Basilan
ISLAND
HISTORY
Basilan Island used to be called Tagime, after a Datu who ruled a large part of the island before the Spaniards arrived. Basilan used to be called something else. It used to be called Uleyan, which came from the name of a mountain in the middle of the island. Later, it was changed to Matangal, which is also the name of a mountain in Tuburan with the same name. Other names were PuhGulangan, which means "island of forest," UmusTambun, which means "fertile land," Kumalarang, which is the name of a river, BaunuhPeggesan, and later BasihBalan.
The name BasihBalan came from a fierce battle between the natives led by Sultan Kudarat, a great Muslim leader, and his brave Muslim warriors, ApuhMenggah, ApuhDagang, and ApuhBatalan, and Spanish invaders from nearby Zamboanga. After a fierce fight, the natives were able to keep the invaders away. The victory was a big reason why the name of the island was changed to "BasihBalan." This name came from their legendary weapon, called "pira," which was made of iron and magnetism. It became BasihBalan when the two words were put together. But when the name of the province was written down by the first historians, it was shortened to Basilan. The name Basilan has stayed the same up to this day.
BASILAN ISLAND
Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM)
On the Basilan Island of BARMM, most Yakans live in Tipo-tipo, Lamitan, Sumisip, and Tuburan. East of the Zamboanga Peninsula, there are also small groups of people living on the islands of Sakol, Malanipa, and Tumalutad. People think that they are related to the Orang Dyaks or Tagihamas of eastern Indonesia, so the word Yakan means "Dayak Origin." They speak a form of the Sama language and are influenced by the Tausug in some way. The Yakans' main way to make a living is farming, and most of the time they grow upland rice. They don't usually live in close-knit villages where their houses are just out of sight of their nearest neighbors. Instead, they build their homes on their small plots of farmland.
