Editing Isabela, Basilan (section)

===Pre-Hispanic History===
[[Basilan]]'s earliest settlers was traditionally believed to be the Orang Dampuans originating from the islands of Eastern [[Indonesia]], who were the ancestors of the native [[Yakan people|Yakan]]s. They are variously called the Orang Dyaks or the Tagihamas.

The [[Yakan people|Yakan]]s, an inland brave tribe, inhabited the [[Sulu Archipelago]] together with the indigenous Sama and Bajau before the Malayan Tausug from [[Sumatra]] and [[Borneo]] gained control of the area starting 300BCE-200BCE.<ref>[http://www.nscb.gov.ph/ru9/R9tourism/bas_facts.htm Philippine National Statistical Coordination Board] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080720091404/http://www.nscb.gov.ph/ru9/R9tourism/bas_facts.htm |date=July 20, 2008 }}</ref>

Historians have scant knowledge of the pre-Spanish history of the indigenous Yakans, simply because they have had little contact with other ethnic groups.  Basilan's nearness to Borneo led to the theory that the Yakan originated from the Dyak. Although it is fairly safe to say that Basilan's history is related to that of the Sulu archipelago, it is by no means right to suppose that Basilan's first inhabitants came from Indonesia.

====Yakan Karajaan of Kumalarang====
Records of pre-Hispanic Philippines gleaned from the extensive archives of China's Imperial courts mentions a [[Kingdom of Kumalarang]] located in one of the southern islands of ''Mayi'' (the Chinese name for the Philippine archipelago), whose King sent regular tribute to the Chinese [[Yongle Emperor]] through Chinese traders who frequented the place in the 13th and 14th centuries. Local historians attribute this long lost kingdom to modern-day Kumalarang (now reduced to a Barangay) located along the northwestern coast of Basilan island.

Specifically, according to the ''[[Collected Statutes of the Ming Dynasty]]'', a report gleaned from the records of [[Dezhou]], [[Shandong]], [[China]] (archived and researched in the years 1673, 1788 and 1935): 3 months after the death of Paduka Batara (the Tausug potentate who visited the Chinese Emperor [[Yongle]] and died on October 23, 1417), a High Court [[Mandarin (bureaucrat)|Mandarin]], Zhan Jian, was ordered to sail to Kumalarang (Chinese texts refer to "Kumalalang"), a vassal state of the Sulu Sultanate located on the northwestern coast of Taguima (Basilan Is.).

Zhan Jian was received by Lakan Ipentun (Ch. ref. "Kanlai Ipentun"), presumably a Yakan Prince, who ruled the Kingdom as a vassal to the Sultan of Sulu. The Mandarin official stayed in Kumalarang for two years before returning to China.

[[File:Basilan from 1578.jpg|thumb|250px|Basilan island circa 1578]]
He was accompanied by Lakan Ipentun and an entourage of several hundred, composed of his immediate family, minor chieftains (datus), and servants. They were finally given an audience with the Chinese Emperor on November 16, 1420, where he formally asked the latter to proclaim him as a recognized sovereign and vassal to the [[Dragon Throne]].

Lakan Ipentun wrote a missive to the Chinese Emperor on December 28, 1420, complaining about the time it took for the Chinese Emperor to act on his request. The Chinese Emperor received the petition and finally granted Lakan Ipentun with the title of ''wang'' ("king"). After his request was granted, a satisfied Lakan Ipentun, along with his entire retinue, started for home.

On May 27, 1421, however, unaccustomed to the cold climate of the preceding winter and due to his advancing age, Lakan Ipentun died in [[Fujian]], China, just as they were about to embark on Chinese junks that would have brought them home. His funeral was supervised by Yang Shan, administrator of the temples, and was likewise honored by a eulogy sent by the Chinese Emperor which extolled his virtues of "determination and serenity". His son, Lapi, was then proclaimed as rightful successor to the just bestowed title of ''wang''. Lapi sent one of his father's most trusted officials, Batikisan, to petition for an audience with the Chinese Emperor where he presented a "memorial" in gold plaque on November 3, 1424.

The party, with its newly proclaimed King, eventually returned to Kumalarang, and almost just as promptly faded from the historical records of the period. (Note: Kumalarang was revived as a Barangay located on the northwestern shores of Isabela City in 1973).