The Indigenous Justice System of the Mamanwa Tribe in Jabonga, Agusan Del Norte

Indigenous justice systems remain a vital, if often under-documented, mechanism for maintaining social order in communities worldwide, yet no published study had examined the justice system of the Mamanwa Tribe, one of the oldest Indigenous groups in Mindanao. This study documented, for the first time, how the Mamanwa Tribe of Jabonga, Agusan del Norte, Philippines, conducts, demonstrates, structures, and procedurally implements its indigenous justice system. The study employed a qualitative phenomenological design. Six conversational partners participated: three tribal Elders in a focus group discussion and three ordinary tribe members in individual in-depth interviews, with data analyzed through thematic analysis. Findings showed that Mamanwa justice is fundamentally restorative, centered on community cooperation, the sala atonement practice, and forgiveness mediated by the Dakola (tribal leader), with grave offenses such as murder and rape explicitly referred beyond tribal jurisdiction to the barangay or government. Reconciliation is formalized through the ritual practices of Oyagdok and Kahimonan, and justice is administered through a collaborative, tripartite leadership structure, the Dakola for judgment, the Malaas council for counsel, and the Bataon for enforcement, selected through a community-anchored process based on integrity rather than heredity. Procedurally, the system requires summoned parties, corroborating witnesses, and formal documentation, mirroring safeguards recommended under the Indigenous Peoples' Rights Act. These findings support restorative justice theory's emphasis on relational repair over retribution while revealing the system's dependence on communal trust and its explicit, self-imposed jurisdictional limits, providing the first documented reference for Mamanwa customary law and a foundation for tribal, governmental, and academic engagement with it.