ABSTRACT
This paper presents the Maguindanawons in Jesuit accounts of Volume One: Rio Grande de Mindanao Mission on late 18th century, Rio Grande de Mindanao that’s located in central Mindanao area of Southern Philippine archipelago. The paper sought to understand the Maguindanawons in accordance of Jesuit letters that consists of one hundred and twenty-two (122) documents within the timeframe 1862-1898. These Jesuit letters becomes the primary bases for the researcher counter validation of documents taken from the primary, secondary and other auxiliary sources.
The study showed that out (122) published letters only (59) letters constantly mentioned the Maguindanawons in spite of missionary objectives which is for Tirurays. Studies reveled that negative perceptions about Maguindanawons in the local province of Mindanao emerged to the continuous “misrepresentation” by Spanish forefathers from 16th to 17th centuries. And still persists even in 18th century and present time. This misunderstood group resulted on altered Characteristic, Morals, and values which are believed to be the product of Spanish-Moro conflicts, and perceived from those incidents Moros reaction on Spanish colonial subjugation shown in the former piratical practices. Assaults town under Spanish domain, capture Christianized natives and sell them or reduced to slave, moreover the subsequent retaliation between Moros and Spanish troops developed the Jihad ideology among the Moro against the conquistadores.
Keywords: Islam, Jihad, Jesuit Letters, Moros, Maguindanawons, Tarsilas
INTRODUCTION
In the framework of Philippine history, the Moro group, or Islamized inhabitants of the Philippine archipelago, has frequently been depicted poorly, whereas the researcher can speak to the present unjust marginalization and distortion of Moro images in society. The term Moros originally derived from the word Moors an identified Muslims group of Islamic Iberian Peninsula (presently known Spain), where it denotes the Muslims group who had conquered Spain.
In the case of Magindanao or the undivided Cotabato and how the Jesuits perceived the Maguindanawons in the latter part of 18th century is not an exemption instead it is the continuations of distorted Moro images. And the researcher believed that this is how the problem arises because of the false representation, lesser mention of Moro History in Philippine national history books, continual lack of knowledge pertaining to the Moros of Southern Philippine archipelago and without an in-depth discussion about Moro history in academe world resulted on high level of ignorance by majority of the Philippine population, not only from the Christianized population but sadly some of the Moros youth lacks the basic knowledge of their own History as they showed proficiency and familiarization to the historical context and contents of events that unfolds in Northern Philippine archipelago than appreciating the Moro history.
The act of ignoring the historical identity of the Moros, failure to recognized their significance in Philippine nations, racially discriminating and marginalizing their community and worst disconnecting events of Mindanao to what is called Philippine History will never understand the occurrence of Mindanao/ Moro problems. As they had removed the fundamental factors that can prevent the problems and that is to educate the Filipino communities the importance and role of Moro History on National history.
Thus, this historical query will try to examine perceptions in the form of accounts and narration derived from Jesuit Letters and countered checked from others sources or outside the Spanish lenses that had observed the Magindanao as venue and the Maguindanawons as an actor’s that contributes and unfold a piece of Moro History during the late part of 18th century.
This study aims to highlight and present the Maguindanawons as an actor’s described in the Jesuit Letters Volume One: The Rio Grande de Mindanao Mission with a timeframe 1862 – 1898; this study specifically aims to answers the following queries.
1. Who are the Moros mentioned in Jesuit Letters?
2. How did Jesuit writers describe the Moros in Jesuit Letters?
3. How distinctive are the features of Moro History as gleaned by the Jesuits?
This study gathered the (122) Jesuit Letters from Jesuit Missionary Letters from Mindanao Volume One: Rio Grande Mission edited Translated, and Annotated by Jose Arcilla, S.J, and conduct a content analysis on the said letters. After scrutinizing the content of the Jesuit letters the researcher employs a counter validation of documents taken from the primary, secondary and other auxiliary sources in order to arrive to the findings of the study.
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