The Jama Mapun, from Cagayan de Sulu
A Sama people whose home island is Mapun, in the Sulu Sea. Their families have traded with and settled in southern Palawan for generations.
Written from public sources to get this page started. We'll replace it with the story as Balabac residents tell it.
The Jama Mapun are one of the Sama peoples. They live across a wide stretch of sea, from Borneo to the southwestern Philippines and Palawan, but their largest community is on Mapun, the island once called Cagayan de Sulu.
They lean more toward the land than most Sama groups, farming corn and cassava, but they're seafaring traders too, dealing in copra and forest goods.
Researchers who studied Muslim migration to Palawan list the Jama Mapun among the peoples who came between the time of the Sulu Sultanate and the middle of the 20th century. They traveled by lancha, a wooden motor boat. One traveler they interviewed remembered the crossing from Cagayan de Sulu to Palawan taking a day and a night.
Stories we're gathering
This is a short introduction written from public sources. We'd like to replace it with the story as Jama Mapun families tell it themselves. If that's your family, send us a message.