Dalit Theology and Modern Slavery in Sumba: A Theological Critique of the Church's Response to the Ata–Maramba Hierarchy

Abstract

This study analyzes the Ata-Maramba social hierarchy in Sumba as a form of modern slavery legitimized by deeply rooted socio‑cultural structures and evaluates the church’s response through the lens of Dalit theology. Using a qualitative approach that combines literature review and semi‑structured interviews with pastors serving in Tanambanas–Waiurang, the research reveals that exploitative practices based on hereditary status continue to persist and are often framed as customary obligations, making them difficult to recognize as modern slavery. Dalit Theology, which centers the lived experience of the oppressed as the locus of theological reflection, provides a critical framework for interpreting the structural marginalization experienced by the ata community and for assessing the church’s role in addressing injustice. The findings indicate a significant gap between the church’s theological declarations of human equality and the social reality in which caste‑based stigma remains embedded within congregational life. The church’s response tends to be pastoral and incremental, lacking the structural transformation demanded by Dalit Theology. Therefore, this study argues for the need for a more explicit and transformative ecclesial praxis—one that publicly acknowledges injustice, empowers ata communities, and develops affirmative programs that embody the preferential option for the oppressed as central to the mission of God’s Kingdom.