''Thimuay'' (also spelled ''thimuway'', ''timuay'', and ''thimuway'', among other variations) is the name of the most senior ancestral leader among the

Subanon people The Subanon (also spelled Subanen or Subanun) is an indigenous group to the Zamboanga peninsula area, particularly living in the mountainous areas of Zamboanga del Sur and Misamis Occidental, Mindanao Island, Philippines. The Subanon people spea ...

of the

Zamboanga Peninsula Zamboanga Peninsula ( tl, Tangway ng Zamboanga; cbk, Peninsula de Zamboanga; ceb, Lawis sa Zamboanga) is an administrative region in the Philippines, designated as Region IX. It consists of three provinces (Zamboanga del Norte, Zamboanga Sibu ...

in the

Philippines The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no), * bik, Republika kan Filipinas * ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas * cbk, República de Filipinas * hil, Republ ...

. Less senior ancestral leaders are called "datu", just as they are elsewhere in the Philippines. ''Thimuay'' is equivalent to the titles "

lakan In early Philippine history, the rank of ''lakan'' denoted a " paramount ruler" (or more specifically, "''paramount datu''") of one of the large coastal barangays (known as a "bayan") on the central and southern regions of the island of Luzon. ...

", " sultan", or "

rajah ''Raja'' (; from , IAST ') is a royal title used for South Asian monarchs. The title is equivalent to king or princely ruler in South Asia and Southeast Asia. The title has a long history in South Asia and Southeast Asia, being attested fr ...

" in other Philippine cultures. A greatly honored ''thimuay'' is sometimes additionally called a ''thimuay labi'', with the word "labi" simply being a descriptor meaning "highest" or most senior. In predominantly Muslim Subanon communities, the term ''solotan'' is sometimes used instead of ''thimuay''.

Prominent ''thimuay''

Perhaps the most prominent modern-day (20th century) ''thimuay'' was Thimuay Imbing (sometimes spelled Mbeng), who led the Subanon people from

Lapuyan, Zamboanga del Sur Lapuyan ( ceb, Lungsod sa Lapuyan; Subanen: ''Benwa Dlepuyan''; Chavacano: ''Municipalidad de Lapuyan''; tl, Bayan ng Lapuyan), is a 3rd class municipality in the province of Zamboanga del Sur, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has ...

during the Philippines' American colonial period. He is perhaps best known for his role in introducing

Evangelical Protestantism Evangelicalism (), also called evangelical Christianity or evangelical Protestantism, is a worldwide interdenominational movement within Protestant Christianity that affirms the centrality of being "born again", in which an individual experi ...

(through the Christian and Missionary Alliance Churches of the Philippines) to the Subanon of

Lapuyan Lapuyan ( ceb, Lungsod sa Lapuyan; Subanen: ''Benwa Dlepuyan''; Chavacano: ''Municipalidad de Lapuyan''; tl, Bayan ng Lapuyan), is a 3rd class municipality in the province of Zamboanga del Sur, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has ...

Prominent ''thimuay''

See also