Iranun people

Iranun

A 19th century illustration of an Iranun pirate.
Regions with significant populations
Philippines 333,454 (2020) (Bangsamoro, Soccsksargen, Northern Mindanao, Zamboanga Peninsula, Manila, Cebu) Malaysia 20,000–30,000 (2006) (Sabah)
Languages
Native Iranun Also Maguindanaon • Maranao • Cebuano • Chavacano • Filipino • Philippine English (Filipino Iranun)  • Sabah Malay • Malaysian Standard Malay • Malaysian English (Malaysian Iranun)
Religion
Sunni Islam
Related ethnic groups
Maranao, Maguindanaon, Sama-Bajau, other Moro peoples, other Austronesian peoples

Iranun artisans

The Iranun are an Austronesian ethnic group native to southwestern Mindanao, Philippines. The Iranum people are closely related to the people of Maranao and Maguindanao — both ethnically and culturally. The languages spoken by the three ethnic groups, Iranun, Maranao and Maguindanao, are denoted as Danao languages.

Origin

The Iranun were traditionally sailors and were renowned for their ship-building skills. Iranun communities can also be found in Malaysia.

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The origin of the name "Iranun" remains contested. The "Iranun" (archaic "Iranaoan") may have been the original endonym of the ancestral group which later split into the Iranun, Maranao, and Maguindanao people. The Iranun and Maranao still speak the language closest to the ancient Proto-Danaw among all of the Danao languages spoken by these groups.

Regions

The Iranun are native to the southwestern regions of Mindanao, particularly in the provinces of Maguindanao del Norte, Lanao del Norte, Lanao del Sur and Zamboanga del Sur. Iranun have also migrated to the west coast of Sabah, Malaysia (in which they are found in 25 villages around the Kota Belud and Lahad Datu districts); and also in Kota Kinabalu, where they have been assimilated with the Sama-Bajau, owing to their shared naval history and ancestral roots.