The Province of Maguindanao, a member of the Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao or ARMM, bordered by Lanao del Sur, Cotabato and Sultan Kudarat and literally means ” people of the flood plains” that occupies the Pulangi River. The population predominantly composed of our muslim brothers speaks the subgroup Danao Language composed of Maranao, spoken in Lanao, Ilanun spoken by the coastal based inhabitants between Lanao and Maguindanao, and the local dialect Maguindanao used in the province, Cotabato and Sultan Kudarat. The Province of Maguindanao, its capital of Sharif Aguak, has 22 municipalities in its second district and Cotabato City as an individual component.

Since most of the population are predominantly muslim, Maguindanao citizens follow Islamic beliefs and practices. In visual arts and crafts, as muslim lowlanders they posses a strong crafting and weaving practices which prohibits representation of animals and humans forms in arts which led to the development of an abstract form of representation in artistic carvings of wood, weaponry, musical instruments and textile making. Some examples are the musical instrument kudyapi, kampilan knife, tube skirt malong and the batik shirts which became popular in the 70’s and 80’s and still worn by many today because of its colorful abstract summer representation and cool wooven texture. The handicrafts industry is unique to its heritage. Farming, fishing, mining are amongst the local way of living for Maguindanaons. Tourist usually troop to Cotabato City, often dubbed as the Land of Crabs in the Philippines, which have an enormous supply of delicious crabs and prawns which could be bought at the lowest market price.

Being a muslim community doesn’t mean its roots of Filipino tradition and heritage has been forgotten. Our brothers and sisters from Maguindanao pride themselves of celebrating their yearly festival, the colorful event of Shariff Kabunsuan Festival with shocasings of woven native dresses, loud drum beatings of gongs and other native musical instruments while capping this fiesta with the Pagana Magauindanao, a traditional dining among Maguindanaons and Maranaons with special invited guests. Traditional muslim cuisine of tinadtag, plil, putrid mandi and sininang baka are among the popular menu with of course the yamang dagat seafood variety inihaw. Maguindanao also boasts of natural resources that includes the Kutawato Caves. The longest river in the Philippines is located in Maguindanao, exactly in Cotabato City and also where the annual Guinakit Festival is held yearly, also known as the river festival where they showcase colorful boats and vintas.