View source for Tausūg people

{{short description|Austronesian ethnic group in Maritime Southeast Asia}}
{{multiple issues|
{{weasel|date=October 2015}}
{{original research|date=October 2015}}
{{more citations needed|date=October 2015}}
}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=October 2015}}
{{Use Philippine English|date=February 2021}}
{{Infobox ethnic group
| group            = Tausug<br/>Joloano<br/>Suluk
| native_name      = <small>''Tau Sūg''</small><br/>{{native name|ar|تَؤُ سُوْݢْ|paren=omit}}
| native_name_lang = 
| image            = File:Tausug.jpg
| image_caption    = A Tausug woman wearing traditional attire and performing a [[pangalay]] dance
| image_alt        = 
| image_size       = 
| total            = {{circa}} 1.9–2.2 million{{ref label|en|a}}
| total_year       = 
| total_source     = 
| total_ref        = 
| total1           = <!-- up to | total3 = -->
| total1_year      = <!-- up to | total3_year = -->
| total1_source    = <!-- up to | total3_source = -->
| total1_ref       = <!-- up to | total3_ref = -->
| genealogy        = 
| regions          = <!-- e.g., a list of regions (countries), especially if regionN etc below not used -->
| region1          = {{flagcountry|Philippines}}
| pop1             = 1,615,823
| ref1             = <ref name="census">{{cite web |url=https://psa.gov.ph/content/ethnicity-philippines-2020-census-population-and-housing |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230704133722/https://psa.gov.ph/content/ethnicity-philippines-2020-census-population-and-housing |url-status=live |title=Ethnicity in the Philippines (2020 Census of Population and Housing) |work=[[National Statistics Office (Philippines)|National Statistics Office]] |publisher=[[Philippine Statistics Authority]] |date=July 4, 2023 |archive-date=July 4, 2023 |accessdate=February 4, 2025}}</ref>
| region2          = {{flagcountry|Malaysia}}
| pop2             = 209,000<ref>{{cite journal |first1=Amrullah |last1=Maraining |first2=Zaini |last2=Othman |first3=Marsitah |last3=Mohd Radzi |first4=Md Saffie |last4=Abdul Rahim |date=December 31, 2018 |title=Komuniti Suluk dan Persoalan Migrasi: 'Sirih Pulang ke Gagang' |trans-title=The Community of Sulu and the Issue of Migration |language=ms |journal=Jurnal Kinabalu |volume=24 |page=44 |doi=10.51200/ejk.v24i.1678 |doi-broken-date=1 July 2025 |doi-access=free}}</ref>–500,000<ref name="malay2">{{cite web |url=http://www.accu.or.jp/litdbase/pub/dlperson/97rw/97RW_04.pdf |title=Introduction to Integration of Indigenous Culture into Non-Formal Education Programmes in Sabah |author1=Patricia Regis |author2=Anne Lasimbang |author3=Rita Lasimbang |author4=J. W. King |work=Ministry of Tourism and Environmental Development, Partners of Community Organisations (PACOS), Kadazandusun Language Foundation and Summer Institute of Linguistics, Malaysia Branch, Sabah |publisher=Asia-Pacific Cultural Centre for UNESCO (Japan) |access-date=August 28, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160828100840/http://www.accu.or.jp/litdbase/pub/dlperson/97rw/97RW_04.pdf |archive-date=August 28, 2016 |url-status=dead}}</ref><ref name="malay">{{cite web |url=https://www.astroawani.com/berita-malaysia/cara-hidup-orang-suluk-di-lahad-datu-9497 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241228082538/https://www.astroawani.com/berita-malaysia/cara-hidup-orang-suluk-di-lahad-datu-9497 |url-status=live |title=Cara hidup orang Suluk di Lahad Datu |trans-title=The way of life of the Suluk people in Lahad Datu |language=ms |first=Shafizan |last=Johari |publisher=[[Astro Awani]] |date=March 9, 2013 |accessdate=February 4, 2025 |archive-date=December 28, 2024}}</ref>
| ref2             = 
| region3          = {{flagcountry|Indonesia}}
| pop3             = 12,000
| ref3             = <ref name="indonesia">{{cite web |url=https://www.scribd.com/document/49638616/Languages-of-Indonesia |title=Languages of Indonesia |first=Hardian |last=Zudiant |work=[[Ethnologue]] |date=1981}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|title=A Guide to Tribes in Indonesia: Anthropological Insights from the Archipelago|publisher=Springer Nature Singapore Pte.Ltd|date=28 April 2020|author=Zulyani Hidayah|page=322|isbn=978-981-15-1834-8}}</ref>
| languages        = '''Native:'''<br />[[Tausug language|Tausug]]<br />'''Lingua francas:'''<br />{{Hlist|[[Chavacano]] |[[Cebuano language|Cebuano]] |[[Sama-Bajaw languages|Sama]] |[[Filipino language|Filipino]] |[[Sabah Malay]] |[[Malaysian Malay|Standard Malay]]|[[English language|English]] (in both [[Philippine English|Philippines]] and [[Malaysian English|Malaysia]])|[[Indonesian language|Indonesian]]}}
| religions        = '''Predominantly:'''<br />[[Sunni Islam]]<ref name="religion">{{cite web |url=https://fieldsupport.dliflc.edu/products/tausug/tx_co/website/default.html?type=chapter%index=2&moduleID=0&taskID=1 |title=Tausug Cultural Orientation, Chapter 2: Religion |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220322203834/https://fieldsupport.dliflc.edu/products/tausug/tx_co/website/default.html |publisher=[[Defense Language Institute Foreign Language Center]] |website=dliflc.edu |archive-date=March 22, 2022 |accessdate=March 22, 2022}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.gmanetwork.com/news/opinion/content/695996/growing-up-both-muslim-and-catholic-in-the-philippines/story/ |title=Growing up both Muslim and Catholic in the Philippines |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220104061813/https://www.gmanetwork.com/news/opinion/content/695996/growing-up-both-muslim-and-catholic-in-the-philippines/story/ |first=Arizza |last=Nocum |publisher=[[GMA News Online]] |date=May 29, 2019 |accessdate=March 22, 2022 |archive-date=January 4, 2022}}</ref><ref name="moro">{{cite web |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210523170647/https://minorityrights.org/minorities/moro-muslims/ |url=https://minorityrights.org/minorities/moro-muslims/ |title=Minorities and indigenous people in the Philippines: Moro Muslims |url-status=live |website=Minorityrights.org |archive-date=May 23, 2021 |accessdate=March 22, 2022}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |url=https://www.ijicc.net/images/vol9iss9/9922_Jumla_2019_E_R.pdf |title=In Fulfilment of the Janji: Some Social Merits of the Tausug Pagkaja |first=Francis C. |last=Jumala |date=2019 |journal=International Journal of Innovation, Creativity and Change |volume=9 |issue=9 |accessdate=March 22, 2022}}</ref>
| related_groups   = {{Hlist|[[Butuanon people|Butuanons]] |[[Sama-Bajau]] |[[Surigaonon people|Surigaonons]] |[[Yakan people|Yakan]] (other [[Moro people|Moros]] and wider [[Austronesian peoples]])}}
| footnotes        = {{note label|en|a}} This figure is a cumulative total based on referenced populations.
}}
The '''Tausug''' (also spelled '''Tausog''';<ref name="census" /> natively {{lang|tsg|'''Tau Sūg'''}}, [[Jawi alphabet|Jawi]]: {{native name|ar|تَؤُ سُوْݢْ|paren=omit|tag=|name=}}) are an [[Austronesian peoples|Austronesian]] [[ethnic group]] native to the [[Sulu Archipelago]] and northeastern coastal areas of [[Borneo]], which spans present-day [[Philippines]], [[Malaysia]] and [[Indonesia]]. Large Tausug populations are also found in the cities of mainland [[Mindanao]], in particular [[Zamboanga City]], [[Cotabato City]] and [[Davao City]], and the island of [[Palawan]].<ref>{{cite journal |url=https://animorepository.dlsu.edu.ph/etd_doctoral/1438/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221122113148/https://animorepository.dlsu.edu.ph/etd_doctoral/1438/ |url-status=live |title=Ethnolinguistic vitality assessment of the Tausug language of Zamboanga City |first=Ali G. |last=Anudin |publisher=Animo Repository |journal=[[La Salle University]] |date=September 2019 |archive-date=November 22, 2022 |accessdate=November 22, 2022}}</ref> Smaller Tausug populations can be found in [[Nunukan]] and [[Tarakan]] in [[North Kalimantan]], Indonesia.<ref name="indonesia" /><ref>{{cite web|url=https://palpres.bacakoran.co/read/13801/suku-suku-di-provinsi-kalimantan-utara-ada-suku-tidung-yang-gambarnya-ada-di-uang-pecahan-rp750000|publisher=Palembang Express|accessdate=14 May 2024|editor=Eko Wahyudi|title=Suku-suku di Provinsi Kalimantan Utara: Ada Suku Tidung yang Gambarnya ada di Uang Pecahan Rp75.00,00}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://indonesiakaya.com/provinsi-detail/kalimantan-utara/|publisher=Indonesia Kaya|title=Kalimantan Utara Archives}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bola.com/ragam/read/5139289/daftar-suku-bangsa-dari-setiap-provinsi-di-indonesia|publisher=Bola.com|accessdate=29 November 2022|editor=Faozan Tri Nugroho|title=Daftar Suku Bangsa dari Setiap Provinsi di Indonesia|date=29 November 2022 }}</ref>

Following the [[Islam in the Philippines|introduction of Islam]] to the Sulu Archipelago in the 14th century, the Tausug established the [[Sultanate of Sulu]], a [[thalassocracy|thalassocratic]] [[sovereign state|state]] that exercised sovereignty over the islands that bordered the Zamboanga Peninsula in the east to Palawan in the north.<ref name="Hernandez">{{cite book |last1=Hernandez |first1=Jose Rhommel B. |editor1-last=Lee Lai To |editor2-last=Zarina Othman |title=Regional Community Building in East Asia: Countries in Focus |date=2016 |publisher=Taylor & Francis |isbn=9781317265566 |pages=142–143 |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=WCwlDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA142 |chapter=The Philippines: Everything in place}}</ref> At its peak, it also covered areas further inland in northeastern Borneo and southwestern Mindanao.<ref>{{cite book |first=Graham |last=Saunders |title=A History of Brunei |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=DUv8AQAAQBAJ&pg=PA84 |date=November 5, 2013 |publisher=Routledge |isbn=978-1-136-87394-2 |pages=84}}</ref> During the [[Spanish East Indies|Spanish colonial period]] of the Philippines, Tausug soldiers resisted repeated [[Spanish–Moro conflict|Spanish invasions]] and the Sultanate of Sulu remained a de facto independent state until 1915, following the [[Moro Rebellion]] which resulted in the state being annexed by the [[United States]].

