Wednesday, June 1, 2016

Introduction to Kitab (Customary Law)

Starting this Monday, June 6, and for the next two dozen Mondays, I will be featuring on this blog the customary law of the Dulangan Manobos. I found the law, called Kitab, on the documents website Scribd, uploaded by a person or an organization that goes by the username IPDev.

The original Kitab is written in Filipino, and what I will be posting on this blog is an English translation. I have not had any formal training or solid experience in translating documents, so please don’t rely solely on my blog posts. At most, they can be used as a reference if you have difficulty understanding Filipino or the kind of Filipino that is used in the customary law. (It contains quite a number of Visayan terms that have not been fully assimilated in the national language.) If you need to quote the law in English, check the original document and translate the text yourself or ask someone more qualified than I am.

I tried to come up with rules on translating the document. I wanted to be consistent in handling some terms that are difficult to translate—when to keep them in their original form, when to use their rough English equivalents, and when to insert editorial explanations. I attempted to make parallel the items in some lists. And of course, I did not forget the basics. I tried to be consistent in using capitals and italics, and I tried to make the spellings uniform. Unfortunately, in all of them, I failed.

The Kitab in its original form needs a thorough review and editing, but that’s not mine to worry about, at least for now. So I made the most of what I had. I did the best that I could within my available time. The result leaves much to be desired, but it is help enough for now, I believe. Here’s the timeline for the different parts of the Kitab:

June 6
Preamble

June 13
Article I. Guiding Principles

June 20
Article II. Definition of Terms

June 27
Article III. The Dulangan Manobo and their Cultural Practices
Section 1. The Dulangan Manobo

July 4
Article III. The Dulangan Manobo and their Cultural Practices
Section 1. Fekaenan Manok: Process
Section 2. Marriage Process
Section 3. Process on Taking the Wife of Another

July 11
Article III. The Dulangan Manobo and their Cultural Practices
Section 4. Giving Birth
Section 5. Funeral Practices

July 18
Article III. The Dulangan Manobo and their Cultural Practices
Section 6. Dances of the Tribe
Section 7. Songs of the Tribe

July 25
Article III. The Dulangan Manobo and their Cultural Practices
Section 8. Arts
Section 9. Belief in God

August 1
Article III. The Dulangan Manobo and their Cultural Practices
Section 10. Family Relations
Section 11. Relations with Other Tribes

August 8
Article IV. Dulangan Manobo Ancestral Territory
Section 1. Ancestral Territory

August 15
Article IV. Dulangan Manobo Ancestral Territory
Section 2. Territorial Division
Section 3. Clan-based Territory

August 22
Article V. Land and Livelihood
Section 1. The Need to Live
Section 2. Livelihood of the People

August 29
Article V. Land and Livelihood
Section 3. Process of Planting Rice
Section 4. Harvest Process

September 5
Article V. Land and Livelihood
Section 5. The Forest
Section 6. Policies on Livelihood

September 12
Article V. Land and Livelihood
Section 7. Names of Properties (A) Domesticated Animals
Section 7. Names of Properties (B) Household Items

September 19
Article V. Land and Livelihood
Section 7. Names of Properties (C) Personal Items

September 26
Article V. Land and Livelihood
Section 7. Names of Properties (D) Games of the Dulangan Manobo
Section 7. Names of Properties (E) Wild Animals

October 3
Article VI. Rights and Responsibilities
Section 1. Rights of Children
Section 2. Rights of Elders

October 10
Article VI. Rights and Responsibilities
Section 3. Rights of Women
Section 4. Rights of Men

October 17
Article VI. Rights and Responsibilities
Section 5. Principles Followed by the Tribe
Section 6. The Lemuken
Section 7. Stars

October 24
Article VI. Rights and Responsibilities
Section 8. On Leadership
Section 9. On Responsibilities of Followers

October 31
Article VII. Structure of Governance and Composition

November 7
Article VIII. Tribal Justice System
Section 1. Kitab
Section 2. Penalty for Murder

November 14
Article VIII. Tribal Justice System
Section 3. Rituals
Section 4. Justice and Justice System

November 21
Article IX. Tribal Defense
Article X. General Provisions
Article XI. Effectivity

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