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                       Department of the Interior

                    Ethnological Survey Publications

                           Volume IV, Part I

               STUDIES IN MORO HISTORY, LAW, AND RELIGION


                                   By

                           NAJEEB M. SALEEBY

                                 Manila
                       Bureau of Public Printing
                                  1905







    Letter of Transmittal


    Department of the Interior,
    The Ethnological Survey,
    Manila, December 21, 1904.


    Sir: I have the honor to transmit a series of papers on Moro
    history, law, and religion consisting of original studies and
    translations from Moro texts made by Dr. Najeeb M. Saleeby. I
    recommend that these papers be published as Part I of Volume IV
    of the scientific studies edited by the Survey.


    Very respectfully,

    Merton L. Miller,
    Acting Chief of The Ethnological Survey.


    Hon. Dean C. Worcester,
    Secretary of the Interior, Manila, P. I.







CONTENTS

                                                              Page
Chapter I

History of Magindanao                                           11

    Magindanao history and genealogies                          11
    Introduction                                                11
    The transliteration                                         11
    Geographical sketch of the chief Moro settlements
    mentioned in the Tarsila of Mindanao                        13
    The mythology of Mindanao                                   16
    Manuscripts:
         I. From Adam to Mohammed                               20
                Genealogy of Mohammed                           20
                Translation                                     20
        II. Genealogy of Kabungsuwan and his coming to
            Magindanao, or the conversion of Magindanao
            to Islam                                            21
                Introduction                                    21
                Translation                                     23
       III. Genealogy of Bwayan                                 25
                Introduction                                    25
                Translation                                     26
        IV. History of the Dumatus and the conversion of
            Mindanao to Islam                                   28
                Introduction                                    28
                Translation                                     29
         V. Oldest copy of the genealogy of Magindanao and
            the Iranun datus                                    31
                Introduction                                    31
                Translation                                     33
        VI. History and genealogy of Magindanao proper          36
                Introduction                                    36
                Translation                                     37
       VII. Genealogy of Bagumbayan                             41
                Introduction                                    41
                Translation                                     42
                History of Bagumbayan                           47
      VIII. Ancestors of the datus of Mindanao                  49
                Introduction                                    49
                Translation                                     49
    History of Magindanao                                       50


Chapter II

Laws of the Moros                                               63

    General introduction                                        63
    The Luwaran, or the laws of Magindanao                      64
        Introduction                                            64
        Translation of the Luwaran, the Magindanao code of
        laws                                                    66
    Arabic marginal quotations of the Luwaran                   81
        Introduction                                            81
        Translation of the Arabic marginal quotations of
        the Luwaran                                             82
    Transliteration of Articles I to VIII of the Luwaran        88
    Sulu Codes                                                  89
    The principal Sulu Code                                     89
        Introduction                                            89
        The Code                                                90
    The new Sulu Code                                           94
        Introduction                                            94
        The Code                                                95


Chapter III

Two Sulu Orations                                              101
    Sulu oration for the feast of Ramadan                      101
    Sulu Friday oration                                        105







ILLUSTRATIONS


                                                          After page

Plate I. First page of an original manuscript copy of the Luwaran   64
     II. Second page of an original manuscript copy of the Luwaran  64
    III. Third page of an original manuscript copy of the Luwaran   64
     IV. Fourth page of an original manuscript copy of the Luwaran  64
      V. First page of the Sulu Code made and used by Sultan
         Jamalu-l-A'lam                                             90
     VI. Second page of the Sulu Code made and used by Sultan
         Jamalu-l-A'lam                                             90
    VII. Third page of the Sulu Code made and used by Sultan
         Jamalu-l-A'lam                                             90
   VIII. Fourth page of the Sulu Code made and used by Sultan
         Jamalu-l-A'lam                                             90
     IX. First page of the new Sulu Code in the Sulu dialect        94
      X. Second page of the new Sulu Code in the Sulu dialect       94
     XI. First page of the Sulu oration for the feast of Ramadan   102
    XII. Second page of the Sulu oration for the feast of Ramadan  102
   XIII. Third page of the Sulu oration for the feast of Ramadan   102
    XIV. First page of the Sulu Friday oration                     106
     XV. Second page of the Sulu Friday oration                    106
    XVI. Third page of the Sulu Friday oration                     106


