Subanen Tribe

history

• Subanon (also
spelled Subanen or Subanun) is a
tribe indigenous to the Zamboanga
peninsula area, particularly living in
the mountainous areas
of Zamboanga del Sur and Misamis
Occidental, Mindanao Island,
Philippines.

• The name means "river people",

which is derived from the word
"suba" or river, and the suffix “-
nun” or -non” which indicates a
locality or place of origin
People

• The Subanen people are farmers. They cultivate

crops, with rice as the most important crop

• Subanen houses are built along hillsides and ridges

overlooking family fields.

• A neighborhood of 5 to 12 households becomes a

unit of social organization.

• A bigger group of interacting communities may

contain as many as 50 households.
People

• Subanons have little social stratification.

Everyone is equal in the Subanon community.

• The Subanen do not practice division of labor

based on sex. Men and women work in the fields
together, and men can cook and care for the
children when necessary.
clothing

• The Subanens who communicate

through their Subano language
prefer to wear colorful clothes
and accessories.

• They used abaca fiber for their

clothing and blankets.

• Black, red, and white are their

favorite colors.

• The women often wear red

earrings that match with beaded
necklaces.
clothing
Languange

• The language of this group is generally referred to

as Subanon.

• Subanon language has some Visayan and Moro

words mixed in, as a result of centuries of trading
activities between Cebu and the northern coast of
Mindanao

• The Kalibugan or the Subanon who were

converted to Islam speak a language which is a
mixture of Kalibugan and Moro.
Literary Arts

• Subanen oral literature include the folktales,

short, often humorous, stories recounted for their
sheer entertainment value; and the epics, long
tales which are of a serious character.

• The epics feature the diwata, as well as mythical

and legendary heroes and chieftains who are
partly divine.

• A stock character in the tales of the Subanen is

the widow’s son, who possess great strength and
courage.
Literary Arts

• To date, three Subanen epics have been recorded

and published:
– The Guman of Dumalinao
– The Ag Tobig nog Keboklagan (The Kingdom of
Keboklagan)
– Keg Sumba neg Sandayo (The Tale of
Sandayo).

• All of the three Subanen epics are performed in

the week-long buklog.
Performing Arts

• Subanen musical instruments include the gagong, a

single brass gong; the kolintang, a set of eight small
brass gongs of graduated sizes; and the durugan, a
hollowed log which is beaten like a drum; and the
drums.

• Vocal music includes the chants for the epic, and

several types of songs, which include the dionli (a love
song), buwa (lullaby), and giloy (a funeral song for a
dead chieftain).
Salabok salabok One by one
“Mag Lumat Ita” (Let Us Play):
dini balay ta hin here in my house
glen da magtangao some of us will seek
mag lumpot ita glem we will play together.
Performing Arts

• To be at peace with the diwata of the tribe, the

Subanen perform ritual dances, sing songs, chant
prayers, and play their drums and gongs.

• A Balian is the lead performer in almost all

Subanen dance rituals.

• Most important of the ritual dances is the buklog,

it is held to commemorate a dead person, so that
his acceptance into the spirit world may be
facilitated, or to give thanks for a bountiful
harvest, or to ask for such a harvest as well as
other favors from the diwata.
Religious Beliefs and Practices

• The tribe believes in a supreme being

they call "Diwata Migbebaya".

• The tribe has no religion although it is

believed that they had a holy book at one
time.

• Today the Subanen people have adopted

either Catholicism (a Bible exists in this
language ) or Islam.

• Those Subanen who adopted Islam are

known as the Kolibugan or Kalibugan
and some Subanen who were traditionally
animist have since adopted Catholicism.
Marriage

• Marriage in Subanen society is through parental

arrangement, which can take place even before
the parties reach the age of puberty.

• The parents of the man look for a woman he will

marry and both sets of parents set the wedding
date.

• The contracting families go through preliminaries

for the purpose of determining the bride-price.
Marriage

• Negotiations are undertaken between the two sets

of parents through the mediation of a go-between
who is not related to either family.

• Once the bride-price is determined, a partial

delivery of the articles included in the agreement
may be made, to be completed when the actual
marriage takes place.

• After the marriage ceremonies have been held, and

the wedding feast celebrated, the newlyweds stay
with the girl’s household.
Marriage

• The man is required to

render service to his
wife’s parents, mainly
in the production of
food.

• After a certain period

of matrilocal
residence, the couple
can select their own
place of residence.
Burial

• A person is sent off to the spirit world with

appropriate rituals.

• First the corpse is cleaned and wrapped in white

cloth. Then it is laid inside a hollowed-out log, and
given provisions, such as food, for its journey.

• A rooster is killed, its blood smeared on every

mourner’s feet to drive away malevolent spirits
who may be in attendance.
Burial

• The log-coffin is now covered, and the surviving

spouse goes around it seven times, and then
goes under it another seven times while it is held
aloft.

• Those who accompanied the deceased to its

grave, upon their return, get hold of a banana
petiole which they dip in ash and throw away
before they go up their respective houses.

• Those who carried the coffin take a bath in the

river before going up their houses, to wash away
any bad luck they may have brought back with
Burial

• Each time the widower eats; he always

leaves a space on the floor or at the table
for his dead wife, and invites her to eat
with him for three consecutive evenings.

• He mourns for her until he can hold a

kano feast. Before this, he cannot comb
his hair, wear colorful clothing, or
remarry.
Education

• The education among Subanen people was limited to

instruction by the Timuay head to a future husband and
wife regarding love, respect and treatment of each
other, parents, and in-laws.

• As the modernization already invaded the heart of the

tribe's territories, many of them were already highly
educated.

• Some of them got their bachelors, masters and doctoral

in the high standard universities both local and abroad
and some of them are already working in the
government.