A Journey in Indonesian Regional Autonomy: The Complications of “Traditional” Village Revival in Mentawai, West Sumatra

This article aims to show the development of local identities and of local government political interests, as captured by clans and élite groups in Mentawai, West Sumatra, Indonesia. An ethnographic analysis was made of those islands in the Indian Ocean, which contain a high diversity of clan dialects/languages and new élite groups that have emerged as a result of young academic Mentawaians returning from the mainland. Influenced by a notion of indigenous political strength, a change in regional administration has set in motion political lobbying by young academics infused with new political ideas and economic interests. Regional autonomy raised the importance of local specific community demands of minority and indigenous governance, and the formation of local élite groups aligned with local interest groups, especially in remote regions of the Indonesian archipelago. The complications of a political landscape with numerous independent clans and recently created élite groups focused on their own narrow concern have compromised the negotiation capacity to advance the general interests of the communities in the Mentawai archipelago

Akses dan Ekslusi dalam Reformasi Hutan di Sumatera: Studi Kasus di Nagari Simanau, Kecamatan Tigo Lurah, Kabupaten Solok, Sumatera Barat

This article discusses the village forest in Simanau. This research was conducted by using a qualitative method, one of which is a case study. Data collection was carried out by observation, interviews and literature study. Research departs from solutions to the problem of deforestation and forest degradation as business as usual or with international assistance through the village forest scheme. Village forests are one of Nawacita's priority programs as a strategic step in reducing deforestation and forest degradation and also overcoming poverty and poverty in national land tenure. My intension is to analyze the forest from a critical anthropological perspective, one of which is the political ecology framework to explore the village forest in Simanau. For this reason, I use the concepts of "access" and "exclusion" in sharpening economic goals in ecological terms. The research findings show that Simanau forest reform raises a dilemma where access to forests is limited for non-management communities. The concept of access is used to hide who gets (and doesn't get) the benefits of the existence of the village forest and through what they get it. This concept of access is then related to the concept of exclusion which means preventing people from accessing forests

Sipuisilam dalam Selimut Arat Sabulungan Penganut Islam Mentawai di Siberut

The Mentawai island group, due to relative remoteness, has been able to develop independently from activities on the mainland. Therefore, a large part of the population was raised on the organically developed culture and dynamic capacity of the community. This was possible due to the richly endowed environment, which includes the staple food provision in sago trees and an abundance of wildlife, including boars. The food source became an important element in the traditional believe of Arat Sabulungan, as it served as a binding agent in ritual feasts, bonding of sharing animal protein with clan members, payments to fulfil bride price requirements and traditional fines. In 1954, a compulsory introduction of state sanctioned religions was arranged. As the Mentawains acknowledge certain advanced wisdom and wealth of the sasareu or foreigners, many incentive programs made successful converts. Nevertheless, a remarkable adaptation was included; in which some layers of Mentawai identity was not lost in the conversion. In this adaptation the Islamic faith was infused with local perception.          Kelompok  etnik di Kepulauan Mentawai dapat berkembang secara mandiri dari berbagai aktifitas di tanah daratan Mentawai. Hal ini terjadi karena keterasingan dari tanah daratan. Dengan demikian, secara organic sebahagian masyarakat mengembangkan budaya dan dinamika lingkungan yang termasuk didalamnya ketersediaan sagu sebagai bahan pokok makanan dan kelimpahan alam seperti babi hutan. Sumber makanan menjadi unsur utama dalam keyakinan masyarakat, Arat Sabulungan, sebagai suatu media ritual; penyimpanan hewan bersama sesama anggota keluarga; pembayaran syarat mahar; dan tradisi denda. Pada tahun 1945, sebuah kewajiban yang diberlakukan negara yang memberi sanksi agama-agama lokal diperakarsai. Sebagaimana orang-orang Mentawai memiliki kebijakan yang maju dan kekayaan orang asing (sasareu), akibatnya, banyak program bantuan yang sukses dijalankan. Namun demikian, suatu model adaptasi yang menonjol, dimana beberapa lapisan identitas mentawai tidak hilang akibat konversi tersebut. Dalam adaptasi ini, misalnya, keyakinan Islam dimasukkan kedalam persepsi agama lokal

Local Wisdom vs. Public Policy: Nagari Batu Bajanjang's Rejection of Government Projects in Indonesia

The Indonesian government believes that the development of an electric power plant in Gunung Talang will have a positive impact on improving the welfare of the community. However, this plan is not uniformly accepted by the local community, as their area will be affected by the development. The local community around Gunung Talang who will be affected by it have protested the government's plan. It is important to consider the local community's thoughts in development planning. The methodology used in this study is ethnography, utilizing emic and etic data, and employing purposive sampling, key informants, and ordinary informants. The results indicate that the local community's understanding and beliefs about their customary land are essential to their survival and well-being. They feel that the land is a source of life that needs to be protected and preserved. They also feel that the government has not considered their needs and interests in this development plan. The conclusion of this study is that involving the local community in development planning and considering their perspective is crucial to minimizing negative impacts and maximizing positive outcomes from it. Therefore, this can provide broader benefits to the community and strengthen social and ecological sustainability.Pembangunan pembangkit listrik di Gunung Talang oleh pemerintah Indonesia diharapkan dapat meningkatkan kesejahteraan masyarakat. Namun, rencana ini tidak diterima dengan baik oleh sebagian masyarakat lokal karena wilayah mereka akan terkena dampak pembangunan. Untuk memahami pandangan masyarakat lokal tentang pembangunan ini, peneliti menggunakan metodologi etnografi dengan memanfaatkan data emik dan etik, dan menggunakan teknik purposive sampling, informan kunci dan informan biasa. Hasil penelitian menunjukkan bahwa pemikiran masyarakat lokal tentang tanah ulayat sangat penting dalam hidup dan kelangsungan hidup mereka. Mereka merasa bahwa tanah adalah sumber kehidupan yang harus dijaga dan dilestarikan. Mereka juga merasa bahwa pemerintah tidak memperhatikan kebutuhan dan kepentingan mereka dalam rencana pembangunan ini. Kesimpulan dari penelitian ini adalah bahwa perlu melibatkan masyarakat lokal dalam pembangunan dan mempertimbangkan perspektif mereka agar dapat meminimalkan dampak negatif dan memaksimalkan dampak positif dari pembangunan. Dengan demikian, pembangunan dapat memberikan manfaat yang lebih luas bagi masyarakat dan memperkuat keberlanjutan pembangunan secara sosial dan ekologi

