This manuscript is a correct copy of the original which is in the possession of Datu Kali Adam of Kalangnan, one of the principal present representatives of the dumātūs. The dumātūs are a distinct class of the Moros of Magindanao who trace their origin back to the former chiefs of the country who reigned before the introduction of Mohammedanism. The original was written by Datu Kali Adam himself, copied from a previous manuscript handed down to him from his father, who was a prominent judge, with some later additions of his own. It was neither neat nor well kept. It abounds with grammatical mistakes and has several errors in the text. Its style is mixed; Ranao words, pronouns, and terminations occur; still, in general it is a fair specimen of the literature of the Magindanao dialect. It is the best authority on its subject, and is greatly valued by the people. It is the oldest manuscript known on this subject.
The ruler of Magindanao at the time of Kabungsuwan’s arrival was Tabunaway. Tabunaway was not a datu; he was a timuway. The word timuway or timway means chief or leader, and is still generally used by the Tirurays and Manobos and other hill tribes. Kabungsuwan evidently conquered Magindanao, and its sovereignty passed over from Tabunaway to him, and to his descendants after him. The Moros greatly regard and respect every Mohammedan who is related to the Prophet, and look upon every Arabian as of noble birth and equal in rank to their datu class. Descent from Kabungsuwan constitutes all their claim to nobility and their right to the datuship.
The descendants of Tabunaway are naturally jealous. They claim to have come from an Arabian ancestor who is descended from the Prophet, and take great pride in the fact. They assert that the datus omitted this part of the history from their books intentionally in order to give more importance to Kabungsuwan and to their own descent.
The descendants of Tabunaway are called dumātūs, which is the future tense of the verb dātū. The dumātūs are well known, and I have met several of them. Chief among them I mention Datu Mawlāna Sa-Magindanao and Datu Kali Adam. The former has lately been favored with the honorary title of datu by Datu Mastūra, because his mother was a datu’s daughter and he personally deserved the honor. Both Datu Mawlāna and Datu Kali claim that Sharif Maraja, the father of Tabunaway, was an uncle of Sharif Kabungsuwan and that he and his children were Mohammedans prior to the arrival of Kabungsuwan, though their people were not so until Kabungsuwan converted them. The story that the angels brought paradise to Mindanao does not appear in the other manuscripts, but it is generally believed by all the datus and people of Magindanao. I heard both Datu Mastūra and Datu Mawlāna Sa-Magindanao affirm the fact. They say that a part of the white earth of paradise was left in the hill behind Cotabato and they call it the sacred dust. It was the custom in Magindanao to bring this earth before the new sultan after his appointment that he might step on it for the confirmation of his sultanate. They believed no sultan could be successful and prosperous in his reign unless he performed this rite. The last sultan who obeyed this custom was Sultan Untung Qudratul-Lāh, Datu Mastūra’s father, during the latter part of whose reign the Spaniards came into Magindanao and occupied Cotabato. The later three sultans did not perform this rite; this the Moros cite as the cause of the decline of the sultans’ power and the lack of prosperity in the country. They believe this white earth still exists in the hill of Cotabato, but nobody can find it except the oldest living dumātūs whose forefathers have not intermarried with either datus or the common people, and to whom the secret has been handed down from Tabunaway. This they keep away from everybody except their children. The dumātūs are a privileged class of people, and claim they can follow any datu they choose, and that they should not pay any tribute. They assert that when Tabunaway resigned his sovereignty in favor of his older brother, Kabungsuwan, he reserved this privilege for his children, which privilege Kabungsuwan promised to respect.
For these reasons the dumātūs keep their own records of the history of their country, and the genealogy of their line.
Sambŭg, who is mentioned here, is stated to be the son of Tabunaway. Manuscript No. III states that Kabungsuwan had a son named Sambgan, who was born in Juhūr. Whether these two are one and the same name or not it is very difficult to say. Probably they are two different names.
Literal translation of Manuscript No. IV
The Genealogy and History of the People of Mindanao
The land of paradise was brought by the angels from the west (Arabia) to Mindanao. Later the angels moved paradise to Madinat, but the earth did not balance and tipped on the side of Mindanao. They then measured the earth to find its center, but it had none. Then the angels took paradise and carried it to Mecca, but a part of it remained in Mindanao.
Sharif Awliya knew that and came to Mindanao to search for it. He saw a column of smoke, and as he came to this smoke he found that it was a woman. He took her and married her and begot a daughter whose name was Paramisúli, whom he left in the blessed land.