64

5. INHABITANTS OF THE ARCHIPELAGO. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67Sulus and Samals. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67The Bajaos . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69Cagayan de Sulu. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71

6. THE MOHAMMEDAN SULU. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72Appearance and Character.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72Religion. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77The Speech of the Sulus. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 81

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I CONTENTSCIIAPTEH PAGE7. CUSTOMS, MUSIC, AND SPORTS. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 82

Baptism. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 82Marriage. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 82Funeral Rites. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 86Juramentado... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 88Forms of Greeting. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 89~lusic " . . . . . . . . . . . 90Dancing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 92Sports. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 93

8. THE SULU CALENDAR. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 95The Mohammedan Year. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 95Mohall1ll1edan Feasts. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 96Modes of Celebration.. 97Puasa and Halilaya Puasa. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 97The Maulud. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 100

9. REPRESENTATIVE PEOPLE OF SULU. . . . . . . . . . . . .. 103IIadji Butu. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 103The First Lady of Sulu. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 113The Schucks. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 116

10. MEDICAL l\1INISTRATIONS. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 118Old Theory and Practice. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 118The New Dispensation. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 119The Sulu Public l-Iospital. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 121

11. EDUCATION IN SULU. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 124The Bureau of Education. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 124The Indanan Farm School. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 128The Jolo Girls' Dormitory , 130Factors in Progress. ... . .. . . . . . . .. . .. . 132




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INTRODUCTIONOUR Mohammedan fellow countrymen, though theyconstitute but a small fraction of the total populationof the Philippines, command an interest out of allproportion to their numbers. For centuries theydwelt apart, meeting the northern islanders only inendless and bloody feud. From the harried coasts ofthe Visayas and Luzon to Sulu and even to the Moluc-cas, the scene of raid and reprisal shifted. Dark andbloody ground 'wereDajo, Talipao, Bagsak, and Patian.But from the coming of the Spaniards till the presentt.imc, military men and civil administrators have metthe Moro problem and somehow dealt with it; andafter generations of struggle and sacrifice, the wisdomand justice of later years have borne fruit. The barriersof religion and custom have proved to be not insuper-able; and succeeding the unrest and mistrust of daysthat are gone have come calm and the recognition ofone brother of the Malayan race by the other.Lantakas no longer burst from cottas; pirates fromthe southland no longer infest our more northerly seas;

the barong no longer gleams in the nervous hands ofthe juramentado; the "Bisaya"-the Christian Filipino- is no longer hated; and throughout Moroland, asthroughout the rest of the Philippine Archipelago,complete religious tolerance is observed. The warriorsappreciate the blessings of peace, and the last sultanadvocates loyalty to the authorities as now consti-tuted. The young women of rank, the "putlies,"breaking away from oppressive traditions, are leavingthe half light of their homes to mingle with their sistersin other islands; and the young men of the land

Vll




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VIll INTRODUCTIONare beginning to avail themselves of wide educationalopportunities.The way is at last open to the economicdevelopment

of these Southern Islands, which contain one third ofthe arable land of the Philippines. In Mindanao, thevalley of Cotabato alone, if wholly brought undercultivation, could be made to produce enough rice tosupply the entire Philippine demand. This wouldmakethe Islands independent of supplies from Saigon andRangoon and would even permit them to export ricein large quantities. But colonist, investor, and govern-ment officialneed to be informed concerning the peoplewith whom they have to deal. The Philippine govern-ment's "policy of attraction" must be carried out byindividuals. Effective cooperation with the people ofthe land and effective administration can be had onlyif there is adequate knowledge of the customs, sus-ceptibilities, and needs of the Moro people.In this period of assimilation and extraordinary

progress in those islands that were once known chieflyas the home of "Malay pirates," it is most fortunatethat Dr. Orosa should have taken the trouble towrite such a book as The Sulu Archipelago and ItsPeople. The subject should command the attention ofChristian Filipinos, for these people of our SouthernIslands are kin of ours with whom our political, social,and economic ties must ever grow more intimate; andit should certainly be of interest to people in theUnited States. Dr. Orosa, by training, by experience,and by temperament, has been peculiarly qualified towrite this account of the history of the Sulu, which asthe seat of the sultanate is the most interesting andtypical section of the land of the Moro. The least that




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INTRODUCTION .IXI can hope for this excellent work, which was preparedin the spirit of service to the common fatherland, isthat a copy of it will be accessibleto every student inthe Philippines. No success that it or its estimableauthor could meet with would be undeserved.

TEOPISTO GUINGONA 1MANILA, September 1, 1922

1Mr. Guingona is now appointive senator for the Twelfth District. whichembraces the non-Christian territories of the Philippine Islands. He wasformerly director of the Bureau of Non-Christian Tribes.




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THE SULO ARCHIPELAGOAND ITS PEOPLE

CHAPTER ONETHE LAND

LOCATION AND GENERAL DESCRIPTIONTHESulu Archipelago, the southernmost of the groupsthat constitute the Philippines, consists of some threehundred islands, including nearly two hundred isletsand innumerable coral reefs. It stretches from theisland of Basilan to Borneo and separates the Sulu Seafrom the Celebes Sea. In terms of longitude and lati-tude, the Archipelago extends in a northeast and south-west direction between the meridians 11910' and 12225' east and the parallels 430' and 650' north. Basilan,with the lesser islands of its group, is excluded, as it isadministratively a part of the province of Zamboangaon the island of Mindanao. But the islands of Cagayande Sulu, lying west and north of the limits indicated,are counted a part of Sulu.The chain of islands and islets, which are of volcanic

and coral origin, affords many a splendid panoramicview. The individual islands are beautiful too, andfertile. The coast lines are very irregular, containingmany small bays and estuaries. In former times thesewere often the rendezvous of Moro pirates, and evennow they sometimes give shelter to Chinese and Morosmugglers. The larger islands are covered with luxuriantvegetation and in some places are rather thickly popu-lated. There are no large rivers, but almost everywhere

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The T-shaped pier at Jolo. In the foreground is a vinta; to the right isa pearling boat.

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are to be found rivulets and springs; and there aremany small lakes of volcanic origin.The Archipelago is divided into numerous groups of

islands, of which the followingare the most important:(1) the Jolo Group, to which belongs the island of Jolo;(2) the Samales Group, lying east of Jolo and includingTonquil; (3) the Tapul Group, southwest of Jolo andincluding the islands and towns of Siasi, Lapak, andTapul; (4) the Tawi-Tawi Group, also southwest ofJolo, containing the large island of Tawi-Tawi and theisland of Bongao; (5) the Pearl Bank Group, consistingof small islands and reefs, mostly uninhabited; (6) theCagayan de SuluGroup, northwest of Jolo, rememberedfor causing the Treaty of Paris to be amended; and(7) the Sibutu Group, including Sibutu, Large Sitankai,and Small Sitankai, the last of which is the southern-most inhabited island of the entire Philippine Archi-pelago.The total area of land in the Archipelago is estimated

at 1082 square miles, a little less than the area of thestate of Rhode Island. The census taken as of Decem-




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The Chinese pier.ber 31, 1918, placed the total population at 17~,776, of /which number 169,055 were non-Christians.The climate of Sulu is mild and equable, and the

nights are cool. The abundant rainfall is rather evenlydistributed throughout the year. During ten years theaverage mean precipitation was 147.5 millimeters permonth. The rainiest months are October and Novem-ber, and the driest are January, February, and March.Sulu is relatively free from destructive typhoons. Jolohas a more even climate than Manila. The highesttemperature record for Manila during ten years was38.3 C. (100.94 F.), while the highest for Jolo was34.9 C. (94.82 F.). Manila's lowest record for thesame period was 14.5 C. (58.10 F.), while that forJolo was 18.5 C. (65.30 F.).

JOLO, THE ISLAND AND THE TOWNJolo is the largest and most important island of theSulu Archipelago. It contains the town of Jolo, capitalof the province, and Maimbung, or Maibun, the formerseat of the sultan.

