The Tausug (also spelled Tausog;
natively ,
Jawi: ) are an
Austronesian ethnic group
An ethnicity or ethnic group is a group of people with shared attributes, which they collectively believe to have, and long-term endogamy. Ethnicities share attributes like language, culture, common sets of ancestry, traditions, society, re ...
native to the
Sulu Archipelago
The Sulu Archipelago ( Tausug: Kapū'-pūan sin Sūg Sulat Sūg: , ) is a chain of islands in the Pacific Ocean, in the southwestern Philippines. The archipelago forms the northern limit of the Celebes Sea and southern limit of the Sulu Se ...
and northeastern coastal areas of
Borneo
Borneo () is the List of islands by area, third-largest island in the world, with an area of , and population of 23,053,723 (2020 national censuses). Situated at the geographic centre of Maritime Southeast Asia, it is one of the Greater Sunda ...
, which spans present-day
Philippines
The Philippines, officially the Republic of the Philippines, is an Archipelagic state, archipelagic country in Southeast Asia. Located in the western Pacific Ocean, it consists of List of islands of the Philippines, 7,641 islands, with a tot ...
and
Malaysia
Malaysia is a country in Southeast Asia. Featuring the Tanjung Piai, southernmost point of continental Eurasia, it is a federation, federal constitutional monarchy consisting of States and federal territories of Malaysia, 13 states and thre ...
. Large Tausug populations are also found in the cities of mainland
Mindanao
Mindanao ( ) is the List of islands of the Philippines, second-largest island in the Philippines, after Luzon, and List of islands by population, seventh-most populous island in the world. Located in the southern region of the archipelago, the ...
, in particular
Zamboanga City
Zamboanga City, officially the City of Zamboanga (; ; Subanen languages, Subanen: ''Bagbenwa Sembwangan''; Sama–Bajaw languages, Sama: ''Lungsud Samboangan''; ; ; ) is a Cities of the Philippines#Legal classification, highly urbanized city i ...
,
Cotabato City
Cotabato City, officially the City of Cotabato (Maguindanao language, Maguindanaon: ''Kuta nu Kutawatu'', Jawi alphabet, Jawi: ; Cebuano language, Cebuano: ''Dakbayan sa Cotabato''; ), is a Cities of the Philippines#Legal classification, inde ...
and
Davao City
Davao City, officially the City of Davao, is a City of the Philippines#Legal classification, highly urbanized city in the Davao Region, Philippines. The city has a total land area of , making it the List of Philippine cities and municipalities ...
, and the island of
Palawan
Palawan (, ), officially the Province of Palawan (; ), is an archipelagic province of the Philippines that is located in the region of Mimaropa. It is the largest province in the country in terms of total area of . The capital and largest c ...
. Smaller Tausug communities can be found in
North Kalimantan in
Indonesia
Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania, between the Indian Ocean, Indian and Pacific Ocean, Pacific oceans. Comprising over List of islands of Indonesia, 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, ...
.
Following the
introduction of Islam to the Sulu Archipelago in the 14th century, the Tausug established the
Sultanate of Sulu
The Sultanate of Sulu (; ; ) is a Sunni Muslim subnational monarchy in the Philippines, Republic of the Philippines that includes the Sulu Archipelago, coastal areas of Zamboanga City and certain portions of Palawan in today's Philippines. H ...
, a
thalassocratic state
State most commonly refers to:
* State (polity), a centralized political organization that regulates law and society within a territory
**Sovereign state, a sovereign polity in international law, commonly referred to as a country
**Nation state, a ...
that exercised sovereignty over the islands that bordered the Zamboanga Peninsula in the east to Palawan in the north.
At its peak, it also covered areas further inland in northeastern Borneo and southwestern Mindanao. During the
Spanish colonial period of the Philippines, Tausug soldiers resisted repeated
Spanish invasions and the Sultanate of Sulu remained a de facto independent state until 1915, following the
Moro Rebellion which resulted in the state being annexed by the
United States
The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...
.
Following
the independence of the Philippines in 1946, the Philippines has acted as the
successor state
Succession of states is a concept in international relations regarding a successor state that has become a sovereign state over a territory (and populace) that was previously under the sovereignty of another state. The theory has its roots in 19th ...
of the Sultanate of Sulu, which has led to tensions with neighboring predominantly-Christian ethnic groups. Today, the Tausug form a part of the wider Muslim-majority
Moro political identity in the Philippines, and have continued their shared struggle for
self-determination
Self-determination refers to a people's right to form its own political entity, and internal self-determination is the right to representative government with full suffrage.
Self-determination is a cardinal principle in modern international la ...
. This has culminated in a
decades-long insurgency in Mindanao, and a
territorial dispute between Malaysia and the Philippines. In Malaysia, ethnic Tausug people are known by the
exonym
An endonym (also known as autonym ) is a common, name for a group of people, individual person, geographical place, language, or dialect, meaning that it is used inside a particular group or linguistic community to identify or designate them ...
Suluk and have more recently formed a distinct socio-political identity from Tausug refugees arriving in Malaysia due to continued conflict in the southern Philippines.
Etymology
The first half of the name Tausug derives from the
Tausug word ''tau'', meaning person.
The term ''sūg'' is widely accepted to derive from the word meaning
sea current, with the definition of the whole name meaning “people of the
eacurrents”.
is the modern form of the older term (meaning "
eacurrents"), which was also the old name of the island of
Jolo. It is derived from
Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *sələg (“flowing water, current”), and is a
cognate
In historical linguistics, cognates or lexical cognates are sets of words that have been inherited in direct descent from an etymological ancestor in a common parent language.
Because language change can have radical effects on both the s ...
of
Cebuano ,
Tagalog , and
Malay .
History
Pre-Islamic era
During the 13th century, the Tausug people began migrating to present-day
Zamboanga and the
Sulu archipelago
The Sulu Archipelago ( Tausug: Kapū'-pūan sin Sūg Sulat Sūg: , ) is a chain of islands in the Pacific Ocean, in the southwestern Philippines. The archipelago forms the northern limit of the Celebes Sea and southern limit of the Sulu Se ...
from their homelands in northeastern Mindanao. William Scott (1994) calls the Tausugs the descendants of the ancient
Butuanons and
Surigaonons from the
Rajahnate of Butuan, who moved south and established a spice trading port in Sulu. Sultan
Batarah Shah Tengah, who ruled in 1600, was said to have been a native of Butuan. The Butuanon-Surigaonon origin of the Tausugs is suggested by the relationship of their languages, as the Butuanon, Surigaonon and Tausug languages are all grouped under the
Southern Visayan sub-family. Consequently, the Tausug language is closely related to other Southern Bisayan languages like the
Butuanon language, which is still spoken in northeastern Mindanao to this day.
