Banguingui people


based on museum models, c. 1850
Banguingui, also known as Sama Banguingui or Samal Banguingui is a distinct ethno-linguistic group native to the Balanguingui Islands but also dispersed throughout the Greater Sulu Archipelago and southern and western coastal regions of the Zamboanga Peninsula in Mindanao, Philippines. They are one of the ethnic groups usually collectively known as the Sama-Bajau peoples.

People

The Banguingui are not officially recognized by law either in the Philippines or in the neighboring Malaysian state of Sabah. This can be attributed to their natural ability to culturally assimilate and their acceptance in either Tausug, Sama and Yakan societies. The Banguingui are part of the wider Moro ethnic group, who constitute the sixth largest Filipino ethnic group.
The Banguingui language has both written and oral traditions. Its written language is in Jawi script and is fast becoming a dying tradition. Oral traditions are handed down by the kamattoahan to the kaanakan or anak baha-u.
The Banguingui built kuta throughout the Sulu Archipelago. Like their other Sama cousins, they sailed various ships like the vinta, salisipan, or bangka-bangka throughout the Sulu-Sulawesi region. At the height of the Sulu Sultanate, the Banguingui, along with the Iranun people, formed the bulk of the Sultan's navy, leading coastal raids against settlements in the northern Philippines, as well as the coasts of neighboring Borneo, Sulawesi, and the Maluku Islands. They were also heavily involved in piracy and the slave trade during the 18th and 19th centuries. The Banguingui usually sailed garay warships, in contrast to the lanong of the Iranun.

Notable Banguingui