Province of Basilan; is an island province of the Philippines mostly located within the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM),

except its capital, Isabela City, which is administered as part of the Zamboanga Peninsula Region. Basilan is located just off the southern coast of Zamboanga Peninsula. Basilan is the biggest and northernmost among the major islands of the Sulu Archipelago.

The island of Omosmarata in Tuburan is listed among only fifteen (15) sites in the Philippines with commercially viable ocean thermal energy potential. The Philippines' ocean thermal resource area is 1000 square kilometers, based on the archipelagic nature of the country. Based on a study, the potential capacity for this resource is estimated to be 265 million megawatts.

Likewise, the Basilan Strait is listed among only eight (8) sites in the Philippines with commercially viable ocean tidal energy potential. Only the Provinces of Basilan, Samar and Surigao have both high ocean thermal and ocean tidal energy potential for future development, a veritable gold mine in energy if properly harnessed.

Basilan likewise has fairly significant (yet underdeveloped) mineral deposits, specifically, iron ore (basi (iron), balani (magnate)), gold, manganese, copper, coal and rich agricultural lands.

The Sulu Sea and Celebes Sea provides Basilan aquatic resources such as tuna, mackerel and sardines. Most of these are

The climatic condition is the same as other areas in the entire Zamboanga Peninsula. Source of rainfall is the southwest monsoon and its location in the Intertropical Convergence Zone.

Basilan, as part of Mindanao, is outside the typhoon belt. Prevailing winds are from the southwest with a speed of 4 knots (7.4 km/h). March to May is hot and dry, with temperature at 22oC. June to October is rainy. November to February is cool, with temperatures ranging from 22oC to 28oC.

One of the majority Muslim groups that live on the hillsides on the island of Basilan, which was formerly known as Tanguina, is the Yakan. This horse-riding hill tribe believe they are descended from the Orang Dyaks or the Tagihamas of Eastern Indonesia.

The Spanish conquistadores named them Sameacas, perceived as aloof and hostile hill hostile hill people. The Yakan are believed believed to be the traditional settlers of Basilan. During colonial times the Spaniards branded the inhabitants of Basilan as Yakan, a mispronunciation of the word yakal, from the yakal trees which thickly covered the island centuries ago.

The typical physical characteristics of the Yakan: tall, brown, slan-skinned, slanting eyes, black hair and high-bridged noses.

Their belief can be described as Folk Islam, they have two spheres of belief integrating Islamic principles and the more traditional beliefs. They follow Saytan, the various spirits in heaven and in the natural environment, showing the remaining influence of pre-Islamic religious beliefs, which are fused with old Islamic rituals. This is manifested in their ancestral offerings, spirit worship, death rituals and planting rituals.

They believe in Surga (heaven) and in Narka (hell). A Yakan has to work hard on earth to reach heaven after death. For the Yakan, heaven is a place where the soul can find peace, joy and happiness. As Muslims, theYakan believe in the five pillars of Islam: the sahada, which says that there is no other God but Allah and that Muhammad is his prophet; the salat or prayer; puasse or fasting during the month of Ramadan; pitla or charity to the poor; zacat or tithes to Muslim religious

The mosque has continuously played an active role in the guidance of the Yakan community, a place of worship and a place of education, it is considered to be the center of the community and a place that binds the tribal community together.

The Yakan are known to be fierce warriors, they follow a strong internal code of honour that define the circumstances under which a life should be taken. A human being is not an animal; therefore a man is entitled to have a dignified death. A man should never be killed while eating and while taking a bath. Respecting such protocol will justify the killer's deed when he is judged by Allah who will acknowledge that while he is a killer, he allowed his victims to die

Yakan women are excellent weavers, and are famous for their beautifully woven traditional costumes of cotton and pineapple cloth.

The basic garment for men and women consists of a tight-fitting upper garment with tight-fitting trousers called sawal.

Yakan visual arts includes Yakan kitchen utensils and household mplements. Metal ware includes the talam, a beautifully decorated bronze tray, and the sanduk or ladle used for special occasions. Yakan basketry is both colorful and functional. The tutop is a food cover made of bamboo leaves. The peliyuk is a clay jar with cover used for cooking.

The baling is a decorative clay jar treasured as heirloom. The kombo is a lidded container for rice storage. A lakal is a bamboo frame used to hold the cooking gadget when placed on the ground.
The tempipih is a big basket carried on the back. A conical basket called the saan is used as a liquid strainer.

The Yakan have a rich musical tradition, which may be broadly divided into instrumental and vocal. Yakan musical instruments are made of bamboo, wood, and metal. Their musical instruments also demonstrate the influence of the traditional cycle of rice production in their lives. Several instruments are used in each stage of rice production.

Yakan dances involve complicated hand and foot movements. In this dance, a man unties a wrap from his wife-tobe's waist to wrap around her body and dance with. Both of their faces are dotted with white paint, to hide their identity from evil spirits.

A. LANDSCAPE AND SETTLEMENT

Yakan houses usually cluster around the langgal or local prayer house. Houses are built on a slope facing east for the simple reason that when the married couple are in bed, the husband must lie on the east side in order to outlive his wife.

S E T T L E M E N T

E X The traditional Yakan house, called a lumah, is a T rectangular structure, 50 to 100 square meters in area, E elevated on timber posts about 2 meters above the R ground. I O R B. LUMAH

The Yakan house has three main components: the main house, the kitchen and the porch. The main house is a single-room dwelling, partitionless, with various functions such as a venue for social affairs, a weaving area for the women and sleeping quarters. The kitchen is both for cooking and for daily dining. A bridge connects the kitchen to

E X T E R I O R

The pantan or the porch is the main entry to the house which may be open or roofed. The main wooden ladder to the house is located here. Water jars and dagtung, large bamboo crafted as water

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The sapiaw or roof is steeply pitched cogon on bamboo or timber frames.

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Walls are either made of woven bamboo strips called sawali, or horizontally-placed wooden boards or bamboo poles bound together with rattan. The floors are usually made of either split bamboo or rough wood supported by heavy posts.

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There are no ceilings and only one tandiwan or window is allowed in the main house. Another tandiwan and another ladder are allowed in the kitchen house.

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The windows are madeE small and very few inX T order to block bad spiritsE from entering the houseR easily. I
O R

The Yakan are careful in building their stairs, for the number of steps just like the number of rooms must be an odd number. Even number connotes death and other ill omen while odd numbers to them, mean life. The door must also face the east to embrace the morning sun and take in

E X T E R I O R

E X T E R I O R

BABAG - girder

DINGDING - wall GAWANG door

HARIN stair

KASAW - purlin

KULUNG diagonal rafter

LANGGAL local prayer house

LUMAH traditional Yakan house

PAGNUTIH floor joist

PAMATUK post

wall

PANTAN - porch SALAT girt SALILIHAN - rafter SAMPAYAN bottom chord

SAPIAW - roof TANDIWAN window ULUM post -