Comparative Insights: Sub-Saharan and Mindanao Architecture in Cultural Context
Architecture is more than shelterâit is a physical expression of a peopleâs identity, values, and ways of life. Across the world, traditional architecture reflects environmental adaptation, social organization, spiritual belief systems, and cultural aesthetics. In this context, a comparative examination of Sub-Saharan African architecture and Mindanao architecture in the southern Philippines provides rich insights into how built environments serve as living archives of cultural heritage.
Drawing from the Sub-Saharan architecture as described in the Boundless Art History text and Mindanao architecture as explored by Gloryrose Dy Metilla in her work on âMindanao Cultural Design Preservation for Social Cohesion,â this article highlights key similarities and contrasts in materials, design philosophy, symbolism, spatial organization, and the socio-political functions embedded in architectural forms.
1. Environmental and Material Foundations
Both Sub-Saharan and Mindanao architecture are deeply rooted in environmental responsiveness. Their building materials and structural techniques reflect adaptations to tropical climates, resource availability, and indigenous ecological knowledge.
In Sub-Saharan Africa, architecture historically utilized locally available materials such as mud, clay, wood, and thatch. The Boundless Art History text points to iconic structures such as the Great Mosque of Djenné in Mali, made entirely of sun-baked mud bricks and wooden scaffolding (toron) that also serves aesthetic and structural functions. These materials provide insulation against extreme heat while being easily renewable and community-manageable.
Similarly, Mindanao architecture employs indigenous materials like bamboo, nipa palm, cogon grass, and hardwoods. Traditional structures such as the toroganâthe royal house of the Maranao peopleâexemplify masterful wood craftsmanship, where the entire structure is elevated on posts (to prevent flooding and allow ventilation) and topped with steep roofs to shed rainwater. The torogan is not just a house but an embodiment of ecological harmony, built without nails, using joinery techniques refined over generations.
What is notable in both traditions is that material selection is not merely functional but symbolic. In Mindanao, wood carving and woven textures embedded in the architecture communicate identity and status, while in Sub-Saharan structures, even the texture of mud plaster can denote cultural meanings and cosmological beliefs.
2. Symbolism and Spiritual Dimensions
Architecture in both regions is infused with spiritual and symbolic meaning.
In Sub-Saharan Africa, buildings often function as spiritual and communal centers. The Great Zimbabwe ruins, for example, not only reflect political power but are also believed to have held ritual significance. Many structures are oriented according to cosmological principles, representing the universe, ancestors, and natural cycles.
Similarly, Mindanao architecture deeply integrates cosmology and ancestral reverence. The okir motifâa distinct form of plant-based curvilinear designâis not merely decorative but symbolic of social order, genealogy, and spiritual life. The torogan’s panolong (wing-like projections) are often adorned with okir patterns that represent the naga (mythical serpent), a guardian spirit in Maranao belief systems.
Moreover, sacred spaces such as langgal (small prayer houses used by Muslims in Mindanao) illustrate how religious function shapes spatial design. These spaces are minimalist yet sacred, built with sensitivity to orientation (facing Mecca) and modesty, echoing Islamic principles integrated into indigenous design.
3. Social Hierarchy and Architectural Expression
Both architectural traditions serve as markers of social hierarchy and collective identity.
In Sub-Saharan societies, architectural grandeur often correlates with political and religious authority. The palaces and compounds of Ashanti chiefs in Ghana or the granary clusters of the Dogon people in Mali demonstrate how space and structure reflect community organization and governance. Decorative elements, layout, and access pathways were carefully designed to reflect social status and cultural protocols.
In Mindanao, the torogan similarly reflects social stratification. Reserved for the ruling datu class, the torogan is not just larger but elaborately adorned compared to the common peopleâs houses. Its size and ornamentation signal wealth, influence, and royal lineage. The spatial configuration inside the torogan also follows customary hierarchiesâguests, elders, and family members have designated areas that reflect respect and social roles.
Interestingly, both Sub-Saharan and Mindanao architectures integrate communal labor in construction, reinforcing social bonds and collective identity through cooperative building practicesâa tradition that modern architectural approaches could learn from.
