The first object sought in the search for the Genealogy of Sulu was a knowledge of those significant historical events of Sulu which antedated the Spanish discovery and conquest of the Philippine Islands, the connection which those events might have had with the earlier history of the other islands and the light that they might throw upon the subject of prehistoric Malayan immigration to the Archipelago. The tarsila (genealogies)1 of Mindanao show that events of considerable importance had occurred in the Archipelago, especially in the south, long before the Portuguese or the Spaniards reached Malaysia. Some tribes, such as the Samals, we were told, had emigrated from western Malaysia to the Sulu Archipelago and Mindanao, and indications were not wanting that probably other tribes, now inhabiting the Philippine Islands, came from the same place. Further, information was desired relative to the mohammedanization of Sulu and the possible connection that such a movement might have had with the introduction of Islam into Sumatra and Malacca.

The research so conducted was well rewarded. The history of Sulu was traced as far back as the early days of its oldest settlements, and the organization of the nation was followed back to the primitive communities out of which the Sulu nation has grown. Records of early Malayan expeditions and of communication between Sulu and Mindanao were traced to the earliest missionaries who reached these Islands by the way of Malacca, and through whom the sultanates of Mindanao and Sulu were organized on plans similar to those of Malacca and Palembang. A fuller account of the life history and work of these missionaries will be given in a later paper of this series. We here give only a narrative of the events in which they participated and the part they played in making the history of Sulu proper.

Many difficulties were encountered in the effort to secure an authentic copy of the Genealogy of Sulu. Several trips of 20 to 40 miles were made in small Moro sailing craft to visit datus who were said to have copies of this document. The Sulu authorities who had the manuscript or copies of it denied this fact from time to time, but after two years and a half of persistent endeavor and inquiry, the original manuscript was procured from the prime minister of the Sultan of Sulu, whose confidence was gained by a long period of intimate acquaintance and frequent communication. Soon after that, the Annals of Sulu (the Luntar) were obtained from the sultan and some facts of importance were learned and made use of in the course of this work. Diligent effort was further made to collect all interesting Sulu traditions and documents, and most of the best informed Sulus living were interviewed. Of these the author feels under special obligation to mention Sheikh Mustafa bin Ahmad, formerly prime minister to Sultan Harun; Hadji Butu, prime minister of the present Sultan of Sulu; Datu Pangiran; and Hadji Mohammed Tayib, one of the principal advisers of the present sultan.

After the first object sought had been gained, it became apparent that a general public interest in Sulu and Mindanao had been growing rapidly. It therefore seemed advisable to complete the history of Sulu up to the date of Spanish evacuation, for no such work has as yet been published in the English language. It is of special interest to Americans living in Mindanao and Sulu and of general interest to Americans and others elsewhere to have a better understanding of the Moros in general and to acquire some idea of the history of Islam in the Philippine Islands. This the history of Sulu makes possible for the reader in a most vivid and realistic manner. The history is written without prejudice or bias, and events are related as they appear in the light of facts, and by one capable of seeing things from the standpoint of a Sulu as well as of a Spaniard.

Nothing reveals the true character of a nation, its capabilities, tendencies, and resources, better than its history. There is no time when such general intimate knowledge of a people is more interesting and more needed than during the period of their regeneration, and there can be no time when the history of the Sulus will be more interesting than at present.

Besides the Moro sources above referred to, several authors in Spanish and English have been consulted and quoted with due credit. Special indebtedness must however be expressed to Col. Miguel S. Espina, author of “Apuntes sobre Jolo,” whose admirable work has been our chief authority for the majority of the events which occurred after the Spanish invasion of Sulu in 1578. Espina saw considerable service in Sulu, was intimately acquainted with the Spanish administration of Sulu affairs, and most of his information was derived from official documents and other sources of equal authenticity. Most of the events relating to the late period of Spanish occupation of Sulu have been confirmed by personal investigation, and the Sulu view of every matter of significance has been studied and understood.

A chapter on the geography of the Archipelago is presented first to give a general idea of the geographical relations of the Archipelago of Sulu, the location of its various islands and settlements, and its commercial resources. Special attention has been given to accurate spelling of names and the correct location of settlements and small islands. Unusual pains have been taken to get satisfactory maps of the Archipelago and Island of Sulu and sketches of the town of Jolo. These will help the reader and add interest to the succeeding chapters.

In the Appendixes will be seen reprints of various documents, reports, quotations and letters of direct and significant bearing on the history of Sulu and Mindanao. They are arranged in chronological order and are intended to complete the record and description of important events in Moro history so as to throw light on the actual conditions of life among the Moros, the political motives of the interested powers, and the real state of affairs in Mindanao at the time of the Spanish evacuation. The source from which each article is derived is given in connection therewith. A considerable number of quotations or chapters have been taken from “The Philippine Islands,” by Blair and Robertson, for which special obligation is hereby expressed. Many of the official documents given could not be conveniently incorporated in the text of the history proper, and are herein published, probably for the first time. They include protocols, capitulations, official letters, decrees, and correspondence relative to Sulu obtained from the Division of Archives of the Philippine Islands. The originals of the copies can be seen in Spain in the Indies Archives.

Some liberty has been taken in correcting the spelling of geographical and other proper names in order to render the history uniform in its orthography and to avoid confusion and misconnection of events, persons, and places. The same system of orthography has been used here as that used and described in Part 1 of Volume IV, Ethnological Survey Publications. Diacritical signs to denote the long sounds of vowels have, however, been very rarely used. The Arabic “hamzat,” occurring in Moro words has been expressed by an apostrophe; while an inverted apostrophe has been used to represent the Arabic sound or character “?ain,” the eighteenth letter of the Arabic alphabet. Annotations which occur in the original documents have generally been indicated by letters, while those made by the author are denoted by figures.

Manila, January, 1907.