Following [[History of the Philippines (1946–1965)|the independence of the Philippines]] in 1946, the Philippines has acted as the [[successor state]] of the Sultanate of Sulu, which has led to tensions with neighboring predominantly-Christian ethnic groups. Today, the Tausug form a part of the wider Muslim-majority [[Moro people|Moro]] political identity in the Philippines, and have continued their shared struggle for [[self-determination]]. This has culminated in a [[Moro conflict|decades-long insurgency in Mindanao]], and a [[North Borneo dispute|territorial dispute between Malaysia and the Philippines]]. In Malaysia, ethnic Tausug people are known by the [[exonym]] '''Suluk''' and have more recently formed a distinct socio-political identity from Tausug refugees arriving in Malaysia due to continued conflict in the southern Philippines.<ref name="refugees">{{cite web |url=https://www.theborneopost.com/2013/03/25/early-suluk-residents-here-are-legally-malaysian-director/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210609150159/https://www.theborneopost.com/2013/03/25/early-suluk-residents-here-are-legally-malaysian-director/ |url-status=live |title=Early Suluk residents here are legally Malaysian – director |first=Mariah |last=Doksil |publisher=[[The Borneo Post]] |date=March 25, 2013 |archive-date=June 9, 2021 |accessdate=January 26, 2023}}</ref>

==Etymology==
The first half of the name Tausug derives from the [[Tausug language|Tausug]] word ''tau'', meaning person.<ref name="etymology1">{{cite web |url=https://opinion.inquirer.net/124482/waves-of-migration-old-and-new |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220125074027/https://opinion.inquirer.net/124482/waves-of-migration-old-and-new |url-status=live |title=Waves of migration, old and new |first=Ambeth R. |last=Ocampo |publisher=[[Philippine Daily Inquirer]] |date=October 9, 2019 |archive-date=January 25, 2022 |accessdate=January 25, 2023}}</ref> The term ''sūg'' is widely accepted to derive from the word meaning [[Ocean current|sea current]], with the definition of the whole name meaning “people of the [sea] currents”.<ref name="etymology3">{{cite web |url=https://www.sunstar.com.ph/article/1903973/davao/lifestyle/the-kadayawan-festival-and-the-11-tribes-of-davao |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220226221356/https://www.sunstar.com.ph/article/1903973/davao/lifestyle/the-kadayawan-festival-and-the-11-tribes-of-davao |url-status=live |title=The Kadayawan Festival and the 11 tribes of Davao |publisher=[[SunStar]] |first=Jinggoy I. |last=Salvador |date=August 13, 2021 |archive-date=February 26, 2022 |accessdate=January 25, 2023}}</ref> 

{{lang|tsg|[[wikt:sūg|Sūg]]}} is the modern form of the older term {{lang|tsg|Sulug}} (meaning "[sea] currents"), which was also the old name of the island of [[Jolo]]. It is derived from [[Proto-Malayo-Polynesian]] *sələg (“flowing water, current”), and is a [[cognate]] of [[Cebuano language|Cebuano]] {{lang|ceb|[[wikt:sulog|sulog]]}}, [[Tagalog language|Tagalog]] {{lang|tl|[[wikt:silig|silig]]}}, and [[Malay language|Malay]] {{lang|ms|[[wikt:suluk|suluk]]}}.{{sfn|Saleeby|1908|p=133}}

==History==

===Pre-Islamic era===
During the 13th century, the Tausug people began migrating to present-day [[Zamboanga City|Zamboanga]] and the [[Sulu archipelago]] from their homelands in northeastern Mindanao. William Scott (1994) calls the Tausugs the descendants of the ancient [[Butuanon people|Butuanons]] and [[Surigaonon people|Surigaonons]] from the [[Butuan (historical polity)|Rajahnate of Butuan]], who moved south and established a spice trading port in Sulu. Sultan [[Batarah Shah Tengah]], who ruled in 1600, was said to have been a native of Butuan.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Scott |first1=William Henry |title=Barangay Sixteenth Century Philippine Culture And Society |date=1994 |publisher=Ateneo de Manila University Press |location=Quezon City, Philippines |isbn=971-550-135-4 |page=164}}</ref> The Butuanon-Surigaonon origin of the Tausugs is suggested by the relationship of their languages, as the Butuanon, Surigaonon and Tausug languages are all grouped under the [[Bisayan languages|Southern Visayan sub-family]]. Consequently, the Tausug language is closely related to other Southern Bisayan languages like the [[Butuanon language]], which is still spoken in northeastern Mindanao to this day.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Zorc |first1=R. David Paul |title=Glottolog 3.3 – Tausug |url=https://glottolog.org/resource/languoid/id/tauñs1251 |website=Glottolog |access-date=12 March 2019 }}{{Dead link|date=August 2025 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref>

Prior to the establishment of the sultanate, the Tausug lived in communities called ''banwa''. Each banwa was headed by a leader known as a ''panglima'' along with a shaman called a ''mangungubat''. The shaman could be either a man or a woman. Each banwa was considered an independent state, like other city-states in Asia. The Tausug of the era had trade relations with neighboring Tausug banwas, the [[Yakan people]] of [[Basilan]], and the nomadic [[Sama-Bajau]].

The Tausug were [[Islam in the Philippines|Islamized]] in the 14th century and established the [[sultanate of Sulu]] in the 15th century,<ref name="lsp24">{{cite book |author=Alfred Kemp Pallasen |title=Culture Contact and Language Convergence |publisher=Linguistic Society of the Philippines |series=LSP Special Monograph Issue 24 |year=1985 |url=http://www-01.sil.org/asia/philippines/ling/Culture_Contact_and_Language_Convergence_1985.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150511231324/http://www-01.sil.org/asia/philippines/ling/Culture_Contact_and_Language_Convergence_1985.pdf |url-status=dead |archive-date=2015-05-11}}
*{{cite web |title=early history (1400s) |year=2010 |url=http://www.zamboanga.net/Arts&CultureZamboangaHistory.htm |access-date=April 18, 2010}}</ref><ref name="kunapipi">{{cite journal |author=Rodney C. Jubilado |title=On cultural fluidity: The Sama-Bajau of the Sulu-Sulawesi Seas |url=http://ro.uow.edu.au/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1257&context=kunapipi |journal=Kunapipi |volume=32 |issue=1 |year=2010 |pages=89–101}}</ref> and eventually dominated the local [[Sama-Bajau]] people of the Sulu archipelago,

===Sultanate era===
{{main|Sultanate of Sulu}}
[[File:Late 19th Century Flag of Sulu.svg|thumb|The flag of the Sulu sultanate in the late 19th century.]]
[[File:Chieftains of Sulu. Image from page 107 of "The Philippine Islands" (1899).jpg|thumb|The chieftains of Sulu, from ''The Philippine Islands'' (c. 1899).]]

In 1380, the [[Sunni]] [[Sufi]] scholar [[Makhdum Karim|Karim-ul Makhdum]], a Muslim missionary of the [[Ash'arism|Ash'ari Aqeeda]] and [[Shafi'i school|Shafi'i]] [[madhhab]], arrived in Sulu. He introduced the [[Islamic]] faith and settled in Tubig Indangan in [[Simunul]], where he lived until his death. The pillars of a mosque he had built at Tubig-Indangan still stand. In 1390, [[Rajah Baguinda|Rajah Baguinda Ali]] landed at [[Buansa]], and continued the missionary work of Makhdum. The [[Johore]]-born Arab adventurer [[Sharif ul-Hāshim of Sulu|Sayyid Abubakar Abirin]] arrived in 1450, and married Baguinda's daughter, Dayang-dayang Paramisuli. After Rajah Baguinda's death, Sayyid Abubakar became sultan, thereby introducing the [[sultanate]] as a political system (see [[Sultanate of Sulu]]). Political districts were created in [[Parang, Sulu|Parang]], [[Pansul]], Lati, [[Gitung]], and [[Luuk, Sulu|Luuk]], each headed by a ''[[panglima]]'' or district leader. After the Sunni Sufi scholar Sayyid Abubakar's death, the sultanate system had already become well established in Sulu. Before the coming of the Spaniards, the ethnic groups in Sulu — the Tausug, [[Samal people|Samal]], [[Yakan people|Yakan]], and the [[Bajau]] – were united to varying degrees under the Sulu sultanate following the [[Sunni]] Islam, they were [[Ash'ari]] in aqeeda and [[Shafi'i]] in Madh'hab as well as practitioners of [[Sufism]].<ref>{{cite web |last1=Morales |first1=Yusuf |title=PEACETALK: The different Islamic schools of thought in the Philippines |url=https://www.mindanews.com/mindaviews/2017/06/peacetalk-the-different-islamic-schools-of-thought-in-the-philippines/ |website=MindaNews |date=18 June 2017 |access-date=20 May 2023}}</ref>

The political system of the sultanate was [[patrilineal]]. The [[sultan]] was the sole sovereign of the sultanate, followed by various [[maharajah]] and [[raja]]h-titled subdivisional princes. Further down the line were the numerous ''panglima'' or local chiefs, similar in function to the modern [[Philippine]] political post of the [[barangay captain]] in the [[barangay]] system.

[[File:Moro Sultanates (Philippines).png|thumb|right|The Sulu sultanate at its greatest extent (blue)]]

The Sulu Archipelago was an [[entrepôt]] that attracted merchants from south China and various parts of Southeast Asia beginning in the 14th century.<ref name="Donoso">{{Harvnb|Donoso|2022|p=505}}</ref> The name "Sulu" is attested in Chinese historical records as early as 1349,<ref name="Abinales-43">{{Harvnb|Abinales|Amoroso|2005|p=43}}</ref> during the late [[Yuan dynasty]], suggesting trade relations around this time.<ref name="gunn-93">{{Harvnb|Gunn|2011|p=93}}</ref> Trade continued into the early [[Ming dynasty]] (1368–1644), as envoys were sent in several missions to China to trade and [[Tributary system of China|pay tribute]] to [[Emperor of China|the emperor]]. Sulu merchants often exchanged goods with [[Islam in China|Chinese Muslims]], and there was also trade with Muslims who were of [[Arab Muslims|Arab]], [[Islam in Iran|Persian]], [[Islam in Southeast Asia|Malay]], or [[Islam in India|Indian]] descent.<ref name="Donoso"/> Islamic historian [[Cesar Adib Majul]] argues that Islam was introduced to the Sulu Archipelago in the late 14th century by Chinese and Arab merchants and missionaries from Ming China.<ref name="Abinales-43" /><ref name="gunn-93" /> Moreover, these 7 Arab missionaries were called "Lumpang Basih" by the Tausug and they were Sunni Sufi Scholars from the [[Ba 'Alawi sada]] of Yemen.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Quiling |first1=Mucha-Shim |title=Lumpang Basih |journal=Journal of Studies on Traditional Knowledge in Sulu Archipelago and Its People, and in the Neighboring Nusantara |date=2020 |volume=3 |url=https://www.academia.edu/42073637 |access-date=20 May 2023}}</ref>