Diagrams

  No. 1. Rulers of Bwayan from the first datu, Mamu                 22
      2. Rulers of Bwayan from Maytum, to the present time          22
      3. Rulers of Magindanao from Kabungsuwan to Sultan Pakir
         Mawlana Kamza                                              36
      4. Rulers of Magindanao from Sultan Pakir Mawlana Kamza to
         the present time                                           36
      5. Rulers of Bagumbayan from Raja Bwayan                      48







CHAPTER I

HISTORY OF MAGINDANAO


MAGINDANAO HISTORY AND GENEALOGIES


INTRODUCTION

The history of Mindanao prior to the advent of Islam is traditional
and mythological, and no effort has been made to put it on record. With
Islam came knowledge, art, and civilization. A new system of government
was instituted and its records were registered. Tarsila [1] were
written and the noble lineage of the datus was carefully kept. Each
sultanate or datuship kept a separate genealogy. These genealogies,
called tarsila or salsila, were very limited in their scope and brief
in their narration of events. They are our only source of written
information on the early history of the Moros, and are valuable on
that account. Previously the Moros withheld these tarsila and kept
them away from all foreigners and non-Mohammedans; but their attitude
has changed lately, and several different salsila were secured from
the chief datus of the Rio Grande Valley.

The original manuscripts could not be bought, but exact and true copies
of the same have been secured and translated and their translations
are herein published for the first time.



THE TRANSLITERATION

These tarsila are written in the Magindanao dialect with Arabic
characters, and a great part of their text is Magindanao names which
have never yet been expressed by means of Romanic characters. In
translating these tarsila such a large number of words have to
be transliterated that it is deemed necessary to adopt a system of
transliteration which can be easily understood by every English reader
and which is more adequate to express Magindanao sounds than either
Spanish or English. Such a system is herein adopted and is briefly
described as follows:

With the exception of ng and sh, the characters used in this system are
simple and represent simple sounds only. Every radical modification
of a certain simple sound is regarded as a different simple sound
and is represented by a separate and distinct character. Every
compound sound is represented by those characters that express its
simple constituent sounds. It is an unvarying rule in this system
that every character represents an invariable sound and every sound
has only one invariable character. The Magindanao dialect has only
twenty-seven simple sounds and can be expressed by twenty-seven simple
characters. These characters are the following:


    a, a, i, i, u, u, u, b, d, g, ng, h, j, k l, m, n, n, p, q, r,
    s, sh, t, w, y, z


The sounds which these characters represent conform very closely to
the original Roman sounds of the letters.


    a     is the short sound of a; it is pronounced midway between
          the a in bad and the e in bed
    a     is pronounced as the a in far, father
    i     is pronounced as the i in fin, ill
    i     is pronounced as the i in machine, police
    u     is pronounced as the u in put, push
    u     is pronounced as the u in rude, flute
    u     is a midvowel, pronounced with the tongue slightly moved
          from its normal position; it is intermediate between u
          and e, and is somewhat related to the u in hurt
    b, d, k, l, m, n, p, r, s, t are pronounced as in English
    g     is always hard, as the g in gold, get
    ng    has a guttural-nasal sound like the ng in ring
    h     has an aspirate sound and should be always pronounced
          like the h in hill, behind
    j     is rarely used; when used it is pronounced like the s in
          adhesion, vision
    n     has a distinct palato-nasal sound and is related to the
          Spanish n in senor; it is generally followed by ya
    q     is a clicking, guttural sound related to k
    sh    is equivalent to sh in ship
    w     is always consonantal and sounds like the w in we, twin,
          water
    y     is always consonantal and sounds like the y in you, yes,
          beyond
    z     is pronounced midway between z and s


The triphthongs herein expressed by tsha and nya are used in words
of Malay origin, and are represented by single characters in Malay
and Magindanao.

In many cases when u precedes w and i precedes y the natives omit the
u and the i, and the same word may be written either with or without
the u or the i. When written they are pronounced very short; u at
the beginning of a word, as in undu, unggu, is often omitted both in
pronunciation and in writing. Such words may be written ndu and nggu.

To write Magindanao words by means of Arabic characters correctly a
certain knowledge of Arabic grammar and orthography is necessary. The
Moros lack that knowledge and write very inaccurately and
inconsistently. They neither punctuate nor use the accent sign.

In transliterating these tarsila that pronunciation which seemed
consistent and characteristic of each tarsila was adopted in the
transliteration of the same. The text is punctuated. The accent sign
is used very frequently. It is generally omitted when the accent is
upon the first syllable in words of two syllables and when it is upon
the syllable containing the long vowel. Some stress should be put on
the last syllable as a rule.

