Читать книгу Studies in Moro History, Law, and Religion - Najeeb M. Saleeby - Страница 5

The history of Mindanao prior to the advent of Islam is traditional and mythological, and no effort has been made to put it on record. With Islam came knowledge, art, and civilization. A new system of government was instituted and its records were registered. Tarsila1 were written and the noble lineage of the datus was carefully kept. Each sultanate or datuship kept a separate genealogy. These genealogies, called tarsila or salsila, were very limited in their scope and brief in their narration of events. They are our only source of written information on the early history of the Moros, and are valuable on that account. Previously the Moros withheld these tarsila and kept them away from all foreigners and non-Mohammedans; but their attitude has changed lately, and several different salsila were secured from the chief datus of the Rio Grande Valley.

The original manuscripts could not be bought, but exact and true copies of the same have been secured and translated and their translations are herein published for the first time.