Before I begin on my third excerpt from William Dampier's "A New Voyage Around the World" in a following entry, I thought it only prudent to offer a bit of commentary. After all, 17th Century Maguindanao through the eyes of an Englishman shouldn't be misconstrued as a picture perfect encapsulation, culturally NOR historically. Dampier was an upper-class British gentleman of the late 17th Century. Like many young men he sought to make his mark on the world. While some in his position may have opted to read Law at Oxford Dampier decided to travel to the New World and become a Privateer, or liscenced pirate. In the course of this adventure Dampier circumnavigated the globe. One of several Europeans who visited Australia long before it was "discovered" by James Cook, one of the first Europeans to explore New Guinea, Dampier certainly led a fascinating life.
After leaving the Americas Dampier's ship stopped in Guam to take on provisions and to contemplate its next destination. While in port the crew met a Catholic monk who recommended Mindanao. The island was a good choice for a number of reasons. First and foremost it is a very large island and the Western Monsoon was about to arrive. Nobody in their right mind stayed out at sea during the Monsoon. Then, though it had been in close relations with Spain who in fact claimed the island by virtue of the colonial government in Manila, the friar maintained that the island was now at war with Spain. This was corroborated by other sailors who had recently sailed from or transited the Philippines. Spain was Britain's foremost enemy at the moment (a long moment indeed) and was the richest nation in Europe, if not the world. To a privateer that combination is irresistible.
Mindanao it was and in the early days of June, 168 Dampier et al departed Guam bound for the promising island of Mindanao. Sailing in from the east the first Philippine island they encountered was Siargo Island, a small island off of Mindanao's northeast coast and in today's world, attached to the province of Surigao del Norte. Due to a cartographic era however Dampier mis-identified the landmass as "Saint John's Island." In fact the location of THAT island remains a mystery until the present with some reckoning it as far afield as the Northern Marianas and therefore not in the Philippines at all. It was at Siargo that Dampier would first interact with Filipinos when he and his crewmates sighted a canoe off its northern side. Lowering a skiff Dampier's crewmates meant to parlez with the canoe's inhabitants but instead merely served to terrify them. The canoe made a beeline for Siargao, beached upon it with its occupants running hysterical into the jungle.
At the time the richest tribe on the island was the Maguindanowans. Islamicised for less than a hundred years they were still developing their own unique identity. Inhabiting the Cotabato Basin, they were known as "The People of the Flood," or in their language, "Mindanowans," or in Dampier's corruption of the word, "Mindanayans." Later this would become, "Maguindanaowans," (Maguindanaon), or "People of the Flood Plain," a more specific label given the tribe's location in the Cotabato Basin. The Islamisation of the tribe nearly a century before had brought with it a more sophisticated form of governance, the "Sultanate." This form of governmnt wasn't alien to Europeans who by then had more than a thousand year acquaintance with it and so of all the tribes on the island, the Mindanowans were the most attractive. It was this fact that allowed the Spanish, the Dutch and now the English to christen the entire island, "Mindanao."
Dampier spent nearly 6 months with the tribe and had very little interaction with any other group. He describes only three tribes besides the Maguindanowans:
1) Hilanoones
2) Alfoores
3) Sologues
The three labels remain a subject of debate. Hilanoones, from his own words are synonymous with "Mountaineers." Who could they be then but the "Higaon-on," whose very name means, "People of the Mountains." Still, I haven't found anyone making that same conclusion though most who debate Dampier have never been within a hemisphere of Mindanao.
The Alfoores? Dampier describes them as an Ilamicsised Tribe that had been a vassal to the Maguindanowan before gaining independence. During Dampier's stay the Maguindanowans were attempting once again to bring them to heel. The natural bet would be the Maranaw (Maranaon), or "People of the Lake." The label "Maranaw" is of recent vintage with the tribe only settling around Lake Lanao, in todays Lanao del Sur Province in the 17th Century (the lake was only created shortly before that by volcanic eruption) so that what they were called before that point is anybody's guess. A note worthy alternative might be Buayan, as they were periodically at war with them and did intermarry as Dampier's clues specify but their adoption of Islam came more than 100 years in the future.
I have seen people theorise that "Alfoores" is corrupted Portugese used to label any "wild" tribe. However, would the Maguindanowans view another Islamicised Tribe in such a fashion? More than 95% of Mainland Mindanao was animist at that point. A tribe of Muslims living in very close proximity would tend to be viewed a bit more sympathetically irregardless of the political relationship between them. A possibility that had occurred to me is that as Muslims, the label had a more direct lineage to Arabic. I say "more direct" because the Portugese label is rooted in Arabic as well with Iberia having been under Arab domination for almost 800 years. The Arabic words "al Fajuah," or "The Honeycomb" could conceivably be applied to a tribe whose main line of export is beeswax. We know from Dampier and others that inland tribes, including the Higaon-on primarily traded beeswax and honey on the coast. Worth consideration anyway.
The third tribe? Sologues? That is a bit more difficult to pin down. Dampier gives their territory as Northwest Mindanao. In an earlier Dampier entry I reckoned that would be where Misamis Oriental and Occidental Provinces are today. Others have placed it on the Zamboanga Peninsula and more than one has gone so far as to place it squarely in Dapitan City. From Dampier's location, where Cotabato City sits today, Zamboanga could certainly fit the bill. However the predominant tribe there, then as now was the Subanen. Even in a corrupted English rendition it just doesn't feel like a good fit. Of course, often times such labels are applied by outsiders. "Subanen" is the label used by the tribe itself. Who can say what other tribes might have called them? Though I have a working knowledge of Maguindanowan I don't recognise any word coming close to "Sologue," or "Sologues."
Dampier's 6 months with the Maguindanowans during the reign of their ninth Sultan, Barahaman, however did allow great insight into that small corner of the island. He describes a proud but impovershed tribe whose royal house, more often than not, begged even on its own streets. Closed off from most outside influences, a stunted economy, the Sultanate of Maguindanao seemed to be in a very precarious position. The standard Bangsamoro narrative today tells us that the Sultanate of Maguindanao was at its apex during this period. If so, there isn't very much to be proud of. Enslaving even fellow Muslims, failing to capitalise on trading and political opportunities, they were content to go hungry rather than working to build a stronger territory.
I thought it also prudent to properly define some terms that might be confusing to modern readers; What follows is a short glossary:
Bark: A small ship, equivalent to a "skiff" or "proa'l
Factory: A hybrid of military fort and trading post
East India Company: A quasi-governmental consortium of British businessmen concentrating on trade with what was then referred to as the "East Indies," which of course included the Philippines
Libby Tree: Sago Palm, which provided the basic food for most natives of Mindanao at that time
Ramdam: The Islamic Holiday of Ramadan, a month of fasting and contemplation during daylight hours
Pagallie: Platonic female friend in a systematic form of begging where in exchange for a meal and a place to sometimes nap sailors were compelled to offer extravagant gifts of gold and silver
Comrade: The male equivalent of a "Pagallie."
Delilah: A romantic or sexual partner from the native population
Whither: Where
Thither: There
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