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4 SULUARCHIPELAGOAND ITS PEOPLEThe most important mountains on the island of Jolo

are Tumantangis, about 2893 feet above sea level, thehighest point in the province and the last point to beseen by departing watercraft; Bud (or l\Iount) Sinu-maan, 2766 feet high; Bud Daho, 2349; and Bagsak,2264. The two last are remembered as the scenes ofimportant battles between Moros and American forces,including Philippine Constabulary and Philippine

/Scouts.v'I'he name of Mount Tumantangis is derivedfrom the native word "magtangis;' to cry. "The name;'says Major Livingstone, in a constabulary monograph,"casts an interesting sidelight upon the character ofa people popularly supposed to be utterly withouttender sentiment. Although a polygamist, the Moro,especially the landsman, feels strongly attached toall who in any way are related to him, and is, in con-sequence, fond of his hearthstone, such as it is. Form-erly, when the Moros embarked on journeys, raids, ortrading expeditions, leaving their families behind,Tumantangis with its memories was the last point theycould see - hence its name."The town of J010, according to Foreman, is one of

the prettiest places on earth. It is the only municipalityin Sulu that is regularly organized. Its site is a beautifullittle bay on the north of the island, formed by thepoints Dangapic and Candea. About four or five milesoutside the bay there are several low-lying islets, wellwooded and with hills jutting out here and there.From these islands the town of J010 may be seen,lying low on the shore of the bay. In the foregroundthere is a short stone and brick sea wall, with severalbends pleasantly relieving the monotony of a straightline.




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Jolo and its environs.




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6 SULU ARCHIPELAGO AND ITS PEOPLEThe town is enclosed on the land side by a brick wall.

The Spanish outer defenses consisted of two forts, the"Princesa de Asturias" and the "Torre de la Reina."Forming part of the defenses of the inner or WaIledCity were the "Puerta Bloekaus," "Puerta Espana," andthe redoubt" Alfonso XII." These works are still to beseen. The WaIled City is connected with the bay by agood stone pier.The streets are for the most part skirted with swamps,

leaving little room for gardens or lawns; but the newerstreets are comparable to those of other cities in thePhilippines. The modern parts of the town werecarefully laid out by the Spaniards, and are welldrained.There are plazas, gardens, two public markets of steeland concrete, and barracks; and there is the SuluPublic Hospital. A number of the houses are con-structed of masonry and have red-tiled roofs; othersare of wood and are roofed with corrugated iron.Before the Sulu Public Hospital stands a simple,

four-sided monument of concrete, which was originallyerected by the able Spanish governor, Juan Arolas. Ithas recently been reconstructed. Facing the hospitalfrom the square in front of it is a monument which wasunveiled on April 19, 1921. The tapering pedestal issurmounted by two figures in marble - a costumednurse pointing the way to the hospital to a young Moropatient. In a plaza named for the Filipino patriot, JoseRizal, is a monument that was alsounveiled onApril 19,1921. This monument is topped by a figure of Rizal,belowwhich stand together the figures of a Moro and aChristian Filipino - the Moro with a plow, theChristian with the tools of a blacksmith.According to reliable data, J010 has a population of




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THE LAND 75269, the Mohammedan Filipinos numbering 3144;Christian Filipinos, 1449; Chinese, 614; Japanese, 28;Americans, 22; and Europeans and others, 12. Oneofficial estimate places the population at 5810, classing2458 of the people as Christian Filipinos. The towncomprises the following districts, each represented byan elective municipal councilor:

(a ) The Walled City, whose walls and moats werebuilt by the Spaniards to prevent the Moros from invad-ing the town. This section contains the civil-govern-ment buildings and military headquarters, the CatholicChurch, the Jolo Electric Light and Power Company,large stores, and some houses of considerable size. TheSpanish government is said to have employed 200prisoners daily in keeping the streets of the Walled Cityclean, and from this circumstance it received the name,"Tacita de Plata;' or "Little Cup of Silver."

(b ) Tulay, the most populous district, in which areto be found the residence of the present sultan and thatof Senator Hadji Butu; the Mohammedan mosque;the Sulu Public Hospital; and an ice plant.(c ) "Laud," "Tindalaud," or "Chinese Pier;' a pier onwhich houses are located and which is the center oftraffic, including some smuggling. Off this pier areusually anchored numerous two-masted pearling boats,mostly owned by Japanese.

(d ) San Raymundo, containing the provincial jail,the Jolo Central School, most of the houses of the Japan-ese residents, and the different cemeteries.(e ) Asturias, containing the military barracks nowoc-cupied by three companies of Philippine Constabulary.

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8 SULU ARCHIPELAGO AND ITS PEOPLE

Wireless station at Asturias. It is said that a device for breaking messageswas invented here.

were tied to trees and cut to pieces. Between Busbusand the Walled City are the government ice plant andthe J010 machine shops.In general the town presents a most cheerful appear-

ance, and there is much that suggests the romantic,The scene is enlivened by the Moro, passing lightly byin gay attire. In former times he carried a barong in hishuge sash, and every foreigner, whether soldier orcivilian, carried arms for self-defense. But now onlymunicipal-district presidents and a few others withspecial permits are allowed to wear barongs. Very fewnon-Mohammedans carry revolvers or other arms, andone may wander in safety all over the town, withoutguards or arms,At night the avenues, bordered by trees and elec-trically lighted, present a beautiful scene which carriessuggestion of former days of blood. Then, as related byForeman, all might change in a trice. "There is a hueand cry; a Moro has run amok - his glistening weaponwithin a foot of his escaping victim' the ChristianDigitized by Original rom

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The government ice plant.native hiding away in fear, and the European off in pur-suit of the common foe; there is a tramping of feet, acracking of firearms; the Moro is biting the dust."Happily, such scenes belong to the past.The neighborhood of Jolo is naturally well provided

with water. A system of water supply for the city wasfirst established in the '80's of the last century, throughthe intelligent activity of the Spanish governors, Gon-zalesParrado and Juan Arolas. This system has re-cently been greatly improved. The water from thelarge Asturias springs is conducted by gravity to acement reservoir near the government ice plant betweenBusbus and the Walled City. From this reservoir thewater is pumped to a large cement tank 85 feet abovesea level, just. off the Asturias barracks, from whichit is dist.ributed throughout the city by gravity. About800 gallons per minute flow from the reservoir. LikeJolo, Siasi, on the island of Siasi, is'well supplied withspring water brought. to the people by gravit.y.The Insular government now plans to dredge the

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The municipal government building at Jolo,

replace the former with a concrete pier, build ware-houses, fill the swamps, and otherwise enlarge the cityand provide it with all modern conveniences. The planwill probably be realized within the next few years.Then the harbor will be one of the best of its kind, andthe city, having modern port facilities, will extendrapidly.

ADMINISTRATION OF THE PROVINCEPolitically, the province of Sulu is divided into the

municipality of Jolo, under an appointive municipalpresident and an elective municipal council of six mem-bers, and ~6 other municipal districts (Tongkil, Tandu,Lu-uk, Panamau, Lati, Patikul, Talipao, Pansul, Maim..bung, Silangkan, Parang, Pangutaran, Gitung, Tapul,Pata, Siasi, South Ubian, Tandubas, Banaran, Simunul,Sitankai, Bongao, Laparan, Cagayan de Sulu, Marun-gas, and Balimbing). The districts of Siasi,Bongao, andCagayan de Sulu are under deputy governors who areDigitized by Original from



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THE LAND 11also ex-officiojustices of the peace. The deputy gov-ernor for Siasi at this time is a Filipino; for Bongao heis an officer of the Philippine Constabulary; and lorCagayan de Sulu, an American. The rest of the districtsare under municipal district presidents, usually pangli-mas or other influential Mohammedans. These deputygovernors and municipal presidents report directly tothe provincial governor at Jolo, Formerly the sevenconstabulary station commanders and those of the sub-. stations acted as ex-officio justices and auxiliary jus-tices of the peace, respectively. In 1917 a Mohammedanwas appointed deputy provincial governor at large,and justice of the peace. There are three travelingdeputy governors who also act as justices of the peace.The Court of First Instance holds sessions at Jolo inApril and in November."The entire efforts of the present administration,"

said Governor Rohrer of Sulu in his annual report for1909, "have constantly been directed toward bringing theinhabitants under the same governmental control as thepeople of the northern provinces and preparing themfor self-government. A race is being formed that in thefuture, it is hoped, will progress and affiliate or hold itsown with the Christians of the north. The necessity foreducation, sanitation, thrift, and respect for law is con-stantly being emphasized to the people, who are nowunder a fairly intensive control by the government.Briefly, the policy is to fostel' this race until it 'can standon its own feet' on equal terms, as regards enlighten-ment and ability to regulate its own affairs, with theraces of the north and adjacent countries." The govern-ment has a systematic plan for the economic and edu...cational advancement of the province.Digitized by Original from



