The Tausug perhaps is one of the most famous Muslim groups in the Philippines with majority of them migrating to other non-Muslim areas in the country like Cebu and Manila. At present, most of them concentrate in Sulu, Palawan and even in Northern Sabbah and often mistaken as the Badjaos, another ehtnic group in the Philippines but they are two different ethnic groups.
Their name literally means, ” people of the current” with the sea as their homeland and the boat not just a way to transport their goods for trade but serves as their homes. It may be a hyperbolic statement but they say that in their vintas, the Tausugs are born and then die.
The Tausugs are known to have perfected the craft of boat-making like our own balangay that can withstand the trials of the sea sans modern equipments. Tausug craftsmen still make vintas and other boats like those often seen in the city of Zamboanga using the same methods and “technology” for hundreds of years and from generations to generations.
During the Indigenous Peoples Festival last October 2-5 2006, the Tausug representatives shared one of their famous dances – the Pangalay.
The Pangalay more commonly known as the “fingernail” dance in reference to the female dancers with long silver nails and often performed in special occasions like weddings. The performance featured a male and female dancer which is specifically called as the “Pangiluk”.
More than grace and controlled movements of the wrist,s, elbows and the shoulders, the dance depicts many moverments from an ancient martial arts of Sabbah. If you are familiar with some Buddhist images of angles with long fingernails, the Pangalay also has some characterists of per-Buddhist ideas of angels as portrayed by the dancers.
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