Around this time, a notable Arab judge, [[Sunni]] [[Sufi]]  and [[religious scholar]] named [[Makhdum Karim|Karim ul-Makhdum]]<ref group="note">May be interchange to ''Karimul Makhdum'', ''Karimal Makdum'' or ''Makhdum Karim'' among others. Makhdum came from the Arabic word ''makhdūmīn'', which means "master".</ref> from [[Mecca]] arrived in Malacca. He preached [[Sunni Islam|Islam]], particularly the [[Ash'ari]] Aqeeda and [[Shafi'i]] Madh'hab as well as the [[Qadiriyya]] Tariqa to the people, and thus many citizens, including the ruler of Malacca, [[Malacca Sultanate|converted to Islam]].<ref name="Saleeby%20158-159">{{Harvnb|Saleeby|1908|pp=158–159}}</ref> The Sulu leader [[Paduka Pahala]] and his sons moved to China, where he died, and Chinese Muslims brought up his sons in [[Dezhou#Sulu Royal Family|Dezhou]], where their descendants live and have the surnames An and Wen. In 1380 AD,<ref group="note">Another uncertain date in Philippine Islamic history is the year of arrival of Karim ul-Makhdum. Though other Muslim scholars place the date as simply "''the end of 14th century''", Saleeby calculated the year as 1380 AD corresponding to the description of the ''tarsilas'', in which Karim ul-Makhdum's coming is 10 years before Rajah Baguinda's. The 1380 reference originated from the event in Islamic history when a huge number of ''makhdūmīn'' started to travel to Southeast Asia from [[India]]. See Ibrahim's "Readings on Islam in Southeast Asia."</ref> Karim ul-Makhdum arrived in [[Simunul, Tawi-Tawi|Simunul island]] from [[Malacca]], again with Arab traders. Apart from being a scholar, he operated as a trader; some see him as a [[Sufism|Sufi]] [[missionary]] originating from [[Mecca]].<ref name="Larousse%2040">{{Harvnb|Larousse|2001|p=40}}</ref> He preached Islam in the area, and was thus accepted by the core Muslim community. He was the second person who preached Islam in the area, following Tuan Mashā′ikha. To facilitate easy conversion of nonbelievers, he established a mosque in Tubig-Indagan, Simunul, which became the first Islamic temple to be constructed in the area, as well as the first in the [[Philippines]]. This later became known as [[Sheik Karimal Makdum Mosque]].<ref>{{cite web|last=Mawallil|first=Amilbahar|title=Simunul Island, Dubbed As 'Dubai of the Philippines', Pursues Ambitious Project|url=http://mindanaoexaminer.com/news.php?news_id=20090702181517|access-date=22 December 2010|newspaper=The Mindanao Examiner|date=3 July 2009|author2=Dayang Babylyn Kano Omar|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110714095516/http://mindanaoexaminer.com/news.php?news_id=20090702181517|archive-date=14 July 2011|url-status=dead}}</ref> He died in Sulu, although the exact location of his grave is unknown. In Buansa, he was known as Tuan Sharif Awliyā <ref>{{citation
|last1=Ibrahim
|first1=Ahmad
|first2=Sharon
|last2=Siddique
|first3=Yasmin
|last3=Hussain
|title=Readings on Islam in Southeast Asia
|publisher=Institute of Southeast Asian Studies
|year=1985
|isbn=978-9971-988-08-1
|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=BeDKqPTeHnUC
|page=51
}}</ref> On his alleged grave in Bud Agad, Jolo, an inscription reassure "Mohadum Aminullah Al-Nikad". In [[Lugus, Sulu|Lugus]], he is referred to as Abdurrahman. In [[Sibutu Island|Sibutu]], he is known by his name.<ref>{{Harvnb|Gonda|1975|p=91}}</ref>

The difference of beliefs on his grave location came about due to the fact that the [[Qadiri]] [[Shaykh]] Karim ul-Makhdum travelled to several islands in the [[Sulu Sea]] to preach Islam. In many places in the archipelago, he was beloved. It is said that the people of [[Tapul, Sulu|Tapul]] built a mosque honoring him and that they claim descent from Karim ul-Makhdum. Thus, the success of Karim ul-Makhdum of spreading Islam in Sulu threw a new light in Islamic history in the Philippines. The customs, beliefs and political laws of the people changed and customized to adopt the Islamic tradition.<ref name="Saleeby%20159">{{Harvnb|Saleeby|1908|p=159}}</ref>

Sulu abruptly stopped sending tributes to the Ming in 1424.<ref name="gunn-93" /> [[Antonio Pigafetta]], in his journals, records that the sultan of Brunei went and invaded Sulu in order subjugate the nation and retrieve the two sacred pearls Sulu pillaged from Brunei during earlier times.<ref>[https://www.jstor.org/stable/20174317?seq=14 Brunei Rediscovered: A Survey of Early Times By Robert Nicholl] Page 45.</ref> A sultan of Brunei, [[Sultan Bolkiah]], married a princess (''dayang-dayang'') of Sulu, Puteri Laila Menchanai, and they became the grandparents of the Muslim prince of [[Rajahnate of Maynila|Maynila]], [[Rajah Matanda]], as Manila was a Muslim city-state and vassal to Brunei before the Spanish colonized them and converted them from Islam to Christianity.{{Citation needed|date=January 2022}} Islamic Manila ended after the failed attack of [[Tarik Sulayman]], a Muslim Kapampangan commander, in the failure of the [[Conspiracy of the Maharlikas]], when the formerly Muslim Manila nobility attempted a secret alliance with the Japanese shogunate and Bruneiean sultanate (together with her Manila and Sulu allies) to expel the Spaniards from the Philippines.<ref name=":3">{{Cite book |last=de Marquina |first=Esteban |title=Conspiracy Against the Spaniards: Testimony in certain investigations made by Doctor Santiago de Vera, president of the Philipinas, May–July 1589 |work=The Philippine Islands, 1493–1898 |publisher=Arthur H. Clark Company |year=1903 |editor-last=Blair |editor-first=Emma Helen |editor-link=Emma Helen Blair |volume=7 |location=Ohio, Cleveland |pages=86–103 |editor-last2=Robertson |editor-first2=James Alexander |editor-link2=James Alexander Robertson}}</ref> Many Tausugs and other native Muslims of Sulu Sultanate already interacted with Kapampangan and Tagalog Muslims called [[Luzones]] based in Brunei, and there were intermarriages between them. The Spanish had native allies against the former Muslims they conquered like Hindu Tondo which resisted Islam when Brunei invaded and established Manila as a Muslim city-state to supplant Hindu Tondo.

Battles and skirmishes [[Spanish–Moro conflict|were waged intermittently from 1578 till 1898]] between the Spanish colonial government and the [[Moro people|Moros]] of [[Mindanao]] and the [[Sulu]] archipelago.{{citation needed|date=October 2015}} In 1578, an expedition sent by Governor [[Francisco de Sande]] and headed by Captain Rodriguez de Figueroa began the 300-year conflict between the Tausūgs and the Spanish authorities. In 1579, the Spanish government gave de Figueroa the sole right to colonize Mindanao. In retaliation, the Moro raided Visayan towns in Panay, Negros, and Cebu, for they knew the Spanish conscripted foot soldiers from these areas. Such Moro raids were repelled by Spanish and Visayan forces. In the early 17th century, the largest alliance, comprising Maranao, Maguindanao, Tausūg, and other Moro and Lumad groups, was formed by [[Muhammad Kudarat|Sultan Kudarat]] or Cachil Corralat of Maguindanao, ruler of domains extending from the Davao Gulf to Dapitan on the Zamboanga peninsula. Several Spanish expeditions suffered defeat at their hands. In 1635, Captain Juan de Chaves erected a fort and established a settlement in Zamboanga. In 1637, Governor General [[Sebastián Hurtado de Corcuera]] personally led an expedition against Kudarat, and temporarily triumphed over his forces at Lamitan and [[Illana Bay|Iliana Bay]]. On 1 January 1638, Hurtado de Corcuera, with 80 vessels and 2000 soldiers, defeated the Moro Tausūg and occupied Jolo, mainly staying inside captured Cottas. A peace treaty was forged, but Spanish sovereignty over Sulu still had not been firmly established; the Tausūg abrogated the treaty in 1646 soon after the Spaniards occupiers departed.<ref>Cf. also Paulo Bonavides, Political Sciences (Ciência Política), p. 126. {{verify source|date=October 2015}}</ref> It wasn't until 1705 that the sultanate renounced to [[Spain]] any sovereignty it had previously asserted over south [[Palawan]], and in 1762 it similarly relinquished its claims over [[Basilan]]. During the last quarter of the 19th century, the sultanate formally recognized Spanish sovereignty, but these areas remained partially controlled by the Spanish, with their sovereignty limited to military stations, garrisons, and pockets of civilian settlements in Zamboanga and Cotabato (the latter under the [[Sultanate of Maguindanao]]). Eventually, as a consequence of their defeat in the Spanish–American War, the Spanish had to abandon the region entirely.{{citation needed|date=October 2015}}

In 1737, Sultan [[Alimud Din I]], advancing his own personal interests, entered into a "permanent" peace treaty with Governor General F. Valdes y Tamon; and in 1746, he befriended the Jesuits sent to Jolo by King Philip. The "permission" of Sultan Azimuddin-I (*the first heir-apparent) allowed Catholic Jesuits to enter Jolo, but his younger brother, Raja Muda Maharajah Adinda Datu Bantilan (*the second heir-apparent) argued against this, saying that he did not want the Catholic Jesuits to disturb or dishonor Islamic faith among the Moro in Sulu. The two brothers' disagreement eventually caused Sultan Azimuddin-I to depart Jolo, first removing to Zamboanga and eventually arriving in [[Manila]] 1748. Upon his departure, his brother Raja Muda Maharajah Adinda Datu Bantilan was proclaimed sultan, taking the name Sultan Bantilan Muizzuddin.

[[File:Tausūg horsemen in Sulu, taken on 30 December 1899 from issue of Leslie s Weekly.jpg|thumb|right|220px|Tausūg horsemen in [[Sulu]], taken on 30 December 1899.]]

In 1893, amid succession controversies, Amir ul Kiram became Sultan Jamalul Kiram II, the title being officially recognized by the Spanish authorities. In 1899, after the defeat of Spain in the Spanish–American War, Colonel Luis Huerta, the last governor of Sulu, relinquished his garrison to the Americans. (Orosa 1970:25–30).

[[File:MatSalleh-Photo.jpg|thumb|right|Mat Salleh (marked with an "X"), a [[Bajau people|Bajau]]-Suluk warrior widely known in [[North Borneo]] (present day [[Sabah]]).]]

In northern [[Borneo]], most citizen families residing in Sabah are generally-recognized to have lived in the area since the time of the sultanate.<ref name="Sabahan natives list">{{cite web|url=http://www.sabah.gov.my/main/en-GB/Home/About|title=Sabah's People and History|quote=The [[Kadazan-Dusun]] is the largest ethnic group in Sabah that makes up almost 30% of the population. The [[Bajau people|Bajaus]], or also known as "Cowboys of the East", and [[Murut people|Muruts]], the hill people and head hunters in the past, are the second and third largest ethnic group in Sabah respectively. Other indigenous tribes include the [[Bisaya (Borneo)|Bisaya]], [[Bruneian Malay people|Brunei Malay]], [[Bugis]], [[Kedayan]], [[Lotud]], [[Lundayeh people|Ludayeh]], [[Rungus people|Rungus]], Suluk, [[Minokok]], [[Bonggi people|Bonggi]], the [[Ida'an]], and many more. The largest non-indigenous group of the population are Chinese.|publisher=[[Government of Sabah|Sabah State Government]]|access-date=25 March 2015|archive-date=2 June 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160602065858/http://www.sabah.gov.my/main/en-GB/Home/About|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref name="citizen" group="note">Most of the native Suluks in Sabah have lived there since before the [[formation of Malaysia]]. At that time, everyone living within Malaysian borders automatically gained citizenship, as contrasted with later immigrants from the Philippines arriving after the country had been formed.</ref> Local [[North Borneo]] records indicate that during the period of British rule, a notable Bajau-Suluk warrior participated in the [[Mat Salleh Rebellion]], participating in the conflict until his death. During the [[World War II|Second World War]] when the [[Empire of Japan|Japanese]] [[Japanese occupation of British Borneo|occupied the northern Borneo area]], many Suluk people, along with ethnic Chinese emigrants, were massacred by [[Imperial Japanese Army|Japanese soldiers]] during the [[Jesselton Revolt]] against the Japanese invasion and occupation.{{citation needed|date=February 2021}}

The Tausug had a saying, "Mayayao pa muti in bukug ayaw in tikud-tikud" (It is preferable to see the whiteness of your bone due to wounds than whiten your heel from running away) and in magsabil "when one runs amuck and he is able to kill a nonbeliever and in turn gets killed for it, his place in heaven is assured."<ref>{{cite web |last=Apron |first=Jeremiah   |date= |title=Tausug: People of the Current   |page=5 |url=https://www.academia.edu/11314066}}</ref>