Prior to the establishment of the sultanate, the Tausug lived in communities called ''banwa''. Each banwa was headed by a leader known as a ''panglima'' along with a shaman called a ''mangungubat''. The shaman could be either a man or a woman. Each banwa was considered an independent state, like other city-states in Asia. The Tausug of the era had trade relations with neighboring Tausug banwas, the
Yakan people of
Basilan
Basilan, officially the Province of Basilan (; ; ; ), is an island province of the Philippines located primarily in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region. Basilan Island is the largest and northernmost of the major islands of the Sulu Archipelago ...
, and the nomadic
Sama-Bajau.
The Tausug were
Islamized in the 14th century and established the
sultanate of Sulu
The Sultanate of Sulu (; ; ) is a Sunni Muslim subnational monarchy in the Philippines, Republic of the Philippines that includes the Sulu Archipelago, coastal areas of Zamboanga City and certain portions of Palawan in today's Philippines. H ...
in the 15th century,
[
*] and eventually dominated the local
Sama-Bajau people of the Sulu archipelago,
Sultanate era

In 1380, the
Sunni
Sunni Islam is the largest branch of Islam and the largest religious denomination in the world. It holds that Muhammad did not appoint any successor and that his closest companion Abu Bakr () rightfully succeeded him as the caliph of the Mu ...
Sufi
Sufism ( or ) is a mysticism, mystic body of religious practice found within Islam which is characterized by a focus on Islamic Tazkiyah, purification, spirituality, ritualism, and Asceticism#Islam, asceticism.
Practitioners of Sufism are r ...
scholar
Karim-ul Makhdum, a Muslim missionary of the
Ash'ari Aqeeda and
Shafi'i
The Shafi'i school or Shafi'i Madhhab () or Shafi'i is one of the four major schools of fiqh (Islamic jurisprudence), belonging to the Ahl al-Hadith tradition within Sunni Islam. It was founded by the Muslim scholar, jurist, and traditionis ...
madhhab
A ''madhhab'' (, , pl. , ) refers to any school of thought within fiqh, Islamic jurisprudence. The major Sunni Islam, Sunni ''madhhab'' are Hanafi school, Hanafi, Maliki school, Maliki, Shafi'i school, Shafi'i and Hanbali school, Hanbali.
They ...
, arrived in Sulu. He introduced the
Islamic
Islam is an Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the Quran, and the teachings of Muhammad. Adherents of Islam are called Muslims, who are estimated to number Islam by country, 2 billion worldwide and are the world ...
faith and settled in Tubig Indangan in
Simunul, where he lived until his death. The pillars of a mosque he had built at Tubig-Indangan still stand. In 1390,
Rajah Baguinda Ali landed at
Buansa, and continued the missionary work of Makhdum. The
Johore-born Arab adventurer
Sayyid Abubakar Abirin arrived in 1450, and married Baguinda's daughter, Dayang-dayang Paramisuli. After Rajah Baguinda's death, Sayyid Abubakar became sultan, thereby introducing the
sultanate
Sultan (; ', ) is a Royal and noble ranks, position with several historical meanings. Originally, it was an Arabic abstract noun meaning "strength", "authority", "rulership", derived from the verbal noun ', meaning "authority" or "power". La ...
as a political system (see
Sultanate of Sulu
The Sultanate of Sulu (; ; ) is a Sunni Muslim subnational monarchy in the Philippines, Republic of the Philippines that includes the Sulu Archipelago, coastal areas of Zamboanga City and certain portions of Palawan in today's Philippines. H ...
). Political districts were created in
Parang,
Pansul, Lati,
Gitung, and
Luuk, each headed by a ''
panglima'' or district leader. After the Sunni Sufi scholar Sayyid Abubakar's death, the sultanate system had already become well established in Sulu. Before the coming of the Spaniards, the ethnic groups in Sulu — the Tausug,
Samal,
Yakan, and the
Bajau – were united to varying degrees under the Sulu sultanate following the
Sunni
Sunni Islam is the largest branch of Islam and the largest religious denomination in the world. It holds that Muhammad did not appoint any successor and that his closest companion Abu Bakr () rightfully succeeded him as the caliph of the Mu ...
Islam, they were
Ash'ari
Ash'arism (; ) is a school of theology in Sunni Islam named after Abu al-Hasan al-Ash'ari, a Shāfiʿī jurist, reformer (''mujaddid''), and scholastic theologian, in the 9th–10th century. It established an orthodox guideline, based on ...
in aqeeda and
Shafi'i
The Shafi'i school or Shafi'i Madhhab () or Shafi'i is one of the four major schools of fiqh (Islamic jurisprudence), belonging to the Ahl al-Hadith tradition within Sunni Islam. It was founded by the Muslim scholar, jurist, and traditionis ...
in Madh'hab as well as practitioners of
Sufism
Sufism ( or ) is a mysticism, mystic body of religious practice found within Islam which is characterized by a focus on Islamic Tazkiyah, purification, spirituality, ritualism, and Asceticism#Islam, asceticism.
Practitioners of Sufism are r ...
.
The political system of the sultanate was
patrilineal. The
sultan
Sultan (; ', ) is a position with several historical meanings. Originally, it was an Arabic abstract noun meaning "strength", "authority", "rulership", derived from the verbal noun ', meaning "authority" or "power". Later, it came to be use ...
was the sole sovereign of the sultanate, followed by various
maharajah and
raja
Raja (; from , IAST ') is a noble or royal Sanskrit title historically used by some Indian subcontinent, Indian rulers and monarchs and highest-ranking nobles. The title was historically used in the Indian subcontinent and Southeast Asia.
T ...
h-titled subdivisional princes. Further down the line were the numerous ''panglima'' or local chiefs, similar in function to the modern
Philippine political post of the
barangay captain in the
barangay
The barangay (; abbreviated as Brgy. or Bgy.), historically referred to as ''barrio'', is the smallest Administrative divisions of the Philippines, administrative division in the Philippines. Named after the Precolonial barangay, precolonial po ...
system.
The Sulu Archipelago was an
entrepôt
An entrepôt ( ; ) or transshipment port is a port, city, or trading post where merchandise may be imported, stored, or traded, usually to be exported again. Such cities often sprang up and such ports and trading posts often developed into comm ...
that attracted merchants from south China and various parts of Southeast Asia beginning in the 14th century.
The name "Sulu" is attested in Chinese historical records as early as 1349,
during the late
Yuan dynasty
The Yuan dynasty ( ; zh, c=元朝, p=Yuáncháo), officially the Great Yuan (; Mongolian language, Mongolian: , , literally 'Great Yuan State'), was a Mongol-led imperial dynasty of China and a successor state to the Mongol Empire after Div ...
, suggesting trade relations around this time.
Trade continued into the early
Ming dynasty
The Ming dynasty, officially the Great Ming, was an Dynasties of China, imperial dynasty of China that ruled from 1368 to 1644, following the collapse of the Mongol Empire, Mongol-led Yuan dynasty. The Ming was the last imperial dynasty of ...
(1368–1644), as envoys were sent in several missions to China to trade and
pay tribute to
the emperor. Sulu merchants often exchanged goods with
Chinese Muslims, and there was also trade with Muslims who were of
Arab
Arabs (, , ; , , ) are an ethnic group mainly inhabiting the Arab world in West Asia and North Africa. A significant Arab diaspora is present in various parts of the world.