MANAJEMEN KRISIS TVRI DI ERA MILENIAL

This article discusses TVRI's understanding of the crisis it faces and how crisismanagement is carried out to deal with the crisis. The crisis faced by TVRI was a crisis related to the management of the organization, especially related to finance and HR, and the reputation crisis because the image as a old school TV attached to TVRI that arose because of changes in the audience as recipients of messages was not followed by changes to TVRI as a communicator. TVRI management takes steps to adapt to the changes that have occurred in this millennial era. The steps taken are communicated into and out of the institution using the current media to get support from the internal and attract public attention

The Jeme Semende: From Pasemah To The Land of Sang Bumi Ruwa Jurai (The Cultural Identity Study Of Semende Diaspora)

Ethnic diversity is one of the outstanding characteristics of Indonesian culture. Diversity creates potential challenges and opportunities in the multi-cultural ethnic relations, with positive and negative social capital forming among ethnic groups. The ethnic cultural claim is principally pronounced with the kingship ties that bind the family in the Semende people. They are depicted by the unique Tunggu Tubang family tie system, in which normally the eldest female sibling in a family becomes the main guardian of all family members when the parents have become less able to manage the family house, yard, family agricultural fields,  gardens and foremost the caring of brothers and sisters if in need. This paper is based on the research in the geographical location of the Tanjung Raja district in North Lampung, where one of the sub-districts is inhabited by the Semende people. This study used an ethnographic approach with participatory observation techniques and in-depth interviews of key informants. This research explores the cultural identity of the Jeme Semende diaspora by reconnoitering the knowledge of the actors of what and how these cultural customs are understood and applied in daily life. The research conclusion indicates that the Jeme Semende's cultural identity is maintained despite being surrounded by other ethnic groups in Tanjung Raja. And how "Semendeanness" is constructed in such a way that sometimes manifests as a form of identity supported with their oral myth origins combined with the identity raised in the Semende’s Kuntaw martial arts

ISLAM AND ARAT SABULUNGAN IN MENTAWAI

<p>The remoteness of the Mentawai Islands has contributed to an almost autonomous development, unaided by mainland Sumatra. As a result of a well endowed environment and supported by staple local foods such as sago, taro and bananas, as well as an abundance of wildlife including wild boars, a finely tuned self-sufficiency was realised. In this space the management and distribution of food, including animal protein, is an important aspect of the culture of Arat Sabulungan. As the result of the compulsory state sanctioned religions program introduced in 1954, some Mentawaians have converted to Islam or Catholicism as their formal religious identity. However, a remarkable adaptation occured in which the layers of Mentawai identity were not lost in the adaption to the Islamic faith. Islam with its teachings, and other formal religions, are considered as  the sasareu (outsiders). The prohibition of consuming boar as part of islamic rules is a sasareu rules that contradict to Mentawaian Arat .</p><p>[Kepulauan Mentawai yang terisolasi telah berkembang secara mandiri tanpa bantuan dari pulau induknya, Sumatra. Lingkungan yang subur dan mendukung ketersediaan sumber makanan pokok lokal seperti sagu, talas, dan pisang serta berlimpahnya satwa liar, termasuk babi hutan, telah mendorong terciptanya swasembada pangan. Manajemen dan distribusi makanan merupakan aspek penting dalam jalinan budaya dan sistem kepercayaan local, Arat Sabulungan. Sebagai hasil dari kebijakan pemerintah untuk menerapkan agama resmi bagi orang Mentawai pada tahun 1954, orang Mentawai kemudian masuk Islam atau Katolik. Namun demikian, adaptasi yang luar biasa juga terjadi, sehingga lapisan-lapisan identitas Mentawai tidak hilang dalam adaptasinya dengan keyakinan Islam. Islam dengan ajaran-ajarannya, juga agama-agama dunia lainnya, dipandang sebagai ajaran asing. Larangan mengkonsumsi daging babi sebagai bagian dari ajaran Islam, misalnya, dipandang sebagai ajaran asing yang bertentangan dengan Arat Mentawai.]</p><p><strong>Keywords</strong>: Mentawai, Islamic syncretism, Arat Sabulungan</p

CONTEMPORARY MENTAWAI RECAPITULATES ANCESTRY: THE POSITION OF WOMEN IN SIBERUT SOCIETY

The indigenous Mentawaians, who reside on Siberut Island, the archipelago off the west coast of Sumatera, are located in communities whose culture and cosmology stem from the traditions of Arat Sabulungan. The guidance is valuable for the social relation of the community, nevertheless the practise subordinates certain groups in society, especially women. For example, the gender roles in particular for women stem from the traditional norms of Arat. However it is essentially a social construct that favours men, and has been perpetuated through cultural practices. The continuing position of women is being subordinated to male dominance, which has led to resistance from women. Male dominance built on truth claims derived from indigenous legitimacy in arat, is resisted by women. Women are now constructing their own truth claims, and are questioning the status quo