The Tausug waged parang sabil (holy war) for their land (Lupah Sug) and religion against the United States after Bud Bagsak and Bud Dahu and during the Moro National Liberation Front's struggle against the Philippines since 1972, with them being memorialized in tales of Parang Sabil like "The Story of War in Zambo" (Kissa sin Pagbunu ha Zambo about MNLF commander Ustadz Habier Malik's 2013 attack in Zamboanga.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Ingilan   |first1=Sajed S. |last2=Abdurajak |first2=Nena C.   |date=2021 |title=Unveiling the Tausug Culturein Parang Sabil through Translation |url=https://www.academia.edu/67726529 |journal=Southeastern Philippines Journal of Research and Development |volume=26 |issue=2 |pages=97–108|doi=10.53899/spjrd.v26i2.156 }}</ref>

Some Tausug who went on parang sabil did it to redeem themselves in causes of dishonor (hiya).<ref>{{cite thesis |last=Lluisma |first=Ysa Tatiana |date=February 2011 |title=The Redemption of the Parang Sabil: A Rhetorical Criticism of the Tausug Parang Sabil Using Burke's Dramatist Pentad |url=https://www.academia.edu/10107774 |degree=Bachelor of Arts in Speech Communication     |publisher=Department Of Speech Communication and Theatre Arts at the University of the Philippines |page=46}}</ref> Tausug believe the sabils gain divine protection and can be immune to bullets while going on their suicide attacks.<ref>{{cite thesis |last=Lluisma |first=Ysa Tatiana |date=February 2011 |title=The Redemption of the Parang Sabil: A Rhetorical Criticism of the Tausug Parang Sabil Using Burke's Dramatist Pentad |url=https://www.academia.edu/10107774 |degree=Bachelor of Arts in Speech Communication     |publisher=Department Of Speech Communication and Theatre Arts at the University of the Philippines |page=66}}</ref> Tausug committed parrangsabil in 1984 at Pata island, 1974 at Jolo, 1968 at Corregidor island, 1913 at Bud Bagsak, 1911 at Bud Talipaw, 1911 and 1906 at Bud Dahu. Tausug believe that the rituals they undergo in preparation for magsasabil and parrangsabil will render them invulnerable to bulles, metal and sharp weapons and that Allah will protect them and determine their fate while using their budjak spears, barung and kalis against enemies like the Americans and Spanish.<ref>{{cite web |last=Jolo |first=Neldy   |title=TAUSUG INVULNERABILITY |pages=1–3 |url=https://www.academia.edu/2771107}}</ref>

Baker Atyani an Arab journalist, was kidnapped by the Abu Sayyaf group. On 3 February 2013 Ustaz Habir Malik led the MNLF to fight against Abu Sayyaf and demanded they released the hostages. Jolo was burned by Philippines on 7 February 1974, Spanish on 29 February 1896 & 27–28 February 1851.<ref>{{cite web |last=Jolo |first=Neldy |title=TAUSUG: STILL A BRAVE PEOPLE? |url=https://www.academia.edu/2508993}}</ref>

On 5 April 2019 MNLF member Abdul was interviewed by Elgin Glenn Salomon and said about the battle of Jolo in 1974 between the Philippines and MNLF. “They could not defeat the people of Sulu. See the Japanese, the Americans, and the Spaniards! They cannot defeat the province of Jolo. Until now, they could not defeat…. See, they (MNLF) have three guns… At the age of 12, they already have a gun. Will the soldiers continue to enter their territory? The heavy-duty soldiers would die at their (MNLF) hands.”<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Salomon |first1=Elgin Glenn   |date=2022 |title=Testimonial Narratives of Muslim Tausug Against Militarization of Sulu (1972-1974) |url=https://www.academia.edu/88552689 |journal=Studia Islamika |volume=29 |issue=2 |pages=261 |doi=10.36712/sdi.v29i2.23131|doi-broken-date=13 September 2025 |doi-access=free }}</ref>

===Modern era===

====Philippines====
{{main|Moro conflict in the Philippines}}
A "policy of attraction" was introduced, ushering in reforms to encourage Muslim integration into Philippine society. "Proxy colonialism" was legalized by the Public Land Act of 1919, invalidating Tausūg ''pusaka'' (inherited property) laws based on the Islamic [[Shariah]]. The act also granted the state the right to confer land ownership. It was thought that the Muslims would "learn" from the "more advanced" Christian Filipinos, and would integrate more easily into mainstream Philippine society. In February 1920, the Philippine Senate and House of Representatives passed Act No 2878, which abolished the [[Department of Mindanao and Sulu]], and transferred its responsibilities to the Bureau of Non-Christian Tribes under the Department of the Interior. Muslim dissatisfaction grew as power shifted to the Christian Filipinos. Petitions were sent by Muslim leaders between 1921 and 1924, requesting that Mindanao and Sulu be administered directly by the [[United States]]. These petitions were not granted. Realising the futility of armed resistance, some Muslims sought to make the best of the situation. In 1934, Arolas Tulawi of Sulu, Datu Manandang Piang and Datu Blah Sinsuat of Cotabato, and Sultan Alaoya Alonto of Lanao were elected to the 1935 Constitutional Convention. In 1935, two Muslims were elected to the National Assembly.

[[File:Kamlon and Magsaysay.jpg|thumb|Datu [[Hadji Kamlon]], a Tausūg freedom fighter who fought during [[World War II]], and afterwards, staged his own uprising against the [[Government of the Philippines|Philippine government]].]]

The Tausūg in Sulu [[Philippine resistance against Japan#Moro resistance in Mindanao|fought against the Japanese occupation of Mindanao and Sulu during World War II]] and eventually drove them out. The Commonwealth sought to end the privileges the Muslims had been enjoying under the earlier American administration. Muslim exemptions from some national laws, as expressed in the administrative code for Mindanao, and the Muslim right to use their traditional Islamic courts, as expressed in the Moro Board, were ended. It was unlikely that the Muslims, who have had a longer cultural history as Muslims than the Filipinos as Christians, would surrender their identity.<!-- Fearing government persecution, he went to the hills. On "death row," he was finally pardoned by Pres Marcos on 11 September 1968.--> This incident contributed to the rise of various separatist movements – the Muslim Independence Movement (MIM), Ansar El-Islam, and Union of Islamic Forces and Organizations (Che Man 1990:74–75).Founders of the Ansarul Islam were Capt.Kalingalan Caluang, Rashid Lucman, Salipada Pendatun, Domocao Alonto, Hamid Kamlian, Udtog Matalam, Atty. Macapantun Abbas Jr.In 1969, the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) was founded on the concept of a Bangsa Moro Republic by a group of educated young Muslims.The Chief Minister of Sabah by then was Tun Mustapha, he was like a brother and had good relations with Kalingalan “Apuh Inggal” Caluang. Through Tun Mustapha's help, the first fighters of MNLF(Like Al Hussein Caluang) were trained in Sabah after staying in Luuk, Sulu(which is now Kalingalan Caluang). Nur Misuari became a part of the Ansarul Islam because of his good reputation as a UP professor. After the training of these first MNLF fighters, Yahya Caluang(Son of Kalingalan “Apuh Inggal” Caluang) was asked by Kalingalan “Apuh Inggal” Caluang to fetch the MNLF fighters in Sabah. When Yahya Caluang arrived, Nur Misuari took over and declared himself Leader of the MNLF. Nur Misuari eventually asked forgiveness to Kalingalan “Apuh Inggal” Caluang and Apuh Inggal forgive him.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Espaldon |first1=Senator Ernesto |title=WITH THE BRAVEST The Untold Story of the Sulu Freedom Fighters of World War II |date=1997 |pages=210 |url=https://www.scribd.com/document/508811524/WITH-THE-BRAVEST-The-Untold-Story-of-the-Sulu-Freedom-Fighters-of-World-War-II# |access-date=20 May 2023}}</ref>

In 1976, negotiations between the Philippine government and the MNLF in Tripoli resulted in the [[1976 Tripoli Agreement|Tripoli Agreement]], which provided for an autonomous region in Mindanao. [[Nur Misuari]] was invited to chair the provisional government, but he refused. The referendum was boycotted by the Muslims themselves. The talks collapsed, and fighting continued. On 1 August 1989, Republic Act 673 or the Organic Act for Mindanao, created the Autonomous Region of Mindanao, which encompasses Maguindanao, Lanao del Sur, Sulu, and Tawi-Tawi.{{citation needed|date=February 2021}}

====Malaysia====
[[File:Mustapha Harun.jpg|thumb|right|[[Mustapha Harun]] is the first governor of [[Sabah]], who is of Tausūg-[[Sama-Bajau|Bajau]] descent.]]
Most of the Tausugs in Malaysia have been living in part of Saba since the rule of the sultanate of Sulu. Some of them actually descendants of a Sulu princess (''Dayang Dayang'') who escaped from the Sulu sultan in the 1850s, when the sultan tried to take the princess as a wife although he already had many [[concubinage|concubines]].<ref name="despised">{{cite web|url=http://www.thestar.com.my/Opinion/Columnists/One-Mans-Meat/Profile/Articles/2014/05/26/Despised-for-the-wrong-reasons/|title=Despised for the wrong reasons|author=Philip Golingai|work=[[The Star (Malaysia)|The Star]]|date=26 May 2014|access-date=22 January 2015|archive-date=17 November 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151117025040/http://www.thestar.com.my/Opinion/Columnists/One-Mans-Meat/Profile/Articles/2014/05/26/Despised-for-the-wrong-reasons/|url-status=dead}}</ref> To differentiate themselves from the newly arrived Tausūg immigrants from the Philippines, most of them prefer to be called "Suluk".<ref name="racism or anger">{{cite web|url=http://www.thestar.com.my/news/nation/2013/07/17/racism-or-anger-over-social-injustice/|title=Racism or anger over social injustice?|author=Daphne Iking|author-link=Daphne Iking|work=The Star|date=17 July 2013|access-date=17 July 2013}}</ref>

However, more recent Tausug immigrants and refugees dating back to the 1970s Moro insurgency (the majority of them [[Illegal immigration|illegal immigrants]]) often face discrimination in Sabah. After the [[2013 Lahad Datu standoff]], there were reports of abuses by Malaysian authorities specifically on ethnic Tausug during crackdowns in [[Sandakan]], even on Tausūg migrants with valid papers.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Saceda |first1=Charlie |title=Pinoys in Sabah fear retaliation |url=https://www.rappler.com/nation/23164-pinoys-in-sabah-fear-retaliation |access-date=12 January 2020 |work=Rappler |date=6 March 2013}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Manlupig |first1=Karlos |title=If you are Tausug, they will arrest you |url=https://www.rappler.com/nation/23439-tausug-crackdown-sabah |access-date=12 January 2020 |work=Rappler |date=9 March 2013}}</ref> Approximately nine thousand Filipino Tausūg were deported from January to November 2013.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.aljazeera.com/video/asia-pacific/2013/03/20133203254428749.html|title=Deported Filipinos forced to leave families|publisher=Al Jazeera|date=20 March 2013|access-date=20 September 2013}}</ref><ref name="flushed out">{{cite web|url=http://www.themalaymailonline.com/malaysia/article/11992-illegals-repatriated-from-sabah-between-january-and-november-says-tas|title=11,992 illegals repatriated from Sabah between January and November, says task force director|publisher=The Malay Mail|date=22 November 2013|access-date=7 January 2014}}</ref><ref name="illegals">{{cite web|url=http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/global-filipino/03/24/14/over-26000-filipino-illegal-migrants-return-sabah|title=Over 26,000 Filipino illegal migrants return from Sabah|author=Jaymalin Mayen|work=The Philippine Star|publisher=ABS-CBN News|date=25 March 2014|access-date=21 June 2014|archive-date=1 January 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150101073056/http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/global-filipino/03/24/14/over-26000-filipino-illegal-migrants-return-sabah|url-status=dead}}</ref>

