 Based primarily in the island of Jolo, the Tausug built a powerful maritime confederation of Datus and Rajas extending from the Sulu Archipelago to Palawan and North Borneo.They inhabit Basilan's coastal areas, specifically around the island's southwest and northwestern communities.Known to be fierce warriors and sailors throughout the 16th to the 19th centuries, they withstood Spanish incursions for over 350 years, succumbing only in 1876, and then to the Americans in 1915.