Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-08-03

which the Sulu people were carrying Liz
captain of the boat said: war. Of
Have YOU many of plenty more OF
these things? and the peoP,e ans fem, TIC
downs TO eat with the other 1000.
..The captain said. Gather me plehty.
will buy them from you. .,,
"The people went and gathered THEM
| .nd hartered them for plates and saucers'
When all the shells from the downs were
| finished they looked into the deep anu
| that is how they found the pearlihs
grounds. and the people noted them' anu
Temembered them. This is what tney
agreed upon: Whoever finds pearnns
grounds they belong to him from 49,
ton to generation That Is "hat . ~
agreed upon That is the reason why the
Sulu people have the right. ana tne
strangers come with the 'badja (dreoge)
To Get the mother of pearl shell from the
deep because they cannot see them
The First Sultan's Elict.
Later salips came from Mecca OF the
Arab nation; they came to Sulu TO con-
vert the people into Mohammedans. as
they had no religion. And when the Sulu
people, including the islanders, adopted
the faith, then they agreed to have sui
| tan and they elected Saripul Hassim to
| be sultan Saripul Hassim said
at don't want you to make me your
| sr,tan If I do not know what the rights
| OF the sultan are and who have to gov
ern over, because this is not my country;
| this is your country.
| And that is how everybody agreed to
accent him as sultan over Sulu and all the
| islands; that is how he became sultan
and governed over all, and that is how
| Saripul Hassim accepted to be the sultan
| of Sulu, to have full power over land and
sea, and the peoples rights, where they
get their living from on land and sea
| Ioft IN hacanHa fhav
| means of their getting their living.
| "A law was made that If they found
| valuables in the sea, such as pearls, tor
| toise shell, ambal or anything extraordi-
| nary, they have to show it to the sultan.
| and If the pearls weigh six chuchuk or
| over they become the share of the sultan.
| II they do not have that weight, the peo-
| pie can do with them they please and
sell them. If the sultan wants them, he
| will buy them according to custom. AS
to tortoise shell. If it weighs two kettles,
| 1t goes to the sultan, and as to the ambal
| whether it Is much or little, If falls to the
| sultan. Whoever finds it must take 1t to
the sultan. Whoever of his subjects vio-
| lates this law as agreed upon the sultan
| can punish him he pleases.
| ''They accepted this law as agreed upon
| to be carried out by them (sultain and peo-
| ple), and their descendants, and not to be
| changed; but they asked of the sultan not
/ to let any other nation to take share in
this industry; it is enough for them: and
| the sultan agreed to this because they did
not know how to earn their living other
| wise This is what the sultan and his sub
| jects agreed to because the Sulu had no
| other treasures land beyond the cult
| walton; the treasures came from the sea
only. therefore other people are forbidden
because this is the property of all my sub
| iects, and especially my own.
Belonged to Sulus.
| Recently, in my time and in the Span
| ish time, there came to me Captain Tiana
| He wanted to dive for pearl shells. / said
| (sultan and people,: we have an agree
ment, 1 will confer with my people,
| sent for my chiefs and dattos and I told
| them about it, that Captain Tiana came
| to me and asked to dive for pearl shells
| They said 1t cannot be done. because there
is agreement between our forefathers
| that other nations cannot join in this in
| dustry of the Sulu seas, because there is
no other means of earning living for your
| subjects.
II informed Captain Tiana of It, He said:
Allow me to dive for pearl shells. 1 will
| give toll to you sultan and I will also
give toll to the owners of the pearl grounds
| according to what we agreed upon
| $50 l informed all the owners of the
| peariing ground. and they said, IF he is
| really in earnest to give toll to US owners
of the ground according to what we agreed
| upon; If he don't agree We will not allow
| him to fish, Thereupon Captain Tiana
| and l went to the Spanish governor to bear
| witness. Inc governor SdlQ. All right.
| anything you agree upon. / cannot change
| the law of the Moro people and will not
| interfere
THAT is how I allowed Captain Tiana to
| fish, and I gave him letter of the truth
| according to the agreement. Therefore II
any other person of other nations wants to
fish for mother of pearl shell he will have
to do as Captain Tiana did, and ask me for
| letter of truth, and IL he has no letter
and does not pay tolls to the owners of the
grounds. and especially me, he cannot
dive and IL he violates this and If anything
| befalls him / am not responsible, and do
not want to be held responsible, because
the mother of-pearl shells are like the
property in our boxes given to us by God