Module 2:
Lesson 2
THE SUBANUN
TRIBE
Subanon is a tribe indigenous to
the Zamboanga peninsula area,
particularly living in the mountainous
areas of Zamboanga del Sur and
Misamis Occidental.
The Subanon people speak
the Subanon language. The name
means a person or people of the
river. These people originally lived in
the low-lying areas.
They distinguish themselves from
each other by their roots or point of
origin. These are based on names of
rivers, lakes, mountains, or locations.
The Subanons regularly move from
one location to another to clear more
forest for fields.
They cultivate crops, with rice as
the most important crop, but they are
also known to raise livestock
including pigs, chickens, cattle, and
water buffaloes.
Subanon houses are built along
hillsides and ridges overlooking
family fields. The homes are usually
rectangular and raised on stilts with
thatched roofs.
The groups that traditionally
remained animist call themselves
Subanen in the area closer to
Zamboanga City.
Other groups who are linguistically
members of the Subanen language
subgroup but adopted Islam call
themselves Kolibugan in western
areas and Kalibugan in the central
area.
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.
The Subanen cosmogony
exemplifies the basic duality of mortal
life and spiritual realm, with a
complex system of interrelationships
between these two cosmic elements.
The physical world is inhabited by
the kilawan, who become sick and
whose ailments are attributed to
supranatural causes.
In the non-material realm exist the
kanagkilawan, who are not visible to
ordinary mortals, but who can be
perceived and addressed by the
balian.
The supernatural beings are of four
kinds, namely:
Gimuud
Mitibug
Getautelunan
Diwata
In place of a hierarchy or pantheon
of supreme beings, the Subanen
believe in the spirits who are part of
nature.
They believe that spirits and deities
are said to inhabit the most striking
natural features which are considered
the handiwork of the gods.
The active relationship between
ordinary mortals and the supernatural
begins when an individual falls sick.
The Subanen believe that an ailing
person’s soul momentarily departs
from the person body.
It is up to the balian to recall the
straying soul, reintegrate it with the
ailing person so that the illness could
end. Failing this, the patient dies. The
soul then becomes a spirit.
The balian, as in any traditional
shamanistic culture, occupies a very
special place in Subanen religious
and social life.
The balian is believed to be
capable of visiting the sky world to
attend the great gatherings of the
deities, known as bichara.
The matibug are the closest friends
of human beings, but they can be
troublesome if ritual offerings of
propitiation are not made.
These offerings are not expensive.
A little rice, some eggs, a piece of
meat, betel quids, betel leaves, and
areca nuts, given in combinations
according to the shaman’s discretion,
would suffice to placate the spirits.
The getautelunan can be
dangerous; they are demons and
must be avoided. Some diwata can
also inflict sickness or epidemics.
However, deities residing in the sky
world are benevolent. In some
Subanen subgroups, there is a belief
in a Supreme Diwata.
In death, 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.
The log-coffin is covered, and the
surviving spouse goes around it
seven times, and then goes under it
another seven times while it is held
aloft.
In marriage, the parents of the man
look for a woman he will marry, and
both sets of parents will arrange the
wedding date.
Polygamy and polyandry are
practiced but separation is not
allowed nor is marrying nearest
relatives.
Every household has at least one
woman who is knowledgeable in the
art of pottery, and who turns out jars
as required by domestic needs.
The process of making pots starts
with the beating of clay on a wooden
board with a wooden pestle. The clay
is then shaped into a ball, on top of
which a hole is bored.
The potter inserts her hand, which
holds a smooth stone, into this hole,
and proceeds to enlarge the hole by
turning the stone round and round the
inner surface of the clay.
Her other hand holds a small flat
stick, with which she shapes and
smoothens the outer surface. Having
hollowed out the clay piece and
finalized its shape.
The potter then puts incisions or
ornamental marks on the outside,
using her fingers, a pointed stick, or a
wooden stamp engraved with a
simple design.
The pot is made to dry out under
the sun, after which it is fired, usually
over hot coals. The baked pots are
then ready to hold water or boil rice.
Several types of baskets may be
found in a typical Subanen house.
The women shape round baskets
from materials of different colors,
such as the nito vine, split rattan,
bamboo, and sometimes wood or
tree bark.
Cloth weaving is basically similar to
the style of the neighboring Muslim
region. The weaving loom is set up
inside the house.
Cotton thread - spun from cotton by
women using the distaff crafted by
men - and abaca fiber are commonly
used.
The Traditional Jewelry
The Traditional Weaving
The Traditional Accessories