Arabs have been in the Fertile Crescent for thousands of years ...
,
Persian,
Malay, or
Indian descent.
Islamic historian
Cesar Adib Majul argues that Islam was introduced to the Sulu Archipelago in the late 14th century by Chinese and Arab merchants and missionaries from Ming China.
Moreover, these 7 Arab missionaries were called "Lumpang Basih" by the Tausug and they were Sunni Sufi Scholars from the
Ba 'Alawi sada of Yemen.
Around this time, a notable Arab judge,
Sunni
Sunni Islam is the largest branch of Islam and the largest religious denomination in the world. It holds that Muhammad did not appoint any successor and that his closest companion Abu Bakr () rightfully succeeded him as the caliph of the Mu ...
Sufi
Sufism ( or ) is a mysticism, mystic body of religious practice found within Islam which is characterized by a focus on Islamic Tazkiyah, purification, spirituality, ritualism, and Asceticism#Islam, asceticism.
Practitioners of Sufism are r ...
and
religious scholar named
Karim ul-Makhdum[May be interchange to ''Karimul Makhdum'', ''Karimal Makdum'' or ''Makhdum Karim'' among others. Makhdum came from the Arabic word ''makhdūmīn'', which means "master".] from
Mecca
Mecca, officially Makkah al-Mukarramah, is the capital of Mecca Province in the Hejaz region of western Saudi Arabia; it is the Holiest sites in Islam, holiest city in Islam. It is inland from Jeddah on the Red Sea, in a narrow valley above ...
arrived in Malacca. He preached
Islam
Islam is an Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the Quran, and the teachings of Muhammad. Adherents of Islam are called Muslims, who are estimated to number Islam by country, 2 billion worldwide and are the world ...
, particularly the
Ash'ari
Ash'arism (; ) is a school of theology in Sunni Islam named after Abu al-Hasan al-Ash'ari, a Shāfiʿī jurist, reformer (''mujaddid''), and scholastic theologian, in the 9th–10th century. It established an orthodox guideline, based on ...
Aqeeda and
Shafi'i
The Shafi'i school or Shafi'i Madhhab () or Shafi'i is one of the four major schools of fiqh (Islamic jurisprudence), belonging to the Ahl al-Hadith tradition within Sunni Islam. It was founded by the Muslim scholar, jurist, and traditionis ...
Madh'hab as well as the
Qadiriyya Tariqa to the people, and thus many citizens, including the ruler of Malacca,
converted to Islam.
The Sulu leader
Paduka Pahala and his sons moved to China, where he died, and Chinese Muslims brought up his sons in
Dezhou
Dezhou () is a prefecture-level city in northwestern Shandong province, People's Republic of China. It borders the provincial capital of Jinan to the southeast, Liaocheng to the southwest, Binzhou to the northeast, and the province of Hebei ...
, where their descendants live and have the surnames An and Wen. In 1380 AD,
[Another uncertain date in Philippine Islamic history is the year of arrival of Karim ul-Makhdum. Though other Muslim scholars place the date as simply "''the end of 14th century''", Saleeby calculated the year as 1380 AD corresponding to the description of the ''tarsilas'', in which Karim ul-Makhdum's coming is 10 years before Rajah Baguinda's. The 1380 reference originated from the event in Islamic history when a huge number of ''makhdūmīn'' started to travel to Southeast Asia from ]India
India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...
. See Ibrahim's "Readings on Islam in Southeast Asia." Karim ul-Makhdum arrived in
Simunul island from
Malacca
Malacca (), officially the Historic State of Malacca (), is a States and federal territories of Malaysia, state in Malaysia located in the Peninsular Malaysia#Other features, southern region of the Malay Peninsula, facing the Strait of Malacca ...
, again with Arab traders. Apart from being a scholar, he operated as a trader; some see him as a
Sufi
Sufism ( or ) is a mysticism, mystic body of religious practice found within Islam which is characterized by a focus on Islamic Tazkiyah, purification, spirituality, ritualism, and Asceticism#Islam, asceticism.
Practitioners of Sufism are r ...
missionary
A missionary is a member of a Religious denomination, religious group who is sent into an area in order to promote its faith or provide services to people, such as education, literacy, social justice, health care, and economic development.Thoma ...
originating from
Mecca
Mecca, officially Makkah al-Mukarramah, is the capital of Mecca Province in the Hejaz region of western Saudi Arabia; it is the Holiest sites in Islam, holiest city in Islam. It is inland from Jeddah on the Red Sea, in a narrow valley above ...
.
He preached Islam in the area, and was thus accepted by the core Muslim community. He was the second person who preached Islam in the area, following Tuan Mashā′ikha. To facilitate easy conversion of nonbelievers, he established a mosque in Tubig-Indagan, Simunul, which became the first Islamic temple to be constructed in the area, as well as the first in the
Philippines
The Philippines, officially the Republic of the Philippines, is an Archipelagic state, archipelagic country in Southeast Asia. Located in the western Pacific Ocean, it consists of List of islands of the Philippines, 7,641 islands, with a tot ...
. This later became known as
Sheik Karimal Makdum Mosque. He died in Sulu, although the exact location of his grave is unknown. In Buansa, he was known as Tuan Sharif Awliyā On his alleged grave in Bud Agad, Jolo, an inscription reassure "Mohadum Aminullah Al-Nikad". In
Lugus
Lugus (sometimes Lugos or Lug) is a Celtic god whose worship is attested in the epigraphic record. No depictions of the god are known. Lugus perhaps also appears in Ancient Rome, Roman sources and medieval Insular Celts, Insular mythology.
Va ...
, he is referred to as Abdurrahman. In
Sibutu, he is known by his name.
The difference of beliefs on his grave location came about due to the fact that the
Qadiri Shaykh
Sheikh ( , , , , ''shuyūkh'' ) is an honorific title in the Arabic language, literally meaning "elder (administrative title), elder". It commonly designates a tribal chief or a Muslim ulama, scholar. Though this title generally refers to me ...
Karim ul-Makhdum travelled to several islands in the
Sulu Sea
The Sulu Sea (; Tausug: ''Dagat sin Sūg''; ; ) is a body of water in the southwestern area of the Philippines, separated from the South China Sea in the northwest by Palawan and from the Celebes Sea in the southeast by the Sulu Archipela ...
to preach Islam. In many places in the archipelago, he was beloved. It is said that the people of
Tapul built a mosque honoring him and that they claim descent from Karim ul-Makhdum. Thus, the success of Karim ul-Makhdum of spreading Islam in Sulu threw a new light in Islamic history in the Philippines. The customs, beliefs and political laws of the people changed and customized to adopt the Islamic tradition.
Sulu abruptly stopped sending tributes to the Ming in 1424.
