Sulu-China connection

HRM Sultan Esmail Kiram II, titular head of the Sultanate of Sulu and North Borneo. Although stripped of political powers, the sultanate still commands patronage, influence and respect from its constituency in the Philippines and Malaysia. The royalists while divided in allegiance through the various claimants, their advocacy remains similar - the return to (constitutional) monarchy as a form of governance in the Moro homelands, the recognition of the propriety rights of the Sulu royal family over North Borneo (roughly the Malaysian State of Sabah) and the right of its citizens to settle and work anywhere in the realm.

In June 2005, I went to Jolo (Sulu) to visit a project in Talipao. Aboard the 18-seater SEAIR flight from Zamboanga City were four Chinese fellows – three males and a female. I know the lady because she is the popular Teresita Ang, who has become a face of the Chinese community in the media.

When we reached the tarmac, there were an unusual number of people around. From afar I recognized a royal umbrella, underneath was Dr. Shakirullah Bahjin, a claimant to the Sulu throne from the Bahjin (Patikul) branch and a rival of the Kiram family. I forgot about this incident until I was back in the city and realized who these fellows really were.

Today while surfing the net I came across Yvonne Chua's post "Historic Reunion" in the PCIJ blog. The three Chinese fellows accompanied by Ms Ang were An Jin Tian, An Yan Chun and Wen Hai Jun - 17th and 18th generations of Wendulu and Andulu, in turn descendants of Sulu Sultan Paduka Batara who died in China around 600 years ago.

What was this Sulu Sultan doing in China? Jojo Malig in his blog "Pre-European Philippines and China" quoted E. P. Patanne's work ". The Philippines in the 6th to 16th Centuries" that this contact between Imperial China and Nanhai (South China islands?) started as early as the Tang dynasty (618-906 AD). In Chapter XI, page 154, of Patanne’s book, "Sulu featured prominently in the annals of the Ming dynasty (1368-1644), being among the first country in the Nanhai to send a tribute mission to China in 1370, two years after the founding of the Ming dynasty; then again in 1372. Sulu continued to send tribute missions to China in 1416, 1420, 1421, 1423 1424.”

According to Chinese annals the visit was an act of paying tribute to Ming Emperor Yong Le, China being the Middle Kingdom and the center of the world or it was a state visit, according to Sulu oral traditions. Either way, the Sulu royal entourage was received by the emperor very warmly in the Forbidden City. One source , quoting the Ming Annal, describes the visit - the Sulu royal entourage arrived in the Imperial Court numbering more than 340 persons. After presenting to the Emperor their tribute, which consist of a letter with gold characters inscribed, pearls, precious stones, tortoise shells, and other articles of value. The Sulu chieftains (together with the Sulu sultan were the rulers of Tawi-Tawi and North Borneo) were confirmed as rulers of their kingdoms and were each presented with seal, a commission, a complete court dress, a cap, a girdle, a horse with trappings, and insignias of their ranks and titles. Within the Forbidden City, Emperor Yong Le ordered that they be provided with quarters and attendants at their disposal. They stayed in Peking for around one month.

When it was time to go home, Emperor Yong Le again showered them with gifts: girdle adorned with precious stones, a hundred taels of gold, 2,000 taels of silver, 10,000 taels in paper money, 200 pieces of plain silk, 2,000 strings of cash (small money denomination), a robe embroidered with golden snakes, another embroidered with dragons, and a third embroidered with kilins, a mythical Chinese beast resembling a unicorn.

On their way home through the grand canal, Paduka Batara fell ill and eventually passed away in Shadong on October 23 1417, according to Teresita Ang. His wife, sons An-Tu-Luk (Antulu) and Wun-Ha-La (Wenhala), and few of his retinues decided to stay behind to take care of his tomb. His eldest son and most of the entourage continue their journey back home.

According to the same source that described the exchange of gifts, during the Ching period (1644-1911A.D.), the reigning Sultan of Sulu, Mahmud Badr-ud Din, sent an envoy in June 1733 to Emperor Yong Cheng with a memorial expressing his gratitude for the kind treatment his ancestor Paduka had received during his visit to China 300 years earlier. It also conveyed his request for the tombs of Paduka’s descendants to be repaired while his descendants who were still alive are bestowed with proper pensions. The emperor referred the matter to his minister of protocol who, after a period of study, recommended that the sultan’s requests be granted. The emperor then issued an order to the authorities concerned to locate the positions of all the monuments, temples, and honorary gateways connecting Paduka’s tomb and those of these descendants that needed to be repaired. Also, a representative for each of the and Wun families was elected to take charge of the sacrificial rites for their ancestors, and bestowed crowns and belts. Henceforth, the practice of sacrificial rites by both families became an official rule observed traditionally in the Celestial Kingdom.