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Manuel Quezon, President of the Philippine Senate.The Bureau of Education maintains a high school,

three intermediate schools, the Jolo Central School,theJolo Girls' Dormitory, a farm school at Lapak, and 68primary schools. 'I'he total annual enrollment for 1921was 9728, of which number 2853 were girls. There arean American division superintendent, three Americansupervising teachers, one Filipino academic supervisor,and nearly 200 Filipino teachers. The principal of theJolo Central School and the matron of the Jolo Girls'Dormitory are Filipinos. More schools will soon beopened. Mrs. Lorillard Spencer of NewYork has builtand is maintaining a modern agricultural school atIndanan.




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Sergio Osmena, President of the Philippine Houseof Representatives.

The Philippine Health Service maintains a hospital atJolo underthe immediate charge of three physicians, allFilipinos, one of them a woman; four trained nurses,one being a Mohammedan; and one graduate midwife.Sixteen dispensaries are distributed over the province,eight of these being managed by trained nurses; andthere are six sanitary inspectors, two of whom are Mo-hammedans. Appropriations have been made for theopening of four more dispensaries.The other bureaus of the Philippine government are

also well represented in Sulu. The Bureau of PublicWorks maintains 36 kilometers of first-class and 19

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14 SULU ARCHIPELAGO AND ITS PEOPLEkilometers of second..class road. There are three largeconcrete market buildings on the island of Jolo; and86 kilometers of telephone lines reach all the constabu-lary stations on the island. In 1918 the Bureau ofLandssurveyed 1290 parcels of land, containing a total area of16,838 hectares; and 375 free patents were applied for,covering an area of 4260 hectares.The surveying of land is one of the most important

tasks in Sulu today. For many years there have beennumerous disputes over boundaries and titles. Someofthese disputes have given rise to lawlessness.v 'I'hechiefs formerly claimed aU the land over which theyruled, and the people living on the land were regardedvery much as their tenants. Now the land is being sur-veyed in the names of the actual occupants, thus doingaway with the "datu claims." Some of the datus havebitterly resented this change, but it has met with theapprobation of the people. It is estimated that thereare on the island of Jolo about 10,000 hectares of landwhich the land court will declare to be public property.This land extends from Bilaan, on the east coast, intothe interior. Over 4000 hectares of land between Bilaanand Taglibi have been reserved, by act of the PhilippineLegislature, for the sultan and his near relatives. Thisland is to be developed by the government, and theproducts are to go to the Kiram family in considerationof land claims that the family has agreed to renounce.Practically all the land on the island of Tawi-Tawi ispublic' property~/There is only one regularly maintained jail for the

province, and that is the one at Jolo. During the year1918 the total number of prisoners committed to theprovincial jail was 600, while in the year 1917 the total

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Rabel Palma, until recently Secretary of the Interiorin the Philippine Government.

number was 797. One warden and six jailers are incharge. At the constabulary stations are maintainedsmall jails where prisoners are held awaiting preliminaryhearings by justices of the peace. In some instancesmen convicted of petty crimes are permitted to servetheir sentences at the constabulary stations.

INDUSTRIES AND NATURAL RESOURCESAgriculture, fishing, and stock raising are the leading

occupations in Sulu. There are no manufactures ofarticles in quantity for sale in the markets of the world;but local manufactures are carried on extensively




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A Mom craftsman inlaying silver on brass.throughout the province. The products include watercraft such as vintas, sa/pits, and lipas; and salt, rope,fish nets, mats, 'whips, earthenware, roofing tiles, fishlines, fish spears, bolos, barongs, jewelry, boat canopies,hats, rough boards, and sugar. Definite figures as to thevalue of articles manufactured are not available, butroughly they may be estimated at P~40,OOO a year($1~O,OOO).Sugar production has increased greatly within recent

years. Not long ago more than fifteen mills were ob-served in active operation in the eastern part of theisland of Jolo alone. The Lati coast country of Jolo islikewise growing more sugar than it did formerly, andnative crude mills have been built at various places.The Samal people of the Tawi-Tawi Group are thechief builders of boats, the main centers for the work

being at Balimbing, Manubol, and Banaran. The largecargo boat (sapit), the passenger boat (lipa), and thegeneral utility boat (vinta) are built at these places.Many boats, particularly vintas, are built in the rough at

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THE LAND 17Basilan and are brought south for the ornamental carv-ing of bows and sides.At Simunul and Tandubas, in the Tawi-Tawi Group,

the manufacture of water jars and fire pots engagesmuch labor.In the Tapul Group particular attention is devoted

to the raising of fruit. The people are also largely en-gaged in fishing, Siasi being the main center of thetrepang and shark-fin industries.In Cagayan de Sulu, besides the production of copra,

rice, and tapioca, and the raising of cattle, the weavingof fine mats and baskets from the pandan palm is im-portant.The main occupations in the Pangutaran Group are

the production of copra and firewood.In the Turtle Islands, Baguan and Taganak, the few

inhabitants devote most of their time to collectingturtle eggs,which average 15,000 a week. These islands

Weaving on primitive looms is an important household industry in Sulu.

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18 SULUARCHIPELAGOAND ITS PEOPLEbelong to the Cagayan de SuluGroup, but they are justoff Sandakan, British North Borneo, and are adminis-tered by the British authorities.The Sulu Sea teems with good fish, and there are

plenty of snails, tortoises, and turtles. The people livingalong the coasts and practically the entire populationof the southernmost islands are engaged in fishing.At Sitankai, in the Sibutu Group, large quantifies offish are dried for export. Sitankai fish are well knownoutside of Sulu and always find a ready market. Ediblebirds' nests are found in fairly large quantities. Theseare considered a delicacy, particularly in China, towhich country many of them are exported.The Archipelago has one of the most valuable pearl

beds in the world. Perhaps a hundred boats are engagedin pearl fishing. Hundreds of thousands of pesos' worthof shells and pearls are exported annually. Single pearlshave been valued at P25,OOO. It is estimated that thevalue of pearls sold to European buyers alone amountsto Pl,OOO,OOO a year.Nearly all the large islands are covered with forests.The hardwoods are mostly on Tawi-Tawi. Almost allvarieties ofhardwood found elsewhere in the Philippinesoccur in Sulu. There are narra, ipil, tandu, ligayan,camagon, teak, molave, and bunti. Sandalwood andcamphor are found in limited quantities at Batu-Batu,Bejuco (rattan) and wild honey are plentiful, as are alsobamboo and nipa.Kalapia (rubber vine), kapok, andalmaciga are also found in large quantities. Duringthe year 1918 practically all the timber cut in the publicforests of the Sulu Province consisted of railroad ties,of which about 60,000 were shipped to Manila. Theseties were cut on the islands of Tawi-Tawi, Bas-Bas,Digitized by Original from

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THE LAND 19

Pearl fishing. Getting a diver ready to be lowered.

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20 SULU ARCHIPELAGO AND ITS PEOPLESibutu, Simunul, and Manuc Manka, mainly by theSchuck brothers, and were sold to the Manila Railroadand the PacificCommercialCompaniesat P1.80 per tie.Cutting timber on the government teak reservation wasbegun in November, 1918, and within a year about40,000 board feet of teak logs had been cut and placedupon the beach. One thousand board feet of teak sellfor P300.Fruits abound in variety and quantity. There are

several that thrive particularly wellin Sulu, such as thedeliciousmangosteen, the good-tasting but malodorousdurian, themarang (cashew),and the baunu. Lansones,mangoesof the fibrous type, oranges,guayavanos,maku-pas, papayas, bananas, and pineapples are grownin fair-ly large quantities. Vegetables also are abundant.Although reports of the finding of gold and coal have

been circulated, no deposits are known to exist. A man-ganese deposit, located on the island ofSinagbuan, nearTawi-Tawi, has not been developed, as it is very smalland is partially covered by the sea. Any effort to workit would call for a heavy investment.