Antonio Pigafetta, in his journals, records that the sultan of Brunei went and invaded Sulu in order subjugate the nation and retrieve the two sacred pearls Sulu pillaged from Brunei during earlier times. A sultan of Brunei,
Sultan Bolkiah, married a princess (''dayang-dayang'') of Sulu, Puteri Laila Menchanai, and they became the grandparents of the Muslim prince of
Maynila,
Rajah Matanda, as Manila was a Muslim city-state and vassal to Brunei before the Spanish colonized them and converted them from Islam to Christianity. Islamic Manila ended after the failed attack of
Tarik Sulayman, a Muslim Kapampangan commander, in the failure of the
Conspiracy of the Maharlikas, when the formerly Muslim Manila nobility attempted a secret alliance with the Japanese shogunate and Bruneiean sultanate (together with her Manila and Sulu allies) to expel the Spaniards from the Philippines.
Many Tausugs and other native Muslims of Sulu Sultanate already interacted with Kapampangan and Tagalog Muslims called
Luzones based in Brunei, and there were intermarriages between them. The Spanish had native allies against the former Muslims they conquered like Hindu Tondo which resisted Islam when Brunei invaded and established Manila as a Muslim city-state to supplant Hindu Tondo.
Battles and skirmishes
were waged intermittently from 1578 till 1898 between the Spanish colonial government and the
Moros of
Mindanao
Mindanao ( ) is the List of islands of the Philippines, second-largest island in the Philippines, after Luzon, and List of islands by population, seventh-most populous island in the world. Located in the southern region of the archipelago, the ...
and the
Sulu
Sulu (), officially the Province of Sulu (Tausug language, Tausūg: ''Wilaya' sin Lupa' Sūg''; ), is a Provinces of the Philippines, province of the Philippines in the Sulu Archipelago.
It was part of the Bangsamoro, Bangsamoro Autonomous R ...
archipelago. In 1578, an expedition sent by Governor
Francisco de Sande and headed by Captain Rodriguez de Figueroa began the 300-year conflict between the Tausūgs and the Spanish authorities. In 1579, the Spanish government gave de Figueroa the sole right to colonize Mindanao. In retaliation, the Moro raided Visayan towns in Panay, Negros, and Cebu, for they knew the Spanish conscripted foot soldiers from these areas. Such Moro raids were repelled by Spanish and Visayan forces. In the early 17th century, the largest alliance, comprising Maranao, Maguindanao, Tausūg, and other Moro and Lumad groups, was formed by
Sultan Kudarat or Cachil Corralat of Maguindanao, ruler of domains extending from the Davao Gulf to Dapitan on the Zamboanga peninsula. Several Spanish expeditions suffered defeat at their hands. In 1635, Captain Juan de Chaves erected a fort and established a settlement in Zamboanga. In 1637, Governor General
Sebastián Hurtado de Corcuera personally led an expedition against Kudarat, and temporarily triumphed over his forces at Lamitan and
Iliana Bay. On 1 January 1638, Hurtado de Corcuera, with 80 vessels and 2000 soldiers, defeated the Moro Tausūg and occupied Jolo, mainly staying inside captured Cottas. A peace treaty was forged, but Spanish sovereignty over Sulu still had not been firmly established; the Tausūg abrogated the treaty in 1646 soon after the Spaniards occupiers departed. It wasn't until 1705 that the sultanate renounced to
Spain
Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...
any sovereignty it had previously asserted over south
Palawan
Palawan (, ), officially the Province of Palawan (; ), is an archipelagic province of the Philippines that is located in the region of Mimaropa. It is the largest province in the country in terms of total area of . The capital and largest c ...
, and in 1762 it similarly relinquished its claims over
Basilan
Basilan, officially the Province of Basilan (; ; ; ), is an island province of the Philippines located primarily in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region. Basilan Island is the largest and northernmost of the major islands of the Sulu Archipelago ...
. During the last quarter of the 19th century, the sultanate formally recognized Spanish sovereignty, but these areas remained partially controlled by the Spanish, with their sovereignty limited to military stations, garrisons, and pockets of civilian settlements in Zamboanga and Cotabato (the latter under the
Sultanate of Maguindanao). Eventually, as a consequence of their defeat in the Spanish–American War, the Spanish had to abandon the region entirely.
In 1737, Sultan
Alimud Din I, advancing his own personal interests, entered into a "permanent" peace treaty with Governor General F. Valdes y Tamon; and in 1746, he befriended the Jesuits sent to Jolo by King Philip. The "permission" of Sultan Azimuddin-I (*the first heir-apparent) allowed Catholic Jesuits to enter Jolo, but his younger brother, Raja Muda Maharajah Adinda Datu Bantilan (*the second heir-apparent) argued against this, saying that he did not want the Catholic Jesuits to disturb or dishonor Islamic faith among the Moro in Sulu. The two brothers' disagreement eventually caused Sultan Azimuddin-I to depart Jolo, first removing to Zamboanga and eventually arriving in
Manila
Manila, officially the City of Manila, is the Capital of the Philippines, capital and second-most populous city of the Philippines after Quezon City, with a population of 1,846,513 people in 2020. Located on the eastern shore of Manila Bay on ...
1748. Upon his departure, his brother Raja Muda Maharajah Adinda Datu Bantilan was proclaimed sultan, taking the name Sultan Bantilan Muizzuddin.
In 1893, amid succession controversies, Amir ul Kiram became Sultan Jamalul Kiram II, the title being officially recognized by the Spanish authorities. In 1899, after the defeat of Spain in the Spanish–American War, Colonel Luis Huerta, the last governor of Sulu, relinquished his garrison to the Americans. (Orosa 1970:25–30).

In northern
Borneo
Borneo () is the List of islands by area, third-largest island in the world, with an area of , and population of 23,053,723 (2020 national censuses). Situated at the geographic centre of Maritime Southeast Asia, it is one of the Greater Sunda ...
, most citizen families residing in Sabah are generally-recognized to have lived in the area since the time of the sultanate.
[Most of the native Suluks in Sabah have lived there since before the formation of Malaysia. At that time, everyone living within Malaysian borders automatically gained citizenship, as contrasted with later immigrants from the Philippines arriving after the country had been formed.] Local
North Borneo records indicate that during the period of British rule, a notable Bajau-Suluk warrior participated in the
Mat Salleh Rebellion, participating in the conflict until his death. During the
Second World War
World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
when the
Japanese occupied the northern Borneo area, many Suluk people, along with ethnic Chinese emigrants, were massacred by
Japanese soldiers during the
Jesselton Revolt against the Japanese invasion and occupation.
The Tausug had a saying, "Mayayao pa muti in bukug ayaw in tikud-tikud" (It is preferable to see the whiteness of your bone due to wounds than whiten your heel from running away) and in magsabil "when one runs amuck and he is able to kill a nonbeliever and in turn gets killed for it, his place in heaven is assured."
The Tausug waged parang sabil (holy war) for their land (Lupah Sug) and religion against the United States after Bud Bagsak and Bud Dahu and during the Moro National Liberation Front's struggle against the Philippines since 1972, with them being memorialized in tales of Parang Sabil like "The Story of War in Zambo" (Kissa sin Pagbunu ha Zambo about MNLF commander Ustadz Habier Malik's 2013 attack in Zamboanga.
