Total population | |
---|---|
84,000 | |
Regions with significant populations | |
Sulu Archipelago, Zamboanga Peninsula | |
Languages | |
Banguingui language, Zamboangueño Chavacano, Cebuano, Filipino, English | |
Religion | |
Predominantly Islam | |
Related ethnic groups | |
other Sama-Bajau people, other Moros, Lumad, Visayans, other Filipino peoples, other Austronesian peoples |
Banguingui, also known as Sama Banguingui, Sama Bangingi’, Bangingi, and Samal Banguingui, is a distinct ethno-linguistic group dispersed throughout the Greater Sulu Archipelago and southern and western coastal regions of the Zamboanga Peninsula in Mindanao, Philippines. They are one of the ethnic groups usually collectively known as the Sama-Bajau peoples.
The Banguingui are not officially recognized by law either in the Philippines or in the neighboring Malaysian state of Sabah. This can be attributed to their natural ability to culturally assimilate and their acceptance in either Tausug, Sama and Yakan societies. The Banguingui are part of the wider Moro ethnic group, who constitute the sixth largest Filipino ethnic group.
The Banguingui language has both written and oral traditions. Its written language is in Jawi script and is fast becoming a dying tradition. Oral traditions are handed down by the kamattoahan (elders) to the kaanakan or anak baha-u (new generations).
The Banguingui build and manage formidable kuta (forts) throughout the Sulu Archipelago as well as vinta or bangka-bangka boats that roam the Sulu-Sulawesi region. At the height of the Sulu Sultanate, the Banguingui forms the bulk of the Sultan's navy, leading retaliatory raids against Spanish controlled outposts in Mindanao, the Visayas and as far as Luzon to the north.