The Agamaniyog Folktales is a collection of popular stories in the oral tradition around the Lanao region.
Agamaniyog is the most frequent imaginary setting of the popular Maranao folktales and fables.
Loaned to both Malay and Maranao languages, agama is originally a Sanskrit word for “religion.” The Maranao extended the meaning of the word to include a town or village which had land, people, a mosque, wealth, and power distinct from those of its neighbors.
Niyog is the Philippine word for “coconut,” and so agamaniyog means “land of coconuts.”
In many folktales, agamaniyog is a land of splendor and glory, and a variety of plots and characters are woven into its fabric in stories that either merely entertain or teach lessons about good and evil.
Many of the Agamaniyog tales and fables combine pathos, humor, and moral lessons.
Source: The Agamaniyog Folktales. Mindanao Art and Culture, Number One, 1979. Marawi City: University Research Center, Mindanao State University
