The Maguindanaon people are an Austronesian ethnic group from the Philippines. The Maguindanaon are part of wider political identity of Muslims known as Moro, who constitute the third largest ethnic group of Mindanao, Sulu and Palawan. The Maguindanaons constitute the ninth largest Filipino ethnic group and are known for being distinguished in the realm of visual art. They have been renowned as metalworkers, producing the wavy-bladed keris ceremonial swords and other weapons, as well as gongs. The Maguindanaons historically had an independent sultanate known as the Sultanate of Maguindanao which comprises modern day Maguindanao del Norte, Maguindanao del Sur, Zamboanga Peninsula, Davao Region and Soccsksargen. The name "Maguindanao/Magindanaw" itself was corrupted by Spanish sources into "Mindanao", which became the name for the entire island of Mindanao.
Maguindanaon women at S.K Festival.
The Sultan Kudarat monument at Tantawan Park. He is one of the most powerful rulers of the Sultanate of Maguindanao. During his reign, he successfully fought against the Spanish invasions and prevented the spread of Christianity in his controlled territories in Mindanao in the 17th century.
Two Maguindanaon dancers performing the Sagayan.
Pastil, a traditional Maguindanaon food.
The Moro people or Bangsamoro people are the 13 Muslim-majority ethnolinguistic Austronesian groups of Mindanao, Sulu, and Palawan, native to the region known as the Bangsamoro. As Muslim-majority ethnic groups, they form the largest non-Christian population in the Philippines, and comprise about 5% of the country's total population, or 5 million people.
Moro people of Mindanao playing a traditional Maguindanaon pair of agung (large hanging gongs in the kulintang ensemble) using "balu" (rubber-tipped wooden beaters).
Three Moro men from the Sulu Archipelago in the 1900s.
The kalis, a traditional sword among Moro cultures
The state boat, a dapang, of Sultan Harun Ar-Rashid of Sulu (c. 1898)