Part of Muslim tribes of the Philippines

Tausug

Also known as Tausūg, Suluk

The Tausug, "people of the current", are the Muslim people of the Sulu archipelago and heirs of the Sultanate of Sulu. About 1.62 million were counted in 2020.

The Tausug (Tausūg) are the Muslim people of the Sulu archipelago. Tau means "person" and sūg is widely thought to mean "sea current", so the name means roughly "people of the currents".[1] The 2020 census counted 1.62 million Tausug, about 22.7% of all Muslim tribe members.[2]

Origins and language

Tausug is a Southern Visayan language, close to Butuanon and Surigaonon. One account has the Tausug migrating in the 13th century from northeastern Mindanao to Zamboanga and the Sulu archipelago, and historian William Scott links them to the people of the Rajahnate of Butuan.[1]

The Sultanate of Sulu

Karim ul-Makhdum is said to have arrived at Simunul around 1380, followed by Rajah Baguinda around 1390. Sayyid Abubakar became sultan around 1450 and founded the Sultanate of Sulu, which traded with China and sent tribute to the Ming court until 1424.[1] The Sulu trading world is studied in depth by Warren (1981).[3] Conflict with Spain ran from 1578 to 1898, and the Spanish held Jolo from 1638 while Tausug resistance continued. U.S. control followed after 1899, and later policies ended Muslim legal privileges, after which separatist movements arose; the MNLF was founded in 1969 and the Tripoli Agreement was signed in 1976.[1]

Society and culture

  • Pangalay: a dance with long brass or silver nail extensions (janggay).[1]
  • Pis syabit: a multicoloured woven cloth, cited by the National Commission for Culture and the Arts in 2011 as intangible cultural heritage.[1]
  • Parang sabil: a "holy war" tradition tied to defending land and religion.[1]
  • Law and violence: the classic study of Tausug honour, feud and law is Kiefer (1972).[4]
  • Music: the tagonggo form of kulintang music.[1]

Religion

Nearly all Tausug are Sunni Muslims of the Shafi'i school. Many also keep pre-Islamic and folk customs. A Christian minority exists, partly because of Jesuit missions in the Spanish period.[1]

Abroad

Tausug communities also live in Sabah, Malaysia, where many prefer the name Suluk.[1]

See also

References

Source mixBook · 2Encyclopedia · 1Government · 1News · 1
  1. ↑ a b c d e f g h i j k l m “Tausūg people”. Wikipedia. Encyclopedia Retrieved 2026-10-28
  2. ↑ a b “About one in every four household population has Tagalog as ethnicity (2020 Census of Population and Housing)”. Philippine Statistics Authority, 2020 Census. Special release on ethnicity. Government Retrieved 2026-10-28
  3. ↑ ^ “The Sulu Zone, 1768–1898”. Singapore University Press, 1981. Book
  4. ↑ ^ “The Tausug: Violence and Law in a Philippine Moslem Society”. Holt, Rinehart and Winston, 1972. Book
  5. ↑ ^ “Distribution of 13 Islamized ethnolinguistic groups”. Philippine Daily Inquirer, Opinion, 2012. Published October 20, 2012. News Retrieved 2026-10-28
CategoryMoro ethnolinguistic groups
Last updated October 29, 2026 · revision 1 · 307 words · 5 sources citedSuggest a correction
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