CHAPTER 2: THE DIVERSITY

OF PHILIPPINE LITERATURE
Muslim Folk
LITERATU
 Learning
Targets
To know the major ethno-linguistic groups of
1 the Muslim Communities;
To identify representatives texts and genres
2 from Muslim literature;
To value the Muslim literary traditions;
3
To explain the literary context and discuss
34 how it enhances the meaning of the text.
• Unified by the Islamic
faith, Muslims in
Mindanao are
distinguished by their
cultural traditions. With
over a dozen ethno-
linguistic groups, Muslims
 HOW THE
DIVERSITY
UNFOLDED
 The major ethno-linguistic groups of the
Muslim communities

Mainland Island Provinces Zamboanga and

Mindanao Tongkil
• Iranons of Cotabato • Jama Mapuns of
• Bangingis of
• Kaagans of Davao del Cagayan de Tawi-Tawi
Tongkil and
Norte, Davao del Sur, • Palawanons of Palawan
Zamboanga
and Davao Oriental • Molbogs of Palawan
• Kalibugans of • Samas of Tawi-Tawi
Zamboanga • Sangils of Sarangani
• Maranaos of Marawi • Tausugs of Sulu
• Maguindanaos of • Yakans of Basilan
Maguindanao
• Folk Literature may be prose or in verse.
• Oral literary forms may be didactic,
hortatory, entertaining, instructive or
informative.
• Folk Literature follow oral tradition.
• Folk Literature has a participatory
audience.
• Folk literary genres may include:
folktales, myths, legends, fables, ballads,
poem, raddles, proverbs, and epics.
Problems with the Folk Literature of the Muslim
Cultural Communities

1 2 3
Lack of access Filipino Difficulty
to the textual Muslim of locating
materials of Cultural literary
Communities cultural
oral genres.
are not aware
bearers.
their
The Folktales of
the Muslim
Cultural
Communities
 The Folktales
• Transmitted across generation by word of
mouth.
• It can be a fairy tale, animal tale, an
anecdote, or a trickster’s tale.
• Folktales entertain, preach, and prescribe.
• FOlktales of Muslim Cultural Communities
are dynamic.
 The Folktales
• The groups of the Maranao, Iranon, and
Maguindanao have similars terms for their
tales;
Maranao tale: “totol”
Iranon tale: “tudtol”
Maguindanao tale: “Tudtolan”
Terms for Folk tales in Muslim Cultural
Communities

• Tausug called their folk tales “katakata”.

• Jama Mapun and the Sama have the
“Kana-Kana”.
• The Maranao featured sultans heavily in
their “agamaniyog” folktales.
• In Sulu, trickster’s tales (known as
“Posong” or “Pusung” stories).
The Myths and
Legends of the
Muslim Cultural
Communities
Terms for Myth and Legends in Muslim Cultural
Communities

• Kaagan Legends- “kapunopuno” or “kasugod

sugod”.
• Kaagan Myths- ”oman-oman” or “gugudanun”.
• Jama Mapun Legends- “uduhan”.
• Tausug Legends- “usulan”.
• Yakan legends- “usul”.
• Maguindanao and Iranon Legends- “tudtolan”.
The Epics, Ballads,
and Poetry of the
Muslim Cultural
Communities
• Epics, Ballads, and Poems are interchangeably
chanted, sung or recited.
• Most Epics in Muslim Cultural Communities
are yet to be found, collected, identified, and
documented.
• Maranao Epic- “Bantugan”.
• Maguindanao Epic- “Indarapatra at
Sulayman”.
• Tausug Epic- “Parang Sabil hi Abdulla iban hi
Isara”.
 Ballads

• May be classified as folk songs because they tell

stories.
• Belong to narrative genre.
• Handed down by word of mouth.
• They are sung solo or with a simple accompaniment.
• Most ballads in Muslim Cultural Communities are
hostorical type than lyrical.
• Contemporary ballads (Tausug ballads) reflect recent
famous people who made history.
 Religious Ballads

• There are as many religious ballads

as are historical ballads.
• If the ballad narrates a historical
personality and his deeds, it is
usually in the defense of Islam and
its propagation.
• Tells the virtues of Islam as a
religion.
• They are hortatory or didactic.
Terms for Ballads in Muslim Cultural
Communities

• Tausug, Jama Mapun, and

Sama- “kissa”.
• Kaagan- “darangan or bayok”.
• Maguindanao and Iranon-
“dayunday” and sometimes
“bayok”.
• Palawanon- “toltol, same name
as their folktale.
Terms for Poems in Muslim Cultural
Communities

• Maranao and Iranon- “bayok”.

• Maguindanao- “bayokan”.
• Tausug, Jama Mapun, Sama-
“tarasul”.
• Kaagan- “dawut, same name as
their epics.
The Music Lovers Among the Muslim Cultural
Community
• Yakan is considered as the music lovers.
• Songs include:
- the “katakata”, reflects pain and suffering of losing a
loved one.
- the “lunsey”, resembles the Tagalog harana.
- the “sail”, relates a story and sung during weddings and
burials.
- the “nahana”, relates an ancestral story.
- the “kissa”’ about royal families.
- the “jamiluddin”, is a person’s name in Tausug sung
during a game called magdarapanyu.
Proverbs
and
Riddles
 Proverbs and Riddles

• They are the simplest genre

of folk literature.
• Serve as an intellectual
exercises.
• They are highly figurative in
the use of language.
 Terms for Riddles in the Muslim Cultural
Communities

Mainland Island Provinces

Mindanao
• Kaagan- “antokanon”. • Palawanon- “igum”.
• Maguindanao- “antoka”. • Tausug, Samas and
• Maranao- Jama Mapun- “tigum-
“kapamagantoka, antoka, tigum or in other term
pasoalan, or limpangan”. in sulu “tukud-tukud”.
• Iranon- “kapagantuka”. • Yakan- “untukan”.
Terms for proverbs in the Muslim Cultural
Communities

• Yakan- “saknahan” or
“dalilan”.
• Tausug- “asmasaalla” or
“dalil akkal”.
Kurita
Tarabusaw
Pah
The
Bird of
Mt.
Gurayn
Thank You
for
Listening!