Ateneo de Zamboanga University

SCHOOL OF LIBERAL ARTS

DEPARTMENT OF SOCIAL SCIENCES

RESEARCH PAPER
Soan101

Submitted by: Maureen Jane A. Mosquisa

Submitted to: Mr. Samuel Fuego

Subanon Tribe

History The original people of Zamboanga were the Subanen of Indonesian origin who came at about 2,000 to 6,000 years ago. They were coastal people who believe in the spirit of their ancestors and the forces of nature. When the Muslims arrived, they were pushed into the hinterlands and lived along the riverbanks. Thus, the name Suba, meaning people of the river. The Subanens who communicate through their Subano language prefer and wear colorful clothes and accessories. Black, red, and white are their favorite colors. The women often wear red earrings that match with beaded necklaces. Like other tribes, Subanens have their own entertainment or way of enjoying life. They like music. The Ginarang or Migboat, Basimba, Gatagan and Sirdel or Sumumigaling are some of their songs. These are sung with the accompaniment of their instruments like Gong, Kutapi, Sigitan, Lantoy, Kulaying and Tambubok. Subanens court through songs and dances. Their marriage custom is done through taltal. But aside from their court dance, they also have war and ritual dances that they perform during social gatherings and special occasions such as weddings, etc. The tribes political structure consists of a Timuay equivalent to the barangay captain that we have today. The Timuay tries cases involving crimes and moral turpitude. In case the Timuay cannot decide on the case or if the case involves heinous crimes, he does not give the final verdict. They live along the banks of the rivers. Their religion was animism. They have distinct culture of their own. The subanuns belong to the early Malay settlers to the archipelago known as getaw phemelesen or getaw mephasig carried by the wind or by the current. It was only during the early part of the 20th century when our writers of our geography text books that the people inhabiting the hinterlands were classified as subanuns. The word is derived from the word SUBA a body of water upstream since this people with distinct culture living along the creeks and rivers along in the hinterlands. In Subanen the word SUBA means going up stream and the opposite is the word MOSOG which means going down-stream . Many of the present day subanen do not like to be called Subanun or subano as some Christian Filipino brothers call them because the word refers to a savage primitive people living in the jungles. They preferred to be called SUBANENS which refers to the civilized group who still preserved their good customs and traditions. The word SUBANEN refers to the spices for cooking in our homes. It will give distinct odor and taste to our food. The remnants of the vanishing culture of the Subanen people has at least contributed and provided spices to the development of the Filipino people as a whole. They defended themselves in Lapuyan by fortifying Guilian Hill and defended themselves successfully from the invading maranaos and other hostile tribes. Later they were able to promote better relations with their brother Muslims through blood compact or taditional oral treaties ascribe to God or Allah. During the early American regime, when their was a conference of the major leaders of Mindanao, the

Sultanate of Sulu . Maguindanao (Cotabato) and lanao were represented by Thimuay Imbing an animist of the Subanen & other non-muslim tribe.

Cutural Practices Family

The father is called Ama and the mother is called Ina, they call their older brothers or sisters by their names but later adopted their Christian brothers ways of calling their older brother or sisters as manong or manang. In their relationships with their cousins and in-laws, brother in-laws call each other bati sister in-laws call each other ipag. They call their uncles Bapa (hya) and their aunties na or ina . They call their grand-parents Apo and to identify male or female, they call either Apo-dlae or Apo-dlibon. They call their nephews or nieces as manak general term for male or female nephews or nieces.In general, the subanens are monogamus but in their association with their muslim brother, they practiced polygamy especially among their leaders. The subanen also practice poly-andry in the olden days but very rare case only when the husband is impotent. The members of the family through common commonly accept the practice understanding.

