Notes on the physical structure of Bontok communities

(Or the second of a series)

Previously, it had been suggested that if rape happened in Bontok, it couldn't have been outdoors because they believed that sexual intercourse in a public area would evoke the anger of the spirits, bestowing destruction upon the place. However, the physical structure of their communities wouldn't allow it to happen indoors, either.

Of houses without privacy

Notes on the spiritual and moral beliefs of the Bontok

(Or the first of a series)

Most of Bontok is now Christian, or to be more specific: Roman Catholic-- thanks to missionaries of the colonial period. The elders, however, do not seem to be satisfied with their relatively new faith and report that they were more morally upright in the past.

Being a Christian, I tend to think that it's probably not a matter of cultural superiority that makes pre-Christian Bontok more morally upright. Rather, it is likely that Christianity just has not been taught and understood properly. I do not know how to argue for this position and I will not attempt it here. But I admit that I find this disturbing.

I cannot elaborate on the Bontok's spiritual belief system because the film did not delve into much detail. The details it did present, however, did not stick with me. What I did understand is that they believed in a Higher Being. They performed rituals to please those that they believed in. They had a concept of "evil acts" and also of "acts which anger the spirits"-- both of which are prohibited.

The Bontok implemented their code strictly. They were very clear on what is right and wrong, and took that seriously.

A Series on "Walang Rape sa Bontok"

The eleventh film I watched in the cinema is a documentary entitled Walang Rape sa Bontok, shown in UP Theater. It investigates whether the Bontok culture (the old, declining one) has a concept of rape, for at the outset: (1) they do not have a word for it, and (2) their laws do not have punishment for its commission.

The film identifies six factors that had prevented the emergence of the concept of rape in Bontok:

1. Spiritual and moral beliefs
2. Physical structure of the community
3. Customs of "tribal" war
4. Gender beliefs
5. Views on relationships between men and women, nudity, and sex
6. Work in the field

What I like about it