THE SUBANEN TRIBE

LANGUAGE
Considering the historical origin of the Subanen people otherwise known as Subanon or
even as Suba’anon, which are mostly of Indonesian heritage there spoken language is known as
an Austronesian language one of the Mindanao languages, they called Sinubanon.
The Austronesian languages are a language family widely dispersed throughout the islands
of Southeast Asia and the Pacific, with a few members spoken on continental Asia. It is on par
with Indo-European, Afro-Asiatic and Uralic as one of the best-established ancient language
families. The Subanon language and other ethnic languages found in the Philippines is
considered as Malayo-Polynesian on the branches of Austronesian languages.
Approximately 300, 000 people speak the language in several villages and even of
Zamboanga Peninsula namely the provinces of Zamboanga Sibugay, Zamboanga del
Norte and Zamboanga del Sur, and in Misamis Occidental of Northern Mindanao. Although the
name Subanon may have been derived from words as ‘suba’ which is a word from Visayan
people for ‘river’ or suba’anon, this may be due to the fact that early Subanon people lived up the
river systems, but later moved and settled inland. They have also varied from Chavacano
speakers, a Spanish-based creole language which can also be found and known to be spoken in
Zamboanga. The name ‘Subanon’ does not have any meaning in their language.

The Subanon language has been classified into 3 main dialects; Western, Nuclear and East
Nuclear. From the 3 are 8 groups Western Kolibugan, Tawlet-Kolibugan, Salug-Godod,
Southern Subanen, Central Subanen, Northern Subanen and Eastern Subanen and Western
Subanon. Linguistic variations may have been made because of varying settlement areas. They
are also referred to by the Spanish influenced term Subano, which can be considered as
pejorative.
Some common greetings may include, ’Ain ka posungu‘? meaning, ‘Where are you going?’
and, Kinuman ka nota’? meaning, ‘Have you eaten yet?’

Considering their writing. The pre-

Spanish writing system of the Subanon has
been kept by ‘Supreme Guardians’ as they
would call them. At the advent of Japanese
Empire, some Subanen families who were
called the keepers of every Subanen clan were
brought to Mt. Malindang, their sacred
mountain to keep scripts and writings of the
Subanen. Some were lost yet most remained
and are still preserved.
Although the Subanen script was almost
forgotten when formal western education was Sample of Shurat Subanen
introduced, The new generation of Subane
managed to still preserve what they had
considered the oldest invention and essence of their tribe which they called the Shurat Subanen,
the ancient Subanen system of writing.