System of Marriage:
In the olden days, among the leaders and rulers of the clan, inter-clan marriages are arranged and agreed by the parents in order to promote alliances between clans and better understanding. Weddings done entirely through parental agreement are called gombay. Weddings are also performed when couples elop and this is called tangag. Wedding is also done when a young man is brave enough to go to the house of the woman with whom he is in love bringing his dowry usually an antique jar and enters the room of the girls and does not leave until the thimuays intervene and this called palunsod or lumosod. Wedding is also performed when a woman is so in love with the man that she brings her clothes and jewelries and goes to the house of the man with whom she is in love and stays there until the thimuays intervene and this is called guli or guinulian . Another wedding when a man holds a woman in captivity and this called dap. Other types of wedding done were through confession to the thimuays for both man or woman and this called memoha. Wedding is also done when a widow is married to a brother in-law of the widow or to a close kin of the late husband and this is called gualis.Before the wedding, there is traditional money to be presented or put down in the absence of an antique jar called dlieu bandi presented to the thimuays. There is the Gegepuay to be given to the grandparents, there is the shamaya a sort of wish from the parents of the bride , there is a shumag so that their children will be healthy , and the timbasing the sahre of the thimuays who witnessed the settlement of the wedding and other procedural matters.On the day of the wedding , there are sort of tornaments and sports done . Sometimes the Groom will be required to perform some sports to test his patience such as pulling a jar Buried on the ground smeared with lard etc. The groom accompanied by strong young men to overcome the stairway blocked by the men of the bride where the first wrestling is done called bhebuhaay gedan . Afterwards they are brought out to the center of the house where the center post of the subanen house called gered where they have hold with .Their two hands and push their hands upwards while palpating it which symbolizes praises and dedication to God.

Religious Beliefs Most of the tribal groups are animists, believing in many gods and spirits who control life situations and circumstances. They believe that these deities have human

emotions and must be appeased by means of sacrifice and worship. These gods are believed to exist in both living and inanimate objects. In sharp contrast to the surrounding peoples who have adopted Christianity or Islam, the Subanon cling to their ancient polytheistic religion. They believe that man shares the universe with a variety of gods, spirits, demons, and ghosts. These supernatural forces are said to have the ability to harm humans. However, humans supposedly have the power to harm them as well. At various times of the year, the Subanon give offerings of rice, meat, and wine to the gods and ancestral spirits. Witch doctors, or shamans, play a large role in Subanon religion. The people depend on the shamans to hear and understand the wishes of the gods and ancestral spirits.

Taguimas

History Pre-Hispanic texts from the royal archives of the Sulu Sultanate referred to the northernmost island of the Sulu Archipelago as Taguima, from the Yakan who were called "Tagihamas" (people of the interior or hinterlands) by the Tausug and Samal peoples who came and settled in numerous but scattered communities along Basilan's western and southwestern shores and outlying islets and island groups.Later references mentioned "Bantilan", probably referring to Maluso, which was established as a major Tausug base by Sulu Sultan Muizz ud-Din (whose princely name was Datu Bantilan).Imperial Chinese texts mention a "Kingdom of Kumalarang" (from the Yakan "kumalang" or "to sing", owing to the location being a place for celebrations and gatherings) during the Ming Dynasty, believed to be the island which now has a barangay of the same name on its northwestern shores.The first Spanish map of Mindanao officially naming "Basilan" island (instead of Taguima/Tagyma). The earliest map of the Philippines which made reference to an island labeled "Taguima" was produced by Giacomo Gastaldi,[3] through woodblock prints in 1548 and subsequently included in the influential travel book of Giovanni Battista Ramusio, the Della Navigatione e Viaggi, which was published between 1556 and 1583 in three volumes. This was followed by Abraham Ortelius's work Indiae Orientalis Insularumque Adiacientium Typus, published in 1573 in a German text edition of the atlas Theatrum Orbis Terrarum by Christophe Plantin in Antwerp. As late as 1719,[4] a map titled "Die philippinische Inseln - Isle Brneo" by Allain Manesson Mallet of Frankfurt, Germany featured an island still labeled "Tagyma I."

