Subanun

Subanun map
  • AKA: Subanen, Subanon, Suban-on
  • Location: W Mindanao, Zamboangas
  • Subgroups: (based on dialects) Misamis, Lapuyan, Sindangan, Tuboy and Salug.
  • Subsistence: Upland swidden cultivation of rice, corn, sweet potato, and cassava. Some wet rice.
  • Population: 407,495 (1994)

The Subanun, or "people of the upstream," live in far western Mindanao in the provinces of Zamboanga del Norte (204056 NM 1994) and Zamboanga del Sur (193305 NM 1994); core populations are in the towns of Katipunan and Lapuyan. People live in highly dispersed settlements of houses built atop ridges near water sources (preferably springs rather than streams), which overlook the fields. The Subanun are adept at weaving and metal craft, and trade with coastal peoples. Today the Subanun are non-aggressive, but in the past there was a tradition of providing a “soul companion” for important deceased relatives. The Subanun buklog ritual employs a massive dancing platform from which an attached log is made to hit a hollow sounding board on the ground below.