The Magindanao tongue is energetic and strong. Its pronunciation is
generally forcible, the last syllable being spoken abruptly and with
a certain amount of stress.

The word Mohammed is written with o in spite of the fact that it is
pronounced with u sound in both Arabic and Magindanao.

The combinations ay, ay, aw, aw are not diphthongs, but simple
syllables. The y and w in these cases and in all cases where they
precede a vowel have pure and distinct consonantal sounds.



A GEOGRAPHICAL SKETCH OF THE CHIEF MORO SETTLEMENTS MENTIONED IN THE
TARSILA OF MINDANAO

The term Mindanao [2] or Magindanao was originally given to the town
now known as Cotabato and its immediate vicinity. As the power of the
sultan of Magindanao extended over the adjacent territory it was next
applied to the lower Rio Grande Valley and later to all the valley and
the whole seacoast that was brought under the rule of the sultan. The
word is derived from the root "danao," which means inundation by a
river, lake, or sea. The derivative "Mindanao" means "inundated"
or "that which is inundated." "Magindanao" means "that which has
inundation." This is the most appropriate term which could have been
given to this land. For more than 10 miles from the sea the Rio Grande,
aided by the rise of the tide, periodically overflows its banks and
floods all the adjacent lands. In the rainy season this inundation
extends farther up and includes an extensive tract of country. The
word "Cotabato" is in Moro kuta watu, which means a stone fort. Batu
is the equivalent of watu in Malay, Sulu, Tagalog, and Visaya. This
name is very modern, for the older maps that are still in use give
the name Mindanao in place of Cotabato. The little stream that rises
in the sulphur springs of Cotabato and empties into the Rio Grande
at its junction with the Matampay in front of the present guardhouse
is still known as the Stream of Magindanao.

The name of the Rio Grande in the Magindanao dialect is "Pulangi,"
which means "large river." The Rio Grande divides, 20 miles before it
reaches the sea, into the north branch and the south branch. Cotabato
is situated on the left bank of the north branch, about 5 miles from
its mouth. The hill of Cotabato is called "Tantawan," which means
"extensive view." Paygwan means "the place of washing," and is on the
left bank of the river at its mouth and above the bar. The Spanish
maps give it as Paiuan. Tinundan is at the mouth of a dead estuary
of the same name that joins the Pulangi about half a mile above
Paygwan and on the same side. Slangan is the western part of present
Cotabato and extends along the Manday stream. The Moros call the Manday
"Masurut." Simway extends along the river of the same name for about
2 miles from its mouth and lies about 4 miles north of Cotabato.

The Matampay River is a dead stream which joins the Pulangi
at Cotabato. Tagiman is the name of an old settlement built on
the Matampay River some distance above Cotabato. It is now called
Binilwan. Matampay and Lusudun were built on the Matampay River east of
Cotabato. Katitwan is an old settlement on the right bank of the river
3 miles below Libungan. Libungan is built at the junction of a river
of the same name with the Pulangi, about 9 miles above Cotabato. The
point at the fork is called Tambao. Three miles below Tambao on
the right bank of the south branch is the site of Bagumbayan. Three
miles below Bagumbayan on the left bank of the river is Taviran or
Tapidan. Ten miles below Taviran comes Tamontaka, which is nearly
south of Cotabato and about 4 miles distant. Tamontaka is about 4 miles
from the mouth of the south branch of the Pulangi. Lumbayanagi lies a
little below Tamontaka, on the right bank of the river. Immediately
above the fork and on the left bank of the main river lies the old
site of Kabuntalan. Fourteen miles above the fork lies Dulawan, the
settlement at present occupied by Datu Piang. Here empties one of the
largest tributaries of the Pulangi, which is navigable by launches for
12 miles farther up, to Sapakan, Datu Utu's main residence. Rakungan
lies in the foothills of the Tiruray Mountains about 12 miles south
of Sapakan. Talayan lies in the foothills of the Tiruray Mountains 15
miles southwest of Dulawan. Two miles below Dulawan lies the old site
of Bwayan, on the left bank of the Pulangi. Opposite Bwayan and Dulawan
lies the land of Kudarangan. Tinunkup is Reina Regente and Kabarukan
is the wooded hill beyond. Sarunayan is the stretch of country lying
north of Reina Regente and northeast of Kudarangan and extending to
the base of the Kulingtan Mountains, which separate the Rio Grande
Valley from the Ranao region. The country occupying the declivities
of these mountains north of Sarunayan is called Pidatan. Bagu Ingud
is an old settlement that lies along the left bank of the river about
16 or 20 miles above Reina Regente. Matbangan is on the right bank of
the river and extends a short distance below Piket. The Malitigaw or
Malidigaw is a large tributary of the Pulangi, about 15 miles above
Piket. Matinggawan is located at the junction of the Kabakan tributary
and about 30 miles above Piket. It is the chief settlement of the
last Moro district in the Rio Grande Valley whose farthest boundary
is the Mulita stream, which is about 115 miles by river above Cotabato.

