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Darangen: The Maranao Epic Unveiled

The document discusses Maranao culture in Mindanao, Philippines. It notes that the Maranao have maintained an elaborate culture for over 300 years despite pressures from Western culture. A key part of Maranao culture is their epic poem called the Darangen, which tells the story of the lost kingdom of Bembran. The Darangen is over 72,000 lines long, composed of 17 cycles connected in a sequential story. It is memorized and performed by singers at events like weddings or enthronements, and even used as a lullaby for children.

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Natsya zaira
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520 views1 page

Darangen: The Maranao Epic Unveiled

The document discusses Maranao culture in Mindanao, Philippines. It notes that the Maranao have maintained an elaborate culture for over 300 years despite pressures from Western culture. A key part of Maranao culture is their epic poem called the Darangen, which tells the story of the lost kingdom of Bembran. The Darangen is over 72,000 lines long, composed of 17 cycles connected in a sequential story. It is memorized and performed by singers at events like weddings or enthronements, and even used as a lullaby for children.

Uploaded by

Natsya zaira
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd

The Moros of Mindanao, according to Dean Worcester's early observation, "exemplify what may be

considered the highest civilization to which Malays have attained unaided." Whether or not such a high
accolade is justified it is nevertheless true that the Maranao and other Moro groups do have an
elaborate way of life which they have maintained in the face of pressures from Western culture for over
three hundred years. An extensive study of their literary heritage as part of their culture may be useful,
not only for understanding the motivations and attitudes of present-day Moros, but also for revealing
something of the Filipino pre-Spanish culture.

The Maranao of Lanao del Sur, Mindanao, Philippines has a vibrant culture that is evident in their way of
living. It is as colorful as the malong1 they wear and as elaborate as the okir2 designs on their
architectural structures. One of the more intricate pieces making up Maranao culture cannot be touched
but heard through the epic singing of the Darangen.

The Kingdom of Bembran is not a mere village or town but a real city of remarkable grandeur.
Since the people believed that the realm was home to their forebears, the reason why it no longer
exists is that the kingdom sank to the bottom of the sea. All its people, animals, and treasures lost
with it.

It may sound fantastic but through the epic, the “Lost City” becomes a fairyland, comparably as
splendid as cities from similar eastern tales of the Malays, Hindus, and Arabs.3

Like other epics, the Darangen is a prolonged verse narrative with numerous themes. It is 8
volumes long, composed of 17 cycles with 72,000 lines in the iambic tetrameter or catalectic
trochaic tetrameter. Each cycle represents a single story but is connected in a sequential
progression.

Despite its technical complexities, chanters can easily memorize the material and move from one
event to another effortlessly. It has become a common source material for Maranao singers,
orators, performers, and many others in the creative arts. It can be sung during various events
such as kawing (wedding ceremony), or large gatherings like a sultanate enthronement or even as
a lullaby to cradle a child to sleep.

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