Understanding and appreciating the Mindanawon

The book “More Mindanawon Than We Admit: History, Culture and Identity in the Philippine South” (Vibal Foundation, 2024) explores the history, culture and heritage of the people of Mindanao.  Edited by Jhoanna  Lynn B. Cruz, it is a collection of essays by historians, anthropologists, writers, philosophers, artists and scholars written from perspectives often ignored in mainstream Philippine writing.

In the blurb, Michael Charleston “Xiao” Chua, history professor from De La Salle University Manila, writes: “The book is like Mindanawon identity itself: complicated, colorful and diverse.  Although it is a glimpse of Mindanao, the book is also a significant publication to break the many stereotypes we have of the region and its people. The greatness of Mindanawons shines in its pages and every Filipino should be proud they are part of our overall identity.”

This anthology argues that the Philippines cannot fully understand itself without fully understanding Mindanao. This idea becomes clearer throughout the book as different contributors discuss migration, settler histories, Muslim and Lumad experiences, literature, peacebuilding, language and memory.

The collection of essays is an interdisciplinary approach and combines political studies, anthropology, literary criticism, cultural studies and personal reflections. Some essays are academic and research-driven, while others are reflective and intimate. Together, they create a fuller portrait of the region.

The essays explore how Mindanawons negotiate multiple identities at once – regional, ethnic, linguistic, religious and reflective.

Several of the essays examine how colonialism, migration policies and state building projects affected Mindanao communities. These essays attempt to explain why conflicts over land, identity and autonomy continue today. The book encourages readers to see these conflicts not as isolated problems but as consequences of historical processes that shape the modern Filipino nation state.

The book is relevant, especially to readers from Luzon and the Visayas. It reveals how ignorance and bias towards Mindanao have become normalized in our national conversations.

Mindanawon writers and artists are presented not simply as cultural representatives but as thinkers actively shaping contemporary Philippine intellectual life.

One of the most memorable statements in the book says: “The more we embrace our diversity in part by being Mindanawon – the more Filipino we become.”

In the blurb, a paragraph reads: “The Mindanawon identity is explored, especially the need for it to be given a name, unlike the people of Luzon and Visayas. The region’s historical path to peace is also discussed, emphasizing the variety of ways one can pursue harmony between people as well as creative spaces where peace can be pursued and enforced…

“… it contains valuable insights into how Mindanao’s culture has evolved and at the same time remained integrated into both the historical and cultural narrative of the Filipino people. In part, its essays highlight the region’s journeys and contributions towards the larger and encompassing Filipino identity characterized by its people’s stories, struggles and triumphs.”

Stylistically, the anthology is thoughtful and scholarly, though some essays may feel unfamiliar with casual readers not used to academic writing. However, readers interested in Philippine history and politics, anthropology, literature or peace studies will find the book rewarding. It is especially valuable for students and educators because it broadens discussions of national identity beyond traditional Manila-centered perspectives.

The significance of the anthology also lies in its political and cultural timing. In recent years, conversations about regional identity representation and historical injustice have become increasingly important in the Philippines. The book attempts to show that Mindanao should not be studied from afar but listened to on its own terms. It challenges scholars and readers to move beyond talk and recognition and towards genuine engagement with the histories and culture of the South.

The last essay in the book was written by scholar Patricio N. Abinales. The title is “No (National) Love Lost: Notes from a Tawi-Tawi Sojourn and Encounters with Dutertismo.” Its opening line is: “Imagine this hypothetical scenario: Vice President Sara Duterte wakes up one day and decides to give you, a historian at the University of the Philippines Diliman, P2M to be seconded to the Mindanao State University-Tawi-Tawi to teach Philippine history for one academic year…

“How would you teach the course? Or better yet, what would you teach a people who have been part of a maritime region forcibly added to the Philippine territory by the Americans in the 1900s, given little attention by the republic?”

This is a chapter that could easily have expanded into a book.

In the essay, there is a subsection entitled “Duterte.” The author writes: “His unusual rise to power has generated a virtual ‘Duterte Studies Industry’ in academia, the policy world and civil society.”

In another essay written by Karl Gaspar, CSSR: “What might be the basis for asserting that there is such a thing today as a Mindanawon identity? One reason is the uniqueness of Mindanao… While Luzon and the Visayas also have their uniqueness, there is something more pronounced in Mindanao – and it is its multi-language, multi-ethnic, multi-religious character.”

Mindanao has become front page news in the last decade and this book is a must read for those who want to understand the Mindanawon. Incidentally, I am happy to note this book won the Elfren S. Cruz National Book Award for Best Book in the Social Sciences.