Bud Dajo
A Volcanic Crater On Jolo Where American Troops Killed Hundreds Of Tausug In 1906, Including Women And Children And Almost Nothing Marks It · Jolo, Sulu
IN MARCH 1906 AMERICAN TROOPS SURROUNDED THE CRATER OF BUD DAJO ON JOLO, WHERE SEVERAL HUNDRED TAUSUG HAD TAKEN REFUGE, AND KILLED ALMOST ALL OF THEM. Estimates of the dead run from several hundred to around a thousand; THEY INCLUDED WOMEN AND CHILDREN, and American casualties numbered around fifteen. MARK TWAIN WROTE ABOUT IT WITH FURY AND IT WAS REPORTED AS A BATTLE. It is remembered in Sulu and almost nowhere else, and ALMOST NOTHING MARKS THE SITE. THIS ROW EXISTS BECAUSE THE PLACE DOES, NOT BECAUSE YOU SHOULD GO: SEVERAL GOVERNMENTS ADVISE AGAINST ALL TRAVEL TO SULU and have done for many years. JOLO IS THE SEAT OF THE SULTANATE OF SULU, which was a maritime power for centuries and which the Spanish never conquered, and the Tausug are the people whose name means people of the current. This entry records a place rather than recommending a trip, and for almost every reader the honest response is to read about March 1906 instead of planning to stand there.
Bud Dajo, Jolo Island, Sulu, Jolo, Sulu, Philippines
CHECK YOUR GOVERNMENT'S CURRENT TRAVEL ADVICE - SEVERAL STATES ADVISE AGAINST ALL TRAVEL TO SULU and that position has been stable for many years. THIS ROW IS WRITTEN SO THAT THE PLACE IS RECORDED, NOT AS AN ITINERARY. JOLO IS REACHED BY AIR OR FERRY FROM ZAMBOANGA CITY. BUD DAJO IS A VOLCANIC CRATER INLAND FROM JOLO TOWN, climbed on foot in a few hours; THERE IS NO VISITOR CENTRE, NO MARKER OF ANY SIGNIFICANCE AND NO MANAGED ACCESS. ANY VISIT WOULD DEPEND ENTIRELY ON LOCAL PERMISSION AND LOCAL COMPANY. SULU IS A MUSLIM PROVINCE: modest dress, and observe Ramadan. IF YOU CANNOT GO - WHICH IS THE CASE FOR ALMOST EVERYONE - READ ABOUT 1906. The record of it is the point of this entry.