Subanon people

Subanon People
Subanen People
Subanon near Mount Malindang
Total population
758,499[1] (2020 census)
Regions with significant populations
 Philippines
Zamboanga del Norte220,165[2]
Zamboanga del Sur148,402[3]
Zamboanga Sibugay58,069[4]
Misamis Occidental49,897[5]
Zamboanga City657[6]
Misamis Oriental342[7]
Basilan97[8]
Languages
Subanon, Zamboangueño, Cebuano
Religion
Christianity, indigenous folk religion, Islam, Animism
Related ethnic groups
Zamboangueño, Kalibugan, Lumad

The Subanon (also spelled Subanen or Subanun) are an indigenous peoples of the Zamboanga peninsula area, particularly living in the mountainous areas of Zamboanga del Sur and Misamis Occidental, Mindanao Island, Philippines. The Subanon people speak Subanon languages. The name is derived from the word soba or suba, a word common in Sulu, Visayas, and Mindanao, which means "river", and the suffix -nun or -non, which indicates a locality or place of origin. Accordingly, the name Subanon means "a person or people of the river".[9] These people originally lived in the low-lying areas. However, due to disturbances and competitions from other settlers like the Moros, and migrations of Cebuano speakers and individuals from Luzon and other parts of Visayas to the coastal areas attracted by the inviting land tenure laws, further pushed the Subanon into the interior.[10][11]

The Subanon are traditionally farmers and 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.

  1. ^ "Ethnicity in the Philippines (2020 Census of Population and Housing)". Philippine Statistics Authority. Retrieved July 4, 2023.
  2. ^ National Statistics Office (2013). 2010 Census of Population and Housing, Report No. 2A: Demographic and Housing Characteristics (Non-Sample Variables), Zamboanga del Norte (PDF) (Report).
  3. ^ National Statistics Office (2013). 2010 Census of Population and Housing, Report No. 2A: Demographic and Housing Characteristics (Non-Sample Variables), Zamboanga del Sur (PDF) (Report).
  4. ^ National Statistics Office (2013). 2010 Census of Population and Housing, Report No. 2A: Demographic and Housing Characteristics (Non-Sample Variables), Zamboanga Sibugay (PDF) (Report).
  5. ^ National Statistics Office (2013). 2010 Census of Population and Housing, Report No. 2A: Demographic and Housing Characteristics (Non-Sample Variables), Misamis Occidental (PDF) (Report).
  6. ^ National Statistics Office (2014). 2010 Census of Population and Housing, Report No. 2B Population and Household Characteristics (Sample Variables), Zamboanga City (PDF) (Report).
  7. ^ National Statistics Office (2013). 2010 Census of Population and Housing, Report No. 2A: Demographic and Housing Characteristics (Non-Sample Variables), Misamis Oriental (PDF) (Report).
  8. ^ "Women and Men in the Province of Basilan (Based on the Results of 2015 Census of Population)". Philippine Statistics Authority. June 13, 2018.
  9. ^ "[no title]" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2013-09-27. Retrieved 2013-09-09 – via subanen.org. {{cite web}}: Cite uses generic title (help)
  10. ^ Gedicks, Al (2001). Resource Rebels: Native Challenges to Mining and Oil Corporations. Cambridge, MA: South End Press. pp. 24. ISBN 0-89608-640-2.
  11. ^ Local Governance Support Program in ARMM (2009). Land Tenure Stories in Central Mindanao. Davao City. ISBN 978-971-94065-8-7 – via Issuu.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)