“Mayayao pa muti in bukug ayaw in tikud-tikud” (It is preferable to see the whiteness of your bone due to wounds than whiten your heel from running away) The Tausugs who were also known as the “people of the current”, as the word Tausug literally mean, are said to be one of the largest Moslem ethnic groups found in the Philippines (Bruno, 1973; Jurdam & Sabalvaro, 1978; Kiefer, 1969; Kiefer, 1972). Tausugs can be found on Jolo which is the chief island in the whole archipelago of Sulu and is regarded as the political and cultural center of the society (Bruno, 1973; Jurdam et al., 1978; Kiefer, 1969; Kiefer, 1972). Tausugs are characterized as fine seamen, good traders and excellent businessmen but never do they measure wealth in terms of money, silver nor gold (Jurdam et al., 1978) but measuring material wealth in terms of achieving political power is a different thing. In Jurdam and Sabalvaro’s (1978, p.23) written report of the Tausug, many of their informants “consider the panubu’ (offspring) as their highly valued wealth. The reason for this is the fact that offspring carry the family name and help maintain the dignity and prestige of the family”. Aside from these, Tausugs also exhibit this characteristic that regards pride and integrity as something that is of great worth. They will never run away from a fight for this is considered shameful. Cowardice is something that could blemish their family’s name thus, making them avoid such acts for it threatens their highly valued pride and integrity (Bruno, 1973, p.7). Tausugs, on the other hand, were oftentimes seen as pirates and warlike people but in Bruno’s (1973, p.6) study, he emphasized the perspectives of those people who had the chance to be with the Tausugs. According to Juanito Bruno (1973, p.6), visitors see the Tausugs as “… hospitable, friendly and peaceful, unless they are provoked, for the Tausugs are not a group that flows with the current nor do they allow themselves to be engulfed by it; they have the inner reserve and determination to resist the impact of the current or even to move against it as they had successfully done several times in the past”. Bruno (1973, p.6-7) also pointed out that “the derogatory description given to them must have come from the accounts of the adventures of the Tausugs to Borneo and other parts of the Philippines. By nature they are sea-fairing and it is only natural that they fought off attempts to stop them from trading with their neighbors. It could even be that the language barrier made understanding impossible”. In agreement to Bruno’s statement, Kiefer (1972,p.2) said that, “It would be misleading to say that all Tausug are violent-some are and some are not-, but it is correct to say that their culture is heavily preoccupied with the problems of violence and its control”. Also, with respect to this matter, I could say that issues involving the Spanish colonization and conversion to Christianity might have contributed in the derogatory connotation subjected to the Tausugs. If we will just take a look in their religious upbringing, we would be able to witness Tausugs’ claim of being “Muslims just like their brethren in the entire Islamic world,” (Bruno, 1973; Jurdam et al., 1978). I think that this-the Islamic belief of Tausugs-will be able to strengthen the conclusion I brought up awhile ago. Their strong beliefs as Muslims helped them resist Christianity. Page | 1