Long before Maranao children's ears were introduced to modern music, they were lulled to sleep by the rhythmic, hypnotic beat of bayok. These traditional chants, mostly drawn from the ancient Maranao epic Darangen, are caches of memory, carrying fragments of one of Southeast Asia’s greatest epics into the everyday lives of ordinary Filipinos.

The Darangen is not a relic locked in archives, but a living tradition. Yet across the broader archipelago, many Filipinos remain unaware that this 72-episode, 72,000-line epic poem holds one of Southeast Asia's greatest literary treasures. Recognizing and celebrating the Maranao epic as a paramount national cultural asset is long overdue. More than a triumph of indigenous storytelling, it is our clearest, most poignant bridge to the shared civilizational realm of Maritime Southeast Asia.

The Maranao people (‘People of the Lake’), who inhabit Lanao in central Mindanao, composed the epic over centuries. Traditionally sung or chanted by master bards known as Onor, the epic recounts the mythical history of the ancient kingdom of Bembaran. It narrates tales of heroism, romance, governance, moral codes, and aesthetic ideals of pre-colonial Maranao society.

UNESCO has recognized the Maranao epic as a Masterpiece of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity, underscoring its global significance. Yet within the Philippines, it remains underappreciated compared to other national symbols, overshadowed by colonial-era narratives and Western-oriented historical frameworks.

When examined alongside the literature of neighboring nations, the Darangen reveals something profound: the Philippines was never an isolated cultural island. Rather, it has always been an active participant in the literary and spiritual continuum of the Malay world.

It closely mirrors the classical folk literature of Maritime Southeast Asia: composed of Malaysia, Indonesia, and Brunei. At its narrative core stands the heroic Prince Bantugan—a noble warrior endowed with supernatural strength, magnetic charm, and unwavering chivalry. Bantugan’s exploits in defense of his homeland directly parallel those of Hang Tuah in the classical Malay Hikayat Hang Tuah, as well as Prince Panji in the Javanese Panji Tales. All three sagas center on ideal courtly honor, loyalty to the kingdom, and the noble quest for dignity—values the Maranaos embody as maratabat, echoing the Malay concept of maratabat and courtly etiquette (adat).

These parallels are not coincidental. They reflect centuries of cultural exchange across the Sulu and Celebes Seas, where trade, kinship, and Islamic scholarship bound Mindanao to its neighbors.

The epic's spiritual dimension is equally illuminating. Although the Maranao people embraced Islam centuries ago, the Darangen preserves a pre-Islamic worldview where tonong (guardian nature spirits) intervene in human affairs, riding the winds to assist heroes in battle. This spiritual architecture mirrors the animistic realms found in classical Malay folklore and Javanese shadow puppet theatre, the Wayang Kulit. Visual motifs that recur throughout the epic—such as the Sarimanok (the mythical bird holding a fish) and the Naga (serpentine dragon)—are shared symbols carved across royal regalia from Sumatra to Mindanao.

The Darangen is also seen as rootedin Indian epics that swept across Southeast Asia during the first millennium. Just as Malaysia produced the Hikayat Seri Rama and Indonesia cultivated the Kakawin Ramayana, the Maranao adapted the same roots into the localized saga of Maharadia Lawana, weaving the tales seamlessly into Mindanao's geography.

For centuries, colonizers encouraged Filipinos to look eastward toward the West rather than southward toward our immediate neighbors. Highlighting the Darangen on a national scale provides a vital remedy to this historical amnesia. It reminds us that long before European contact, our ancestors shared trade routes, artistic forms, and heroic legends with the great civilizational networks of Malacca, Brunei, and Indonesia.

In an era where nations compete not only in economics but in cultural influence, the Darangen is a soft power asset. Shared folklore provides common ground for diplomacy. To fully honor this national asset, we must move beyond passive admiration. Elevating the epic as a national symbol can amplify the Philippines’ voice in ASEAN cultural diplomacy.

We can integrate it into school curricula nationwide, ensuring children in Luzon and the Visayas learn Prince Bantugan's exploits alongside national literary classics. State support must be channeled to living Onor and Schools of Living Traditions in Lanao, ensuring that the complex art of bayok chanting is passed on to young Maranaos in an era dominated by digital distractions.

When a Maranao mother lulls her child to sleep with a bayok, she is not merely singing a song; she is keeping alive an ancient, unbroken thread of Southeast Asian heritage. By elevating the Darangen as a central pillar of our national identity, all Filipinos can rediscover our shared roots in the vibrant literary tapestry of Maritime Southeast Asia.

The author is an executive member of the National Innovation Council and lead convener of the Alliance for Technology Innovators for the Nation (ATIN). [email protected]