Kinship in a Tausug Poblacion

Abstract

The Tausug are the dominant ethnic group in Sulu, the chain of islands forming the southernmost province in the Philippines. Approximately 175,000 Tausug inhabit the island of Jolo, whose urban town of the same name is the capital of the province. Jolo has long been the seat of Tausug power, for it was here that the Moslem Tausug organized the Sultanate of Sulu, one of the prominent sultanates of Southeast Asia. The island of Jolo contains at least four kinds of communities. The first and by far the most extensive is the gimba or interior. Except for the town of Jolo, every district or municipality has its gimba. The settlement pattern in the gimba is dispersed, but is more concentrated in inland valleys and lower mountain slopes, with a tendency to higher density of population in a few central locations (Kiefer 1969:1-5). These people are primarily farmers. At the opposite pole from the gimba is the town of Jolo, the single urban concentration on the island. In recent years the town has greatly increased in size, largely due to migration of Tausug from the gimba. The popula? tion of the town is not accurately known, but is approximately 45,000 in? habitants. The composition of the town is ethnically diverse. In addition to the Tausug majority, there are Christian Filipinos, Chinese, Samal, Badjau, and a handful of Europeans and Americans. Jolo is the political, economic, educational, and transportation center of Sulu Province. In terms of con? temporary interest in the study of urbanization in Southeast Asia very little is known about the town apart from certain aspects of its colorful history. Between the dispersed settlements of the gimba and urban Jolo there is a third kind of community. This consists of small nucleated villages or large hamlets, often along the coast. Most of these probably tend to be more closely associated with the rural life of the gimba than the urban activity of Jolo, though this point is still to be determined. There are roads to some of these communities; others are accessible only by sea or trail. In coastal communities fishing is important, although the people generally are agriculturalists as well. Silangkan and Bun Bun are examples of this third type. Finally, there is a fourth kind of community, of which there are only a few. This is larger than the third type but is not urban. It is always a pobla? cion and has a sizable public market and an adequate road connection with