Adsuli

Adsuli. Law of Retaliation

In the pre-hispanic Bagobo communities of the Davao region, a man wronged would resort to suli/adsuli, which which means to take revenge. Offenses such as taking of another’s property, carrying another man’s wife or simply making fun of any physical disability can potentially offset a dangerous situation in the lumad village.

Arsenio Manuel, a Philippine anthropologist who have worked in Davao in the 1960’s, chronicles many of these stories involving tribal feuds and retaliation. In one such story in Kidapawan, North Cotabato, a boy was slashed and killed for laughing at a man’s physical disfigurement. Manuel says thus in his manuscript, Manuvu Custom Law 2000 UP Diliman, “Matun of Muwaan, Kidapawan, suffered from a disease and lost his left foot;he could walk only with the aid of two canes. He could work, fish, climb up a tree and haul down a beehive nevertheless.

He was intervisiting and left his supports at the doorway, then went up the house on all fours. A boy about ten years old in the household laughed. Then and there, Matun slashed at the boy and killed him.

The father did not retaliate.

The datus who settled the case said it was oson, because that disease was given by Manama (Manuvu Supreme God) and Matun did not desire it. Why should someone speak of such a defect patent to the eyes; much more important than the person having it? A small panavuk (damages) was awarded by Matun for the death of the boy to his father.

The case mentioned exemplifies of an insult leading to a death.This this is known as Adsuli or retaliation.

This is the observation of the Manuvu law.