Subanen Social Organization and Customs
The Subanen people traditionally treated everyone equally and did not practice a division of labor based on gender. Men and women could both work in the fields, do carpentry, and cook and care for children. This is still being practiced in the Subanen remote communities, which are mostly in the hinterlands, the place where Subanen culture is well preserved.
The continued migration of Cebuanos and Muslim groups to the Subanen territory has had a significant impact on the gender roles of the Subanen people. The younger generation of Subanen, especially those who are living in developed places, are now adopting the gender roles of these groups.
Girls now avoid fieldwork and exposure to sunlight, and instead stay at home doing home chores. Boys, on the other hand, are destined to be in the fields to do the harder and heavier jobs. This is a departure from the traditional Subanen view that men and women are equal and can both work in the fields and do household chores.
The migration of Cebuanos and Muslim groups to the Subanen territory has also led to the introduction of new ideas about gender roles. These groups have more traditional views on gender roles, and they are influencing the younger generation of Subanen to adopt these views.
It is important to note that these changes are not happening uniformly across all Subanen communities. In some communities, the traditional views on gender roles are still very much in place. However, in other communities, the younger generation is increasingly adopting the more traditional gender roles of the Cebuanos and Muslim groups.
It is still too early to say what the long-term impact of these changes will be on Subanen culture. However, it is clear that the Subanen people are resilient people who are able to adapt to change while still preserving their core values.
It was once a culture of the Subanen to prefer to have more daughters than sons because the father would be able to recover the dowry he paid for his wife. However, dowry is no longer practiced in recent times, except in Subanen remote communities. For Subanen young generations living in the developed areas, dowry is no longer practiced.
Marriage used to be arranged through parental understanding called "bou'ia" or "Bu'ya," even before the parties reached the age of puberty. The couple would then be introduced to each other only once they were already at their adult or legal age. However, this customary practice is rarely followed by the new generations, especially those who are living in developed areas.
In the old practices, after the marriage ceremonies have been held and the wedding feast celebrated, the newlyweds stay with the girl's household. The man is required to render service to his wife's parents, mainly in doing household chores, cooking, preparing firewood to make fire, and at the production of food or farming. After a certain period of matrilocal residence, the couple can select their own place of residence, which is usually determined by proximity to the swidden fields.
However, the new generation who are already educated would no longer do the same practice. They are free to go wherever they want to go and live close to their respective businesses, workplaces, or offices. Although Subanen who are still living in the intact Subanen community in the hinterlands are still following these practices, the majority of the new generations are already educated and prefer to work or do business instead of living the traditional way of life.
Subanen people believe in the principle of the "commonwealth", which means that no one should own land or territory, but rather the people within it. As such, they do not hold any title to land as property. The only properties that they consider as their own are movable properties such as Chinese jars, gongs, jewelry, and, in later times, currency.
However, in modern times, Subanen people who are blending with migrant Cebuanos are no longer following this old practice. Their land has been grabbed by the migrants, who were able to title it as their own. In order to protect their land, Subanen people are also titling it. The Philippine government has also allowed the Subanen people to have their ancestral domains, which are areas of land that are considered to be sacred and belonging to the Subanen people.
The family couple could end its ties through divorce, abduction of the wife, or death of either spouse. However, it can be immediately reconstituted through remarriage. The surviving widow can be married to a brother, married or not, of the deceased husband. Alternatively, the parents of the deceased wife may almost immediately marry off to the widower one of their unmarried daughters or nieces.
In the hinterlands, traditional practice permits any Subanen man who wants to have more than one wives to without limit to marry several times and collect all his women under one roof as long as each wife would be able to live together harmoniously under one roof. However Subanen people who adopted Christianity stopped the traditional practice as it is not allowed in Christianity.