Immediately south of the mouth of the south branch of the Rio Grande
and rising above the seashore at Linuk is the lofty and picturesque
pyramidal peak of Mount Kabalalan. From Kabalalan and the hills of
Taviran there stretches an extensive mountainous region or table-land
which extends as far south as the Bay of Sarangani. This table-land
is designated as the Tiruray table-land or mountains for the reason
that its northern half is inhabited by the tribe of pagans of the
same name who are not met with anywhere else. The Bay of Sarangani
is called in Moro Sugud Bwayan. Sugud means "bay," and Bwayan is
the chief settlement at the head of the bay. North of the head of
Sarangani Bay and at the southern terminus of one of the ranges of
the Apo system of mountains towers the picturesque and conical peak of
Mount Matutun. Matutun means "burning," and the mountain is an extinct
volcano. Lying between Matutun on the east and the previously mentioned
table-land on the west is the country of Talik. North of Talik lie Lake
Buluan or Bulwan and farther north Lake Ligwasan, which empties into
the Rio Grande through a stream called Maytum ig or black water. This
junction occurs at Kukmun, about 8 or 10 miles above Reina Regente.

Balabagan is about 10 miles south of Malabang. Magulalung is in the
neighborhood of Balabagan. The Iranun sultanate was on the shore of
Illana Bay, and the term Iranun signifies, in general, the people
who live along the shores of that bay. Iranun is also pronounced
and written as Ilanun; hence the corrupted Spanish name given to the
bay. The former Iranun sultanate must have occupied the country in the
vicinity of Malabang. Tubuk is the territory immediately bordering
on Malabang to the north of the Malabang stream. Baras lies a few
miles north of Malabang. Ramitan is in the immediate vicinity of Baras.

Malalis is near Tukurun. Dinas is the principal settlement on the
western coast of Illana Bay. Kumaladan is at the head of Dumanquilas
Bay. Sibugay is the name of the large bay east of the Zamboanga
peninsula.

The word "ranao" means a lake and is the name the Moros give to
the upland lake lying midway between Malabang and Iligan and to the
region surrounding the lake. The mountain range separating the Ranao
table-land from the Rio Grande Valley is called the Kulingtan Range
on account of the resemblance its peaks bear to the knobs of the row
of kulingtan on which the Moros make their music. The highest peak
in this range north of Parang and above Barira is supposed to be
Mount Bita. The highest ridge west of Ranao is called Mount Gurayn,
at the base of which lies the settlement of Bacolod or Bakulud.

The Ranao settlements which are mentioned in the tarsila are
Kadingilan, Bayan, Makadar, and Bakayawan in the south, and the
Bayabaw settlements of Marawi (Marahui), Madaya, and others in the
north; also Sikun, Didagun, and Dupilas.

At the time of the Spanish invasion of Mindanao all the southern and
western shores of the Island of Mindanao except the eastern shore
of Illana Bay were ruled and controlled by the sultan and datus
of Magindanao. The Ranao inhabitants are related to the Iranun in
language and tribal characteristics.

The word Mindanao unless restricted by the sense of the sentence
is generally used to mean the Island of Mindanao, while the term
Magindanao is limited to the old district or town of Cotabato proper.



THE MYTHOLOGY OF MINDANAO

Long ago, before the days of Kabungsuwan, Magindanao was covered
by water and the sea extended all over the lowlands and nothing
could be seen but mountains. The people lived on the highlands on
both sides. They were numerous and prosperous, and many villages and
settlements arose everywhere. But their prosperity and peace did not
last very long. There appeared in the land pernicious monsters which
devoured every human being they could reach. One of these terrible
animals was called Kurita. It had many limbs and lived partly on land
and partly in the sea. It haunted Mount Kabalalan [3] and extirpated
all animal life in its vicinity. The second was called Tarabusaw. This
ugly creature had the form of a man, but was very much larger. It
was extremely voracious and spread terror far and wide. It haunted
Mount Matutun and its neighborhood.

