Introduction
The sultanate of Bagumbayan occupies the middle ground between the Saylud or lower Rio Grande Valley and the Saraya or upper Rio Grande Valley. It is located at the head of the delta, and really comprises the upper part of the Saylud, and lies mainly along the banks of the southern branch of the Rio Grande. It extends as far down the banks of the southern Rio Grande as the upper borders of Tamontaka, and as far down as Libungan, along the banks of the northern branch of the Rio Grande. Its upper limit is Maysawa, a little above the Kakar or canal.
The present sultan, Abu-Bakar, lives at Bagumbayan proper, which is located on the right bank of the southern Rio Grande about 3 miles below Tambao or the fork. He is still addressed, at times, as the sultan of Talakūkū, which was the proper address of his father, named after the older name of the capital. The word Bagumbayan means “newly built,” and has lately been applied to the sultanate on account of the late change of the residence of the sultan. Talakūkū is the word that appears in all Spanish records and histories. Kabuntalan is still older and is more used by the Moros themselves. The old site of Kabuntalan was on the left bank of the main river just above the fork. It has been completely abandoned.
Nagtangan is the oldest name and the one which appears first in this manuscript.
This manuscript is copied from the original, which is in the possession of the sultan himself. It was obtained through the favor of Datu Balabadan, who is a relative of the sultan and who belongs to the same family or an allied branch of the same.
The original is a very old copy and many of the leaves and margins are torn and have fallen into pieces. The handwriting is fair and plain, but the composition and grammar are very poor. The orthographical errors committed in writing Moro names in Arabic characters are very numerous and greatly change the expression of the words. It is evident that the original author was a poor writer, and did not have the usual practical knowledge in writing in Arabic characters that other Moro authors had.
The dialect is strictly that of Magindanao. The titles of the datus are similar to those used in Magindanao. Two new titles, Jukulānu and Jīwana, appear often, and in all probability are applied to subdatus of the same rank as Gūgū, Umar Maya, Marāja Layla, etc.
Literal translation of Manuscript No. VII
Genealogy of Kabuntalan
IN THE NAME OF GOD THE COMPASSIONATE AND MERCIFUL