==Demographics==
[[File:Kids on the Water.JPG|thumb|right|Tausūg refugee children on the water.]]
The Tausug number was of 1,226,601 in the [[Philippines]] in 2010.<ref name="auto">{{cite web|url=https://psa.gov.ph/sites/default/files/PHIILIPPINES_FINAL%20PDF.pdf|title=2010 Census of Population and Housing, Report No. 2A: Demographic and Housing Characteristics (Non-Sample Variables) – Philippines|publisher=Philippine Statistics Authority|access-date=19 May 2020}}</ref> They populate the Filipino province of [[Sulu Province|Sulu]] as a majority, and the provinces of [[Zamboanga del Sur]], [[Zamboanga del Norte]], [[Zamboanga Sibugay]], [[Basilan]], [[Tawi-Tawi]], [[Palawan]], [[Metro Cebu|Cebu]], and [[Metro Manila|Manila]] as minorities. Many Filipino-Tausūgs have found work in neighboring Sabah, Malaysia as construction labourers in search of better lives. However, many of them  violate the law by [[Illegal immigrants in Malaysia|overstaying illegally]] and are sometimes involved in criminal activities.<ref name="racism or anger"/> The Filipino-Tausūgs are not recognized as a native to Sabah.<ref name="citizen" group="note"/><ref>{{cite book|author=Fausto Barlocco|title=Identity and the State in Malaysia|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=mU9JAgAAQBAJ&q=immigrant&pg=PA77|date=4 December 2013|publisher=Routledge|isbn=978-1-317-93239-0|pages=77–85}}</ref>

The Tausugs who have already been living natively in Sabah by the time of the Sulu or Tausug sultanate have settled in much of the eastern parts, from [[Kudat]] town in the north, to [[Tawau]] in the south east.<ref name="Sabahan natives list"/> They number around 300,000 and many of them have [[Interracial marriage|intermarried]] with other ethnic groups in Sabah, especially the Bajaus. Most prefer to use the Malay-language ethnonym ''Suluk'' in their birth certificates rather than the native Tausūg to distinguish themselves from their newly arrived Filipino relatives in Sabah. Migration fueled mainly from Sabah also created a substantial Suluk community in [[Klang Valley|Greater Kuala Lumpur]]. While in [[Indonesia]], most of the communities mainly settled in the northern area of [[North Kalimantan]] like [[Nunukan Regency|Nunukan]] and [[Tarakan, North Kalimantan|Tarakan]], which lies close to their traditional realm. There are around 12,000 <small>(1981 estimate)</small> Tausūg in Indonesia.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Languages of Indonesia {{!}} PDF {{!}} Java {{!}} Bali |url=https://www.scribd.com/document/49638616/Languages-of-Indonesia |access-date=2023-09-08 |website=Scribd |language=en}}</ref>

===Religion===
The overwhelming majority of Tausūgs follow [[Islam]], as Islam has been a defining aspect of native Sulu culture ever since Islam spread to the southern Philippines. They follow the traditional Sunni Shafi'i section of Islam, however they retain pre-Islamic religious practices and often practice a mix of [[Islam]] and [[Animism]] in their [[adat]]. A Christian minority exists. During the Spanish occupation, the presence of Jesuit missionaries in the [[Sulu Archipelago]] allowed for the conversion of entire families and even tribes and clans of Tausūgs, and other Sulu natives to Christianity. For example, [[Azim ud-Din I of Sulu]], the 19th sultan of Sulu was converted to [[Christianity]] and baptized as Don Fernando de Alimuddin, however he reverted to Islam in his later life near death.

Some of the assimilated Filipino celebrities and politicians of Tausūg descent also tend to follow the Christian religion of the majority instead of the religion of their ancestors. For example, [[Maria Lourdes Sereno]], the 24th Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of the Philippines is of patrilineal Tausūg descent is a born-again Christian. Singer [[Sitti]] is of Tausūg and Samal descent (she claims to be of Mapun heritage, also native to Sulu), is also a Christian.

The Tausug used to be Hindus before converting to Islam.<ref>{{Harvnb|Saleeby|1908|p=44}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |author=Philippines. Division of Ethnology |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=LcY_AAAAYAAJ&dq=vishnu+sulu&pg=PA152 |title=Division of Ethnology Publications, Volume 4, Part 2 |date=1908 |publisher=Bureau of Printing |isbn= |series=Division of Ethnology Publications, Philippines. Division of Ethnology |location= |page=152 |quote=In conPage 5 is a copy of a Sulu document issued by Sultan Jamalul - Kiram I in the year 1251 A. H., or about seventy ... The first person who lived on the Island of Sulu is Jamiyun Kulisa . ... 5 One of the names of the wife of Vishnu ...}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |author=Philippines. Bureau of Science. Division of Ethnology |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=S0KgAAAAMAAJ&dq=vishnu+sulu&pg=PA152 |title=Publications, Volume 4 |date=1905 |publisher= |isbn= |location= |page=152 |quote=Page 5 is a copy of a Sulu document issued by Sultan Jamalul - Kiram I in the year 1251 A. H., or about seventy - three years ago . It confers the title of Khatib or Katib ? on a Sulu pandita ? named Adak . ... the wife of Vishnu .}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=pf8UAQAAIAAJ&q=vishnu+sulu |title=Sulu Studies, Volume 3 |date=1974 |publisher=Notre Dame of Jolo College. |others=Contributors &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp; Notre Dame of Jolo College. Coordinated Investigation of Sulu Culture, Notre Dame of Jolo College |isbn= |series=Sulu studies, Notre Dame of Jolo College. Coordinated Investigation of Sulu Culture |location= |page=152 |quote=Mohammad Daud Abdul, a research assistant of the Coordinated Investigation of Sulu Culture ( CISC ) collaborated with ... A vehicle of Vishnu, he is " depicted with a white face, red wings and body of gold "; he “ became famous in ...}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=f3RwAAAAMAAJ&q=vishnu+sulu |title=The Kadatuan I Conference Proceedings |date=1997 |publisher=Unibersidad ng Pilipinas |others=Contributor &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp; University of the Philippines |isbn= |location= |page=52 |quote=The political institutions of pre - Islamic Sulu and Mindanao were patriarchal in form, resembling in many ways the ... Sulu and Mindanao were Hindu - influenced, especially if we deduce that Vitnuism, the cult of God Vishnu or ...}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last=Rasul |first=Jainal D. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=I2hxAAAAMAAJ&q=vishnu+sulu |title=Still Chasing the Rainbow: Selected Writings of Jainal D. Rasul, Sr. on Filipino Muslims' Politics, History, and the Law (Shari'ah) |date=1999 |publisher=FedPil Pub. |isbn= |editor-last=Rasul |editor-first=Al-Gazel |location= |page=286 |quote=From these sources, it is clear that the original inhabitants of pre - Islamic Sulu and Mindanao were Hindu - influenced, especially if we deduce that Vitnuism, the cult of God Vishnu or Narayena, was evidently practised . |author-link=}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last=Frothingham |first=Robert |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=TjwNAQAAIAAJ&dq=vishnu+sulu&pg=PA319 |title=Around the World: A Friendly Guide for the World Traveler |date=1925 |publisher=Houghton Mifflin |isbn= |series=Park Street library of letters, diaries and memoirs |location= |page=319 }}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last=Galang |first=Zoilo M. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Xb84AQAAIAAJ&dq=vishnu+sulu&pg=PA504 |title=Encyclopedia of the Philippines: Education and religion |date=1936 |publisher=Philippine Education Company |isbn= |editor1-last=Galang |editor1-first=Camilo |volume=5 of Encyclopedia of the Philippines: The Library of Philippine Literature, Art and Science, Zoilo M. Galang |location= |page=504 |author-link= |editor2-last=Osias}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last= |first= |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=aPCLDaWvJ7UC&dq=vishnu+sulu&pg=RA1-PA331 |title=Indian Antiquary: A Journal of Oriental Research in Archaeology, History, Literature, Languages, Folklore Etc |date=1872 |publisher=Times of India |isbn= |location= |page=331 |quote=... ( verse 82 of my MS ) where it is said : -Ohu bê sulu Siri Sanga - bo raja Piyangul - wehera âdi wihâra karawâ Dewnuwara Dew ... Vishnu commonly called in this ( Anuradhapura ) district, ' Utpala waruna diwya rajayan wahanse ... |author-link=}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |author=Scribe I Am |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=NS6SAwAAQBAJ&dq=vishnu+sulu&pg=PA193 |title=Terrah: Damnation |date=2014 |publisher=X libris Corporation |isbn=978-1493136483 |location= |page= |quote=Vishnu, Sokol, Thor, Zeus, Baal, Sulu, Diva, Hawk and Lark Squadrons took off, all except the suspiciously absent Hunters. It was only as the pilots of the Solitude's fighter wings filled the airwaves with their chatter, that the truth ...}}</ref><ref>{{Harvnb|Saleeby|1908|p=47}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |author=Philippines. Division of Ethnology |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=DzgShcBQ6jQC&dq=surya+sulu&pg=PA155 |title=Publications, Volume 1, Part 4 |date=1905 |publisher= |isbn= |series=Division of Ethnology Publications, Philippines. Division of Ethnology |location= |page=155 |quote=CHAPTER III RISE AND PROSPERITY OF SULU SULU BEFORE ISLAM ور The Genealogy of Sulu is a succinct analysis of the tribes or ... the highest places in its pantheon to Indra, the sky; Agni, the fire; Vayu, the wind; Surya, the sun .}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |author=Philippines. Division of Ethnology |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=LcY_AAAAYAAJ&dq=surya+sulu&pg=PA155 |title=Division of Ethnology Publications, Volume 4, Part 2 |date=1908 |publisher=Bureau of Printing |isbn= |series=Division of Ethnology Publications, Philippines. Division of Ethnology |location= |page=155 |quote=RISE AND PROSPERITY OF SULU SULU BEFORE ISLAM The Genealogy of Sulu is a succinct analysis of the tribes or elements which ... the highest places in its pantheon to Indra, the sky; Agni, the fire; Vayu, the wind; Surya, the sun .}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ruMtZCx_f5IC&dq=surya+sulu&pg=PA366 |title=A World of Water: Rain, Rivers and Seas in Southeast Asian Histories |date=2007 |publisher=NUS Press |isbn=978-9971693718 |editor-last=Boomgaard |editor-first=Peter |location= |page=366 |quote=... 113, 118, 131-2, 283 Sulu 31, 42, 127-9, 131-3, 148, 172 Sulu Archipelago see Sulu Islands Sulu Islands 36 ... 338, 345-6 Surapura 248 Surat 39 Surigao 171 Surya Agung Kertas ( SAK ) 328 Sutherland, Heather 4 Swahili coast ... |author-link=}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Vs5uAAAAMAAJ&q=surya+sulu |title=Encyclopedia of the Philippines: Religion |date=1950 |publisher=E. Floro |isbn= |editor-last=Galang |editor-first=Zoilo M. |edition=3 |volume=10 of Encyclopedia of the Philippines, Zoilo M. Galang |location= |page=50 |quote=... the highest places in its pantheon to Indra, the sky; Agui, the fire; Vayu, the wind; Surya, the sun . ... married the daughter of Raja Sipad the Younger, Iddha, ' and became the forefather of the principal people of Sulu . |author-link=}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=lt5uAAAAMAAJ&dq=surya+sulu&pg=PA45 |title=Encyclopedia of the Philippines: History |date=1957 |publisher=E. Floro |isbn= |editor-last=Galang |editor-first=Zoilo M. |edition=3 |volume=15 of Encyclopedia of the Philippines, Zoilo M. Galang |location= |page=45 |author-link=}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last=Fernando-Amilbangsa |first=Ligaya |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=pCgW_lZy0LUC&dq=surya+sulu&pg=PA23 |title=Ukkil: Visual Arts of the Sulu Archipelago |date=2005 |publisher=Ateneo University Press |isbn=9715504809 |edition=illustrated |location= |page=23 |quote=... Vayu ( wind ), and Surya ( sun ) . These elements were probably worshipped by the ancient peoples of the Sulu Archipelago whose former religion is presumed to be of Hindu origin ( Saleeby, 1963 : 38 ), now obscured by Islam . |author-link=}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last=Balfour |first=Edward |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=iU0OAAAAQAAJ&dq=surya+sulu&pg=PA1188 |title=The Cyclopædia of India and of Eastern and Southern Asia, Commercial Industrial, and Scientific: Products of the Mineral, Vegetable, and Animal Kingdoms, Useful Arts and Manufactures, Volume 3 |date=1885 |publisher=Bernard Quaritch |isbn= |edition=3 |location= |page=1188 |quote=Sringa takamu, TEL ., Trapa bispi- Su - hoh - hiang, C'HIN ., Storax, Rose Surya - kund - Tapta - kund . maloes . Suryavansa . See Orissa; Solar Race . Sringeri . See Adwaita . Sulu, LEPCH ., Inuus rhesus . Susa in Khuzistan . |author-link=}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last= |first= |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=BWmIx_s5k4cC&dq=surya+sulu&pg=PA110 |title=Cerdas jelajah Internet |date= |publisher=Niaga Swadaya |isbn=9791477655 |location= |page=110 |quote=Tangan, Melan Surya Sulu Ouh aku bingung Tidak tau harus bagaimana mengatakannya pada suami ku . Baru beberapa hari kemarin dia menikahiku, dan sekarang aku resmi menjadi Cyberlove, Selingku Bukan Ya ? Jangan Lupa Jemurannya Helloow ... |author-link=}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last=Surya |first=Hendra |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=b-QDDgAAQBAJ&dq=surya+sulu&pg=PA54 |title=Reinhart: Titisan Lima Ksatria Agung Eirounos |date= May 2007|publisher=Yayasan Pustaka Obor Indonesia |isbn=978-6024333447 |location= |page=54 |quote=Titisan Lima Ksatria Agung Eirounos Hendra Surya. Jenderal Sulu terdiam mendengar keluhan Raja Bian, dia tak dapat memungkiri kenyataan yang dikatakan Raja Bian. “Kini apa yang harus kami lakukan, Baginda?” tanya Teguilla memberanikan ... |author-link=}}</ref>{{Excessive citations inline|date=May 2023}} Najeeb Saleeby described them as still retaining Hindu practices.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Marr1 |first1=Timothy |date= 2014|title=Diasporic Intelligences in the American Philippine Empire: The Transnational Career of Dr. Najeeb Mitry Saleeby |url=https://lebanesestudies.ojs.chass.ncsu.edu/index.php/mashriq/article/view/27/490 |journal=Mashriq & Mahjar |volume=2 |issue=1 |pages= |doi= 10.24847/22i2014.27|issn=2169-4435 |access-date=|doi-access=free }}</ref> Saleeby said the Moros were ignorant of Islamic tenets, barely prayed or went to the mosque and their juramentados were not fueled by religion but by nationalism against the occupying enemy.<ref>{{cite book |last=Saleeby |first=Najeeb |url=https://quod.lib.umich.edu/p/philamer/afj2200.0001.001/25/25/* |title=The Moro problem; an academic discussion of the history and solution of the problem of the government of the Moros of the Philippine Islands |date=1913 |publisher=P. I. [Press of E. C. McCullough & Company ] |isbn= |location= |pages=23, 24, 25 |author-link=}}</ref><ref>https://quod.lib.umich.edu/p/philamer/afj2200.0001.001?view=text&seq=17 https://books.google.com/books?id=lEaOgkGazTUC&dq=An%20Acad&source=gbs_book_other_versions https://books.google.com/books?id=JiKToUHvWH4C&q=An%20Acad</ref>

