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Tausug beliefs and practices
The document summarizes Tausug beliefs and practices. The Tausug are an ethnic group from Jolo in the Sulu Archipelago who are predominantly Muslim. They observe the Five Pillars of Islam but also retain some pre-Islamic spiritual beliefs. They value family honor and believe it is shameful to retreat from conflict if other family members are involved. Their cultural traditions include baptismal and burial rites that incorporate elements of Islam and local customs.
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Tausug beliefs and practices
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- 2. TAUSUG Jolo is the home of the Tausugs Tausug comes from the word “tau” which means “man” and “sug” which means “land” Tausugs are muslims and practice the tenets of Islam
- 3. One characteristicof the Tausug is preservation of the family reputation and will never commit an act of cowardice that will blemish on the family’s name “You can never expect a Tausug to run from a good fight” They believe that running away is shameful especially when other members of the family are involved
- 4. PAGGUNTING Tausug baptism The child clad in best garment is brought to the group of Imams standing in circle A few strands of hair are dipped in a container of the water of butong The child’s mouth is smeared with sugar Candle is lit at the beginning of the rite and is then blown off after
- 5. THE BURIAL PRACTICE When the warmth is gone, the corpse is sponged in cold water The bathing is done by religious persons The bathing is done in silence The water used is fresh and perfumed with betel nut flowers, kamanyan or insence, and sandalwood The corpse is wiped and then perfumed and placed in a shroud
- 6. The shroudis made of three pieces of white cloth in accordance with the length of the corpse It is wrapped in a lying position with hands placed on its chest, the right over the left The coffin is made of wood and has no lid Grave is dug in proportion to the length of the corpse It follows a north-south direction and is 6-9 feet deep and it is closed with slabs of board about 2-inch thick, 1 foot wide and 3-4 feet long Grave markers for males are rounded and flat for females
- 7. Burial isfollowed by a seven-day vigil. Depending on a family's economic circumstances, commemorative feasts may be held on the 7th, 20th, 40th, and 100th day, and on the first, second, and third anniversaries of death.
- 8. RELIGIOUS BELIEFS They are Sunni Muslims, followers of the Shaft school. the Five Pillars are observed, although only the elderly practice daily prayers regularly. All illness, accidents, and other misfortunes are ultimately God's will. The Five Pillars of Islam are declaration of beheb in the oneness of God and the prophet hood of Muhammad and the four obligations of praying, almsgiving, fasting, an d pilgrimage to Mecca at least once in one's lifetime.
- 9. However, theTausug retain elements of pre-Islamic belief and, additionally, see the world as inhabited by local spirits capable of causing good or ill fortune. Females do not participate in daily prayer until after they are married and males may pray only after they are circumcised. Touching an unmarried female (kublit-kublit), however, is in theory a finable offense with the actual amount determined by the datu according to time of day and part of body. Such rules are made to be challenged particularly since the legal censure does not carry over into the moral sphere. Thus, a young man may be motivated to touch a particular girl for no other reason than to see if he can get away with it.
- 10. SUPERSTITIOUS BELIEFS Aside from Allah or Tuhan, the Tausug are also concerned with spirits inhabit nature, especially rocks and trees, and who are believed to be the cause of human suffering. The saytan (evil spirits) and jinn (unseen creatures). believe in the four composites of the human soul: the transcendental soul, the life-soul associated with the blood, the breath or life essence, and the spirit-soul who travels during dreams and who causes the -shadow
- 11. HEALING PRACTICES The mangugubat (curer) who have direct access to the spirit world. Traditional medical specialists, who obtain their powers through dreams or by the instruction of older curers, heal mainly by herbal remedies and prayers.