Samal are an indigenous ethnic group in the Philippines

Philippines

The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...

. They are a subgroup of the Bajau peoples. They mostly live in Sulu Archipelago, Zamboanga Peninsula, and Davao del Sur, especially Island Garden City of Samal

Island Garden City of Samal

Island Garden City of Samal is a 2nd class city in the province of Davao del Norte, Philippines. The name is often abbreviated into IGaCoS...

 which was named after them, in Mindanao

Mindanao

Mindanao is the second largest and easternmost island in the Philippines. It is also the name of one of the three island groups in the country, which consists of the island of Mindanao and smaller surrounding islands. The other two are Luzon and the Visayas. The island of Mindanao is called The...

 island.

History

Samal are Austronesian

Austronesian people

The Austronesian-speaking peoples are various populations in Oceania and Southeast Asia that speak languages of the Austronesian family. They include Taiwanese aborigines; the majority ethnic groups of East Timor, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Brunei, Madagascar, Micronesia, and Polynesia,...

s who came from southern China

China

Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...

 and Taiwan

Taiwan

Taiwan , also known, especially in the past, as Formosa , is the largest island of the same-named island group of East Asia in the western Pacific Ocean and located off the southeastern coast of mainland China. The island forms over 99% of the current territory of the Republic of China following...

 and settled Mindanao during the Iron Age

Iron Age

The Iron Age is the archaeological period generally occurring after the Bronze Age, marked by the prevalent use of iron. The early period of the age is characterized by the widespread use of iron or steel. The adoption of such material coincided with other changes in society, including differing...

 along with other Austronesian tribes which are native to Mindanao. But most of the Samal people escaped to the rural interior when the Cebuano population

Cebuano people

The Cebuano people , are a Visayan ethnic group in Cebu and form the second largest cultural-linguistic group in the Philippines.-History:...

increased in Mindanao, while the rest of the other Samals remained in Sulu, Tawi-Tawi and the Island Garden City of Samal. The Samals both belong to either the Moro or Lumad groups depending on their religion and regional areas. Samals living in the Sulu Archipelago are Muslims that belong to the general category of Philippine "Moros". Those in Davao del Sur are either Christians or animists that belong to the Lumad.