The House of Power
A torogan ('resting place' or 'sleeping place') is a traditional ancestral house built by the Maranao people of Lanao, Mindanao, Philippines for the nobility. A torogan is elevated above the ground by columns cut from trees of huge girth. Its walls are covered with plywood sticks and the roof thatched with dried coconut leaves. There is no interior partition, so it appears as a huge hall.
Apart from the basic elements of this structure, it is intricately engraved with the flowing geometries of the Maranaw design system called okir. A torogan is not complete without the legendary bird sarimanok being displayed inside. Furniture is also common among Maranaws.
