“Pest Forests”, “Utility Forests” and “Cow Bends”

Small and scattered patches of forests contrast sharply within the context of the flat and monotonous dark green pastures in the Dutch polder landscapes. These patches, with various types of trees, are like little islands, surrounded by ditches. They are not remnants of the original old peat swamp forests but farmers created the patches in the past for particular purposes. Their names offer clear indications: in addition to the general name of ‘small polder forests’ (polderbosjes) they are called ‘pest forests’ (pestbosjes or krengenbosjes, places where contaminated or dead animals were dumped), ‘farmers’ utility or coppice forests’ (boerengeriefhoutbosjes or hakhoutbosjes, from which farmers collected all types of useful wood), or ‘cow bends or milk forests’ (koebochten or melkbosjes, places where the cows were milked and where the manure could be collected). With the modernization of agriculture and alternative sources of energy, many of these forest islands have been cleared for the sake of expanding the pastures. However, increasingly these forest patches are also viewed from a different perspective. Nowadays they are valued as an important element in the country’s (agri)cultural heritage, but also for the role they play in terms of the polders’ biodiversity (flora as well as fauna), which has rapidly declined with the modernization of agriculture in recent decades. In this article an overview will be given of the origin of these ‘forest islands’ and how they have functioned in the Dutch polder landscape in the past century as an often ignored aspect of farmers’ knowledge and practices. Attention will also be paid to the present efforts to maintain these forest islands

Frightened by the eagle; Recording songs and music from the Island of Siberut, Mentawai Islands

Singing is the most important element of the traditional music culture on Siberut, the largest of the Mentawai Islands (West Sumatra, Indonesia). There are various types of songs on the island. Some of them are related to the world of spirits and ancestors. These are mainly sung by shamans during healing ceremonies and rituals. Other songs are made up by men and women during their daily activities, when they are fishing out at sea or when they take a rest from collecting forest products. Various animals (birds, primates, reptiles) or natural forces (wind, thunder) provide inspiration for lyrics and melodies, as do special events, like the arrival of a logging company on the island). In this article, we discuss the process of recording the songs and other types of music of the island and the production of two CDs and the reactions of the singers and the community to the presentation of the CDs. In a context of decades of suppression of various aspects of the traditional culture (religion, tattoo, loincloth) documentation of a form of intangible culture and its positive appreciation can generate a sense of pride among a local community. In addition, we have added an extensive appendix to this article containing the lyrics of a number of songs in both the local language as well as in translation. It allows readers to get an idea of the poetic nature of the song literature of the Mentawaians

Frightened by the eagle; Recording songs and music from the Island of Siberut, Mentawai Islands

Singing is the most important element of the traditional music culture on Siberut, the largest of the Mentawai Islands (West Sumatra, Indonesia). There are various types of songs on the island. Some of them are related to the world of spirits and ancestors. These are mainly sung by shamans during healing ceremonies and rituals. Other songs are made up by men and women during their daily activities, when they are fishing out at sea or when they take a rest from collecting forest products. Various animals (birds, primates, reptiles) or natural forces (wind, thunder) provide inspiration for lyrics and melodies, as do special events, like the arrival of a logging company on the island). In this article, we discuss the process of recording the songs and other types of music of the island and the production of two CDs and the reactions of the singers and the community to the presentation of the CDs. In a context of decades of suppression of various aspects of the traditional culture (religion, tattoo, loincloth) documentation of a form of intangible culture and its positive appreciation can generate a sense of pride among a local community. In addition, we have added an extensive appendix to this article containing the lyrics of a number of songs in both the local language as well as in translation. It allows readers to get an idea of the poetic nature of the song literature of the Mentawaians

The Management of Wild and Domesticated Forest Resources on Siberut, West Sumatra

