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The Maranao people (Maranao: ['mәranaw]; Filipino: Maranaw[2]), also spelled Meranao, Maranaw, and Mëranaw, is a predominantly Muslim Filipino ethnic group native to the region around Lanao Lake in the island of Mindanao. They are known for their artwork, weaving, wood, plastic and metal crafts and epic literature, the Darangen. They are ethnically and culturally closely related to the Iranun, and Maguindanaon, all three groups being denoted as speaking Danao languages and giving name to the island of Mindanao. They are grouped with other Moro people due to their shared religion.
Bangsa Mëranaw | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Total population | |
| 1,800,130 (2020 census)[1] | |
| Regions with significant populations | |
 Philippines(Bangsamoro, Soccsksargen, Zamboanga Peninsula, Northern Mindanao, Manila, Cebu) | |
| Languages | |
| Native Maranao Also Filipino • Cebuano • English | |
| Religion | |
| Predominantly Sunni Islam | |
| Related ethnic groups | |
| Iranun, Maguindanaon, Tiruray Lumad, Tausūg, Visayan, other Moros, other Filipinos, other Austronesian peoples |
The name "Maranao" (also spelled "Mëranaw", or "Maranaw") means "people of the lake" (lanaworranaw, archaic danaw, means "lake" in the Maranao language). This is in reference to Lake Lanao, the predominant geographic feature of the ancestral homeland of the Maranao people.[3]
The original endonym of the ancestral Maranao is believed to be "Iranaoan".[4][5] This group later diverged, resulting in the modern Maguindanaon and the Iranun people (whose names can also be translated to "people of the lake"),[6] while the ancestral Iranaoan who stayed in Lake Lanao became known as the Maranao. These three ethnic groups are still related to each other, share similar cultures and speak languages belonging to the Danao language family.[4][5]
The Maranao were the last of the Muslims of the Southern Philippines undergoing Islamization, primarily under the influence of the Maguindanao Sultanate.
Like neighboring Moros and the Lumads, during the nominal occupation of the Philippines by the Spanish, and later the American and the Japanese, the Maranao had tribal leaders called datu. In the 16th century, upon the arrival of Islam, they developed into kingdoms with sultans due to the influence of Muslim missionaries.
Maranao culture can be characterized by:
Maranao culture is centered around Lake Lanao, the largest lake in Mindanao, and second-largest and deepest lake in the Philippines. Lanao is the subject of various myths and legends. It supports a major fishery, and powers the hydroelectric plant installed on it; the Agus River system generates 70% of the electricity used by the people of Mindanao. A commanding view of the lake is offered by Marawi City, the provincial capital.
Sarimanok, Papanok a "Məra"or"Marapatik" is a legendary bird of the Maranao that is a ubiquitous symbol of their art. It is depicted as a Hoodhud (Arabic) with colorful wings and feathered tail, holding a fish on its beak or talons. The head of Sarimanok is like the head of a Hoopoe (Balalatoc in maranaw) and is profusely decorated with scroll, leaf and spiral motifs (okir). It is a symbol of good fortune.[9][10]
The Maranao have also developed their own adaptation of the Ramayana epic, the Maharadia Lawana. They also have a traditional dance, the Singkil, which was based on another local Ramayana adaptation, the Darangən.
Traditional Maranao architecture, like elsewhere in the Philippines and at large maritime Southeast Asia, follows the Austronesian framework of wooden structures on piles, divided in three tiers pertaining to social class:torogan of royalty, mala a walay of lesser nobility, and the common lawig analogous to the bahay kubo.
Maranao kulintang music is a type of a gong music. Sarunaay is also found among both Muslim and non-Muslim groups of the Southern Philippines. Kobbing is a Maranao instrument and Biyula is another popular Instrument. Biyula is a string instrument. In 2005, the Darangen Epic of the Maranao people of Lake Lanao was selected by UNESCO as a Masterpiece of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity.
Maranao cuisine is spicier compared to most regions elsewhere in the Philippines, a trait largely shared with much of Mindanao. Traditionally cultivated spices, locally known as palapa (Bontang, native product of Gandamatu) are a common condiment.[11] It is made of stewed sakurab scallion bulbs, ginger, and chilliesincoconut oil.[12]
Dishes are intertwined with important cultural rituals across all aspects of Maranao culture: from birth to death.[13]
Traditionally, Maranao society is divided into two strata. Namely, mapiyatao (pure) and kasilidan (mixed blood). kasilidan is further subdivided into categories which are as follows; sarowang (non-Maranao), balbal (beast), dagamot (Sorcerer/Sorceress) and bisaya (Slave). The mapiyatao are natives entitled to ascend to thrones by pure royal bloodline. On the other hand, the kasilidan are natives suspected of mixed bloodline. However, due to the changes brought by time, these social strata are beginning to decline due to the rise of wealth of each and every Maranao families.
Maranaos number 1,354,542 in 2010, representing 1.47% of the population.[14] Along with the Iranun and Maguindanao, the Maranao are one of three, related, indigenous groups native to Mindanao. These groups share genes, linguistic and cultural ties to non-Muslim Lumad groups such as the TirurayorSubanon. Maranao royals have varied infusions of Arab, Indian, Malay, and Chinese ancestry.
Maranao is an Austronesian language spoken by the Maranao people in the provinces of Lanao del Norte and Lanao del Sur.[15] Because of the mass influx of Cebuano migrants to Mindanao, many Maranaos are also fluent in Cebuano. Tagalog is the most used language by the Maranaos, which ranks second among its native language. English is also a language recognized by its citizens.
Arabic, a Central Semitic language, is spoken by the Moro people, as it is the liturgical languageofIslam. Some of the Maranaos are studied in the Middle east so they shared it in their area although it also spread throughout the Archipelago. The city of Marawi is known as the center of Islamic faith and cultures and Arabic studies in the Philippines because of its influence when it comes to Arabic learning. Even so, the Maranaos did not leave the importance of Arabic education because it is part of the research of knowledge about the Islam religion. Both Jawi script and Arabic script are also a part of the recognition of the Maranaos or all the Bangsamoro people in the Philippines.
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