Mohammad N Haji Zaman works in Tugaya, a traditional carving village in the BARMM (Bangsamoro Autonomous Region). The region was first established in 2019 after decades-long peace negotiations between the Philippine government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front. Of Islamic faith, Meranaw communities are customarily clustered around a mosque and a torogan or royal house, which belongs to the preeminent economic household in the area and is decorated with the same style of ornate carving seen in Zaman’s works.

The sarimanok — a mythological bird often represented by Meranaw carvers — has elements of a peacock, birds of prey and a rooster, and is always shown with a fish dangling from its beak or talons. Zaman’s carved birds are painted in commercial colours, with their plumes made of the arabesque shapes that are referred to as ‘okir’ by the Meranaw people (and ‘ukkil’ by the Tausug people) and are characteristic of Muslim Mindanao.

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