Not All Indigenous Peoples Are Indigenized

As a member of the Non-Moro Indigenous Peoples (NMIP) communities in the Bangsamoro, I carry with me the weight of an often-silenced truth: not all Indigenous Peoples are indigenized, at least not in the way the state, systems, or mainstream narratives define it.

This is not just a philosophical reflection. It is a reality deeply rooted in the historical trauma and resistance of our ancestors—a reality shaped by centuries of colonization, forced religion, and state structures that continue to marginalize and divide us.

Long before foreign powers reached our shores, we were already here, sovereign, self-governing, and spiritually grounded. Our laws were rooted in wisdom; our lives were anchored in harmony with the land. We did not need the state to define us, nor religion to validate our existence.

Figures like Mamalu and Mao are not legends; they are historical beacons of our ongoing struggle. Colonization may have tried to erase us, but it failed. What it left behind, however, is a lingering shadow—one that creeps into government institutions, policies, and even the internalized attitudes of our fellow citizens.

Today, we witness a modern form of internal colonization—where Non-Moro Indigenous Peoples (NMIP) or Indigenous Peoples are deliberately excluded from decision-making, peace negotiations, and cultural representation. Instead of engaging genuine voices from our communities, tokenism is often practiced, or representatives are chosen from among those who are already “unindigenized” by the system—those who no longer reflect the lived realities of our people. This exclusion is not because we are invisible, but because the systems in place were never designed for us to thrive.

Even worse, the narrative of “unity” and “peace” is often weaponized to erase diversity than support the self-determination of our people. Calls for inclusion are sometimes used to dilute, not recognize, our distinct identities. In peace tables and policymaking, we are expected to conform—to be reshaped by colonial frameworks of what it means to be Indigenous.

But we resist.

We reject imposed identities. We refuse to be domesticated by state definitions. We will not allow history to be rewritten without us.

Let this be a call to remembrance, not only for our communities but for the broader society:

We are the descendants of resistance.

We are the stewards of truth.

We are the children of the soil.

And we are still here.

Source: Edward Intang Abelardo