Northern Subanen

An anecdote on how the Word came into existence for the Southern Subanen folks.

In the early 1950s, in the village of Dabiak, Katipunan, Zamboanga del Norte, there was a traditional healer or “witch doctor” named Mante. He held a large ceremony called a “beklug,” where he built a big stage out of bamboo and sacrificed pigs to their gods. The villagers joined him in dancing and jumping on the stage. They also served many jars of rice wine to the guests.

During the ceremony, the witch doctor became possessed by spirits. While in this state, he said something unusual: “Soon, the Big Black Book will come. The spirits can heal your bodies, but the God from the Big Black Book can save your souls.”

This was a strange message, but God can use anything to speak to people—even a donkey, like in Numbers 22:22-35, or a magician like Simon in Acts 8:9-25. Somehow, the words of this witch doctor spread across the Northern Subanen region.

Over time, the witch doctor had another vision while in a trance. He said a Pastor would come carrying the Big Black Book. This Pastor, he said, would never run out of food.

This story made its way to the village of Marupay, in Roxas, Zamboanga del Norte. It was a six-hour walk over the mountains from Dabiak. Ryan and Diolia, who were helping the community with health care and Bible translation, arrived there. The villagers were curious and asked, “Is it true that when you cook, you never run out of food?” Ryan replied, “No, that’s not true. But I can tell you about the stories in the Big Black Book.”

Because of this, many people believed in Jesus Christ. One of them was Catalino, the first Subanen Christian. Ryan and Diolia loved and respected him very much. His two sons, Alfredo and the late Cornelio Epo, helped Ryan translate the Big Black Book—what became the Northern Subanen New Testament.

Although they didn’t magically run out of food, God took care of them. They were spiritually fed by His Word, which is even more important than rice.