Traditionally, the education among Subanen people was limited to instruction by the Tim'uay head to a future husband and wife regarding love, respect, and treatment of each other, parents, and in-laws. However, as modernization has invaded the heart of the tribe's territories, many of the people have become highly educated. Many of the new generations have already earned their bachelor's, master's, and doctoral degrees from high-standard universities, both locally and abroad. Some of them are already working in Philippine government offices
In marriage, the parents of the man look for a woman he will marry and both sets of parents set the wedding date. Polygamy and polyandry are practiced but separation is not allowed nor is marrying nearest relatives. Family planning is also practiced for those who do not want to have so many children. A herb that could be found in the forest name benayan would help with family planning. For birth spacing a woman should take 2 herbs, and if no more children are desired she needs to take more benayan herbs.
Another type of birth control is practiced by the midwife who "manipulates" the woman after delivery. Various methods are practiced to predetermine a child's sex. Pregnant women must abide by many regulations including placing a piece of wood across their path before going in a doorway. 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 ancient belief that all human beings should marry and reproduce to populate the territories, but some modern Subanen people choose not to have children due to economic and financial issues in raising children, while others choose not to marry at all.
Religious beliefs and practices
Traditional Subanen believes in a supreme being called "Diwata Migbebaya" and have had a holy book at one time but the said book was no longer be found after the Spanish invasion. It is believed that the holy book was burned or taken as loot. Traditional Subanen people who still practice their traditional beliefs communicate with Diwata Migbebaya through incantations and rituals conducted by the shaman called "Balian". Balian are usually men, but there are also women balians.
Though in modern times, new generations of Subanen people have adopted Christianity in different denominations. Most Subanen leaders prefer practicing the strict denomination of Christianity called the Church of God (pure Bible-based teachings), as they believe and follow the Bible that what belongs to God should be named after Him (Isaiah 43:7). Some also join Catholicism or Evangelical Protestantism, while others in Basilan Island and some in Siocon have adopted Islam
The majority of Subanen preferred to follow Christianity over Islam because of the food restriction. Islam has several food restrictions that are not found in Christianity. For example, Muslims are not allowed to eat pork or drink alcohol. This can be a challenge for Subanen people, who are accustomed to eating pork and drinking alcohol. The Subanen people have mastered the production of their own liquor drink called "Pangase", an alcoholic drink made from rice. They also have "tuba", the organic alcoholic juice extracted from the flower of the coconut that ferments quickly and becomes a strong alcoholic drink in less than 5 hours.
Subanen people also believe that Christianity is a more ancient religion than Islam. Christianity was already practiced and taught even by Moses since 1500 BCE, while Islam was founded by Muhammad in the year 0610, 7th century AD, or more than 500 years after the death of Jesus Christ. They believe that Christianity is therefore a more authentic religion.
The modern Subanen people have very high regard for Jesus Christ as the son of God. They believe that He was prophesied by Moses, who said that one will rise from Israel and that people should listen and follow (Deuteronomy 18:15-19). The Subanen people believe that Jesus Christ fulfilled this prophecy, and they, therefore, revere him as their savior.
Moses said in "Deuteronomy 18:15-19"
"The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among your own people; you shall listen to him. This is what you requested of the Lord your God at Horeb on the day of the assembly when you said, “Let us not hear the voice of the Lord our God anymore or see this great fire, lest we die.” And the Lord said to me, “What they have said is good. I will raise up for them a prophet like you from among their own people; I will put my words in his mouth, and he will speak to them everything I command him. If anyone does not listen to my words that the prophet speaks in my name, I myself will call him to account.”
Jesus Christ said in "John 12:49-50"
“For I have not spoken on my own authority, but the Father who sent me has given me a commandment—what to say and what to speak. And I know that his commandment is eternal life. What I say, therefore, I say as the Father has told me.”
Many Subanen people are attracted to the Church of God because it is a strict denomination of Christianity that follows the Bible closely. They believe that this is the religion that Jesus Christ and his disciples followed while they were on Earth (2 Corinthians 1:1).