Some Tausug who went on parang sabil did it to redeem themselves in causes of dishonor (hiya). Tausug believe the sabils gain divine protection and can be immune to bullets while going on their suicide attacks. Tausug committed parrangsabil in 1984 at Pata island, 1974 at Jolo, 1968 at Corregidor island, 1913 at Bud Bagsak, 1911 at Bud Talipaw, 1911 and 1906 at Bud Dahu. Tausug believe that the rituals they undergo in preparation for magsasabil and parrangsabil will render them invulnerable to bulles, metal and sharp weapons and that Allah will protect them and determine their fate while using their budjak spears, barung and kalis against enemies like the Americans and Spanish.
Baker Atyani an Arab journalist, was kidnapped by the Abu Sayyaf group. On 3 February 2013 Ustaz Habir Malik led the MNLF to fight against Abu Sayyaf and demanded they released the hostages. Jolo was burned by Philippines on 7 February 1974, Spanish on 29 February 1896 & 27–28 February 1851.
On 5 April 2019 MNLF member Abdul was interviewed by Elgin Glenn Salomon and said about the battle of Jolo in 1974 between the Philippines and MNLF. “They could not defeat the people of Sulu. See the Japanese, the Americans, and the Spaniards! They cannot defeat the province of Jolo. Until now, they could not defeat…. See, they (MNLF) have three guns… At the age of 12, they already have a gun. Will the soldiers continue to enter their territory? The heavy-duty soldiers would die at their (MNLF) hands.”
Modern era
Philippines
A "policy of attraction" was introduced, ushering in reforms to encourage Muslim integration into Philippine society. "Proxy colonialism" was legalized by the Public Land Act of 1919, invalidating Tausūg ''pusaka'' (inherited property) laws based on the Islamic
Shariah. The act also granted the state the right to confer land ownership. It was thought that the Muslims would "learn" from the "more advanced" Christian Filipinos, and would integrate more easily into mainstream Philippine society. In February 1920, the Philippine Senate and House of Representatives passed Act No 2878, which abolished the
Department of Mindanao and Sulu, and transferred its responsibilities to the Bureau of Non-Christian Tribes under the Department of the Interior. Muslim dissatisfaction grew as power shifted to the Christian Filipinos. Petitions were sent by Muslim leaders between 1921 and 1924, requesting that Mindanao and Sulu be administered directly by the
United States
The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...
. These petitions were not granted. Realising the futility of armed resistance, some Muslims sought to make the best of the situation. In 1934, Arolas Tulawi of Sulu, Datu Manandang Piang and Datu Blah Sinsuat of Cotabato, and Sultan Alaoya Alonto of Lanao were elected to the 1935 Constitutional Convention. In 1935, two Muslims were elected to the National Assembly.

The Tausūg in Sulu
fought against the Japanese occupation of Mindanao and Sulu during World War II and eventually drove them out. The Commonwealth sought to end the privileges the Muslims had been enjoying under the earlier American administration. Muslim exemptions from some national laws, as expressed in the administrative code for Mindanao, and the Muslim right to use their traditional Islamic courts, as expressed in the Moro Board, were ended. It was unlikely that the Muslims, who have had a longer cultural history as Muslims than the Filipinos as Christians, would surrender their identity. This incident contributed to the rise of various separatist movements – the Muslim Independence Movement (MIM), Ansar El-Islam, and Union of Islamic Forces and Organizations (Che Man 1990:74–75).Founders of the Ansarul Islam were Capt.Kalingalan Caluang, Rashid Lucman, Salipada Pendatun, Domocao Alonto, Hamid Kamlian, Udtog Matalam, Atty. Macapantun Abbas Jr.In 1969, the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) was founded on the concept of a Bangsa Moro Republic by a group of educated young Muslims.The Chief Minister of Sabah by then was Tun Mustapha, he was like a brother and had good relations with Kalingalan “Apuh Inggal” Caluang. Through Tun Mustapha's help, the first fighters of MNLF(Like Al Hussein Caluang) were trained in Sabah after staying in Luuk, Sulu(which is now Kalingalan Caluang). Nur Misuari became a part of the Ansarul Islam because of his good reputation as a UP professor. After the training of these first MNLF fighters, Yahya Caluang(Son of Kalingalan “Apuh Inggal” Caluang) was asked by Kalingalan “Apuh Inggal” Caluang to fetch the MNLF fighters in Sabah. When Yahya Caluang arrived, Nur Misuari took over and declared himself Leader of the MNLF. Nur Misuari eventually asked forgiveness to Kalingalan “Apuh Inggal” Caluang and Apuh Inggal forgive him.
In 1976, negotiations between the Philippine government and the MNLF in Tripoli resulted in the
Tripoli Agreement, which provided for an autonomous region in Mindanao.
Nur Misuari was invited to chair the provisional government, but he refused. The referendum was boycotted by the Muslims themselves. The talks collapsed, and fighting continued. On 1 August 1989, Republic Act 673 or the Organic Act for Mindanao, created the Autonomous Region of Mindanao, which encompasses Maguindanao, Lanao del Sur, Sulu, and Tawi-Tawi.
Malaysia

Most of the Tausugs in Malaysia have been living in part of Saba since the rule of the sultanate of Sulu. Some of them actually descendants of a Sulu princess (''Dayang Dayang'') who escaped from the Sulu sultan in the 1850s, when the sultan tried to take the princess as a wife although he already had many
concubines.
To differentiate themselves from the newly arrived Tausūg immigrants from the Philippines, most of them prefer to be called "Suluk".
However, more recent Tausug immigrants and refugees dating back to the 1970s Moro insurgency (the majority of them
illegal immigrants
Illegal immigration is the migration of people into a country in violation of that country's immigration laws, or the continuous residence in a country without the legal right to do so. Illegal immigration tends to be financially upward, wi ...
) often face discrimination in Sabah. After the
2013 Lahad Datu standoff
The 2013 Lahad Datu standoff, also known as the Lahad Datu incursion or Operation Daulat (), was a military conflict in Lahad Datu District, Lahad Datu, Malaysia. The conflict began on 11 February, when 235 militants arrived in Lahad Datu by bo ...
, there were reports of abuses by Malaysian authorities specifically on ethnic Tausug during crackdowns in
Sandakan, even on Tausūg migrants with valid papers. Approximately nine thousand Filipino Tausūg were deported from January to November 2013.
Demographics

The Tausug number was of 1,226,601 in the
Philippines
The Philippines, officially the Republic of the Philippines, is an Archipelagic state, archipelagic country in Southeast Asia. Located in the western Pacific Ocean, it consists of List of islands of the Philippines, 7,641 islands, with a tot ...
in 2010.
They populate the Filipino province of
Sulu
Sulu (), officially the Province of Sulu (Tausug language, Tausūg: ''Wilaya' sin Lupa' Sūg''; ), is a Provinces of the Philippines, province of the Philippines in the Sulu Archipelago.