Teresita Ang wrote, the Sulu visitors left behind were treated as royalty. The emperor ordered that while in Shandong, they be given 15.8 hectares of farmland, without taxes or tribute requirements, as well as a monthly supply of food and clothing. Three Chinese Muslim families (Hui Hui?) of Xia, Ma and Cheng to serve the Sultans family as personal servants. The areas surrounding the sultans tomb became a thriving community called the Pei Ying village, or the northern camp, referring to the village north of the tomb. When they died years later, the sultans wife and his two sons were buried near the sultans tomb.

However these days, their fortune and fate have change drastically. The An and Wen families, descended from Sulu royalty, are poor peasants, raising goats and cows and planting corn and vegetables as their main occupation. Still, they take pride in their belief in Islam and in the thought that they are descended from a noble family from Nan Hai (South China Sea) kingdom, from Sulu Sultans who were the earliest envoys that build the bridge of friendship and good relations between China and the Philippines.

As we celebrate decades of contemporary Philippines-Chinese diplomatic relations, let us not forget this piece of history. Let us not forget that Sulu then made us proud of who we were... Civilized people, with stable government, thriving economy that is globally oriented and whose leaders were hobnobbing and engaging in diplomacy with Chinese Emperors long before Magellan set foot in the shore of Mactan; with a civilization that was way ahead of the rest of the world for centuries. Centuries before the Conquestadores labeled as barbaric, uncivilized and pirates. This fact is worthy of inclusion in our history books. This is worthy of study by our children in schools and universities. This is our collective heritage.

Accordingly, this is is the flag of Sulu Sultanate - white surface with the black sultan's arms (the Mecca doors) in the center. This flag, if true represented the Sulu Sultanate which existed before 1798; At the height of its power this maritime empire was formed by North Borneo, Palawan, Basilan, Tawi-Tawi and Sulu. Some claim the Sultanate have also territories in the Zamboanga Peninsula, Maluku and Sarangani.

To read more about historical flags, please click here ...

Sulu and Tawi-Tawi as one island?

Yes, it is true indeed! In the Encyclopedia of Earth , it is claimed that during the Pleistocene period, the majority of the present Sulu Archipelago was one island, separated from Basilan-Mindanao to the north and greater Sibutu (and Borneo) to the south by deepwater channels of 205 m and 290 m depths, respectively. The distances between these ice age islands were not great, however.

Further, the precursors of the Sulu Islands were an arc of submarine volcanoes that have existed for at least 25 million years. However, the Sulus were not clearly above-water islands until within the last 15 million years. The islands are low-lying and coralline (limestone). Bongao Peak, on Bongao, reaches 300 meters (m), and Mt. Sibangkok, the highest point on the central ridge that divides Tawitawi, reaches 532 m.

Finally, in the same document, the islands of the Sulu Archipelago were delineated as a separate ecoregion, the Sulu Archipelago Rain Forests, that includes the Tawitawi Group, Tapul Group, Jolo Group, and Samales Group of islands. These islands, with a lowland moist or semi-evergreen moist forest vegetation, are also an EBA and have been identified as a distinct biounit by MacKinnon and a biogeographic zone by the Philippine BAP.

Why it is so hard to unite

"The reason why the world lacks unity, and lies broken and in heaps, is, because man is disunited with himself." - Ralph Waldo Emerson

Here we go again on the question of unity. The latest is the Doha Debate focus on Arab unity after the Gaza siege. The question of Arab unity echoes in Morolandia with the call for Moro unity. The perception is unity at best is in disarray and quite possibly non-existent.

But I can't help letting it go away without throwing a word or two into the discussion. Astonishingly, it is a common theme atTausug Net (TN): Why can't we unite? What's holding us against it? Why it is so difficult? When are going to do this? How can we unite?

More often than not, we approach the question of unity by looking at what's currently going on - the wrangling of our leaders and the divisions in our ranks. But I think this does not lead us to the answers that have eluded us. What we are currently looking at are merely symptoms of the problem, not the problem itself.

