Norma, assumed the role of wet nurse for Princess Tarhata Kiram, highlighting the intimate familial bonds and shared lineage between them.
They hoped these elite children, the next generation of Moro leaders, would be able to "civilize" their Muslim brethren in the Southern islands where the former Spanish colonial masters never succeeded in exerting much control.
[4] Upon graduation from Normal School, through the sponsorship of Governor Frank Carpenter, the United States Bureau of Insular Affairs offered support for further postsecondary study abroad.
[1] Both Kiram's course of study and extracurricular activities were closely monitored by the Bureau of Insular Affairs and the Department of Interior, in Washington D.C., as well as, from the Philippines, Governor Carpenter.
"[2][8] Reporting on her supposed rejection of Muslim culture as "silly," Tarhata's case was seen as evidence of how easily the Moro people might be transformed through education.
[1] At one point, Governor Frank Carpenter worried Kiram's assimilation into American culture had become so complete she might not want to return home to her people.
[5] Several letters from immediately after her return indicate warm feelings toward the United States and resistance to the possibility of marrying a Moro man with multiple wives.
[8][12] Her uncle, Sultan Jamulul Kiram II, objected to the marriage on the grounds that she would be Datu Tahil’s fourth wife and that he had not provided an adequate dowry.
Though similar rebellions had gone on for decades in the burgeoning nation-state's predominantly Muslim southern islands, Kiram's having been educated in the United States led to much media attention.
As Oliver Charbonneau, a historian of American foreign relations, explained: "The colonial fantasy of the Moro's journey from jungle primitive to modern subject reached its apex in the figure of Princess Tarhata Kiram."
[8] In January 1927, hundreds of Datu Tahil's followers joined Tarhata Kiram and her husband in a prolonged standoff with the Philippine Constabulary at a cotta (fort) in Patikul.
[13] The New York Times reported Tahil's followers numbered over 300 and that Philippine authorities had enlisted the support of other Moro leaders and were prepared to use tear gas.
She added, with some passion, that "Since America took away the bolos and the barongs, weapons the Sulu needs to keep his old enemy, the Filipino, from walking all over him, some one must help him retain his standing in the South Sea.
She explained the undemocratic nature of Sulu Governor Carl Moore carrying out the duties of multiple government offices, including school superintendent and justice of the peace.
Kiram explained her adoption of traditional clothing and customs as part of her becoming a powerful leader for her people in the face of impending Filipino dominance.
Meeting notes reveal the decision to abandon the iron fist methods unsuccessfully attempted by the previous American and Spanish colonial powers.
Parties agreed to a soft power approach using the influence of Kiram and the sultans, datus, and imams to promote the peace, including the regulation of unlicensed firearms.
In an October 9, 1960 speech to the University of Chicago Alumni Association, Philippine Secretary of National Defense Alejo S. Santos mentioned Tarhata Kiram in his plea for help with the economic development of Sulu.
Santos said:In passing, it is fitting to mention at this juncture the magnificent efforts of a refined lady in Sulu who is obsessed with an ambition to improve the lot of the Muslim people.
At this very moment I can envision the frail and delicate frame of Princess Tarhata Kiram determinedly fighting with a stout heart her battle against so many odds.
In 1984, the National Historical Institute erected a marker in her hometown, Jolo, to honor Kiram’s lifelong dedication to fighting for the interests of Muslim Filipinos.