Magiudanao

History The Maguindanao are part of the wider Moro ethnic group, who constitute the sixth largest Filipino ethnic group. Their name means people of the plains.The Magindanaw are one of many groups of "lowland" Filipinos. Apparently, they migrated to the islands from southwest Asia several thousand years ago. Today, they live primarily on the island of Mindanao, which is located in the Southern Philippines. The name Magindanaw, meaning "people of the flood plain," was given to both the people and the island on which they live. They currently have a population of just over one million, few of whom are believers. According to legend, the Magindanaw were converted to Islam by Sarip Kabungsuwan, a Muslim prince, who claimed to be a direct descendant of the Prophet Mohammed. The legend states that he won his converts by a combination of his wisdom, the appeal of his message, and certain supernatural powers. This prince married a local woman who is said to have been born miraculously from a stalk of bamboo. Cultural Practices Family The Magindanaw kinship system is traced through both of the parents. It is unusual, however, because it is modified by a system of social rank, certain rules of descent, and distinctive marriage patterns. Among the Magindanaw, social rank is considered to be less important than blood relationship. There is a strong preference for marriage between relatives, especially marriage to second cousins. Most marriages are monogamous, although polygyny (having more than one wife) is permitted by Islamic law.The blood

feud is one of the most serious and distinctive types of conflict within the group. It usually results from a killing that involves different families or communities. Although the Magindanaw do not practice a strict form of Islam, any form of Islam is hard to influence. Some Christian radio and television broadcasts are available for the Magindanaw, but there have been very few responses to them. What are their beliefs? Even though the Magindanaw are the largest group of Muslim Filipinos, their belief system is more a form of "folk Islam" than orthodox Islam. Their Islamic practices are usually mingled with animistic beliefs (belief that inanimate objects have spirits). Muslim religious leaders and teachers (imams and panditas) preside over religious life. They also teach young schoolboys to read and memorize the Qu'ran. The Magindanaw regularly celebrate religious holidays and other festivals.

Samal

History Samal are an indigenous ethnic group in the Philippines. They are a subgroup of the Bajau peoples. They mostly live in Sulu Archipelago, Zamboanga Peninsula, and Davao del Sur, especially Island Garden City of Samal which was named after them, in Mindanao island. Samal are Austronesians who came from southern China and Taiwan and settled Mindanao during the Iron Age along with other Austronesian tribes which are native to

Mindanao. But most of the Samal people escaped to the rural interior when the Cebuano population increased in Mindanao, while the rest of the other Samals remained in Sulu, Tawi-Tawi and the Island Garden City of Samal. The Samals both belong to either the Moro or Lumad groups depending on their religion and regional areas. Samals living in the Sulu Archipelago are Muslims that belong to the general category of Philippine "Moros". Those in Davao del Sur are either Christians or animists that belong to the Lumad. In the early Spanish regime, during the reign of Don Jose Uyanguren of Davao City , a certain Island within the DAVAO Gulf was named SAMAL in recognition to the settlers who migrated from Jolo and Basilan called the ISLAMIC TRIBAL GROUP or ISAMAL . Most of the settlers lived along the coastal areas and only few in the hinter lands. Their daily primitive way of acquiring foods is through fishing, farming, and hunting within the vicinity. The island was created into a municipality named as Municipality of Samal and Barrio Peaplata was the center for commercial economic and government operation. At that time , the municipal councilors of Samal found its concept of local autonomy and effective delivery of services. They therefore decided to create another municipality in order to be effective and autonomous in governance. Mayor Simplicio Obenza , Sr. made his iniative to the speedy creation of two municipalities. The Sama were originally located in the islands and coastal areas separating southwestern Mindanao from the northeastern islands of Sulu. It is thought that they originally migrated in the first millennium A.D. as a result of expanding Chinese trade. Most moved south and west, settling along the main Sulu Archipelago, Cagayan Sulu, and the eastern Borneo coast