Tausug retain pre-Islamic practices in the form of folk-Islam like the pagkaja and other palipalihan, as mentioned by Samuel K. Tan, some of these practices were allowed by the majority of the Ulama like the former Grand Mufti of Region 9 and Palawan Sayyiduna Shaykh AbdulGani Yusop since the Muslims in the Philippines were Ash'ari in Aqeeda, Shafi'i in [[Fiqh]] and practitioners of [[Sufism]].<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Jumala |first1=Francis C. |date=2019 |title=In Fulfilment of the Janji: Some Social Merits of the Tausug Pagkaja |url=https://www.academia.edu/66154183   |journal=International Journal of Innovation, Creativity and Change |volume=9 |issue=9 |pages=242–261}}</ref>

IAS/ UNOPS/UNFPA/IFAD representative Dr. P. V. Ramesh saw Professor Nur Misuari's MNLF in General Santos City perform Ramayana during a ceasefire agreement.<ref>{{cite web |last=Ramesh |first=P.V. |date=Mar 27, 2022 |url=https://twitter.com/RameshPV2010/status/1507958222354747395 |website=Twitter}}</ref>

==Traditional political structure==
The political structure of the Tausug is affected by the two economic divisions in the ethnic group, mainly ''parianon'' (people of the landing) and guimbahanon ([[hill people]]).<ref>{{Cite web |date=August 1, 2025 |title=Tausug |url=https://bcpch.bangsamoro.gov.ph/tausug/ |access-date=August 1, 2025 |website=Bangsamoro Commission for the Preservation of Cultural Heritage}}</ref> Before the establishment of the [[sultanate of Sulu]], the indigenous pre-Islamic Tausug were organized into various independent communities or community-states called ''banwa''. When Islam arrived and the sultanate was established, the banwa was divided into districts administered by a ''panglima'' (mayor). The panglima are under the sultan (king). The people who held the stability of the community along with the sultan and the panglimas are the ''ruma bichura'' (state council advisers), ''datu raja muda'' (crown prince), ''datu maharaja adensuk'' (palace commander), ''datu ladladja laut'' (admiral), ''datu maharaja layla'' (commissioner of customs), ''datu amir bahar'' (speaker of the ruma bichara), ''datu tumagong'' (executive secretary), ''datu juhan'' (secretary of information), ''datu muluk bandarasa'' (secretary of commerce), ''datu sawajaan'' (secretary of interior), ''datu bandahala'' (secretary of finance), ''mamaneho'' (inspector general), ''datu sakandal'' (sultan's personal envoy), ''datu nay'' (ordinance or weapon commander), ''wazil'' (prime minister). A ''mangungubat'' (curer) also has special status in the community as they are believed to have direct contact with the spiritual realm.

The community's people is divided into three classes, which are the nobility (the sultan's family and court), commoners (the free people), and the slaves (war captives, sold into slavery, or children of slaves).<ref name="slideshare.net">{{cite web|author=Post |url=https://www.slideshare.net/CarlaFaner/tausug-architecture |title=Tausug Architecture |publisher=Slideshare.net |date=2013-06-30 |access-date=2019-10-02}}</ref>

==Languages==
{{main|Surigaonon language|Tausug language}}
[[File:Tausugmap.jpg|thumb|right|A map of the Sulu Archipelago showing the areas in which Tausug is the primary and secondary language spoken.]]
The Tausug language is called "[[Sinug]]" with "Bahasa" to mean Language. The [[Tausug language]] is related to [[Bicolano language|Bicolano]], [[Tagalog language|Tagalog]] and [[Visayan languages]], being especially closely related to the [[Surigaonon language]] of the provinces [[Surigao del Norte]], [[Surigao del Sur]] and [[Agusan del Sur]] and the [[Butuanon language|Butuanon]] language of northeastern [[Mindanao]] specially the root '''Tausug''' words without the influence of the Arabic language, sharing many common words. The Tausūg, however, do not consider themselves as [[Visayans|Visayan]], using the term only to refer to Christian [[Bisayan languages|Bisayan]]-language speakers, given that the vast majority of Tausūgs are [[Muslims]] in contrast to its very closely related '''[[Surigaonon people|Surigaonon]]''' brothers which are predominantly [[Roman Catholics]]. Tausug is also related to the [[Waray-Waray language]].{{citation needed|date=May 2015}} Aside from Tagalog (which is spoken throughout the country), a number of Tausug can also speak [[Chavacano|Zamboangueño Chavacano]] (especially those residing in Zamboanga City), and other [[Visayan languages]] (especially [[Cebuano language]] because of the mass influx of [[Cebuano people|Cebuano]] migrants to Mindanao); [[Malay language|Malay]] in the Philippines, Malaysia and Indonesia; and [[English language|English]] in both Malaysia and Philippines as second languages.{{citation needed|date=May 2015}}

Malaysian Tausūg, descendants of residents when the [[Sulu Sultanate]] ruled the eastern part of [[Sabah]], speak or understand the Sabahan dialect of Suluk, [[Malaysian language]], and some [[Malaysian English|English]] or [[Simunul|Sinama]] (those who come in regular contact with the [[Bajau]] also speak Bajau dialects). By the year 2000, most of the Tausūg children in Sabah, especially in towns of the west side of Sabah, were no longer speaking [[Tausug language|Tausūg]]; instead they speak the Sabahan dialect of Malay and English.{{citation needed|date=May 2015}}

Indonesian Tausūg on the other hand, are descendants of residents when the [[Sultanate of Bulungan]], a vassal state of the Sulu Sultanate, also ruled the southeastern part of Sabah (Tawau) and the Indonesian province of [[North Kalimantan]] ([[Nunukan Regency|northeastern portion]]), also speak or understand the Nunukan dialect of Suluk, [[Indonesian language]] (including colloquial variant) and as well as the regional slang. At the same time, they can also understand and speak the Suluk dialect spoken in Sabah as well as Sabah Malay.