Selama ratusan tahun sumberdaya hutan di Siberut telah menjadi obyek persaingan antara pihak pelestari alam dan perusahaan penebangan kayu. Pada periode-periode yang berbeda, salah satu di antara keduanya mendominasi persaingan itu. Setelah lebih dari 20 tahun penebangan hutan terjadi, proyek pembentukan suatu Taman Nasional seluas 192.000 ha yang didanai oleh Asian Development Bank dimulai pada tahun 1994. Proyek itu kini telah berakhir, tetapi masa depan pulau ini tetap tidak menentu. Akankah sebagian lahan hutan tetap terkonservasi, ataukah konversi akan terjadi ke dalam bentuk lahan-lahan pertanian dalam skala yang lebih luas? Apakah implikasinya pada penduduk lokal dan kondisi pulaunya? ...[...] Tulisan ini - yang didasarkan pada penelitian bertahun-tahun di Siberut - akan mendeskripsikan secara singkat sejarah dari perkembangan aspirasi atas sumber-sumberdaya hutan yang alamiah dan yang dibudidayakan, dengan menaruh perhatian pada penduduk lokal dan pengaruh-pengaruh eksternal. Kajian difokuskan pada tujuan-tujuan dan cara-cara pengelolaan yang dilakukan kelompok-kelompok dan organisasi-organisasi yang ada. Pengalaman ini diulas dalam perspektif komparatif, dengan memperhatikan keterlibatan masa kini dari penduduk asli dan lokal dalam pengaturan-pengaturan secara ko-manajemen

Isolated Islanders or Indigenous People: The Political Discourse and its Effects on Siberut (Mentawai Archipelago, West-Sumatra)

"...[...] Dalam tulisan ini penulis mengulas interaksi di antara wacana-wacana dan tindakan-tindakan dalam pelaksanaan hukum lokal, nasional, dan internasional pada penduduk lokal dengan memfokus pada situasi di Pulau Siberut. Selama bertahun-tahun orang Mentawai telah menghadapi pengaruh-pengaruh hukum asal dari luar wilayahnya. Hal itu bermuladari administrasi kolonial Belanda, dan dilanjutkan oleh orang-orang Minangkabau yang - sebagai pegawai pemerintah dan administrasi di pulau itu - memiliki pengaruh yang besaratas sistem-sistem peradilan desa, dan hak-hak penduduk setempat versus pendatang. Birokrasi Indonesia melalui berbagai kementeriannya memiliki dampak yang besar atas pulau itu.Dalam kurun waktu terakhir, melalui campur tangan eksternal, kegiatan pariwisata dan pembuatan film oleh perusahaan asing, kesadaran etnis di antara orang-orang Mentawai sebagai penduduk lokal pun mulai tumbuh. Hal itu menuntun munculnya suatu bentuk 'representasi' baru di dunia luar, dan pandangan yang baru tentang tradisi-tradisi lokal. Tetapi, perolehan hak-hak kepemilikan atas sumber-sumberdaya alam dan kesempatan pemasaran yang baru telah memicu terjadinya konflik internal yang serius. Tampaknya,interaksi di antara hukum internasional, nasional, dan lokal tidak hanya menciptakan kesempatan-kesempatan baru, tetapi juga menciptakan kevakuman hukum, administrasi, dan kekuasaan yang baru.

Le bois d’aloès, « le Bois des Dieux »

Agarwood, also called eaglewood, is a very important non-timber forest product from the rainforests of Southeast Asia. The infected wood of the Aquilaria sp. is widely used to produce incense for religious ceremonies or for pleasure but it can also be used for making perfumes or medicinal wine.Due to its high price, the harvesting of agarwood from the wild has brought the plant to the point of extinction in many areas in Vietnam, Indonesia, Laos and Malaysia. That is one of the reasons why this plant has been put on the CITES Appendix II list to monitor its exploitation and trade. At the same time efforts are undertaken to domesticate the plant and stimulate the production of the infected wood. As initial efforts seem to be successful, interested parties from other areas are eager to start growing Aquilaria trees at well