4. Spatial Organization and Community Design
Sub-Saharan architecture often emphasizes compound living, where multiple buildings are arranged in circular or clustered formations around courtyards. This arrangement promotes community cohesion, shared domestic activities, and ritual performance spaces. In Dogon villages, for instance, spatial organization adheres to both functional needs and mythological models, with structures reflecting gender roles, ancestral stories, and agricultural rhythms.
In contrast, Mindanaoâs spatial organization reflects a blend of Austronesian communal living and Islamic influences. Traditional villages are typically organized around communal spaces such as the tulou-an (meeting areas), langgal, or river pathways. Residential architecture is modular, elevated, and flexible, allowing adaptation to environmental and social changes. Communal rice granaries, weaving houses, and bathing areas are integral components of traditional settlement planning.
One clear similarity is that both traditions prioritize collectivity over individualismâarchitecture is an extension of the community, not just personal ownership. This shared value contrasts sharply with Western models of private, compartmentalized spaces.
5. Ornamentation and Aesthetic Philosophy
While both architectural styles include ornamentation, their aesthetic philosophies differ in tone and expression.
Sub-Saharan architecture employs earth tones, rhythmic surface textures, and structural sculptures. In the Great Mosque of Djenné, the repetition of vertical elements, the toron, and symmetrical façades create a sense of monumental unity. Many Sub-Saharan homes are painted or inscribed with motifs that express tribal identity, harvest blessings, or spiritual protection.
Mindanao architecture, particularly among the Maranao and Tausug, is more exuberant in visual language. Bold colors like gold, red, and green dominate the okir patterns, reflecting status and aesthetic exuberance. The panolong is a distinct sculptural feature unmatched in other Filipino architectural traditions, and its curves and tapering tips create dynamic visual movement.
This contrast between the earthy elegance of Sub-Saharan design and the vivid ornamental exuberance of Mindanao architecture showcases differing cultural notions of beauty and power.
6. Resilience, Adaptability, and Contemporary Relevance
One of the most compelling aspects of both architectural traditions is their adaptability. These structures were designed to be repaired, modified, and rebuilt with local labor and knowledge systems.
However, both Sub-Saharan and Mindanao architectures face existential threats due to modernization, globalization, conflict, and environmental degradation. Urbanization has led to the erosion of traditional practices, with concrete and industrial materials replacing indigenous systems.
As Metilla emphasizes in her paper, there is an urgent need for cultural design preservation, not only for heritage but also as a means of social cohesion. Reintegrating traditional architectural motifs and spatial planning into modern development in Mindanao is a pathway toward community healing and identity restoration.
Similarly, initiatives in Sub-Saharan Africa that integrate traditional mud architecture with contemporary techniquesâsuch as the sustainable redesign of mosques and eco-lodgesâdemonstrate the viability of hybrid architectural futures.
7. Architecture as a Cultural Language
Ultimately, both Sub-Saharan and Mindanao architecture function as cultural languagesâthey communicate lineage, faith, nature, and identity through structural form. In both traditions, buildings are storytellers, containing encoded knowledge about cosmology, gender relations, environmental management, and political organization.
The resilience of these architectural languages depends on cultural transmission, education, and policy support. Preservation does not imply museumization; rather, it entails meaningful integration into evolving community life.
By understanding the deeper values embedded in traditional architecture, contemporary designers, policymakers, and educators can draw from a reservoir of indigenous wisdom that offers sustainable, inclusive, and culturally-rooted alternatives to generic globalization models.
The architectural traditions of Sub-Saharan Africa and Mindanao offer strikingly different but equally profound insights into how culture, nature, and identity converge in built form. From the mud mosques of Mali to the carved torogan of Maranao royalty, both traditions exemplify holistic approaches to architecture, where form follows not just functionâbut meaning.
As we face the challenges of climate change, social fragmentation, and cultural erosion, these ancient design systems remind us that architecture is not just about building wallsâitâs about building communities.
References:
Boundless. (n.d.). Architecture of the Sub-Saharan civilizations. Boundless Art History. LibreTexts.
Maison-Monde. (2017, November). Maranao Torogan [Photograph]. https://maison-monde.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/maranao-torogan-2.jpg
Metilla, G. D. (n.d.). Mindanao cultural design preservation for social cohesion. Philippine Institute for Development Studies (PIDS). https://pidswebs.pids.gov.ph/CDN/EVENTS/metilla_mindanao_cultural_design_preservation_for_social_cohesion.pdf