Confederate States of Lanao

Confederate States of Lanao Pat a Pangampong sa Ranao
1616–1904
The map of the Lanao Confederacy in 1616 after its separation from Maguindanao.
Common languages	Maranao, Iranun, Maguindanaon, Subanen languages
Religion	Sunni Islam
Demonym(s)	Maranao
Government	Confederated Monarchy (1616–1904)
Sultan
• 1640 – ?	Balindong Bzar of Masiu
Legislature	Piyakambaya ko Taritib (Decider of Laws)
History
• Secession from the Sultanate of Maguindanao	1616
• End of the Battle of Taraca	April 1904
Preceded by Succeeded by Sultanate of Maguindanao Insular Government of the Philippines Moro Province
Today part of	Philippines

The Confederate States of Lanao (Maranao: Pat a Pangampong sa Ranao, "Four States of Lanao") is a legislative confederation of the four Maranao states (pangampong) of Bayabao, Masiu, Unayan, and Balo-i centered around Lake Lanao in the center of the island of Mindanao, Philippines.[1]

This confederation is also sometimes inaccurately referred to as simply the Lanao Sultanate or Sultanate of Lanao.

History

Before the Maranaos were invaded by the Sultanate of Maguindanao, it already existed as a separate nation. The Chinese chronicle Zhufan Zhi (諸蕃志) published in 1225, described it as a country southeast of Shahuagong (Sanmalan) in present-day Zamboanga City, a country called "Maluonu", of which this is what the chronicles have to say.[2]

Further southeast [of Shahuagong] there are uncultivated islands inhabited by barbarian bandits called Maluonu. When a merchant ship is blown off course to this country, these bandits assemble in large numbers and capture the crew, tie them between large bamboo sticks, cook them over a fire, and eat them. The chiefs of these bandits bore holes in their teeth and decorate the holes with gold. They use the tops of human skulls as eating and drinking vessels. The deeper one goes into these islands, the more cruel the bandits are.

— Zhufan zhi 諸蕃志 (1225)

Eventually, the Lanao nation fell under the power of the Maguindanao Sultanate. The lords of Bayabao, Masiu, Unayan, and Baloi seceded from the Maguindanao Sultanate in 1616.

Government

Unlike in Sulu and Maguindanao, the Sultanate system in Lanao was uniquely decentralized. The area was divided into Four Principalities of Lanao or the Pat a Pangampong a Ranao which are composed of a number of royal houses (Sapolo ago Nem a Panoroganan or The Sixteen (16) Royal Houses) with specific territorial jurisdictions within mainland Mindanao. This decentralized structure of royal power in Lanao was adopted by the founders, and maintained up to the present day, in recognition of the shared power and prestige of the ruling clans in the area, emphasizing the values of unity of the nation (kaiisaisa o bangsa), patronage (kaseselai) and fraternity (kapapagaria).

Overall, the Lanao Sultanate consisted of traditional leaders and forty-three sultans. Fifteen of these sultans headed the fifteen royal houses of Lanao. [1]

Contemporary period

As of 2004, the sultanates of Lanao govern themselves within the Republic of the Philippines as the Sultanate League of Lanao.[3]

On February 9, 2007, President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo issued Executive Order No. 602, which founded the Lanao Advisory Council to facilitate the Philippine national government's relations with 16 royal houses in the Lanao area.[4][5]

See also

• Sultanate of Maguindanao
• Sultanate of Sulu
• Sultanate of Buayan

References

1. M. Hadji Abdul Racman, Sohayle; Shakeel Shah, Hassan; Ayaz, Mohammad (May 7, 2021). "The Lanao Sultanate Today: Its Adat Laws and Islamic Law on Fornication with Special Reference to the Islamic Perspectives of al-Māwardī". Journal of Islamic Thought and Civilization. 11 (1): 318–334. doi:10.32350/jitc.111.17.
2. A Chinese Gazetteer of Foreign Lands A new translation of Part 1 of the Zhufan zhi 諸蕃志 (1225) By Shao-yun Yang (Department of History, Denison University) October 2, 2022
3. Nolasco, Liberty Ibanez (January–April 2004). "The Traditional Maranaw Governance System: Descriptives, Issues and Imperatives for Philippine Public Administration" (PDF). Philippine Journal of Public Administration. 1 & 2 (XLVIII): 155–203. Retrieved June 19, 2022.
4. "Executive Order No. 602". Supreme Court E-Library. Archived from the original on March 17, 2012. Retrieved June 19, 2022.
5. "PGMA creates Lanao Advisory Council". Presidential Communications Operations Office. February 26, 2007. Retrieved June 19, 2022.