Cultural Practices Family Households are grouped into larger units called tumpuks (clusters), which are located near one another and are related by close kinship ties. Within the village, one household head is acknowledged as the tumpuk spokesman. In some instances, the tumpuks coincide with the parishes, whose members belong to a single mosque. Fishing, boat building, and iron working are primarily male occupations, while weaving mats and marketing pottery are jobs for women. Both men and women engage in farming and trade. The Sama are known for their traditional dances, songs, percussion and xylophone music, dyed mats and food covers, and wood carvings. Religious Beliefs

They preside over all important ceremonies and act as religious counselors. Friday prayers are performed in the parish mosque, climaxing a weekly cycle of daily prayers. Also, an annual religious calendar is observed, celebrating Ramadan (yearly Islamic fast) and the birthday of Mohammed. The Sama still retain some of their traditional ethnic religious beliefs. Spirits of the dead are thought to remain in the vicinity of their graves, requiring expressions of continued concern from the living. Some graves have reportedly become the sources of miracle working power. During the month of Shaaban, it is said that God permits the souls of the dead (roh) to return to this world. To honor them, the living offer special prayers to the dead and clean the graves.

Badjau

History Scattered throughout the Sulu Archipelago

of the Philippines live the Sama Badjao, a people nobody wants. Badjao means "man of the seas." By tradition, the people are sea nomads, traveling by boat from one island to the next in search of a fishing harvest. But the Sama Badjao are known to other tribes living in the same area as 'palau' or 'lumaan,' both meaning "godforsaken." The origin of the Sama Badjao is not clear. The Sama originally inhabited the islands and coastal areas between the island of Mindanao and the Sulu Islands. Evidence suggests that they began to leave their homeland during the first millennium AD. Most moved south and westward, establishing themselves along the main Sulu Archipelago, the Cagayan Sulu Islands, and the eastern Borneo coast. Many believe they came from either Sumatra or the South Sea Islands. Some think their migration in the first millennium A.D. resulted from expanding Chinese trade. Originally, the Sama Badjao may have been a land-based tribe pushed into the seas by population pressures and by more dominant tribes. Historically, they held no land or other property ashore, except for small burial islands. Through years of oppression, the Sama Badjao have found solace on the seas. The Sama are a highly fragmented people with no overall political unity. Specific Sama groups can be distinguished by dialect. However, most identify themselves with a particular island or island cluster. The Central Sama of the Philippines live on several islands in the Sulu Archipelago, near the island of Borneo. Their language, Siasi Sama, is similar to Tausug and other Sama languages. In general, the term Sama refers to a diverse group of Sama-Bajau speaking peoples who are scattered from the central Philippines to the eastern shore of Borneo, and throughout the Indonesian islands.

Cultural Practices Family(home) Houses built over the water are connected by small bridges or planks. Houseboats are often double dugout canoes. Typically each boat shelters five or six people - a family and maybe one or two other relatives. Two to six families anchor their boats in a cluster while fishing, sharing food and pooling labor and resources. Households are grouped in larger units called tumpuk, which means "clusters." The Central Sama live near their families and maintain close ties with their relatives. One household head is selected by the cluster members to act as the tumpuk spokesman. A parish consists of local groups whose members are affiliated with a single mosque. Sometimes, clusters and parishes are one and the same. What are their beliefs? All Central Sama are Shafiite Sunni Muslims. Those who are well versed in religious matters, including the imams (religious leaders) and other mosque officials are called

paki or pakil. The paki preside over all major rites, act as religious counselors, and conduct minor rites of thanksgiving. Friday prayers are performed in the parish mosque and are the climax of a weekly cycle of daily prayers. An annual religious calendar includes Ramadan (the ninth month in which all Muslims fast) and the prophet Mohammed's birthday. Some of the Central Sama are animists (believe that non-living objects have spirits). Spirits of the dead are thought to remain in the vicinity of their graves. These spirits require offerings for appeasement. Some graves have reportedly become the sources of miracle working power. During the month of Shaaban, it is said that Allah permits the souls of the dead (roh) to return to this world. To honor their return, the people offer special prayers to the dead and clean the grave areas.