A 2018 paper published by Universiti Malaysia Sabah's Jurnal Kinabalu reveals a disturbing fact about the Suluk as an indigenous group of Sabah.
They are regarded as a migrant group or simply labelled "Filipino migrants". The Suluk community is one of 32 ethnic groups recognised as natives of Sabah.
Despite their indigenous status (one of the four mentioned in Sabah's Interpretation [Definition of Native] Ordinance) and having inhabited Sabah since time immemorial, their narrative remains subdued; apparently absent.
The paper, titled "Komuniti Suluk dan Persoalan Migrasi: 'Sirih Pulang ke Gagang'" (translated by the authors as "The Community of Sulu and the Issue of Migration" by Amrullah Maraining, Zaini Othman, Marsitah Mohd Radzi and Md Saffie Abdul Rahim, found that Suluk identity has negative connotations.
Their investigations revealed that this is due to a lack of understanding among the present generation, coupled with an ignorance of Sabah history.
But — appropriately, one can add — there is also utter disregard for Tanah Air, the history of the Malay Archipelago.
The authors structured their argument on the distortion of Suluk history on the use of the term and concept of "migration" without an understanding of Sabah's history and its historiography.
The paper used the term migrasi (migration) and equated it with the term merantau, making reference to the Minangkabau, as well as pasompe of the Bugis and bejalai of the Iban.
But the paper was not critical of the epistemology and the sociological and historical use of "migration". The paper erroneously equated "migration" with "merantau" — ignoring the deep cultural and geopolitical roots of the latter term. There is no equivalence.
In further arguing, the authors described the migrasi of the Suluk as "bersifat kekal" (permanent in nature), and, therefore, there is a need for the Suluk to have a clear identity ("mempunyai identiti yang jelas") for them to be accepted by the indigenous community ("komuniti peribumi").
Earlier in the paper, they said "komuniti Suluk Sabah merupakan salah satu daripada 32 kelompok etnik yang diiktiraf sebagai peribumi Sabah" (the Suluk community in Sabah is one of the 32 ethnic groups recognised as natives of Sabah).
The authors argued that having a clear identity is important because the Suluk perpetually face the challenge of being accepted as part of the local community or remain as pendatang (migrants). This centres on the perceived ambiguity in their identity.
The term "migration" was used in earlier studies on the Suluk in Sabah. Many of these studies classified the Suluk ethnic group as a "migration group" ("etnik Suluk sebagai kelompok migran").
These studies include the 2,000 theses presented to Univeriti Kebangsaan Malaysia that divide Suluk migration into several periods — the era of the Spanish attack on Sulu and Tawi-Tawi, triggering mass movements of "orang Suluk" into Sabah around the 15th century, the era of the war in Mindanao (1970-1977) and after 1978.
Another study also used the term migrasi, a 1999 thesis submitted to Universiti Malaya supporting "the fact" that the Suluk community is a migrant group, driven by push and pull factors.
Based on the studies, the authors of the 2018 study concluded that the Suluk have long been inhabitants of Sabah — "sudah terang lagi bersuluh" (as clear as daylight).
Nevertheless, the stigma surrounding the origins of the Suluk persists. Their indigenous status is marred by public opinion connecting them to terrorism and crime.
The paper, in investigating how and why the Suluk are still deemed "pendatang Filipina" (Philippine migrants), traced their origins from the era of the Sulu Sultanate to the January 1878 treaty on North Borneo. It also gathered data through interviews with the Suluk community in Lahad Datu.
A pertinent finding is that the Sabah community sees the definition of identity as guided by the "duration of migration" ("tempoh masa migrasi"). This becomes the measurement distinguishing "Suluk Sabah" and "Suluk Filipina".
In their 2013 field work, the authors found that "Suluk Sabah, telah lama datang, telah bertapak di Sabah, mempunyai dokumen yang lengkap… Suluk Filipina (pendatang Filipina), baru datang kemarin, tidak mempunyai sebarang dokumen" (the Suluk of Sabah have long been here, have put down roots in Sabah, with complete documents… The Philippine Suluk (Philippine migrants) came yesterday, without any documents).
Clearly, as we can see in many examples, the formation of nation states distorts narratives and identities. There were no borders before 1963. The Sulu Sea and its surroundings were an archipelago unto itself.
The writer is professor of social and intellectual history, International Institute of Islamic Thought and Civilisation, International Islamic University Malaysia
The views expressed in this article are the author's own and do not necessarily reflect those of the New Straits Times