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TAUSUG 765
contain Islam in the southern Philippines, to stop the slaving and looting raids
of the Tausug (and their allies) and to gain control of the Moluccas from the
Portuguese. The first Spanish attack on the town of Jolo occurred in 1578. The
Spaniards occupied Jolo town between 1635 and 1646, when they were forced
to retreat to their garrison on Zamboanga. A permanent garrison was reestablished
in Jolo town in 1876.
After Spain was defeated by the United States in 1898, stiff Muslim resistance
to Americans delayed their control of Jolo Island until 1913 (Jolo town was
occupied in 1899). Under the pax Americana, illegally owned guns were collected,
and slavery was swiftly abolished. In 1915, under the Carpenter Agreement,
the sultan of Sulu, Salip Jamal ul-Kiram II, relinquished his claim to
secular powers but retained his religious authority.
During and after World War II, the Tausug gained possession of American
firearms. As a result, the Philippine government has not been able to control
completely the interior of Jolo. The Tausug revived piracy and made lightning
raids on coastal settlements of Mindanao and Basilan.
The Tausug, and other peoples of Sulu, have never been at ease under a
government centralized in Manila, be it run by Spaniards, Americans or Filipinos.
They have continually sought a separate state either through revolt or petition.
One main cause that initiated the current rebellion in Sulu was the Philippine
army's execution in the late 1960s of Muslims trained at Corregidor ostensibly
for guerrilla operations in Sabah. The present Moro National Liberation Front
had its origins among Muslim students in Manila, many from Sulu. Its leader
is from Jolo. Some of the heaviest and most destructive fighting in the recent
past occurred in Sulu, especially Jolo. A battle between Muslim and Christian
Filipino soldiers in 1974 destroyed nearly two-thirds of Jolo town. Many people
fled to Zamboanga, while others went to Sabah.
The livelihood of the Tausug is based primarily on agriculture and fishing,
while some meat animals are raised (cattle, chickens, ducks). Although some
Tausug are swidden (slash-and-burn) farmers, most raise rice in permanently
diked non-irrigated fields. There are three annual harvests: first, corn and other
cereals (millet, etc.); second, rice; and third, cassava. Rice is intercropped with
maize, millet and cassava. Cassava, often mixed with grated coconut, is toasted,
steamed or boiled. Corn often is eaten raw. Alternatively, the kernels are dried,
ground, mixed with rice and boiled. Other crops include peanuts, eggplants,
string beans, beans, tomatoes, onions and yams.
The major cash crops are coconut (for copra), coffee, abaca (Manila hemp)
and fruit. The need for money to buy guns and ammunition has stimulated the
production of copra since World War II. Fruit, often growing wild, includes
durian, banana, mangosteen, lanzon, jackfruit and oranges. Some fruit is shipped
by motorboat to Mindanao, Cebu and Negros. Copra and abaca usually are sold
to Chinese middlemen on Jolo Island.
Fishing, which may be either a full-time or part-time occupation, is done in
motorized boats in offshore coastal waters. Nets, hook-and-line, and various