I think the best way to approach this question is by whay of discerning what we understand of unity and its characteristics. It is equally important to understand why there is a need for unity. Without this viewpoint, our's would merely be just angst, lip-service to an important question of socialization and existence. In the words of Nasser bin Hamad Al-Khalifa, former Qatari ambassador to th US, perhaps far from being dead, unity may not have existed in the first place.

Key elements of social cohesion - A society in which everyone (1) respects the law, (2) respects one another's human rights and values, and (3) shares a commitment to keep social order. - Vukuzenzele (May 2007)

There is also the sociological persepective to the same question. Perhaps, Ibn Khaldun's Asabiyah is a good starting point for discussion on social cohesion. Social cohesion in concept and practice are two different things. However, a degree of social cohesion can still be achievable. Individuals should understand that social cohesion sometimes comes at the expense individual gains and selfish interest. Social cohesion (therefore our unity) comes at the start as a desire and commitment to common goals. But such commitment should be tapered with psychological ad materials gains, too.

The material gains as an aftermath of unity or social cohesion is best realized in a particular political atmosphere - the presence of a fully-functioning democratic system. A perspective that is echoed by both sides in the latest Doha Debates.

Let us be honest, people's commitment to unity depends on psychological and materials gains. We may have psychological gains, that is why we are anxious at instances of disunity in our lives and in our society; but such psychological gains should graduate into material gains. This is why we see betrayal in our midst at the first instance of material gains.

Paul Bryant, American football coach, tells us that in order to win, the team must have a feeling of unity; every player must put the team first -- ahead of personal glory. Therefore, social cohesion comes at a price, the freedom of individuality and selfish gains. If we are not prepared to trade in our individuality and selfish gains, the road to social cohesion or unity will be a dream away.

World's most powerful force

The ideas of "Moro nation" and "self-determination" have moved so many amongst us that despite of all the setbacks continue to build our future around it. The belief that only through "armed struggle" can we (single-handedly) achieved nationhood or self-determination has mobilized thousands of our own people to forsake the otherwise settled life for life in the jungle. For these words, blood has been shed and life sacrificed.

The idea of "rido" (vendetta) has given the us the excuse to seek revenge for generations. It has become more powerful than the preferred Qur'anic option for forgiveness. It has also misused the Islamic concept of biy'at (blood money) to stop retribution.

The "conspiracy theory" that people other than Muslims are out to destroy our faith and our way of life has hindered us to practice the Islamic teachings of rapproachement, mutual respect and co-existence, tolerance and shared futures; and gave birth to the "siege" and "win-lose" mentality.

The idea that our future is in the past has deter us from moving forward and reason enough to accept change is inevitable. We want to change our present. But our preferred change is to move backward to live a life of our oldies, not the life for our next generation. This idea got us stacked in history and to re-writing our past based on our preferred outcome rather than accepting historical facts.

This is a battle of ideas, not of guns and goons. In the time of the Old Egyptians, Greeks and the Romans, the gods and goddesses reign supreme while the belief in one supreme being was a heresy. The most powerful force in the world is not an advanced or sophisticated army, but an idea that can change how we see things and ought to be.

An idea can only be truly powerful, positive or otherwise, in the hands of someone who have the foresight to see change through this idea, the hindsight to learn from its misuse and the insight that change is inevitable.

Prepare to build

After the fog of rhetoric is gone, our angst simmers out, and our mind begins to understand/accept realpolitiks and the reality of constraints and interdependence, our quest for self-determination re-downs to two things: state- and nation-building.

• state-building - creation and sustaining democratic institutions and structures to deliver basic services, to uphold the rule of law, to promote people's welfare and security.
• nation-building - bringing together diverse peoples, to rally behind common goals, to chart shared futures; recognizing the cultural, linguistic and religious plurality.

Towards this end, state building needs strong political will, not politicking and nepotism; nation-building needs popular engagement (space and opportunity) to promote socialization and cohesion.

The rhetoric of hate (e.g. kuffar, dayyus, bugaan), exclusion (e.g. way lamud nila, paigun man sila, duyun man sila) and division (e.g. leader-follower, maisug-bugaan, tausug-samal) will not augur well towards this twin-goal of state- and nation-building.

True victory

We can’t win support
through our angst,
by excluding others
or by dividing ourselves;

Be calm,
reason with confidence,
be inclusive of others and
let us unite in purpose
even if we differ in our pursuits.