The name Subanon means "river people", which is derived from the word "suba" or river. The Subanon, also known in the Anglicized form as "Subanen," is a tribe indigenous to the Zamboanga Peninsula area, particularly living in the mountainous areas of Zamboanga del Sur and Misamis Occidental.
As the name implies, these people originally lived along riverbanks in the lowlands, however due to disturbances and competitions from other settlers like the Moslems, these peace-loving tribe are now found to be residing in the mountains.
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.
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Culture
Subanons 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. Subanons have little social stratification. Everyone is equal in the Subanon commnunity because everyone has the same occupation with the same economic level and lifestyle.
Although Subanons allow the practice of polygamy, nearly all marriages involve only a man and a woman. Subanon families usually arrange inter-marriages, and the family of the groom is expected to pay a bride price called the dowry. Sometimes, the groom will work for the bride's family for several years if he cannot afford to pay the dowry. It is considered a blessing to have more daughters than sons because the father will be able to recover the dowry he paid for his wife. There is a general belief that all human beings should marry.[1]
Faith
The tribe believes in a supreme being they call "Apu Mikpongon". Education among these people was limited to instruction by the Timuay or the tribal head. The tribe has no religion although it is believed that they had a holy book at one time.[2]
Notes
- ^ National Center for Biotechnology Information - Subanen Tribe (retrieved: 4 April 2009)
- ^ Ibid (retrieved: 4 April 2009)
References
- Subanen Tribe Website (retrieved: 4 April 2009)
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