Unravelling the Gbeklug of the Subanens through the Lens of their Folk Narratives

Abstract

Folk narratives are rich repositories of the cultures of Indigenous peoples. For example, the Subanens in the Zamboanga Peninsula, Mindanao, Philippines, have several folk narratives that can shed light on their material and non-material cultures. This ethnographic study explored the gbatad (culture) of the Subanens, as depicted in the folk narratives called the gukitan or sinugel. The study's research locales were the municipalities of Katipunan and Mutia in Zamboanga del Norte and San Miguel and Lakewood in Zamboanga del Sur. A first-hand gathering of the folk narratives was conducted to produce a corpus of folk narratives as the primary data from which the Subanen gbatad was identified. Actual narrations were done by the tribal leaders and select tribesmen who served as the key informants of the study. In addition, focus group discussions were made to elicit the cultural underpinnings of the narratives. The research resulted in the gathering, transcriptions, and translations of 79 narratives, in which two of them talked about a gbeklug, the most sacred communal gathering among the sub-groups of the Subanens in the Zamboanga Peninsula. Gbeklug, which stands prominently as a marker of the cultural identity of these Indigenous people, requires strict adherence to the process and the materials needed for the construction of the gbeklugan (platform). The performance of such a grand festivity demands utmost caution from all people in attendance.