Introduction

The Mapun language of the Philippines is spoken by 43,000 people in Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao: Tawi-Tawi province, Cagayan de Sulu (Mapun) island. There are 58,000 speakers total.

The language is classified as Austronesian, Malayo-Polynesian, Greater Barito, Sama-Bajaw, Sulu-Borneo, Borneo Coast Bajaw. The ISO code sjm. Alternate names to refer to the language are: Bajau Kagayan, Cagayan, Cagayan de Sulu, Cagayanen, Cagayano, Cagayanon, Kagayan, Orang, and Sama Mapun. The speakers call themselves Jama Mapun.

The people highly value their language and use it in a variety of settings including the home, work, and primary education. There are videos and texts in Mapun.

The center of the ethnic group is on Mapun island (pop. 20,000), which is also known as Cagayan de Sulu, Cagayan Sulu, and Cagayan de Tawi-Tawi by other people groups.

Many people from the island go to Sabah, Malaysia to find work, where many have settled over the past century. There are approximately 15,000 Mapun people in Malaysia. There are also approximately 5,000 to 10,000 Mapun people on the island of Palawan in the Philippines.