TRADE

Suluoccupiesa commercially strategicposition, hav-ing Mindanao on the east, Borneo on the west, theVisayas and Luzon on the north, the Moluccas andCelebesand Java on the south. With all these Suluhaslong maintained trade relations. She has also tradeddirectly with China, Japan, and Singapore. Long beforethe arrival of Legaspi, the conqueror of the islandsnorth of Sulu and Mindanao, Sulu's commerce had

" ..;. ; .'.' ~attained important proportions and Jolo was the mostprosperous city in the Philippines. Sulu still maintains




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THE LAND 21

Inspecting a cargo of pearl shell that has just been landed.

direct trade relations with Singapore and Sandakan, butmost of the foreign trade is in the hands of the Chinese.The principal imports are rice, woven materials, kero-

sene oil, thread and cotton yarn, dyes, flour, sugar, iron,steel, brass, and paper. The islands have great agricul-tural and commercia] possibilities, and they should beable to raise all the rice and other commodities theyneed.The exports consist of pearl, pearl shell, copra, dried

fish, and abaca. In 1905 the total imports amountedto P548,56~, and the exports to P~77,768; in 1915the imports amounted to P550,894, the exports toP963,568.64; and in 1919 the imports amounted toP836,340, the exports to P680,177. The value of pearlsis not included in the figures given, as no record of salesof these isto be had. As shown by the figures, the tradeof Sulu has increased enormously within recent years.




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9 1 2 SULU ARCHIPELAGO AND ITS PEOPLE

Constabulary headquarters at Jolo.GOVERN1\IENT FINANCE

During three years the following sums became avail...able to the Province of SuIu: in 1916, P132,407.14;in 1917, 'P499,150.57; in 1918, P661,722.78. The figuresinclude the revenues of the Municipality of Jolo andsums granted by the Insular Government. It has beennecessary to secure Insular aid, as the funds raisedlocally have not been sufficient to defray the expensesof the government. The revenues are increasing everyyear, and it is expected that in a few years the provincewill be entirely self-supporting. The sources of incomeinclude cedulas, fines, penalties, fees for the registra-tion of cattle, rents, the land tax, the internal revenuepercentage on sales, and licenses. The receipts at theport of Jolo in customs duties alone, from 1900 to 1919inclusive, amounted to P3,457,582.71.




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CHAPTER T'VOTHE LONG FEUD 'VITH SPAIN

THE POWER OF SULUACCOUNTSof pre-Mohammedan times in the SuluArchipelago are unreliable and conflicting. A Sululegend tells us that the first inhabitants wereBuranum,hill people from Borneo who settled at Maimbung; andit is a common belief among the people that Alexanderthe Great and several of his officersonce ruled in J010.During the fourteenth century, Samals and Bajaos fromJohore immigrated in large numbers to the coasts ofSulu, where their descendants remain. The hill people,or SuIus proper, although outnumbered, held their ownfairly well' against the newcomers and took many ofthem captive. Moros from Mindanao, especially fromLanao, also came as immigrants.Even prior to the advent of Magellan, Sulu pirates

were the terror of the Visayas and Luzon. They heldslaves,whowere taken as captives or received as tribute,and these slaves were assimilated into the bulk of thepopulation of Sulu.In the year 1380, Makdum, a noted Arabian judge,

introduced the Mohammedan religion throughout theSuluArchipelago. The ruins of the mosque he built atTubig-Indangan, on the island of Simunul, still remain.He died at Sibutu, where the people still venerate hisgrave. Later, about the year 1390, Raja Baguindaarrived at Buansa and successfully continued the workof Makdum, making himself ruler. It is said that hebrought 'with him a pair of elephants, the ancestors ofa herd -long since exterminated - that once roamed

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Present state of the mosque built by Makdum at Tubig Indangan in 1380.

wild in J010. From the time of Baguinda, the hill peo-ple - the Buranum - were called Sulus.The year 1450 was marked by the arrival of Abu

Bakr, a Mohammedan missionary. He married Baguin-da's daughter, Paramisuli, and on his father-in-law'sdeath succeeded him as religious 'authority, later pro-claiming himself sultan. Abu Bakr divided the landinto the political districts of Parang, Pansul, Lati,~Gitung, and Lu-uk, appointing a panqlima (next to adatu in rank) as head of each district. He also promul-gated laws which furnished a foundation for the workof his successors.Abu Bakr was succeeded by his children and grand-

children, and the sultanate was regularly organized.During the reign of the sixth suItan, GovernorDe Sandesent an expedition against Sulu, which reached thetown of Jolo in June, 1578. It was headed by Captain.E. R. de Figueroa. With this expedition began a periodof warfare between Sulu and Spain, which was to last

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THE LONG :FEUD WITH SPAIN 25for 300 years. De Sande gave as his principal reason foropening hostilities against the Sulus the desire to con-vert them to Christianity. There were, however, othermotives, such as the reduction of the people, who wereenjoying an independent government, to vassalage;exaction of tribute; and stopping piracy.The history of Sulu from the time of De Sande to the

occupation by the Americans consisted mainly in suc-cessive raids by the Sulus on different parts of thePhilippine Archipelago, in expeditions by the Spaniardsagainst the Sulus, in reprisals, confiscation of property,and taking slaves, and in the making of treaties whichwere more commonly broken than observed. In 1599Cebu, Negros, and Panay were plundered by Moros.In 1602 an expedition against J010 failed after morethan three months of fighting. The sultan for the timebeing rernained "king of the land and lord of the seas."On January 1, 1638, General S. II. de Corcuera

arrived at Jolo with some 80 vessels and about 2000soldiers, Spanish and Filipino. He was resolved tooccupy J 010, and he succeeded in his purpose. SultanBungsu offered a fierce resistance, having fortified thetown strongly. For the first time the Sulus experienceda defeat. But the Spanish sphere of action was notextended far beyond Jolo, and when the Chinese adven-turer Koxinga threa tened a powerful. d ~ce ll~ uPQ l;lManila, the Spaniards withdrewt:b_t'l~iiO.l'; ,town was evacuated on April 14,had been made between Sulustreaty was in force for only a short time.Sultan Bungsu was succeeded by Nasirud Din IIand

Salahud Din Karamat, during whose reigns the Sulusmade many raids, visiting almost all parts of the




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26 SULU ARCHIPELAGO AND ITS PEOPLEVisayas and Luzon. In 1663 Zamboanga, which hadbeen established as an outpost against the Moros, wasevacuated by the Spaniards, who reoccupied it in 1718.Karamat was followed by Shahabud Din, MustafaShafiud Din, Badarud Din I, Nasarud Din III, andAlimud Din I.In 1737 Alimud Din I ratified a treaty of "permanent

peace and alliance" with Governor-general F. Valdes yTamon. He was one of the strongest and best of sultans,wielding considerable influence over his people, intro-ducing reforms, observing the terms of the treaty faith ..fully, and suppressing piracy. He had parts of theKoran translated into Sulu, advocated education, issuedmoney, formed a small army, and undertook to createa navy. In 1748 Alimud .Din had to leave Jolo, uponbeing overpoweredby Bantilan, son ofSultan ShahabudDin, who had proclaimed himself sultan. The pretextfor Bantilan's rising was the friendship of Alimud Dinwith the Jesuits sent to Jolo by King Philip V in 1746.Alimud Din went to Manila in 1749, arriving onJanuary ~, and was royally received and entertained by

Governor-general Arrechederra. Finally he was bap-tized on Ap'riI29, 1750,the ceremony taking place withgreat solemnity and pomp. Games, theatrical repre-sentations, and bullfights were held in his honor. Gov-ernor-general F. J. de Obando decided to reinstate himas sultan; but while on his way back to Jolo he was un...warrantably imprisoned at Zamboanga by GovernorZacarias. He was then sent back to Manila, where hewas held as a prisoner. On account of this humiliationto Alimud Din, the Sulus became especially active inraiding and pillaging the northern coasts, hardly a. town escaping. The year 1753was the most terrible




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THE LONG FEUD vVITH SPAIN 27

Moro warriors. Of their courage there was no question.