It was part of the Bangsamoro, Bangsamoro Autonomous R ...
as a majority, and the provinces of
Zamboanga del Sur,
Basilan
Basilan, officially the Province of Basilan (; ; ; ), is an island province of the Philippines located primarily in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region. Basilan Island is the largest and northernmost of the major islands of the Sulu Archipelago ...
,
Tawi-Tawi,
Palawan
Palawan (, ), officially the Province of Palawan (; ), is an archipelagic province of the Philippines that is located in the region of Mimaropa. It is the largest province in the country in terms of total area of . The capital and largest c ...
,
Cebu
Cebu ( ; ), officially the Province of Cebu (; ), is a province of the Philippines located in the Central Visayas region, and consists of a main island and 167 surrounding islands and islets. The coastal zone of Cebu is identified as a ...
and
Manila
Manila, officially the City of Manila, is the Capital of the Philippines, capital and second-most populous city of the Philippines after Quezon City, with a population of 1,846,513 people in 2020. Located on the eastern shore of Manila Bay on ...
as minorities. Many Filipino-Tausūgs have found work in neighboring Sabah, Malaysia as construction labourers in search of better lives. However, many of them violate the law by
overstaying illegally and are sometimes involved in criminal activities.
The Filipino-Tausūgs are not recognized as a native to Sabah.
The Tausugs who have already been living natively in Sabah by the time of the Sulu or Tausug sultanate have settled in much of the eastern parts, from
Kudat
Kudat () is the capital of the Kudat District in the Kudat Division of Sabah, Malaysia. Its population was estimated to be around 29,025 in 2010. It is located on the Kudat Peninsula, about north of Kota Kinabalu, the state capital, and is nea ...
town in the north, to
Tawau in the south east.
They number around 300,000 and many of them have
intermarried with other ethnic groups in Sabah, especially the Bajaus. Most prefer to use the Malay-language ethnonym ''Suluk'' in their birth certificates rather than the native Tausūg to distinguish themselves from their newly arrived Filipino relatives in Sabah. Migration fueled mainly from Sabah also created a substantial Suluk community in
Greater Kuala Lumpur. While in
Indonesia
Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania, between the Indian Ocean, Indian and Pacific Ocean, Pacific oceans. Comprising over List of islands of Indonesia, 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, ...
, most of the communities mainly settled in the northern area of
North Kalimantan like
Nunukan and
Tarakan, which lies close to their traditional realm. There are around 12,000
(1981 estimate) Tausūg in Indonesia.
Religion
The overwhelming majority of Tausūgs follow
Islam
Islam is an Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the Quran, and the teachings of Muhammad. Adherents of Islam are called Muslims, who are estimated to number Islam by country, 2 billion worldwide and are the world ...
, as Islam has been a defining aspect of native Sulu culture ever since Islam spread to the southern Philippines. They follow the traditional Sunni Shafi'i section of Islam, however they retain pre-Islamic religious practices and often practice a mix of
Islam
Islam is an Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the Quran, and the teachings of Muhammad. Adherents of Islam are called Muslims, who are estimated to number Islam by country, 2 billion worldwide and are the world ...
and
Animism
Animism (from meaning 'breath, spirit, life') is the belief that objects, places, and creatures all possess a distinct spiritual essence. Animism perceives all things—animals, plants, rocks, rivers, weather systems, human handiwork, and in ...
in their
adat
Alesis Digital Audio Tape, commonly referred to as ADAT, is a magnetic tape format used for the Sound recording and reproduction, recording of eight digital audio tracks onto the same S-VHS tape used by consumer VCRs, and the basis of a serie ...
. A Christian minority exists. During the Spanish occupation, the presence of Jesuit missionaries in the
Sulu Archipelago
The Sulu Archipelago ( Tausug: Kapū'-pūan sin Sūg Sulat Sūg: , ) is a chain of islands in the Pacific Ocean, in the southwestern Philippines. The archipelago forms the northern limit of the Celebes Sea and southern limit of the Sulu Se ...
allowed for the conversion of entire families and even tribes and clans of Tausūgs, and other Sulu natives to Christianity. For example,
Azim ud-Din I of Sulu, the 19th sultan of Sulu was converted to
Christianity
Christianity is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion, which states that Jesus in Christianity, Jesus is the Son of God (Christianity), Son of God and Resurrection of Jesus, rose from the dead after his Crucifixion of Jesus, crucifixion, whose ...
and baptized as Don Fernando de Alimuddin, however he reverted to Islam in his later life near death.
Some of the assimilated Filipino celebrities and politicians of Tausūg descent also tend to follow the Christian religion of the majority instead of the religion of their ancestors. For example,
Maria Lourdes Sereno, the 24th Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of the Philippines is of patrilineal Tausūg descent is a born-again Christian. Singer
Sitti is of Tausūg and Samal descent (she claims to be of Mapun heritage, also native to Sulu), is also a Christian.
The Tausug used to be Hindus before converting to Islam. Najeeb Saleeby described them as still retaining Hindu practices. Saleeby said the Moros were ignorant of Islamic tenets, barely prayed or went to the mosque and their juramentados were not fueled by religion but by nationalism against the occupying enemy.
Tausug retain pre-Islamic practices in the form of folk-Islam like the pagkaja and other palipalihan, as mentioned by Samuel K. Tan, some of these practices were allowed by the majority of the Ulama like the former Grand Mufti of Region 9 and Palawan Sayyiduna Shaykh AbdulGani Yusop since the Muslims in the Philippines were Ash'ari in Aqeeda, Shafi'i in
Fiqh
''Fiqh'' (; ) is the term for Islamic jurisprudence.[Fiqh](_blank)
Encyclopædia Britannica ''Fiqh'' is of ...
and practitioners of
Sufism
Sufism ( or ) is a mysticism, mystic body of religious practice found within Islam which is characterized by a focus on Islamic Tazkiyah, purification, spirituality, ritualism, and Asceticism#Islam, asceticism.
Practitioners of Sufism are r ...
.
IAS/ UNOPS/UNFPA/IFAD representative Dr. P. V. Ramesh saw Professor Nur Misuari's MNLF in General Santos City perform Ramayana during a ceasefire agreement.
Traditional political structure
The political structure of the Tausug is affected by the two economic divisions in the ethnic group, mainly ''parianon'' (people of the landing) and guimbahanon (
hill people). Before the establishment of the
sultanate of Sulu
The Sultanate of Sulu (; ; ) is a Sunni Muslim subnational monarchy in the Philippines, Republic of the Philippines that includes the Sulu Archipelago, coastal areas of Zamboanga City and certain portions of Palawan in today's Philippines. H ...
