Arakan

Arakan, Burma

In Burma (presently known as Myanmar), there is a place called Arakan. Among its inhabitants were an indigenous tribe known as "Mon." The other name for these people are "Talaing."

In Marilog, Davao City, a vantage roadside overlooks a scenic, panoramic landscape known, "coincidentaly," as the Arakan Valley. It is a municipality of North Cotabato that borders the city. Many indigenous and migrant inhabitants settle in the area. Among them were the tribes known, also "coincidentaly," as "Talaingod," which means "mountain people" and a sub-group of the Ata-Manobo tribe that inhabit the Arakan Valley. A certain municipality in nearby Davao del Norte was also known as Talaingod.


Arakan Valley, North Cotabato as seen from Davao City boundary

There are discussions as to the origin of the word Arakan. in Burma, it was locally known as Rakhine, and among its versions the possibility that it originated from Rakkhapura meaning the people of Rakhasa in honor of preservation of national heritage or ethics. The Arakan Valley in North Cotabato, Mindanao was supposedly derived from the Manobo words "Ara," which means abundance of resources, and "Kan" that means bravery, valor, and also referring to one of the rivers of the valley.