Issue Date
2023
Abstract
The bodong, an indigenous institution of the Kalinga, has been adopted and modified through the efforts of Itneg elders in the provinces of Ilocos Sur and Abra. Today it is known as the Bodong Indigenous Allied Group, Inc. (BIAG) and serves as an Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) institution that ensures the protection of indigenous peoples as well as willing members of the group. It was redesigned to complement existing judicial bodies of the state. The process of modifying the bodong however entailed a combination of internal efforts by the community and state-led developments particularly in terms of policy such as the enactment of the Indigenous People’s Rights Act (IPRA) of 1997. This study explored the critical junctures in the group’s (BIAG) history from its conception in 1983 as the Bodong Saranay Association (BSA), to its eventual registration to SEC as the BIAG in 1998. This study also examined how the group ensures the protection of the rights of its members and the group’s mechanisms in providing aid to members in need using sample cases from 2012-2018. Field interviews and participant observations were the core methods used in gathering data for the study. The results showed that despite the modifications implemented in this indigenous institution, the BIAG in its methods of dispute resolution and community support, still manifested the Itneg cultural practices of sapit (roughly translated as justice) and sintatako (roughly translated as community relations). This study therefore puts to fore the importance of indigenous traditions and institutions in facilitating justice and fostering good community relations, the inevitability of cultural change, and the role of the state in promoting the continuous practice of these indigenous institutions and traditions.
Source or Periodical Title
UP Los Baños Journal
Volume
21
Issue
1
Page
29-47
Document Type
Article
College
College of Arts and Sciences (CAS)
Language
English
Recommended Citation
Pawilen, Reidan M., "Of justice, community, and change: the Bodong as a judicial institution for indigenous communities in Ilocos Sur and Abra, 1983-2018" (2023). Journal Article. 5892.
https://www.ukdr.uplb.edu.ph/journal-articles/5892