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THE LONG FEUD "VITII SPAIN ~9in the history of Moro piracy. In 1763 the British,having occupied Manila, released Alimud Din andreplaced him on the throne of Sulu, the Sulus receivinghim willingly. Alimud Din ceded to the British apart of North Borneo. In 1769 the Sulus invadedManila Bay and were able to take captives from thevery wharves of the city.In 1773Alimud Din was succeeded by his son, Israel,

whose administration 'was very successful. Israel waspoisoned by his cousin, who ruled as Alimud Din II andunder whom hostilities between Sulus and Spaniardsincreased. For a period of ten years or more trafficbetween Luzon and the islands to the south was para-lyzed. It is said that even English and American shipstried to avoid the channels infested with Moro pirates.The throne of Sulu was occupied successively by

Sharapud Din (1789); Alimud Din III; Aliyud Din I;Shakirul Lah (1808); and Jamalul Kiram I, the son ofAlimud Din III (18~3). During these reigns there wascontinual warfare between the Sulus and the Spaniards;raids were answered with retaliations, and treaties weretrampled. In 1844 the French made a treaty with Sulu,and the increasing interest of other countries in Suluaroused the Spaniards to the necessity of subjugatingthe Archipelago if they wished to retain any form ofcontrol.

THE DECLINE OF SULU

The period from 1848 to 1896 marked the decline ofSulu. In 1848 steam gunboats were used by the Span-iards for the first time in their warfare with the Moros ..Under Governor Claveria, three of these reduced theforts on the island of Balangingi in the Samales Group.




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30 SULU ARCHIPELAGO AND ITS PEOPLEThe introduction of steam gunboats marked "the be-ginning of the end of Moro piracy."In 1851 General Urbiztondo invaded J010 with a

strong force, reaching the town on February 2 - 7 . Aftera desperate fight the Sulus evacuated the town and theSpaniards burned it. The invaders left Jolo after a fewdays, having captured 11~ pieces of artillery. In 1861the Spaniards employed eighteen steam gunboats, andthese soon put an end to piracy.

A watch tower on the northwest coast of Luzon, southof Vigan. Such towers were built through the more north ..erly islands. about the middle of the eighteenth cen-tury. Lookouts were kept posted in these towers thatthey might give warning of the approach of Moro pirates.




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THE LONG FEUD WITH SPAIN 31

A defensive earthwork or "cotta" on the island of Jolo. The intrenched Suluswould fire through the bamboo tubes.

In 1862 Mohammed Pulalun, who had been sultansince 1844, was followed by his son, Jamalul Alam.Alam proved to be an able administrator, and he intro-duced several reforms.Sulu was finally occupied in 1876 by Governor..gen-

eral Malcampo, who used some 9000 troops and con-siderable artillery in besieging the well-fortified town ofJ010. The use of steamboats, against which the Morovintas proved ineffective, made it possible to stop theimportation of guns and ammunition by the Sulus.The Sulus fought to a finish,but they were overwhelmedby the invaders. Not only Jolo, but almost all the otherimportant fortified places were destroyed.J 010 was occupied by a garrison consisting of tworegiments of infantry, one company of artillery, and onecompany of engineers, under the command of CaptainP. Cervera, who was designated as politico..military

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32 'SULU ARCHIPELAGOAND ITS PEOPLEgovernor of Sulu. Cervera fortified Jolo. He was suc-ceeded on December 31, 1876, by Brigadier-generalJose Paulin, the second governor of Sulu.For one year, 1877 to 1878, the Moros constantly

made attempts to overcome the Spanish garrison butwere always defeated. Moros became juramentadoalmost daily, and the garrison suffered considerably.Colonel Carlos Martinez was appointed governor of

Sulu on September 28, 1877. He concluded a treaty ofpeace, the last that was drawn between Spain and Sulu.This treaty was fairly well observed. It was recognizedby other nations, and with it their interference came toan end. Governor Martinez enlarged the town of Joloand established a hospital.In 1878 Sultan Janlalul Alam ceded the remaining

Sulu possessions in Borneo to the Sabah North BorneoCompany in consideration of a yearly subsidy of 5000Mexican pesos. In the same year Sulubecame a part ofthe new administrative division of Mindanao and Sulu.ColonelRafael Gonzales de Rivera became the fourth

governor of Sulu on February 3, 1880. During hisadministration the Spanish forces were several timesattacked by disaffected parties. But General La Corte,with the cooperation of the sultan and the datus, de...feated and punished the disturbers. In 1881 La Cortecompleted the walls for the defense of J010.On the death of Jamalul Alam, Badarud Din III

became sultan in April, 1881. Badarud was the firstsultan to make a pilgrimage to Mecca, Colonel IsidroG. Soto was appointed governor on November 15, 1881,and was relieved on June 2, 1882, by Colonel EduardoFernandez Bremen. Before Colonel Soto's termexpired, Bongao and Siasi were garrisoned.

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THE LONGFEUD WITH SPAIN

Fighting knives of the Moros. These weapons were often of exquisite work-manship, the handles being of rare hardwoods, carved and polished, andenriched with silver.

The disturbances which marked the term of ColonelBremen were put to an end by General Paulin and byColonelJulian GonzalezParrado. ColonelParrado, whobecame governor in August, 188~,showedunusual vigorand punished districts where juramentados - Morossworn to die killing Christians - had succeeded in dis-patching several soldiers. He constructed a cementmarket place, established a water system, and made Joloan open port.On the death of Badarud Din on February ~~, 1884,

the succession to the sultanate was contested byRaja Muda Amirul Kiram of the house of Jamalul



33


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34 SULU ARCHIPELAGO AND ITS PEOPLEKiram I, by Datu Aliyud Din of the house of ShakirulLah, and by Datu Harun ar-Rashid. Harun, nothaving a direct claim to the throne, withdrew hiscandidacy and went to Palawan. Datu Aliyud Din,with headquarters at Patikul, went so far as to proclaimhimself Sultan, and then attacked Amirul Kiram atMaimbung. Amirul Kiram had the greater following,and after considerable fighting Aliyud Din fled toBasilan.Governor Parrado was relieved by Colonel Francisco

Gastilla, who 'was succeeded by Colonel Juan Arolas inJanuary, 1886. Arolas continued the work of sanitationand furthered public improvements with remarkablesuccess.Amirul Kiram asked the Spanish government to rec-

ognize him as sultan, and Governor Arolas was directedto send him and Datu Harun, who was to be appointedsub-sultan, to Manila, Amirul Kiram, however, refusedto go to Manila, Datu Harun went alone, and on therecommendation of Governor Arolas was recognized assultan by Governor-general Terrero.Sultan Harun arrived at Jolo in October, 1886, and

established his headquarters at Maubu. He was stoutlyopposed by nearly all the datus, who supported AmirulKiram, the logical heir to the sultanate. Sultan lIarunand his followers, with the aid of Governor Arolas andthe Spanish forces, waged war against Amirul Kiramand nearly all the datus. But he failed to receive recog-nition from the people as sultan, in spite of GovernorArolas' brilliant military achievements.Arolas' term ended in 1893. Among all the Spanish

governors of Sulu, he had the longest and most eventfuladministration. He was relieved by Colonel Cesar

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THE LONG FEUD 'VITH SPAIN S o

Sultan Harun's residence at Maubu. Once it was considered magnificent,but it has long since been abandoned.

