Sarimanok: Its Legend and Significance to Filipino Culture
Posted on Wednesday 6 August 2014
SARIMANOK:
Its Legend and Significance
To
Filipino Culture
By Apolinario Villalobos
Since time immemorial, birds have been
among the objects of worship and inspiration for artistic expression of people
around the world, and their treatment varies according to the culture of those
who venerate them. It might be because of its ability to fly which for the
people of long ago is a rare power given to the chosen few by the Supreme Being
for some important reasons.
From southern Philippines, the legendary
“sarimanok” extended its influence beyond the Muslim world to embrace the whole
country which at present uses it as one of its national symbols.
The “sarimanok” became the central point
around which many tales have been fabricated. A story is about how it was used
by a prince in going to the moon to marry a princess. As the legend would
relate, a Maranao prince fell in love with a princess from the moon, and who
would come down to earth every Friday to bathe in a scented well.
One Friday night, the prince chanced upon
her while taking her usual bath in the perfumed well. The prince was captivated
by her beauty that he immediately fell
in love with her. But the princess was not an earthling, a problem which for
the prince was so great that he had sleepless nights, thinking about it. To
marry her, he had to go to the moon, and this worried him the more.
One day, in his palace, while he was deep
in his thoughts and unable to blurt out his heartaches, he toyed with one of
the carvings, in the form of a bird. Unconsciously, and due to extreme
melancholy, he talked to the bird and challenged it to carry him to the moon.
At that instance, the lifeless object
slowly breathed with life and grew into an enormous size. The prince was
stunned and unable to run away. The bird indicated to him to ride on its back
which he just did. No sooner was he securely positioned on its feathered back
than the big bird took to the air towards the moon. Since that day on, the
prince and bird were seen no more.
Another legend would say that the
“sarimanok” is a messenger of the Sultan of Lanao. The fish which it carries
with its claws is considered as his helper, especially, on trips over the
bodies of water. The small fish that it occasionally carries with its beak
represents the message of the Sultan.
Still another legend was related by A. V.
Hartendorp, a writer who supports origins of things with legends. According to
him, a certain sultan of Lanao had a daughter whose name was Sari. The sultan,
one day, gave a party on her birthday which was held under a “balite tree”. As
the festivities progressed, a rooster suddenly appeared and the people wondered
at its beauty. Then, it disappeared as suddenly as it had come, and Sari
disappeared with it. For many years, the sultan and his people waited for the
girl’s return, until they gave up their hope of ever seeing her again. The
sultan asked an artist to carve a rooster for him that would look as much as
possible like the beautiful bird which carried his daughter away.
According to Abdulmari Imao, one of the
authorities on Muslim culture, “okir” which forms part of the “sarimanok”
designs, has its origin in the Middle East. It was between 1200 and 1380,
during which the Sulu archipelago was Islamized that the said art form was
introduced. Later on, as the Islamization moved on towards the mainland of
Mindanao, particularly the Lanao area, the said art form was also introduced.
It is presumed that they were first seen on the fabrics brought by the Arab
missionaries with them. Since then, “okir” and “naga” designs were used on the
necklines of robes, turbans, malong, kopya, book margins, architecture, wood
carvings and brassware.
The Maranaos of Lanao provinces consider
the “sarimanok” as a symbol of affluence. The bird is so regarded with respect
that in many ways, it has symbolized the Maranao before it has been given due
nationwide recognition. Its bright colors characterize the Maranao’s
temperament and the abstract lines represent their nearness to the Supreme
Being. It is in fact an integral part of the Muslim culture that a “torogan” or
royal house is not complete without it.
The bird motif which before was confined
only within the interest of anthropologists has also caught the attention of
artists and enterprising people who perceived its uniqueness and attractive
attributes. Hotel owners who want their establishment to exude an exotic air is
never without even just a huge replica of the bird in brass, wordcarving or
painting. Restaurants in Manila that serve Muslim foods, or which carry a
Muslim name always has a painting of the bird on their signboard. But the most
significant of all its symbolic use was during the Miss Universe pageant held
in Manila way back in 1974, and the first International Monetary Fund and World
Bank Conference, later. Those instances brought the “sarimanok” to the world’s
attention.
With sarimanok’s elevation to a national
symbol, it has somehow helped bridge the gap among the varied cultures of this
archipelagic country. It not only stands now for the southern culture, but also
that of the northern and central regions which incidentally have a related myth
about a bird which was responsible in bringing to the world the first man and
woman, by pecking open the bamboo in which they were encased.
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