The Darangen is an ancient epic song that encompasses a wealth of knowledge of the Maranao people who live in the Lake Lanao region of Mindanao. This southernmost island of the Philippine archipelago is the traditional homeland of the Maranao, one of the country’s three main Muslim groups.\nComprising 17 cycles and a total of 72,000 lines, the Darangen celebrates episodes from Maranao history and the tribulations of mythical heroes. In addition to having a compelling narrative content, the epic explores the underlying themes of life and death, courtship, love and politics through symbol, metaphor, irony and satire. The Darangen also encodes customary law, standards of social and ethical behaviour, notions of aesthetic beauty, and social values specific to the Maranao. To this day, elders refer to this time-honoured text in the administration of customary law.\nMeaning literally “to narrate in song”, the Darangen existed before the Islamization of the Philippines in the fourteenth century and is part of a wider epic culture connected to early Sanskrit traditions extending through most of Mindanao.\nSpecialized female and male performers sing the Darangen during wedding celebrations that typically last several nights. Performers must possess a prodigious memory, improvisational skills, poetic imagination, knowledge of customary law and genealogy, a flawless and elegant vocal technique, and the ability to engage an audience during long hours of performance. Music and dance sometimes accompany the chanting.

The Darangen is an ancient epic song that encompasses a wealth of knowledge of the Maranao people who live in the Lake Lanao region of Mindanao. This southernmost island of the Philippine archipelago is the traditional homeland of the Maranao, one of the country’s three main Muslim groups.\nComprising 17 cycles and a total of 72,000 lines, the Darangen celebrates episodes from Maranao history and the tribulations of mythical heroes. In addition to having a compelling narrative content, the epic explores the underlying themes of life and death, courtship, love and politics through symbol, metaphor, irony and satire. The Darangen also encodes customary law, standards of social and ethical behaviour, notions of aesthetic beauty, and social values specific to the Maranao. To this day, elders refer to this time-honoured text in the administration of customary law.\nMeaning literally “to narrate in song”, the Darangen existed before the Islamization of the Philippines in the fourteenth century and is part of a wider epic culture connected to early Sanskrit traditions extending through most of Mindanao.\nSpecialized female and male performers sing the Darangen during wedding celebrations that typically last several nights. Performers must possess a prodigious memory, improvisational skills, poetic imagination, knowledge of customary law and genealogy, a flawless and elegant vocal technique, and the ability to engage an audience during long hours of performance. Music and dance sometimes accompany the chanting.

It is a very old tradition to use the bones of domesticated and wild animals is directly correlated to the cultural and ethical practices of the nomadic Mongolians. Bone crafts have been practiced since the time that the nomads used various parts of their animals, such as ribs, shins, radiuses, pelvises, kneecaps, ankles, nails, teeth, spines, skulls, and chins, as tools. Later, they started using tusks, canines, and horns, particularly those of strong animals, which had symbolic as well as decorative meaning. With the development of bone crafts, various types of bone games have appeared. Ankle bones, for example, are used for a variety of traditional games and toys.

It is a very old tradition to use the bones of domesticated and wild animals is directly correlated to the cultural and ethical practices of the nomadic Mongolians. Bone crafts have been practiced since the time that the nomads used various parts of their animals, such as ribs, shins, radiuses, pelvises, kneecaps, ankles, nails, teeth, spines, skulls, and chins, as tools. Later, they started using tusks, canines, and horns, particularly those of strong animals, which had symbolic as well as decorative meaning. With the development of bone crafts, various types of bone games have appeared. Ankle bones, for example, are used for a variety of traditional games and toys.

Exhortation, ethical texts.