Mattos, and the latter was soon replaced by GeneralVenancio Hernandez. Sultan Harun did not receiveconsistent support from Arolas' successors and was sentback to Palawan, where he died a few years afterward.Toward the end of 1893Amirul Kiram finally receivedofficial recognition from the Spanish government as

sultan, and assumed the name of Jamalul Kiram II.It is a COm1110nelief that his mother, who was intelli ...gent and had considerable influence, promised the gov-ernor to exact tribute from the people if her son shouldbe appointed sultan. It is also said that Jamalul Kiram,unable to collect the tribute, paid F'10,OOO out of his ownfunds.Colonel Luis Huerta was the last Spanish governor of

Sulu. Spain evacuated Sulu in May, 1899, when anAmerican garrison relieved the Spanish garrison at Jolo.On August 20, General J. C. Bates concluded a treatywith Sultan Jamalul KiramII. This treaty is known as




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86 SULUARCHIPELAGO AND ITS PEOPI~Ethe "Bates Agreement." Under it the sovereignty ofthe United States over Sulu was recognized.The Sulus have always made first-class fighting men,

and among them every able-bodied man might act aseither soldier or sailor. After the first occupation ofSulu in the sixteenth century, the Spanish garrisonswere not strongly maintained, and Spain's influence waslittle felt bevond the limits of the town of Jolo. The"datus and the people recognized no head other than thesultan. One hundred years before the time of Legaspithe Sulus had become fanatically Mohammedan. Theymaintained an independent state and had customs oftheir own. It was impossible and absurd to attempt tochange their religion and character at one stroke. TheSulus always opposed the payment of tribute, and with-stood any interference in their internal affairs. No effortworth mentioning was made by the Spanish governmentto transform them gradually. Evil was dealt with byevil. The governors, although some were good postcommanders, were generally poor civil administrators,and they were frequently changed. No definite policywas ever pursued. No attempt was made to study localcustoms and peculiarities, and no governor could speakthe dialect. The Sulus hated any foreign aggression, aswas but natural, and Spain's final military victorieswere neutralized through the tenacity, valor, and pa-triotism of the Sulus.




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CHAPTER THREEAMERICAN ADMINISTRATION

MILITARY GOVERNMENTONMay 19, 1899, Jolo was occupied by American troopsunder Captain Pratt, and on the following day theSpanish garrison evacuated the town. The entireArchipelago was gradually occupied by Americantroops, who, upon their arrival, found the importantchiefs at war with one another.Major Bolton became the first military governor, in

July, 1899. On August 20 General Bates made theBates Agreement, by the terms of which the sultan ofSulu was granted $250 monthly and his chiefs weregranted lesser amounts in lieu of privileges that theysurrendered. The agreement was confirmed by thePresident of the United States, except for an article inwhich slavery was recognized.On June 1, 1903, the Moro Province was created and

General Leonard Wood became the first governor, Sulubeing one of the five subdivisions of the province. In thesame year the cedula law (requiring each adult maleannually to purchase a registration certificate at acharge of two pesos) caused bitter resentment, andthere were a number of juramentados. The cedula taxis still a cause of dissatisfaction among some of theMoros.During 1903 also began the series of cotta (trench)

fights between the American forces and the Sulus. Thelatter had at their disposal several thousand rifles,several hundred lantacas (small brass cannon), plentyof ammunition, and perhaps nearly 10,000 men ready

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38 SDLD ARCHIPELAGO AND ITS PEOPLE

WarrenG. Harding.

to fight. On September ~, 1903, Major Hugh L. Scottbecame governor of Sulu. Although Major Scott was amilitary man, he instituted a civil government; that is,the government under him ceased to be purely military.Many of the chiefs proposed to resist all interference

with the old order. Every few days a juramentadowould set out on his errand of killing.In November, 1903, it became evident that an

important rising of chiefs was planned. "Major Scott,"says Foreman, "having called upon the biggest chief,Panglima Hassan, to present himself and account for




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AMERICAN ADMINISTRATION 39

Major-General Leonard Wood.

the number of an American survey party, he came witha large force, estimated at about 4000, well armed, asfar as the town walls. He said he wanted to enter thetown with a suite of only 700 armed men, including hissubordinate datus. Finally Major Scott agreed to hisentry with 70 warriors, but still the position wasthreatening with Hassan's army in the vicinity. Duringthe interviewPanglima Hassan appeared quite friendly;indeed,whilst he and the major wereriding together, thechief, perceiving that his host was unarmed, gallantlyremarked, 'As you are without arms I will relinquish




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Major-General Hugh L. Scott (at the time a major) after a conference withthe Sultan and Hadji Butu.

mine also,' and at once took off his baronq and handedit to his attendant. In the meantime Major Scott hadsent a request to General Wood for more troops, but thegeneral, who had only just finished his Taraca opera-tions (in Lanao Valley, Mindanao), replied that hewould come to ,Jolo himself. On General Wood'sarrival with troops in Jolo a demand was made onPanglima Hassan to surrender. After protracted ne-gotiations and many insolent messages from Hassan,the general led his troops down to Lake Seite [Siit],where an engagement took place, leaving 60 dead Moroson the field. Panglima Hassan, pursued from place toplace, lost many warriors at every halt, the total beingestimated at 400 to 500. Cottas were razed to theground, and the notorious Panglima Hassan himself wascaptured on November 14, with a loss, so far, of one




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AMERICAN ADMINISTRATION 41soldier .killed and five wounded on the American side.Panglima Hassan was being escorted into Jolo town byMajor Scott and other officers, when suddenly thechief, pointing toward a native-built house, begged themajor to save his family. Moved by compassion andinfluenced by Hassan's previous friendly attitude, themajor consented, and as they all approached theentrance, in an instant out rushed the 'family,' a mobof armed Moros, who attacked the officers,whilst thepanglima made his escape. Poor Major Scott was sobadly cut about his hands that he had to go into thehospital for four months, and I noticed that he had hadone left-hand finger and two right-hand half-fingersamputated. Unable to handle any kind of weapon, inMarch, 1904, he led his troops against the cunning datu,who sent out a large body of fighting men to meet him.After several attacks were repelled, Panglima Hassantook to flight, his followers all the time decreasing innumbers, until, with only 80 men, the chief soughtrefuge in his cotta at Pang-Pang, the strongest fortressin the island. Breaches were made in it, and Hassanfled for his lifeon a swift pony, with only two retainers,to the crater of an extinct volcano, which was quicklysurrounded by the Americans. Each time a headappeared above the crater edge a volley was fired; butthe wounded chief still bravely held out and hit somesoldiers beforehe died, riddled by bullets, on March 4."The first detachment of Philippine Constabulary

relieved the American forces at Siasi on June 20, 1904,and, shortly after, Constabulary also relieved the. A . .mericans at Bongao.On March 2, 1904, the Bates Agreement was abro-

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4~ SULU ARCHIPELAGO AND ITS PEOPLE

Bud Dajo, with army camp in the foreground.

his leading chiefs were discontinued. On November12, 1904, however, the Philippine Commission passedan act making the following annual payments to thesultan and his advisers, to continue during the pleasureof the Commission:P'6000 to the sultan; 'P1800 to HadjiButu, and P'900 each to Hadjis Tahib, Mohammet, andAbdula, Panglima Bandahala, and Datus Jolkarnainand Kalbi. 'On May 13, 1!)05, unrest became so general that it

had to be quelled by force. Important fights took placeat Mount Talipao and Bud Dajo, resulting in somecasualties among the American forces and many moreamong the Moros.The Moros again fortified Bud Dajo, and afterPanglima Bandahala and Datus Kalbi and Jolkarnainhad made repeated attempts to persuade the peoplethere to surrender their arms, Governor Scott orderedthat the place be taken by force. This was done on




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AMERICAN ADMINISTRATION 43March 7~1906, after a severe fight which resulted in thedeath of some 600 Moros, among them Datu Pala, oneof the worst outlaws of Sulu.On July 7, 1906, Colonel E. Z. Steever relieved MajorScott as governor of Sulu.Brigadier-general C. L. Hodges was appointedgovernor of Sulu on October 5, 1907, and on February 1,1908, he was relieved by Colonel A. Rodgers. Duringthis year Sulu was in a relatively peaceful condition,except for the depredations of several outlaws, amongthem Jikiri.On December 11, 1909, Colonel Lea Febiger becamegovernor of Sulu, to be succeeded on February 1, 1910by Lieutenant ,V . O. Reed. The latter was succeededby Captain E. L. King on March 1, 191].On April 17, 1911, a juramentado killed Lieutenant

