Moreau (peoples)

The peoples of Maranao , Magindanao , sangils inhabit the south and southwest of the island of Mindanao , Sulu and Samal - the islands of Sulu , the islands of Kagayan-Sulu , the south of the island of Palawan , the islands of Balabak , Ramos , Pandanan , Bugsuk and others, the Yakans - the islands of Sulu, Basilan , Pilas , Kuludlud and others, the tausog - the south of Mindanao, the membranans - the islands of Palawan and Balabak, the jama and mapoons - the islands of Kagayan -Sulu , the bajau - the islands of Tavi-Tavi . A part lives on Kalimantan and in the mountains of Mindanao.

The Moro themselves associate their origin with the legendary seyyid Mohammed Kabungsawan from Hadramaut , who arrived in the Philippines from Johor . Obviously, the Moro peoples formed on the basis of the local population with the participation of immigrants from Malaysia . Part moved from the island of Kalimantan . In the 15th century, Malay merchants brought Islam to the Sulu Islands. At first, the feudal elite took him, then it spread among the common population. In the XV century, the early sultanates appeared here . The first sultanate was the Sultanate of Sulu , with the capital Holo .

By the beginning of Spanish colonization, the population of the Philippines on the coast of the main islands was Islam. The Spaniards, seeking to get colonies, rich in natural resources and located on busy trade routes, faced fierce resistance from Muslims . The Spaniards called the Filipino Muslims Moro , which is in tune with the Moors . These were warlike peoples, from the Samal people, for example, a lot of pirates came out.

The rising anti-colonial uprising continued until 1898, when Spain was defeated in the war with the United States . According to the Paris Treaty of 1898 , the Philippines came under the jurisdiction of the United States , which caused outrage from Moro.

Since the colonial rule of Spain in the Philippines, which began in the middle of the sixteenth century, the goal of all governments has been to achieve political dominance in Mindanao by moving the Filipino Christians to the south, as well as converting its inhabitants to Catholicism .

Such a policy has led Muslims to become a minority from the majority in Mindanao and the islands of the Sulu archipelago and make up only 17% of the region’s population. In addition, as a result of the unfair distribution of land, for example, on the small island of Basilan , where Muslims make up 71% of the population, Christians own 75% of the land, and 75% of the turnover of local trade is concentrated in the hands of local Chinese .

As a result of the migration of Catholics from the north, Moro Muslims became a minority in their native land. With the help of corrupt local officials and police, Catholics continued to seize vast tracts of land in Mindanao, depriving local residents not only of their dignity, but also of their livelihood. As a result of this, Muslims have become the most poor and illiterate group of the population ^[1] .

In 1971, Nur Misouri founded the Moro National Liberation Front with the aim of fighting to create the independent Moro state. After the intervention of the UN and the Organization of the Islamic Conference, the parties signed a peace agreement in the Libyan capital Tripoli in 1976. However, the terms of the peace agreement were not respected. In 1986, Philippine President Corazon Aquino personally met with Misuari to negotiate. In 1989, Aquino signed a law that gave the right to the predominantly Muslim regions of Mindanao to create their own Muslim autonomous region within the Philippines.

The NPFM signed a peace treaty in 1996 with President Fidel Ramos . Thanks to this step, the separatist leader Misuari was elected governor of the Autonomous Region. In November 2001, he was removed from office due to his inability to put an end to violence in the region. Subsequently, Misouari was imprisoned, was released in 2008.

In 1981, the Moro Islamic Liberation Front group was created. The main goal of the IOFM is to create a separate Islamic state in the south of the Philippines. The grouping is mainly based on remote islands in the central part of Mindanao. Since 1997, the group has held several peace talks with the Philippine government, most of which have been mediated by Malaysia since 2003. In 2008, the government, led by President Gloria Arroyo, announced that it had reached the IOFM peace agreement. However , the Philippines Supreme Court ruled that the draft agreement was unconstitutional and hostilities resumed after negotiations failed. President Benigno Aquino negotiated with the IOFM leaders in Tokyo in 2011, after which he stated that the government had reached an interim peace agreement with the IOFM.

The agreement will be adopted by a plebiscite , and finally the peace agreement will be signed until 2016. The agreement provides for the formation of a new, larger autonomous region in Mindanao. This area will be called Bangsamoro . Some key points of the interim agreement include: the gradual disarmament of the group, the guarantee of democracy and respect for human rights , and the expansion of the powers of Sharia courts for the Muslim population.

In 1991, the Abu Sayyaf group split off from the IOFM. This is the most radical of the Islamic separatist groups in the south of the Philippines. The militants of this group carry out kidnapping for ransom and organize terrorist acts to achieve their stated goal of creating an independent Islamic state on the island of Mindanao and the islands of Sulu. The Philippine government sees these rebels as criminals and refuses to negotiate with them.

The main traditional occupations are agriculture , fishing , pearl mining, and trade . The main crops are rice , corn , cassava , abacus , palm trees (areca and coconut), beans, vegetables, fruits. Crafts are well developed.

Houses - pile, Malay type. The hearth is arranged in a bamboo box covered with earth. Shoes are left at the doorstep. They sleep on mats that they never get on their feet.

Food - rice, fish, vegetables, fruits, spicy seasonings. Meat is consumed only on holidays, and the imam must be sure to slaughter the cow. As Muslims, they do not eat pork, and do not drink alcohol. Milk is not consumed; it is believed that it belongs to the calf.

The clothes are different. Women wear both skirts and sarongs , sweaters, harem pants or short pants under the skirt, a lot of jewelry. Men wear trousers , jackets, a turban , but the belt for which the chris is plugged (the national Malay type of dagger) is mandatory. The national cold weapon Moro is known - a barong combat knife with a heavy chopping leaf-shaped blade.

Until the beginning of the 20th century, the Dato (leaders, sultans ) were the upper class of the Moro. In addition to them, ordinary community members stood out, there were also slaves from among prisoners of war. A respected figure is the imam .

The family is mostly monogamous. Like other Muslims, Moro has plural marriage , but it is found only among the rich. Girls are married at 12-13 years old, but from the age of 9 they should not be shown to anyone. A bride is supposed to pay a ransom. Marriage is done at the behest of parents, not children.

Now there are interethnic marriages, when a Muslim Moro marries a Christian, and may have a second wife from Moro. Then the wives live in different houses.

Moro have a rich folklore, epic, developed music and dance, experienced Indian, Indonesian and Arab influence.

National musical instruments: kudyapi (type of double-stringed guitar), kulingan (row of 8 gongs), dadabwan (drum).

• Peoples and religions of the world , ed. V.A. Tishkova, M.-1998.
• Peoples of the Philippines // Peoples of Southeast Asia / Ed. A. A. Guber, Yu. V. Maretin, D. D. Tumarkin, N. N. Cheboksarov. - M .: Nauka, 1966. - S. 641-692. - (Peoples of the world, ethnographic essays).
• Small peoples of Indonesia, Malaysia and the Philippines. M .: "Science", 1982.

• Moreau in the Philippines dictionary