, the indigenous pre-Islamic Tausug were organized into various independent communities or community-states called ''banwa''. When Islam arrived and the sultanate was established, the banwa was divided into districts administered by a ''panglima'' (mayor). The panglima are under the sultan (king). The people who held the stability of the community along with the sultan and the panglimas are the ''ruma bichura'' (state council advisers), ''datu raja muda'' (crown prince), ''datu maharaja adensuk'' (palace commander), ''datu ladladja laut'' (admiral), ''datu maharaja layla'' (commissioner of customs), ''datu amir bahar'' (speaker of the ruma bichara), ''datu tumagong'' (executive secretary), ''datu juhan'' (secretary of information), ''datu muluk bandarasa'' (secretary of commerce), ''datu sawajaan'' (secretary of interior), ''datu bandahala'' (secretary of finance), ''mamaneho'' (inspector general), ''datu sakandal'' (sultan's personal envoy), ''datu nay'' (ordinance or weapon commander), ''wazil'' (prime minister). A ''mangungubat'' (curer) also has special status in the community as they are believed to have direct contact with the spiritual realm.
The community's people is divided into three classes, which are the nobility (the sultan's family and court), commoners (the free people), and the slaves (war captives, sold into slavery, or children of slaves).
Languages

The Tausug language is called "
Sinug" with "Bahasa" to mean Language. The
Tausug language is related to
Bicolano,
Tagalog and
Visayan languages, being especially closely related to the
Surigaonon language of the provinces
Surigao del Norte,
Surigao del Sur
Surigao del Sur (Surigaonon language, Surigaonon: ''Probinsya nan Surigao del Sur''; ; ), officially the Province of Surigao del Sur, is a Provinces of the Philippines, province in the Philippines located in the Caraga Regions of the Philippines ...
and
Agusan del Sur and the
Butuanon language of northeastern
Mindanao
Mindanao ( ) is the List of islands of the Philippines, second-largest island in the Philippines, after Luzon, and List of islands by population, seventh-most populous island in the world. Located in the southern region of the archipelago, the ...
specially the root Tausug words without the influence of the Arabic language, sharing many common words. The Tausūg, however, do not consider themselves as
Visayan, using the term only to refer to Christian
Bisayan-language speakers, given that the vast majority of Tausūgs are
Muslims
Muslims () are people who adhere to Islam, a Monotheism, monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God ...
in contrast to its very closely related
Surigaonon brothers which are predominantly
Roman Catholics
The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics worldwide as of 2025. It is among the world's oldest and largest international institut ...
. Tausug is also related to the
Waray-Waray language. Aside from Tagalog (which is spoken throughout the country), a number of Tausug can also speak
Zamboangueño Chavacano (especially those residing in Zamboanga City), and other
Visayan languages (especially
Cebuano language
Cebuano ( )[Cebuano]
on Merriam-Webster.com is an Austronesian languages, Austronesian language spoken i ...
because of the mass influx of
Cebuano migrants to Mindanao);
Malay in the Philippines, Malaysia and Indonesia; and
English in both Malaysia and Philippines as second languages.
Malaysian Tausūg, descendants of residents when the
Sulu Sultanate ruled the eastern part of
Sabah
Sabah () is a States and federal territories of Malaysia, state of Malaysia located in northern Borneo, in the region of East Malaysia. Sabah has land borders with the Malaysian state of Sarawak to the southwest and Indonesia's North Kalima ...
, speak or understand the Sabahan dialect of Suluk,
Malaysian language
Malaysian Malay () or Malaysian ()endonymically known as Standard Malay () or simply Malay (, abbreviated to BM)is a standardized form of the Malay language used in Malaysia and also used in Singapore and Brunei (as opposed to the variety u ...
, and some
English or
Sinama (those who come in regular contact with the
Bajau also speak Bajau dialects). By the year 2000, most of the Tausūg children in Sabah, especially in towns of the west side of Sabah, were no longer speaking
Tausūg; instead they speak the Sabahan dialect of Malay and English.
Indonesian Tausūg on the other hand, are descendants of residents when the
Sultanate of Bulungan
The Sultanate of Bulungan (, ) was a former independent sultanate and later a special territory of Indonesia located in the then existing Bulungan Regency (at that time covering all the territory that now comprises the North Kalimantan province ...
, a vassal state of the Sulu Sultanate, also ruled the southeastern part of Sabah (Tawau) and the Indonesian province of
North Kalimantan (
northeastern portion), also speak or understand the Nunukan dialect of Suluk,
Indonesian language
Indonesian (; ) is the official language, official and national language of Indonesia. It is a standard language, standardized variety (linguistics), variety of Malay language, Malay, an Austronesian languages, Austronesian language that has ...
(including colloquial variant) and as well as the regional slang. At the same time, they can also understand and speak the Suluk dialect spoken in Sabah as well as Sabah Malay.
Cultures
Tausūgs are superb warriors and craftsmen. They are known for the ''
Pangalay
Pangalay (also known as Daling-Daling or Mengalai in Sabah) is the traditional " fingernail" dance of the Tausūg people of the Sulu Archipelago and eastern coast Bajau of Sabah.
The dance has a similarity to classical Balinese and Thai ...
'' dance (also known as ''Daling-Daling'' in Sabah), in which female dancers wear artificial elongated fingernails made from brass or silver known as ''janggay'', and perform motions based on the
Vidhyadhari (Bahasa Sūg: ''Bidadali'') of pre-Islamic
Buddhist
Buddhism, also known as Buddhadharma and Dharmavinaya, is an Indian religion and List of philosophies, philosophical tradition based on Pre-sectarian Buddhism, teachings attributed to the Buddha, a wandering teacher who lived in the 6th or ...
legend. The Tausug are also well known for their ''pis syabit'', a multi-colored woven cloth traditionally worn as a headress or accessory by men. Nowadays, the ''pis syabit'' is also worn by women and students. In 2011, the ''pis syabit'' was cited by the
National Commission for Culture and the Arts as one of the intangible cultural heritage of the Philippines under the traditional craftsmanship category that the government may nominate in the
UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage Lists
UNESCO established its Lists of Intangible Cultural Heritage with the aim of ensuring better protection of important intangible cultural heritages worldwide and the awareness of their significance.Compare: This list is published by the Intergove ...
. The Tausug are additionally associated with
tagonggo
In Sultanate of Sulu, Sulu, tagonggo or tagunggo is a type of music traditionally played by male musicians dressed in their festive fineries. Tagonggo is associated with the Sama-Bajau, Sama, Sama-Bajau, Bajau, and Tausūg people, Tausug ethnicitie ...
, a traditional type of
kulingtang music.
Both cross cousin marriage and paternal parallel cousin marriage are practiced by Tausug Moro Muslims.
Notable Tausūgs
*
Santanina T. Rasul, first
Filipino Muslim woman
senator
A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or Legislative chamber, chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the Ancient Rome, ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior ...
.
*
Muedzul Lail Tan Kiram, legitimate sultan of Sulu Filipino
*
Nur Misuari, former Filipino governor and became the leader of the
Moro National Liberation Front.