The storming of Bud Dajo. The troops shown in action here are PhilippineScouts, all of the enlisted men being Filipinos.Digitized by Original from



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44 SULU ARCHIPELAGO AND ITS PEOPIJERodney, of the cavalry, on the Jolo-Asturias road.Lieutenant Rodney was unarmed and waswalking withhis little daughter, who was not harmed, however. Thejuramentado tried to rush to the wagon behind theLieutenant, which carried several unarmed Americans,but he was killed by a guard before he could do furthermischief. The death of Lieutenant Rodney causedGeneral Pershing to order that officers should not gounarmed, and that soldiers should go out in threes. OnApril 19, 1911, Sergeant Ferguson, while h" T'~eofthe guard at Asturias, was killed by two ju. .lOS, 'whowere in turn killed by a sentinel. The fok. mg dayall permits for carrying barongs on the military reser-vation and in its vicinity were discontinued.The Moros having again assembled at Bud Dajo,

about 1300 strong, General Pershing induced nearlyall of them to return to their homes. The rest, led by

Officers of Constabulary in Sulu, Major C. E. I ..vingstone, author ofa valuable monograph on Sulu, is seated in the middle of the group.D i g iti z ed by




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AMERICAN ADMINISTRATION 4 5

I.

General John' J. Pershing.

Ujaji and Jailani, were captured or killed in a fight thatbegan on December 17, 1911, and lasted for five days.A general order for disarmament caused another cotta

fight near Taglibi, where Captain l\IcNally, of thePhilippine Scouts, was killed, and Lieutenants Whitneyand Cochran, of the Philippine Constabulary, wereseriously wounded. The Moros next strongly fortifiedMount Bagsak. During the early part of 1913 condi-tions on J010 Island became worse than ever. Some 5000marauders had gathered themselves around Bagsak andfrom January to June made tremendous preparations




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46 sutu ARCHIPELAGO AND ITS PEOPLEfor eventualities. General Pershing planned the attackupon them, which lasted from June 11 to June 16, 1913.More than'IOO rifles were captured and 300 Moros werekilled. Captain Nichols, of the Philippine Scouts, and14 men were killed.On June 21, 1913, Captain V. L. Whitney, havingresigned from the Philippine Constabulary, becamethe first civilian governor of Sulu. Under his adminis-tration the Constabulary continued to raid outlawsand destroy their cottas.Both the Philippine Constabulary and the PhilippineScouts have rendered excellent service not only inSulu, but throughout the Islands, and their-'records arereplete with instances of individual heroism. TheConstabulary are a force recruited in the Islands andofficered in part by Americans. They combine somepolice duties with military duties, and they are underthe control of the Insular government. The Scoutsare a branch of the 1Jnited States Army in which theenlisted men and some of the officers are FilipinosOn August 10, 1913, the Talipao Moros, who refusedto pay the road tax and had fortified themselves inMt. Talipao, were routed and disbanded by Major G. S.Shaw, of the Philippine Scouts. But they returned tofortify Talipao once more; and there, on October 22,1913, occurred the last engagement of magnitude upto the present time, Captain McElderly was woundedduring the storming of the cottas, and died, after afew days, at the Military Hospital.On November 1, 1913, the preservation of orderthroughout Sulu was placed entirely in the hands of thePhilippine Constabulary. The Scouts continued togarrison the .eity of Jolo, with a sub-garrison at Asturias.




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AMERICAN ADMINISTRATION 4 7

Woodrow Wilson.On January 9, 1918, the entire garrison of PhilippineScouts, composed of two battalions, was replaced bythree companies of Philippine Constabulary.

CIVIL GOVERNMENTThe Philippine Commission, on July 24, 1913, passed

an Organic Act creating the Department of Mindanaoand Sulu, and on September 1the old Moro Provincebecame a matter of history. On December 16, 1913,General Pershing was relieved as governor by Frank W.Carpenter, who became the first civilian governor of the

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Francis Burton Harrison.

new Department. Guy N. Rohrer relieved CaptainWhitney as governor of SuIu, on January 1, 1915.Governor Carpenter brought to his new work the

experience of years in difficult positions under thegovernment of the Philippine Islands, together with anatural aptitude for administration and a good head forbusiness. He had remarkable ability in placing beforethe Insular Government the needs of his Department,and he succeed beyond expectation in securing appro-priations for schools,roads and bridges,public buildings,telephone lines, hospitals, dispensaries, and wirelessDigitized by Original from



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Frank P. Carpenter.,stations. In all these benefits the Sulu Province has

had its proper share.The change of government in Mindanao and Sulu

from military to civil was thought by many to bepremature, and it met with great opposition. TheMoros were pictured as waiting this opportunity toreturn to piracy and warfare. At first GovernorCarpenter did not receive general support, and in somequarters he met with open opposition. It is reportedthat an American congressman, referring to Filipiniza-tion inthe Department of Mindanao and Sulu, said to




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The speakers' pavilion at Zamboanga, on September 1, 1914,when civilgovernment was inaugurated.

he conducted to Manila a large party of Moros. Thesevisits did much to convince the Moros that the attitudeof the Philippine government and of the ChristianFilipinos toward them was indeed friendly.The years from 1915 to 1918 marked the establish-

ment ofpermanent peaceful conditions in Sulu, In 1915many leaders of outlaw bands were eliminated, and85 rifles and 5 revolvers were captured or surrendered.Cattle stealing, the most prolific source of trouble,received a marked setback through the aid of prominentchiefs. A number of the local headmen were founddirectly responsible for fomenting outlawry and en-couraging cattle stealing for their personal gain, andthese were brought to justice.During 1915 telephone lines on the island of Jolo wereextended, roads were built in the interior, and greatercontact with the people was established by the govern-ment through its different agencies. Public instructionwas placed under the control of the Insular Bureau of

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52 SULUARCHIPELAGOAND ITS PEOPLEEducation and was regularly organized. The peoplehave shown a great interest in schools. In manydistricts the people have asked that schools be estab-lished, where before they openly opposed them. Theyhave also asked for artesian wells and sanitary improve-ments, Several towns have spsung up around theconstabulary stations, and schools, dispensaries, andmarkets have been constructed. The Sulu PublicHospital, which has proved a blessing to the people, wasfinished toward the end of 1915.vVith the year 1916 carne the end of organized out-

lawry, and Sulu ceased to be "a thorn in the adminis-tration of Insular affairs." The transition of thiscountry from lawlessness and poverty to peace andprosperity was accomplished with a minimum loss oflife. During 1916 alone, 93 firearms, 195 blade weapons,and 1534 rounds of ammunition were surrendered 'withpractically no bloodshed. In the Court of First Instance217 convictions were secured. Of these, 8 were forhomicide, 30 for cattle stealing, and 13 for robbery.Object lessons to the effect that an offender cannotescape retribution are beginning to bear fruit. It is nowpossible to go unarmed almost anywhere in the-interior,and without danger of attack.During the years 1917 and 1918 conditions were

generally satisfactory. But several escaped prisoners, and malcontents perpetrated robberies, and the con-stabulary in pursuing them lost three officers, Lieu-tenan ts Ward, Ventura, and La Rotche, besides severalsoldiers. Attempts were made to bring the differentlawless elements under closer control. With the coop-eration of local chiefs the capture of the criminals withtheir arms was quickly effected.




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Governor Carl M. Moore making an address at the close of a school athleticmeet held at Jo10in March, 192'2. Standing at. the table with Mr. Moore isMr. Jose A. Sanvictores, director of the Bureau of Non-Christian Tribes..

In 1917 the Health Service in Mindanao and Sulu wasmade an integral part of the Philippine Health Service.On August 1, 1918, Governor Guy N. Rohrer joinedthe Philippine Militia and was succeeded as governorof Sulu by Mr. Paul De Witt Rogers, formerly secretaryand treasurer of Sulu.The Department of Mindanao and Sulu was abolishedby act of the. Philippine Legislature dated February 5,1920, and Mindanao and SuIu were placed under theBureau of Non-Christian Tribes. Governor Carpenterbecame the first director of this Bureau. He was sue-, ceeded in the office of director by Mr. Teopisto Guin-gona, who had been department secretary. On January1, 1922, Mr. Guingona was himself succeeded as directorby Mr. Jose G. Sanvictoras, who had been educated inthe public schools. At the same time, Governor-generalWood made Mr. Guingona one of the appointive mem-bers of the Philippine senate.