The third was a monstrous bird called Pah. [4] This bird was so
large when on the wing that it covered the sun and produced darkness
underneath. Its egg was as large as a house. It haunted Mount Bita
and the eastern Ranao region. It devoured the people and devastated
the land. The people were awe-struck, and those who escaped hid
themselves in the caves of the mountains.

The fourth was a dreadful bird, also, which had seven heads. It lived
in Mount Gurayn and the adjacent country.

The havoc was complete and the ruin of the land was awful. The sad
news found its way to strange and far lands, and all nations felt
sorry for the fate that befell Mindanao.

When the news reached Raja Indarapatra, the King of Mantapuli,
it grieved him very much and filled his heart with sympathy. Raja
Indarapatra called his brother, Raja Sulayman (Solomon) and asked
him to come to Mindanao to save the land from those destructive
animals. Raja Sulayman was moved with sorrow, mingled with enthusiasm
and zeal, and consented to come. Raja Indarapatra handed to his
brother his ring and his kris, Juru Pakal, [5] and wished him safety
and success. But before they parted Raja Indarapatra took a sapling
and planted it in the ground in front of his window. This he thought
was a sure sign by which he could tell what would happen to Sulayman
after his departure. He said to Sulayman, "If this tree lives, you
will live also; and if this tree dies, you will die too."

Raja Sulayman left Mantapuli and came over to Mindanao in the air. He
neither walked nor used a boat. The first place he reached was
Kabalalan. There he stood on the summit of the mountain and viewed
the land and the villages, but he could not see a single human being
anywhere. The sight was woeful, and Raja Sulayman exclaimed, "Alas,
how pitiful and dreadful is this devastation!" As Sulayman uttered
these words the whole mountain moved and shook, and suddenly there
came out of the ground a dreadful animal which attacked Sulayman and
fixed its claws in his flesh. The minute Sulayman saw the Kurita he
knew that it was the evil scourge of the land, and he immediately
drew his sword and cut the Kurita to pieces.

From there Sulayman went to Matutun. There he saw greater devastation
and a more awful condition of affairs. As he stood on the mountain
he heard a noise in the forest and saw a movement in the trees. Soon
there appeared Tarabusaw, which drew near and gave a loud yell. It
cautioned Sulayman and threatened to devour him. Sulayman in his
turn threatened to kill Tarabusaw. The animal said to Sulayman, "If
you kill me, I shall die the death of a martyr," and as it said these
words it broke large branches from the trees and assailed Sulayman. The
struggle lasted a long while, until at last the animal was exhausted
and fell to the ground; thereupon Sulayman struck it with his sword
and killed it. As the animal was dying it looked up to Sulayman
and congratulated him on his success. Sulayman answered and said,
"Your previous deeds brought this death on you."

The next place Sulayman went to was Mount Bita. Here the devastation
was worse still. Sulayman passed by many houses, but they were
all vacant and not a soul lived there. "Alas, what havoc and what
misfortune has befallen this country!" he exclaimed, as he went
on. But suddenly there came a darkness upon the land and Sulayman
wondered what it could mean. He looked up to the sky and beheld a
wonderful and huge bird descending from the sky upon him. He at once
recognized the bird and understood its purpose, and as quick as he
could draw his sword he struck the bird and cut off its wing. The
bird fell dead, but its wing fell on Sulayman and killed him.

At this same time Raja Indarapatra was sitting in his window, and he
looked and saw the little tree wither and dry up. "Alas!" he said,
"Raja Sulayman is dead;" and he wept.

Sad at heart but full of determination and desire for revenge, he got
up, put on his sword and belt, and came over to Mindanao to search
for his brother. He traveled in the air with wonderful speed and came
to Kabalalan first. There he looked around and saw the bones of the
Kurita and concluded that his brother had been there and had gone. At
Matutun he saw the bones of Tarabusaw, but Sulayman was not there. So
he passed on to Mount Bita and resumed the search. There he saw the
dead bird lying on the ground, and as he lifted the severed wing,
he saw the bones of Sulayman, and recognized them by means of the
sword that was lying by their side. As he looked at the sword and at
the bones he was overwhelmed with grief and wept with tears. Raising
up his head he turned around and beheld a small jar of water near
him. He knew that the jar was sent down from heaven, so he took it
and poured its water on the bones of his brother, and his brother
came to life again. Sulayman stood up, greeted his brother, and
talked with him. Raja Indarapatra had thought that Sulayman was dead,
but Sulayman assured him that he had not been dead, but that he had
been asleep. Raja Indarapatra rejoiced and life and happiness filled
his heart.

