Iranun

The Iranun have their roots in the formation of the Austronesian peoples who settled in southwestern Mindanao long before the arrival of Islam in the region. For centuries, they were a central part of the ancient Sultanate of Maguindanao, and localities historically tied to that sultanate, such as Lamitan and T'bok, were considered Iranun strongholds. Local tradition suggests that the Iranun, Maranao and Maguindanao descend from the same ancestral people who later split into three.

Over time, Iranun communities also spread across the sea, settling on the coast of Borneo, which helps explain why the people are found in both the Philippines and Malaysia to this day.

Iranun life revolves around the sea. Most families make their living from fishing along the coast of Mindanao, setting out in boats inherited from a long tradition of shipbuilding and navigation for which the people are known among their neighbors. Other families work the land alongside Muslim and non-Muslim communities, supplementing fishing income with agricultural produce.

Extended kinship and clan loyalty organize social life, and hospitality, respect for elders and family honor are among the most cherished values. Important decisions, from marriages to conflicts, usually go through the clan leaders before any individual action is taken.

The Iranun are Muslims, and Islam is deeply intertwined with the people’s identity: to be Iranun is, in practice, to be Muslim. The Islamic faith organizes the rhythms of communal life, from prayers to festivals and family customs.

At the same time, a living belief in spirits persists among the Iranun, treated with constant fear. Because of this, alongside Islamic practices, many families maintain rituals of older origin, aimed at protecting the home, fishing and health from the harm these spirits could cause.

The Iranun language already has some portions of Scripture translated, along with audio Bible teaching recordings and the Jesus film, produced to reach the people in their own language. Even so, there is no complete New Testament or full Bible in Iranun, and the people rely mainly on oral tradition and the reading of the Quran for their daily religious life.

Among the Iranun, being Muslim is an inseparable part of being Iranun: faith shapes clan and family identity, and abandoning it is seen as breaking with the people itself. History records a people who resisted every attempt to bring the gospel near, receiving the Christian message with indifference, not open hostility, but with a silence that closes the door before the conversation even begins. Added to this are the isolation of coastal communities and the near total absence of churches or Iranun Christians who could serve as a bridge for others.

Fishing on the open sea is the livelihood of many Iranun families, but it is also risky work, exposed to storms and to income instability from season to season. There is a real need for safety for those who go out to sea every day in search of their household’s livelihood.

In the spiritual realm, the need is even greater: there are practically no Christians of Iranun background, nor faith communities that could walk alongside this people. What is lacking, above all, is someone who will draw near with respect and genuine friendship, able to bridge decades of mutual indifference between the Iranun and their neighboring Filipino Christians.