{| class="wikitable"
|-
!English
!Tausug
!Surigaonon
!Cebuano
|-
|What is your name?
|Hisiyu in ngān mu?
|Unu an ngayan mu?
|Unsa'y ngalan nimo?
|-
|My name is Muhammad
|In ngān ku Muhammad
|An ngayan ku ay Muhammad
|Ang ngalan nako ay Muhammad
|-
|How are you?
|Maunu-unu nakaw?
|Ya-unu nakaw?
|Kumusta ka?
|-
|I am fine, [too]
|Marayaw da [isab]
|Madayaw da [isab] aku ([[Tandaganon language|Tandaganon]])/Marajaw da [isab] aku ([[Surigaonon language|Surigaonon]])
|Maayo da/ra [usab] 'ko
|-
|Where is Ahmad?
|Hawnu hi Ahmad?
|Hain si Ahmad?
|Asa si Ahmad?
|-
|He is in the house
|Ha bāy siya
|Sa bay siya/sija
|Sa balay siya
|-
|Thank you
|Magsukul
|Salamat
|Salamat
|-
|‘I am staying at’ or ‘I live at’
|Naghuhula’ aku ha
|Yaghuya aku sa
|Nagpuyo ako sa
|-
|I am here at the house.
|Yari aku ha bay.
|Yadi aku sa bayay.
|Dia ra ko sa balay.
|-
|I am Hungry.
|Hiyapdi' aku.
|In-gutom aku.
|Gi-gutom ku.
|-
|He is there, at school.
|Yadtu siya ha iskul.
|Yadtu siya/sija sa iskul.
|Atoa siya sa tunghaan/skwelahan
|-
|Fish
|Ista'
|Isda
|Isda/ita
|-
|Leg
|Siki
|Siki
|Tiil
|-
|Hand
|Lima
|Alima
|kamut
|-
|Person
|Tau
|Tau
|Taw/tawo
|-
|(Sea/River) current
|Sūg
|Sūg
|Sūg/Sulog
|-
|Fire
|Kāyu
|Kayajo
|Kalayo
|-
|Shrimp/Prawn
|Ullang
|Uyang
|Pasayan
|-
|Ear
|Taynga
|Talinga
|Dalunggan
|-
|Face
|Bayhu'
|Wayong
|Nawong
|-
|Rain
|Ulan
|Uyan
|Ulan
|-
|Morning
|Mahinaat/Maynat
|Buntag
|Buntag
|-
|Mosquito
|Hilam
|Hilam
|Lamok
|-
|House/Home
|Bāy
|Bayay
|Balay
|-
|Dog
|Iru'
|Ido
|Iro
|-
|Year
|Tahun
|Tuig
|Tuig
|-
|Month/Moon
|Bulan
|Buyan
|Bulan
|-
|Male/Man/Lad
|Usug
|Layaki
|Lalaki/Laki
|-
|Now
|Bihaun
|Kuman
|Karon
|-
|Far/Distant
|Malayu'
|Lajo
|Layo
|-
|Sleep
|Tūg
|Tuyog
|Tulog
|-
|Sea Urchin
|Tayum
|Tajum
|Tuyom
|-
|Medicine
|Ubat
|Tambay
|Tambal
|-
|Shame
|Sipug
|Sipog
|Ulaw/Kaulaw
|-
|Male genitalia
|Utin
|Utin
|Utin
|-
|Heat
|Pasu'
|Paso
|Init/Kaigang
|-
|Nice
|Malingkat
|Kagana
|Nindot
|-
|I don't know/think so
|Inday
|Inday
|Ambot
|-
|Don't (imperative)
|Ayaw
|Jagot
|Ayaw
|-
|Rust
|Gaha'
|Kalaying
|Taya
|-
|Knowledgeable
|Maingat
|Hibayo
|Kahibawo/Kahibalo
|-
|Come in/Enter
|Sūd
|Dayon
|Sulod
|-
|Butt/Buttocks
|Buli'
|Labot
|Lubot
|-
|Underarms
|Iluk
|Ilok
|Ilok
|-
|Flower
|Sumping
|Buyak
|Bulak
|-
|Widow
|Balu
|Bayo
|Balo
|-
|Mouse/Rat
|Ambaw
|Ambaw
|Ilaga
|-
|Cow
|Sapi'
|Baka
|Baka
|-
|Thunder
|Dawgdug
|Dayugdog
|Dalugdog
|-
|Rich
|Dayahan
|Datu
|Kwartahan/Dato
|-
|Gay/Effeminate/Homosexual
|Bantut
|Bayot
|Bayot
|-
|Cat
|Kuting
|Miya
|Iring
|-
|Said
|Lawng
|Laong
|Ingon
|-
|Ugly
|Mangi'
|Kayaot
|Bati
|-
|Right
|Amu
|Amo
|Mao
|-
|Separated
|Butas
|Buyag
|Bulag
|-
|Gold
|Bulawan
|Bujawan
|Bolawan
|-
|Lanzones/Langsat (Lansium domesticum)
|Buwahan
|Buwahan
|Buwahan
|-
|Sweat
|Hulas
|Huyas
|Singot
|-
|Road/Path/Way
|Dān
|Dayan
|Dalan
|-
|Money
|Sīn/Pilak
|Puya
|Kwarta
|-
|Woman
|Babai
|Babaje/Baje
|Babaye/Baye
|-
|Turn
|Biluk
|Bijok/Liso
|Tuyok
|-
|Dress
|Badju'
|Baro
|Sanina/Bado
|-
|Elderly
|Maas
|Tiguyang
|Tigulang
|-
|If
|Bang
|Kun
|Kung/Kon
|-
|Spices
|Pamāpa
|Jaman
|Lamas
|-
|Bamboo
|Patung/Kayawan
|Kawajan
|Kawayan
|-
|Climb
|Dāg
|Kayatkat
|Katkat
|-
|Walk
|Panaw
|Panaw
|Lakaw
|-
|Relatives
|Anak kampung
|Lumon
|Parinte
|-
|Go outside
|Guwa'
|Lugwa
|Gawas
|-
|Dirty
|Malummi'
|Lipa
|Hugaw
|-
|Go with
|Iban
|Iban
|Uban
|-
|Different
|Dugaing/Kandī
|Kala-in
|Lain
|-
|Airplane/Aircraft
|Ariplanu/Passawat/Kappal lupad/Kappal Tarbang
|Idro
|Eroplano
|-
|Car/Automobile
|Awtu/Karita'/Mubil
|Awto
|Awto
|-
|Husband
|Bana
|Bana
|Bana
|-
|Technician/Repair crew
|Magdarayaw
|Mandajaway
|Mang-ayuhay
|-
|Aim/Purpose/Intention
|Maksud
|Tujo
|Tuyo
|-
|Drunk
|Hilu
|Bayong
|Hubog
|-
|Dove/Pigeon
|Assang/Mapāti
|Kayapati
|Kalapati
|-
|Tiger
|Halimaw
|Tigre
|Tigre
|}

==Cultures==
Tausūgs are superb warriors and craftsmen. They are known for the ''[[Pangalay]]'' dance (also known as ''Daling-Daling'' in Sabah), in which female dancers wear artificial elongated fingernails made from brass or silver known as ''janggay'', and perform motions based on the [[Apsara|Vidhyadhari]] (Bahasa Sūg: ''Bidadali'') of pre-Islamic [[Buddhist]] legend. The Tausug are also well known for their ''pis syabit'', a multi-colored woven cloth traditionally worn as a headress or accessory by men. Nowadays, the ''pis syabit'' is also worn by women and students. In 2011, the ''pis syabit'' was cited by the [[National Commission for Culture and the Arts]] as one of the intangible cultural heritage of the Philippines under the traditional craftsmanship category that the government may nominate in the [[UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage Lists]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.slideshare.net/CarlaFaner/tausug-architecture |title=Tausug Architecture |website=www.ichcap.org |date=30 June 2013 |format=PDF |access-date=2019-10-02}}</ref> The Tausug are additionally associated with [[tagonggo]], a traditional type of [[Kulintang|kulingtan]]<nowiki/>g music.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://usa.inquirer.net/4291/artists-explore-state-filipino-art-culture-diaspora|title=Artists explore state of Filipino art, culture in the diaspora|website=usa.inquirer.net|date=7 June 2017|access-date=2019-01-05}}</ref>

Both cross cousin marriage and paternal parallel cousin marriage are practiced by Tausug Moro Muslims.<ref>{{cite book |last= |first= |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ZLQaAQAAIAAJ&q=cousin+marriage+tausug |title=Philippine Quarterly of Culture and Society, Volume 2 |date=1974 |publisher=University of San Carlos. |isbn= |location= |pages=129, 126, 132 |quote=Tausug practice preferential cousin marriage, with no particular preference for patrilateral or matrilateral cousins . The practice is explicitly justified in terms of the ease of the marriage negotiations in an arranged marriage : in ... |author-link=}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last=Kiefer |first=Thomas M. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=osseAAAAMAAJ&q=cousin+marriage+tausug |title=Tausug Armed Conflict: The Social Organization of Military Activity in a Philippine Moslem Society |date=1969 |publisher=Philippine Studies Program, University of Chicago |isbn=0598448330 |edition=reprint |series=Research Series No. 7 Series |location= |pages=28, 75 |quote=There is also a tendency towards kindred epdogany, normatively sanctioned through preferential cousin marriage . This preference is Justified by such practical considerations as the ease of the marriage negotiations if the parents of ... |author-link= |number=7 of Research series}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last= |first= |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Y7dEDwAAQBAJ&dq=cousin+marriage+tausug&pg=PA7 |title=U.S. Army Special Forces Language Visual Training Materials – TAUSUG |date= |publisher=Jeffrey Frank Jones |isbn= |location= |page=7 |quote=Traditionally, marriages are arranged to first or second cousins; however, most young adults are now starting to choose their own spouses. In the Tausug society, there is no generally approved method for courting. |author-link=}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last=Kiefer |first=Thomas M. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=i3LiAAAAMAAJ&q=cousin+marriage+tausug |title=The Tausug: Violence and Law in a Philippine Moslem Society |date=1986 |publisher=Waveland Press |isbn=0881332429 |edition=illustrated, reprint, reissue, revised |location= |pages=40, 44, 81 |quote=A marriage with a first cousin is considered ideal for several reasons . First, there is the ease of negotiation when the transaction is arranged between the parents ( who would be siblings ) of first cousins . |author-link=}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Hg0zCFM0fwkC&dq=cousin+marriage+tausug&pg=PA255 |title=Islamic Family Law in a Changing World: A Global Resource Book |date=2002 |publisher=Zed Books |isbn=1842770934 |editor-last=an- Naʾīm |editor-first=ʿAbdallāh Aḥmad |edition=illustrated |volume=2 van Global resource book|author-link= |location= |page=255 |chapter=1 Social, Cultural and Historical Background :The Region and Its History |quote=Among the Tausug communities, marriages are ideally arranged by parents, in line with Islamic law . First and second cousins are favoured spouses since their parents are kinsmen and the problems of inheritance are simplified .}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last=Kiefer |first=Thomas M. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=9VEeAAAAMAAJ&q=cousin+marriage+tausug |title=Tausug of the Philippines |date=1972 |publisher=Human Relations Area Files |others=Contributor Bijdrager |series=Descriptive ethnography series Ethnocentrism series, Human Relations Area Files Ethnocentrism series. HRAFlex book OA16-001 |location= |pages=109, 140, 142 |quote=It is not likely for a sister to feed her sister's child as this might interfere with first – cousin marriage . ' Grandparents are very likely to feed . M.2.4.Q : What things would make little boys cry ? Little boys would cry if they ... |author-link= |number=1 of HRAFlex books: Ethnocentrism series Hraflex book : Ethnocentrism series; ECOA 16-001}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last=Johnson |first=Mark |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=qzPpDwAAQBAJ&dq=cousin+marriage+tausug&pg=PA106 |title=Beauty and Power: Transgendering and Cultural Transformation in the Southern Philippines |date=2020 |isbn=978-1000184570 |edition=reprint |series=Explorations in Anthropology |location= |quote=Technically it is the usba of either side who negotiate the marriage transactions; the woman's father's kindred is ... given the preference of many Tausug and some Sama for first-cousin marriage, incest (sumbang) at once inscribing and ... |author-link= |publisher=Routledge|page=106}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last= |first= |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=l-EsAAAAMAAJ&q=cousin+marriage+tausug |title=Ethnology, Volume 10 |date=1971 |publisher=University of Pittsburgh |isbn= |location= |pages=88, 81, 89 |quote=MARRIAGE Tausug marriage involves a complex sequence of activities, of both a ritual and secular nature . ... Marriage Preferences The preferred marriage is between first cousins; the next preference is between second cousins ... |author-link=}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last=Hassan |first=Irene |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=IyW3AAAAIAAJ&dq=cousin+marriage+tausug&pg=RA1-PA23 |title=Tausug-English Dictionary: Kabtangan Iban Maana |date=1975 |publisher=Coordinated Investigation of Sulu Culture |others=Contributors Notre Dame of Jolo College. Coordinated Investigation of Sulu Culture, Philippines. Bureau of Public Schools, Summer Institute of Linguistics |isbn= |volume=4 of Sulu studies |location= |page=23 |author-link=}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last=Madale |first=Nagasura T. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=_r5wAAAAMAAJ&q=cousin+marriage+tausug |title=The Muslim Filipinos: A Book of Readings |date=1981 |publisher=Alemar-Phoenix Publishing House |isbn= |location= |page=67 |quote=Like most Philippine ethnolinguistic groups, Tausug kinship was bilateral, emphasizing relationships derived from ... There was a tendency toward marriage within the kindred and a marked tendency toward preferential cousin marriage ... |author-link=}}</ref>