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54 SULU ARCHIPELAGO AND ITS PEOPLEMr. Carl M. Moore, who had been superintendent

of schools for Mindanao and Sulu, and before thatdivision superintendent of schools in Surigao and inLeyte, was made governor of Sulu on April 5, 1921.Governor Moore has had twenty years of successfulexperience in the Islands. The policy of attraction willbe furthered under his capable administration. If hecould be retained as governor of Sulu for five or sixyears, one could confidently expect great progress forthe province.The provincial board consists of the governor

and the provincial treasurer, both appointed, andthe third member, who is elected. It acts as municipaldistrict council for the different municipal districts,with ample powers to enact ordinances. This arrange-ment will have to continue until the local councilsare sufficiently advanced to legislate for themselves.Mr. Julius Schuck, who was the third member of theprovincial board from April, 1915, to November, 1920,is now an appointive member of the Philippine house ofrepresentatives. Mr. Schuck was succeeded as thirdmember by Datu 'I'ahil, son of Datu Jolkarnain andhimself one of the leaders of the Bagsak fight of 1913.In the past few years, due to the more peaceful con-

diti~ns that have prevailed, agriculture, commerce, andindustry have received a fresh impetus. Harvests havegenerally been plentiful, exports and imports have morethan doubled, and revenues have increased to such adegree that the government of Sulu approaches acondition of self-support.During the World War, the population of the prov-

ince remained entirely loyal. At first it was feared thatthe Moros would sympathize with Turkey and Ger-




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A "Liberty Day" at Jolo during the World War. The people were urged tobuy United States war bonds, and they responded generously

many, as the sultan of Turkey is recognized by theMoros as caliph, the spiritual head of their religion. Butthe Moros remained indifferent to the issues of the warbefore the entry of the United States, and thereafterthey proved their loyalty in every way.The effects of the war were naturally felt by Sulu as

by every other country. Prices of necessities advanceduntil they became nearly prohibitive, while the valueof pearl shells and other exports from Sulu fell. Never ..theless, the people of Sulu subscribed some 'P140,OOO tothe different Liberty Loans, and donated more thanP'10,OOO to the Red Cross. The Sulus requested that atleast one battalion of their men be allowed to join theMoro Regiment of the Philippine National Guard. Theprovince was represented in the National Guard by acaptain, Hadji Gulam Rasul, son of Senator Hadji Butuand a first lieutenant, Arolas Tulawi. Both are pureMohammedan Sulus.The news of the victory of




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Exercises at the unveiling of a monument to Jose Rizal, at Jolo on June 19,1921. Dr. Orosa is speaking. At the other end of the platform is Hadji Butuand next to him is Governor Moore.

America and the Allies was received with great enthu-.siasm.The attitude or the Sulus toward Philippine inde-

pendence is not well defined. There is no real publicopinion regarding this matter, and the subject is seldomdiscussed. In 1916, the sultan and prominent Moroofficialspresented a memorial to the Philippine legis-lature declaring their concurrence with the rest or theFilipinosin the desire Ior political independence. HadjiButu, who was appointed to represent Mindanao andSulu in the Philippine senate when that body wasorganized, has always taken the view that "indepen-dence will come when the Filipino people can keep it!'In this he has many followers.The far-reaching benefits,or the policy of attraction

in Mindanao and Sulu are already beginning to be felt.Unhampered by disturbed political conditions, thepeople are devoting themselves to agriculture, com..




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The monument to Rizal at the moment after the unveiling. Note thePhilippine flag displayed under that of the United States.merce, and industries. They are coming to realize thatpeace is the only path to material progress and thathonest labor gives far greater returns than piracy oroutlawry. Above all, the people from the Visayas andLuzon are beginning to be convinced that a brightfuture awaits them in Mindanao and Sulu. Capital andlabor are coming in to develop the untouched andwell-nigh inexhaustible resources of these southernislands. Surely the solution of the economic problem ofthe Philippines lies largely in their development.Capital and labor, especially from the northern islands,should be urged to come to Mindanao and Sulu for theirown benefit and for the welfare of the Philippines.The efforts and successes of General Pershing and his

associates and predecessors should not be minimized.By completely conquering and disarming the peopleand establishing public order, they splendidly pavedthe way for the civil regime. Without their work thepolicy of attraction might never have evolved.




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CHAPTER IVTHE SULTANATEGOVERNMENT

THE sultan of Sulu has formally renounced his rights ofsovereignty; but prior to the advent of the Americans,he was an absolute monarch, except so far as his gov-ernment had come under Spanish control. The regionembraced in the present province was divided into fivepolitical districts, each under a panglima with as manyassistants as he needed. The government was compli-cated and far from efficient.The sultan, as the highest ecclesiastical and politicalauthority, was in effect both archbishop and king. His

power extended to parts ofMindanao and Palawan, andto Brunei in Borneo, where even now he is saluted in amilitary way. His word was law. He could declare warwithout the approval of other officials, and he mightkill any of his subjects or order them killed without trial.He could impose fines and corporal punishments at will.Great as were his powers, his private adviser, calledwazir, could be appealed to and might in some casesrevoke or modify the sultan's decisions. The decisionsof the wazir, however, could be revoked by the cadi, thelegal and religious authority, whose opinions were heldfinal.The following were the principal dignities; they are

given in the order of rank: sultan, king or emperor;raja muda, heir apparent; maharaja adinda, secondcrown prince; wazir, prime minister; muluk bandarasa,secretary of state; muluk cajal, secretary of war; rajalaut, secretary ofnavy; mirbahal, secretary of commerce;muratib, master of. ceremonies; tumangung, usher and

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THE SULTANATE 59

Jamalul Kiram II, Sultan of Sulu.

sergeant at arms; bandahala, town inspector; sahibul,chief of police; juhan pahalawan, inspector of fortifica--tions; sawajan, collector of customs; maharaja laila, .dis-trict inspector; sailama, inspector of weights and meas-ures. Each of these had the rank of datu..The followingofficialsexecuted the laws,military and

civil, and were next to datus in rankr panqlima, gov-ernor, judge, and military ruler of his district; maharajapahalawan, "colonel"; maharaja bansawan, "major"; ma...haraja (in charge of a subsection), "captain"; nakib,"first lieutenant"; ulangkaya, "lieutenant"; laksamana,

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The sultan's residence at Maimbung.

messenger of panglima; saiia, one intrusted with con-fidential information; parkasa, aid-de-camp of a pang-lima; pangholo, sultan's messenger, Although of lowrank, the pangholo was the only man empowered towaken the sultan, and he might do so at any time ofthe day or night.The purpose of the present government is to eliminate

these titles of an outworn regime, and to substitute forthem such designations as president and councilor.Panglimas and other chiefs of influence have beenappointed presidents, vice-presidents, and councilorsof the different municipal districts. Since the sultan isno longer allowed to confer political titles, the oldtitles are fast disappearing.The following named, in order pf rank, are strictlycivilian officials: mantiri; panglima dalan; ulankayamalik; ulangkaya digadong; munabbi; and muraiib. These

are blood relatives of the sultan. They are versed incustoms, making them their special study. They teachthe people how the sultan and other authorities should




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62 SULD ARCHIPELAGO AND ITS PEOPLE

Sheik Mustapha, once wazir of Sultan Harun, afterward asupervising teacher for the Department ofMindanao and Sulu.

mitted to another body consisting of the datus, overwhich the sultan presided.A law as approved was transmitted to the panglimas

and their subordinates for enforcement under theauthority of the sultan, the chief executive. If the sultanand the datus presented objections, the law was re-turned to the cadi, who then explained the meaning ofthe law and its relation to religio

Documents

The Sulu Archipelago and Its People