Living Knowledge Across Generations: Indigenous Knowledge, Transmission, and Cultural Continuity among the Sama-Bajau in Rural Philippines

This phenomenological study examined the Indigenous Knowledge Systems (IKS) practiced by the Sama-Bajau community in Dolho, Bato, Leyte, the everyday processes through which knowledge is transmitted, and the conditions that shape its continuity. Twenty adults aged 18-50 participated in in-depth, open-ended interviews. Transcripts were analyzed through repeated reading, horizontalization, descriptive coding, clustering of meaning units, development of textural and structural descriptions, and synthesis of the shared essence. Interpretation drew on transcendental phenomenology, Rogoff's learning-by-observing-and-pitching-in perspective, Berry's acculturation framework used as a sensitizing rather than exhaustive lens, and a social-capital and institutional-access perspective. Findings identified three interrelated knowledge domains: rituals and healing practices; fishing, ecological familiarity, and the role of experienced fishers; and symbolic and material expressions in attire, religious affiliation, and the transition from Palao to Luma housing. Transmission occurred through Sama-Bajau language use, storytelling, observation, guided participation, and practical involvement in family and community activities. The evidence most directly supports overlapping processes of cultural retention, selective adaptation, and pressure toward language shift. Literacy difficulties, dependence on translation, and unequal access to services are interpreted as structural and institutional conditions rather than as community-selected acculturation strategies. Because no participants older than 50 were interviewed, claims about deeper historical memory are limited to adult participants' recollections of learning from older relatives and recognized knowledge holders. The study recommends community-led intergenerational documentation, direct participation of elders in future research, culturally responsive education, language-supportive public services, and preservation initiatives that recognize Sama-Bajau members as knowledge holders and decision-making partners.

Cultural Continuity; Indigenous Knowledge Systems; Intergenerational Transmission; Sama-Bajau; Transcendental Phenomenology

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