Philippine E-Journals

A Survey of Mindanaoan Writers and Writings

Calbi A. Asain

 

Abstract:

Mindanao, including its island provinces, stands out in history as the “land of promise.” Such a label is understandable, what with the vast land this third major region of the country has and its abundant natural resources. In fact, during the American regime, a great number of Filipinos from other regions such as Luzon and the Visayas undertook an exodus to Mindanao, many of whom acquired big land ownerships and stayed there for good. But it is equally promising in other aspects, like culture and history. Mindanao is home to 13 ethno-linguistic Muslim Filipinos or the Bangsamoros as followers of Islam, which is a major world religion, and other cultural communities or the Lumad, known for their distinct ways of life. In history, Mindanao has figured prominently since pre-colonial days because some of the major events in national trajectory occurred in Mindanao. It was in Mindanao that Islam and the Sultanate, the country’s first political institution, took root. It was there, too, that the fight for freedom and selfdetermination blossomed and climaxed. This paper is an attempt to navigate yet another area, which may complement and enhance Mindanao’s title of being the “land of promise” – this time in the literary landscape as its contribution to national patrimony. Hence, there is a need to do a survey of published Mindanaoan writers and writings from Butuan to Bongao. This is to find out if Mindanao is on its way to building its own written literary heritage like Luzon and the Visayas, since its folk or oral literary heritage is well-known as the source of pride and identity of its people. Surveyed here were technical and creative writers and their writings published in regional, national, and international publications, except journalists due to lack of time, materials, and other resources; they were viewed from cultural and historical perspective. It is likely that some writers may have been inadvertently excluded here because they and their writings could not be found in the materials used for the present survey.