*
Hadji Kamlon, freedom fighter
* Panglima Bandahala, trusted adviser and close relative of the Sultan
Jamalul Kiram II, he held significant positions such as Municipal President and peace emissary
* Sayyid Captain Kalingalan "Apuh Inggal" Caluang, son of Caluang son of Panglima Bandahala son of Sattiya Munuh son of Sayyid Qasim, one of the Fighting 21 of Sulu. he was one of the founders of Ansar El Islam (Helpers of Islam) along with Domocao Alonto, Rashid Lucman, Salipada Pendatun, Hamid Kamlian, Udtog Matalam, and Atty. Macapantun Abbas Jr. Accordingly, "it is a mass movement for the preservation and development of Islam in the Philippines".
*
Jamalul Kiram III, pretender or self-proclaimed Sultan of Sulu.
*
Ismael Kiram II, descendant Filipino sultan.
*
Mat Salleh (Datu Muhammad Salleh), Sabah warrior from
Inanam who led the
Mat Salleh Rebellion until his death.
*
Tun Datu Mustapha (Tun Datu Mustapha bin Datu Harun), first
Yang di-Pertua Negeri
In Malaysia, the Governor, officially Yang di-Pertua Negeri (Jawi script, Jawi: , ) is a constitutional title given to the head of state in States and federal territories of Malaysia, states without a ruler, namely: Penang, Malacca, Sabah and S ...
(Governor) of Sabah and third
Chief Minister
A chief minister is an elected or appointed head of government of – in most instances – a sub-national entity, for instance an administrative subdivision or federal constituent entity. Examples include a state (and sometimes a union ter ...
of
Sabah
Sabah () is a States and federal territories of Malaysia, state of Malaysia located in northern Borneo, in the region of East Malaysia. Sabah has land borders with the Malaysian state of Sarawak to the southwest and Indonesia's North Kalima ...
.
*
Juhar Mahiruddin, tenth Yang di-Pertua Negeri (Governor) of Sabah (also partial
Kadazan-Dusun ethnic ancestry).
*
Shafie Apdal
Mohd Shafie bin Apdal (Jawi alphabet, Jawi: محمد شافعي بن أفضل; born 20 October 1957) is a Malaysian people, Malaysian politician who has served as the Member of Parliament (MP) for Semporna (federal constituency), Semporna since ...
, fifteenth Chief Minister of Sabah.
*
Sitti, Filipino singer.
*
Abdusakur Mahail Tan, Governor of Sulu.
*
Maria Lourdes Sereno, 24th Chief Justice of the
Supreme Court of the Philippines
The Supreme Court (; colloquially referred to as the ' (also used in formal writing), is the highest court in the Philippines. It was established by the Taft Commission on June 11, 1901, through the enactment of Act No. 136, which abolished th ...
.
*
Darhata Sawabi, Filipino weaver known for pis syabit, a traditional Tausūg cloth tapestry. She is a recipient of the Philippine
National Living Treasures Award.
*
Yong Muhajil, YouTube vlogger and 3rd runner up in Pinoy Big Brother: Lucky 7.
*
Omar Musa, author, poet, and rapper.
*
Abdurajak Abubakar Janjalani,
Jihadist
Jihadism is a neologism for modern, armed militant Political aspects of Islam, Islamic movements that seek to Islamic state, establish states based on Islamic principles. In a narrower sense, it refers to the belief that armed confrontation ...
leader and founder of
Abu Sayyaf
Abu Sayyaf (; , ASG), officially known by the Islamic State as the Islamic State – East Asia Province, was a Jihadist militant and piracy, pirate group that followed the Wahhabi doctrine of Sunni Islam. It was based in and around Jolo and B ...
(also partial
Ilonggo ethnic ancestry).
*
Khadaffy Janjalani,
Jihadist
Jihadism is a neologism for modern, armed militant Political aspects of Islam, Islamic movements that seek to Islamic state, establish states based on Islamic principles. In a narrower sense, it refers to the belief that armed confrontation ...
and leader of Abu Sayyaf. He was a younger brother of
Abdurajak Abubakar Janjalani.
*
Jainal Antel Sali Jr., Senior leader of
Abu Sayyaf
Abu Sayyaf (; , ASG), officially known by the Islamic State as the Islamic State – East Asia Province, was a Jihadist militant and piracy, pirate group that followed the Wahhabi doctrine of Sunni Islam. It was based in and around Jolo and B ...
.
*
Albader Parad, Senior leader of
Abu Sayyaf
Abu Sayyaf (; , ASG), officially known by the Islamic State as the Islamic State – East Asia Province, was a Jihadist militant and piracy, pirate group that followed the Wahhabi doctrine of Sunni Islam. It was based in and around Jolo and B ...
.
*
Hajan Sawadjaan, Leader of
Abu Sayyaf
Abu Sayyaf (; , ASG), officially known by the Islamic State as the Islamic State – East Asia Province, was a Jihadist militant and piracy, pirate group that followed the Wahhabi doctrine of Sunni Islam. It was based in and around Jolo and B ...
.
*
Radullan Sahiron, Leader of
Abu Sayyaf
Abu Sayyaf (; , ASG), officially known by the Islamic State as the Islamic State – East Asia Province, was a Jihadist militant and piracy, pirate group that followed the Wahhabi doctrine of Sunni Islam. It was based in and around Jolo and B ...
.
*
Hussin Ututalum Amin, mayor of
Jolo.
*
Mohammad Mahakuttah Abdullah Kiram, legitimate 34th Sultan of Sulu and father of
Muedzul Lail Tan Kiram.
See also
*
Tausug language
*
Sulu Archipelago
The Sulu Archipelago ( Tausug: Kapū'-pūan sin Sūg Sulat Sūg: , ) is a chain of islands in the Pacific Ocean, in the southwestern Philippines. The archipelago forms the northern limit of the Celebes Sea and southern limit of the Sulu Se ...
*
Province of Sulu
*
Sultanate of Sulu
The Sultanate of Sulu (; ; ) is a Sunni Muslim subnational monarchy in the Philippines, Republic of the Philippines that includes the Sulu Archipelago, coastal areas of Zamboanga City and certain portions of Palawan in today's Philippines. H ...
*
Ethnic groups in the Philippines
The Philippines is inhabited by more than 182 Ethnolinguistic group, ethnolinguistic groups, many of which are classified as "Indigenous Peoples" under the country's Indigenous Peoples' Rights Act of 1997. Traditionally-Muslim minorities from ...
*
Moro peoples of the Philippines
** Sulu:
***
Yakan people
***
Bajau people
** Mindanao:
***
Maranao people
***
Iranun people
***
Maguindanao people
*
Visayan peoples
**
Butuanon people
**
Surigaonon people
**
Sheikh Karimul Makhdum Mosque
Notes
References
Sources
*
*
*
*
*
*
External links
Tausūgat
Encyclopædia Britannica
The is a general knowledge, general-knowledge English-language encyclopaedia. It has been published by Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc. since 1768, although the company has changed ownership seven times. The 2010 version of the 15th edition, ...
{{DEFAULTSORT:Tausug
North Kalimantan
Ethnic groups in Indonesia
Muslim communities of Indonesia
Ethnic groups in Sabah
Ethnic groups in Mindanao
Ethnic groups in Palawan
Muslim communities of the Philippines
Suluk people
Moro ethnic groups
Islam in the Philippines