{{gallery |title=
|align=center
|height=220 |width=300 
|3=File:Kinding-sindaw1.jpg|4=<small>Filipino-Americans from NYC-based dance company Kinding Sindaw dressed in Tausug attire. </small>
|5=File:PhetandingKoBayanan.jpg|6=<small>Filipino-Americans from NYC-based dance company Kinding Sindaw dressed for a  traditional Maranao, not Tausug, fan dance.</small>
|7=File:Tausug Man.jpg|8=<small>A Tausug man wearing traditional attire that consists of ''badjuh lapih'' (upper) and ''kupat'' (pants).</small>
|9=File:Tausug Woman.jpg|10=<small> A Tausug woman wearing a ''sablay''.</small>
|11=File:2016 Singapur, Downtown Core, Muzeum Cywilizacji Azjatyckich, Ekspozycja (060).jpg|12=<small>The most common Tausūg weapons: the [[kalis]] and the [[Barong (sword)|barong]] with the characteristic Tausūg ''kakatua'' ([[Red-vented cockatoo|cockatoo]]) [[pommel (sword)|pommel]] design</small>
|13=File:SattiTamu.jpg|14=<small>Tausūg [[Satay|Satti]] served with peanut soup and ''[[Ta'mu]]'' rice cakes wrapped in coconut leaves.</small>
|15=File:Kabasi.JPG|16=<small>''[[Ginataang kalabasa|Kabasi]]'', a Tausūg dish.</small>
|17=File:Pis siyabit (headscarf), Tausug people, Philippines, Honolulu Museum of Art 14451.1.JPG|18=<small>''Pis siyabit'' (headscarf) of the Tausūgs, displayed at the Honolulu Museum of Art.</small>}}

==Notable Tausūgs==
[[File:Sitti Navarro (Sitti).jpg|thumb|[[Sitti|Sitti Navarro]], a Filipino singer of Tausūg and Sama descent, performing at the US-Philippine Expo in [[Pomona, California]].]]
[[File:Sultan of Sulu with his brother and others LCCN2014685229.jpg|thumb|Sultan Jamalul Kiram II with his brother, published by [[Bain News Service]]]]
* [[Nina Rasul|Santanina T. Rasul]], first [[Moro people|Filipino Muslim]] woman [[Senate of the Philippines|senator]].
* [[Muedzul Lail Tan Kiram]], legitimate sultan of Sulu Filipino 
* [[Nur Misuari]], former Filipino governor and became the leader of the [[Moro National Liberation Front]].
* [[Hadji Kamlon]], freedom fighter
* Panglima Bandahala, trusted adviser and close relative of the Sultan [[Jamalul Kiram II]], he held significant positions such as Municipal President and peace emissary
* Sayyid Captain Kalingalan "Apuh Inggal" Caluang, son of Caluang son of Panglima Bandahala son of Sattiya Munuh son of Sayyid Qasim, one of the Fighting 21 of Sulu.<ref>Espaldon, E. M. (1997). With the Bravest: The Untold Story of the Sulu Freedom Fighters of World War II. Pilipinas: Espaldon-Virata Foundation.</ref> he was one of the founders of Ansar El Islam (Helpers of Islam)  along with Domocao Alonto, Rashid Lucman, Salipada Pendatun, Hamid Kamlian, Udtog Matalam, and Atty. Macapantun Abbas Jr. Accordingly, "it is a mass movement for the preservation and development of Islam in the Philippines".<ref>Alonto, Rowena (2009). 13 Stories of Islamic Leadership vol 1 (PDF). Asian Institute of Management – Team Energy Center for Bridging Societal Divides. p. 26.</ref> 
* [[Jamalul Kiram III]], pretender or self-proclaimed Sultan of Sulu.
* [[Ismael Kiram II]], descendant Filipino sultan.
* [[Mat Salleh Rebellion|Mat Salleh]] (Datu Muhammad Salleh), Sabah warrior from [[Inanam]] who led the [[Mat Salleh Rebellion]] until his death.
* [[Tun Datu Mustapha]] (Tun Datu Mustapha bin Datu Harun), first [[Yang di-Pertua Negeri of Sabah|Yang di-Pertua Negeri]] (Governor) of Sabah and third [[List of Chief Ministers of Sabah|Chief Minister]] of [[Sabah]].
* [[Juhar Mahiruddin]], tenth Yang di-Pertua Negeri (Governor) of Sabah (also partial [[Kadazan-Dusun]] ethnic ancestry).
* [[Shafie Apdal]], fifteenth Chief Minister of Sabah.
* [[Sitti]], Filipino singer.
* [[Abdusakur Mahail Tan]], Governor of Sulu. 
* [[Miguel Cabel Moreno|Miguel "Miggy" Cabel Moreno]], Chef and Cultural Advocate 
* [[Maria Lourdes Sereno]], 24th Chief Justice of the [[Supreme Court of the Philippines]].
*[[Darhata Sawabi]], Filipino weaver known for pis syabit, a traditional Tausūg cloth tapestry. She is a recipient of the Philippine [[National Living Treasures Award (Philippines)|National Living Treasures Award]].<ref>{{Cite web|last=Tobias|first=Maricris Jan|title=GAMABA: Darhata Sawabi|url=https://ncca.gov.ph/about-culture-and-arts/culture-profile/gamaba/national-living-treasures-darhata-sawabi/|access-date=2021-04-02|website=National Commission for Culture and the Arts|language=en-US|archive-date=25 February 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220225163330/https://ncca.gov.ph/about-culture-and-arts/culture-profile/gamaba/national-living-treasures-darhata-sawabi/|url-status=dead}}</ref>
* [[Yong Muhajil]], YouTube vlogger and 3rd runner up in Pinoy Big Brother: Lucky 7.
*[[Omar Musa]], author, poet, and rapper.
*[[Abdurajak Abubakar Janjalani]], [[Jihadism|Jihadist]] leader and founder of [[Abu Sayyaf]] (also partial [[Hiligaynon people|Ilonggo]] ethnic ancestry).
*[[Khadaffy Janjalani]], [[Jihadism|Jihadist]] and leader of Abu Sayyaf. He was a younger brother of [[Abdurajak Abubakar Janjalani]].
*[[Jainal Antel Sali Jr.]], Senior leader of [[Abu Sayyaf]].
*[[Albader Parad]], Senior leader of [[Abu Sayyaf]].
*[[Hajan Sawadjaan]], Leader of [[Abu Sayyaf]].
*[[Radullan Sahiron]], Leader of [[Abu Sayyaf]].
*[[Hussin Ututalum Amin]], mayor of [[Jolo, Sulu|Jolo]].
*[[Mohammed Mahakuttah Abdullah Kiram|Mohammad Mahakuttah Abdullah Kiram]], legitimate 34th Sultan of Sulu and father of [[Muedzul Lail Tan Kiram]].

==See also==
* [[Tausug language]]
* [[Sulu Archipelago]]
* [[Sulu|Province of Sulu]]
* [[Sultanate of Sulu]]
* [[Ethnic groups in the Philippines]]
* [[Moro people|Moro peoples of the Philippines]]
** Sulu:
*** [[Yakan people]]
*** [[Bajau people]]
** Mindanao:
*** [[Maranao people]]
*** [[Iranun people]]
*** [[Maguindanao people]]
* [[Visayans|Visayan peoples]]
** [[Butuanon people]]
** [[Surigaonon people]]
** [[Sheikh Karimul Makhdum Mosque]]

==Notes==
<references group="note"/>

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==Sources==
* {{cite book
|first1=P. N.
|last1=Abinales
|first2=Donna J.
|last2=Amoroso
|title=State and Society in the Philippines
|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=xiOQdEzgP9kC&pg=PA44
|year=2005
|publisher=[[Rowman & Littlefield]]
|isbn=978-0-7425-1024-1
|pages=43–45
}}
* {{Cite book
|last=Donoso
|first=Isaac
|url=https://www.degruyter.com/document/doi/10.1515/9783110778847-019/html
|chapter=The Qur'an in the Spanish Philippines
|pages=499–532
|year=2022
|publisher=[[De Gruyter]]
|isbn=978-3-11-077884-7
|language=en
|doi=10.1515/9783110778847-019
|editor-last1=García-Arenal
|editor-first1=Mercedes
|editor-last2=Wiegers
|editor-first2=Gerard
|title=The Iberian Qur'an: From the Middle Ages to Modern Times
|hdl=10045/139165
}}
* {{citation
|last=Gonda
|first=Jan
|title=Religionen: Handbuch der Orientalistik: Indonesien, Malaysia und die Philippinen unter Einschluss der Kap-Malaien in Südafrika
|volume=2
|publisher=E.J. Brill
|year=1975
|isbn=978-90-04-04330-5
|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=X7YfAAAAIAAJ
}}
* {{cite book
|last=Gunn 
|first=Geoffrey C. 
|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=E10tnvapZt0C 
|title=History Without Borders: The Making of an Asian World Region, 1000–1800 
|publisher=[[Hong Kong University]] Press 
|year=2011 
|isbn=9789888083343 
|pages=91–95}}
* {{citation
|last=Larousse
|first=William
|title=A Local Church Living for Dialogue: Muslim-Christian Relations in Mindanao-Sulu, Philippines : 1965–2000
|publisher=[[Pontifical Gregorian University|Editrice Pontificia Università Gregoriana]]
|year=2001
|isbn=978-88-7652-879-8
|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=qyo-Hti0-KAC
}}
* {{citation
|last=Saleeby
|first=Najeeb Mitry
|title=The History of Sulu
|publisher=Bureau of Printing
|year=1908
|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=FKETAAAAYAAJ
}}

== External links ==
* [http://global.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/584321/Tausug Tausūg] at [[Encyclopædia Britannica]]

{{MoroPeoplesmall}}
{{Ethnic groups in the Philippines}}
{{Ethnic groups in Sabah}}
{{Ethnic groups in Malaysia}}
{{Ethnic groups in Indonesia}}
{{Portal bar|Philippines|Malaysia|Indonesia|Society}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Tausug}}
[[Category:North Kalimantan]]
[[Category:Ethnic groups in Indonesia]]
[[Category:Muslim communities of Indonesia]]
[[Category:Ethnic groups in Sabah]]
[[Category:Ethnic groups in Mindanao]]
[[Category:Ethnic groups in Palawan]]
[[Category:Muslim communities of the Philippines]]
[[Category:Suluk people]]
[[Category:Moro ethnic groups]]
[[Category:Islam in the Philippines]]