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

Zamboanga Peninsula

Zamboanga Peninsula / Western Mindanao is a peninsula and an administrative region in the Philippines. Designated as Region IX, the region consists of three provinces, namely, Zamboanga del Norte, Zamboanga del Sur, and Zamboanga Sibugay, its component cities of Dipolog, Dapitan, Pagadian, and...

 area, particularly living in the mountainous areas of Zamboanga del Sur

Zamboanga del Sur

Zamboanga del Sur is a province of the Philippines located in the Zamboanga Peninsula region in Mindanao. Pagadian City is the capital...

 and Misamis Occidental

Misamis Occidental

Misamis Occidental is a province of the Philippines located in the Northern Mindanao region. Its capital is Oroquieta City...

. The Subanon people speak the Subanon language.

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.

Culture

Subanens 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 community because everyone has the same family for several years if he cannot afford to pay the shamaya. 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.

Faith

The tribe believes in a supreme being they call "Diwata Migbebaya". 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.Today the Subanon people was transformed into either Christianity or the Muslim faith. Those Subanons who follows Mohamedanism was known as the Kolibugan and the other Subanen follows either Catholicism or Protestantism. The Subanon changed as they were influenced by the migrants to the greater Zamboanga Peninsula(S'hung Sembwangan).