Of the Island of Mindanao.

(From Philippine Daily Inquirer)

Byline: Bambi L. Harper

IN 1770, Capt. Thomas Forrest was given the command of the ships of the East India Co. on the West Coast of Sumatra. Five years later, he was instructed to explore the islands eastward of Sumatra. That same year he arrived in Mindanao.

He tells us that the word Magindano is composed of the word "Mag" which means "within" and "dano" which means "lake" so that combined they mean "from the lake" or "settled about the lake."

At the time of Forrest's arrival, the island was divided into three parts, each under a different government. On the west, the Spaniards had their settlement in Zamboanga, on the east was Cape Agustin or Pandagitan and on the north was Surigao. The first was ruled by a sultan who lived in Mindanao or Selangan (Silangan?) composed of the greater part of the sea coast. The second was under the Spaniards and comprised a large sea coast to the west, north and northeast where they had established Christian colonies of Visayans. The third was under the Illano or Illanon, sultans and rajahs, who inhabited the banks of Lake Lanao inland towards the hills.

The Spaniards, who subdued the north coast, never did conquer the whole (nor has anyone else for that matter). The Spaniards would refer to it as part of the Philippines but, of course, the Brits thought it a ploy of the former to enlarge their dominions. Some authors like Dalrymple called it "an island adjacent to the Philippines." And French author D'Avitay stated that Mindanao was not a Philippine island ("Histoire Generale de l'Asie.")

Forrest mentions 14 dialects, and the sultan himself informed him that their language had many Chinese idioms and that they observed Chinese customs such as giving their sons different names for childhood and for adulthood, using yellow as the royal color, and seating guests at different tables during ceremonies. Some of their gongs, with knobs on them came, from Java; while those without knobs came from China. The women were moved about in chairs in the same manner as they were in Canton.