Raja Sulayman returned after that to Mantapuli, but Raja Indarapatra
continued his march to Mount Gurayn. There he met the dreadful bird
that had seven heads and killed it with his sword, Juru Pakal.

Having destroyed all these noxious animals, and having restored
peace and safety to the land, Raja Indarapatra set himself searching
for the people that might have escaped destruction. He was of the
opinion that some people must have contrived to hide in the earth
and that they might be alive yet. One day during his search he saw
a beautiful woman at some distance, and as he hastened to meet her
she disappeared quickly through a hole in the ground where she was
standing. Having become tired and pressed with hunger, he sat down on
a rock to rest. Looking around for food, he saw a pot full of uncooked
rice and a big fire on the ground in front of it. Coming to the fire
he placed it between his legs and put the pot over his knees to cook
the rice. While so occupied he heard a person laugh and exclaim,
"Oh, what a powerful person this man is!" He turned around and,
lo, there was an old woman near by looking at him and wondering how
he could cook his rice on a fire between his legs. The woman drew
nearer and conversed with Raja Indarapatra, who ate his rice and
stood talking to her. He inquired of her about her escape and about
the inhabitants of the land. She answered that most of them had been
killed and devoured by the pernicious animals, but that a few were
still alive. She and her old husband, she said, hid in a hollow tree
and could not come out from their hiding place until Raja Sulayman
killed the awful bird, Pah. The rest of the people and the datu, she
continued, hid in a cave in the ground and did not dare to come out
again. He urged her to lead him to the cave and show him the people,
and she did so. The cave was very large, and on one side of it were
the apartments of the datu and his family. He was ushered into the
presence of the datu and was quickly surrounded by all the people who
were in the cave. He related to them his purpose and his mission and
what he had accomplished and asked them to come out and reinhabit the
land. There he saw again the beautiful girl whom he had observed at
the opening of the cave. She was the daughter of the datu, and the
datu gave her to him in marriage in appreciation of the good he had
done for them and the salvation he had brought to the land. The people
came out of the cave and returned to their homes, where they lived
in peace and prosperity again. At this time the sea had withdrawn
and the lowland had appeared.

One day as Raja Indarapatra was considering his return home he
remembered Sulayman's ring and went out to search for it. During
the search he found a net near the water and stopped to fish to
replenish his provisions for the continuation of the march. The net
caught a quantity of buganga fish, some of which he ate. Inside one
of the fish he found his ring. This cheered Raja Indarapatra's heart
and completed his joy. Later he bade his father-in-law and his wife
good-bye and returned to Mantapuli pleased and happy.

Raja Indarapatra's wife was pregnant at the time of their parting and
a few months later gave birth to twins, a boy and a girl. The boy's
name was Rinamuntaw and the girl's name was Rinayung. These two persons
are supposed to be the ancestors of some of the Ranao tribes or datus.

This narration was secured from Datu Kali Adam, who learned it from
the late Maharaja Layla of Magindanao and from Alad, one of the oldest
and most intelligent Moros living. Alad says that Mantapuli was a very
great city far in the land of the sunset; where, exactly, he does not
know, but he is sure it was beyond the sea. Mantapuli was so large,
he said, and its people were so numerous, that it blurred the eyes
to look at them move; they crushed the bamboo very fine if it was
laid in the street one day.

Raja Indarapatra is the mythological hero of Magindanao and Mantapuli
is his city. These names are very frequently mentioned in Moro stories,
and various miracles are ascribed to them.

Kabalalan, Matutun, Bita, and Gurayn are the most prominent and
picturesque peaks of Mindanao and Ranao with which the Moros are
familiar. The whole narration is native and genuine, and is typical
of the Magindanao style and superstitions. Some Arabic names and
Mohammedan expressions have crept into the story, but they are really
foreign and scarcely affect the color of the story.

The animal Kurita seems to bear some resemblance to the big crocodiles
that abound in the Rio Grande River. Tarabusaw may signify a large
variety of ape. A heinous bird is still