Maranao People
Definition
The Maranao are an ethnolinguistic group of Mindanao, Philippines, concentrated around Lake Lanao in Lanao del Sur province and across Lanao del Norte, with large communities in Manila, Cotabato, and Zamboanga. The name means “people of the lake,” reflecting their settlement around the Philippines’ second-largest lake.
The Maranao are predominantly Muslim and are celebrated for their artistic tradition — the okir wood carving, sarimanok motif, torogan royal houses, weaving, and brassware — and for their historical Darangen epic, a chant of significant length and cultural depth inscribed on UNESCO’s intangible heritage lists.
Identities
| Source Type | Identity |
|---|---|
| Wikipedia | Maranao people |
| Wikidata | Q311883 |
| DBpedia | N/A |
Also Known As
Meranaw; People of the Lake
Examples and Analogies
The Maranao are to Lake Lanao what the Venetians were to their lagoon: a nation whose trade, art, and political life organized around a great body of water, producing a decorative art tradition instantly recognizable across Southeast Asia.
Usage Scenarios
Maranao communities dominate regional trade and education around Lake Lanao; their okir artistry decorates mosques and Filipino cultural venues nationwide; the Darangen is performed in cultural programming; halal Maranao cuisine shapes Mindanao food culture.
Strategies
Communities pursue cultural preservation through Darangen documentation, language education, and craft revival; post-conflict reconstruction in Marawi included restoring cultural landmarks; enterprises develop Maranao design products for national markets.
Security and Safety Measures
Community institutions combine Islamic governance traditions with the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region’s structures; the 2017 Marawi siege’s rebuilding included security coordination and cultural property protection.
Historical Context
The Maranao embraced Islam through the Lanao sultanates from the fifteenth century onward, resisting Spanish control for centuries. The Darangen epic preserves pre-Islamic and Islamic layers of their history. The 2017 Marawi conflict displaced hundreds of thousands, with reconstruction continuing for years afterward.
Challenges and Controversies
The Marawi rehabilitation’s pace, land and displacement issues from the siege, and preserving cultural heritage amid modernization are the principal continuing concerns.