SUBANEN

The Life, Culture, and Dilemmas of The

TRIBE an in-depth presentation

POWERPOINT
CONTENTS
1. Origin/Etymology of the Name
2. Recent Population Census
3. Language/Dialect of the Subanen Tribe
4. Subgroups of the Subanen Tribe
5. Locality/Place of Origin (to be discussed in #1)
6. Five (5) Current Problems of the Subanen Tribe
7. Status, Contribution, and Roles of Women in Promoting Peace
ORIGIN / ETYMOLOGY
OF THE NAME
The Subanen Tribe:
Indigenous Communities in Zamboanga Peninsula, West Mindanao.

SUBA + NEN
"River" "Locality"
nun/non/nen

Meaning:
People who reside along riverbanks and coastal areas.
ORIGIN / ETYMOLOGY
OF THE NAME
NAME VARIATIONS:
Outsider's Pronunciations Linguistic Variations Preferred Spelling
Subano Subanon "Subanen" – phonetically aligned
Subanu Subanun with native pronunciation.
Suban-on Subanen
Suban-un
ORIGIN / ETYMOLOGY
OF THE NAME
HISTORICAL ACCOUNTS:

"Aborig
ines of Wes
tern Mindanao"
- Father Fr

alay origin" ancisco Co

mbes
"Heathen people of M
- Blumentritt
RECENT POPULATION
CENSUS
1912:
Official Estimate:
47,164 Subanen Population
1988:
Significant Growth:
~300,000 Subanen Population
2010:
Zamboanga Peninsula Count:
867,012 Subanen Population
According to the 2010 Census:
Zamboanga del Norte:
220,165 Subanen Population
Zamboanga del Sur:
148,402 Subanen Population
Zamboanga Sibugay:
58,069 Subanen Population
Misamis Occidental:
49,897 Subanen Population
Zamboanga City:
657 Subanen Population
Misamis Oriental:
342 Subanen Population
LANGUAGE / DIALECT
OF THE TRIBE
DIALECT IDENTITY: DIALECT DIVERSITY:
Generally referred to as the Subanen Language Group of closely related Austronesian languages.
Dialects differ depending on the locality Belong to Greater Central Philippine subgroup.
Described as a dialect cluster, not a single
Localities: monolithic language.
1. Mount Malindang
2. Sindangan
3. Sibuguey
4. Siocon
LANGUAGE / DIALECT
OF THE TRIBE
DIALECT PROVINCIAL DISTRIBUTION: DIALECT IDENTITY VARIATION:
Spoken in Zamboanga Peninsula provinces: Speakers referred to as:
Zamboanga Sibugay Subanen
Zamboanga del Norte Subanon
Zamboanga del Sur Subanun

Spoken in Northern Mindanao provinces: Muslim adherents identify as Kalibugan

Misamis Occidental
Misamis Oriental
The majority of the Subanen Community can be found here.
SUBGROUPS OF THE
SUBANEN TRIBE
THE SIX (6) SUBGROUPS OF THE SUBANEN TRIBE:
Sindangan Subanon (Central)
Guinselugnen (Eastern)
Tuboy Subanon (Northern)
Lapuyan or Margosatubig (Southern)
Kolibugan Subanon (Southern)
Siocon (Western)
FIVE (5) CURRENT PROBLEMS
OF THE SUBANEN TRIBE:

1 SUBANEN ANCESTRAL DOMAIN THREATENED

BY LOGGER AND MINING ENCROACHMENTS

2 SUBANEN TRIBE APPEALS TO

UN AGAINST NPA INTRUSION

3 LACK OF ACCESS TO BASIC

SERVICES
FIVE (5) CURRENT PROBLEMS
OF THE SUBANEN TRIBE:

4 CULTURAL EROSION AND IDENTITY LOSS

5 LIMITED ECONOMIC OPPORTUNITIES

STATUS, CONTRIBUTION, AND ROLES
OF WOMEN IN PROMOTING PEACE
Cultural Preservation

Economic Activities

Family Management

Cultural Performances

Women's Rights Advocates

THANK REFERENCES:

YOU!
Daligang, H. (1981). The Subanen of Zamboanga del Sur. Said to be the first tribe to
practise birth control. Popul Forum, 7(4), pp 9-12. Retrieved from
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/12338244/

DBpedia. (n.d.). About: Subanen languages. Retrieved from

https://dbpedia.org/page/Subanen_languages

Joshua Project. (n.d.). Subanen in Philippines. Retrieved from

https://joshuaproject.net/people_groups/15612/RP

Rucat, J. M. (2022). Ginsalugen Subanen women not just housewives but multi-
taskers. Philippine Information Agency. Retrieved from
https://pia.gov.ph/news/2022/10/21/ginsalugen-subanen-women-not-just-
housewives-but-multi-taskers

Yodisphere (2022). Subanon (Subanen) Tribe of Zamboanga Peninsula: History,

Culture and Arts, Customs and Traditions [Mindanao Indigenous People |
Philippines Ethnic Group]. Retrieved from
https://www.yodisphere.com/2022/09/Subanon-Subanen-Tribe-Culture-
Traditions.html?m=1