Indigenous People & Conservation of Natural Resources

In 1993, a number of people who consist of academics, researchers indigenous & local communities and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and the concerns on the active defense of the rights indigenous peoples form a vessel Defenders Network Rights of Indigenous People (JAPHAMA). In the meeting, and the establishment of the participants agreed JAPHAMA fasten the term indigenous peoples as a group for indigenous peoples and that there exist in all Persada Indonesia, especially those living in rural and remote land with water from the pattern of life for the teens (sub systems).

Before the agreement incorporated in a single term called the various indigenous peoples in the land of water called the existence of their society as a sequestered, isolated tribes, the public law, the original, move tiller, tiller wild New Order government and more extreme again, sometimes calling them as " resistor development. " For a given that New Order is no reason apart, to memuluskan seizure of natural resources (SDA), which is done by the suasta foreign, national and individual suasta officials for various business and memuluskan "business black", at the time, especially mine, illegal logging and plantation great. Meanwhile, indigenous peoples and communities around the designation using the term indigenous peoples based on ethnic origin of their own.

The largest indigenous organization existing in Indonesia at this time is the Indigenous People Alliance Nusantara (AMAN). SAFELY do konres first in March 1999, taking place in Jakarta. Agreement on the form AMAN Congress this is that indigenous communities who have ancestral origin (from generation to generation) in a particular geographic region, and has a value system, ideology, economic, political, cultural, social, and their own region.

In the other countries, many used the term to the term indigenous peoples, such as "first peoples" in the anthropologist and champion the rights of indigenous peoples, "first nation" in the United States and Canada, "Indigenous cultural communities" in the Philippines, "nation of origin" and "native people" in Malaysia. At the level of the world, the United Nations (UN) agreed on the use of the term "Indigenous Peoples" as written in all documents that discuss a draft UN declaration, the draft of the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.

But the Constitution which is the base movement of indigenous peoples organizations is the rights of Indigenous Peoples of universal validity, in international level and at national level with the constitution dicabutnya Law. 5 Year 1979 on Village Governance, and then replaced with the Law. 22 Year 1999 on Regional Autonomy ago, updated with the Law No. 32 of the Local Government in 2004, where in it provides space for the exercise of autonomy-autonomy original. Autonomous nature of native communities is to maintain the tradition of community living space.

Thus can be understood that in the Law. 32/2004 on Local Government, local autonomy formulated as the rights, powers, obligations and the autonomous regions to organize and manage their own affairs and interests of local communities in accordance with the laws and regulations (Article 1 paragraph 5). It is clear that autonomy is put here as a condition given by a State to the Autonomous Region. On the autonomous regions, the law says the same: autonomous Region, hereinafter referred to as region, is the people who have legal limits of the authorities to set up and manage government affairs and interests of local communities according to their own initiative based on the aspirations of the community in the system of the Republic of Indonesia ( Article 1 paragraph 6).

Social reality of a community show that terbentuknya traditional indigenous territories is a consequence of advanced terbentuknya community. This means the law society, which then form the boundaries of the law comes first from a community social eksisnya previously in kekinian called indigenous peoples.

Most important aspect that must be known and by parties who want to understand the problems faced by indigenous peoples is the fact of their diversity. This diversity can be seen in terms of culture, and religion or belief, and economic and social organization.

In Indonesia, we should feel lucky with the indigenous communities that are thousands of groups. The existence of their nation's wealth is a means because there is more than a thousand protean science that has been developed. There are more than a thousand languages have been used and can help khasanah language development and many more things that they can sumbangkan.

Indigenous People & Nature Conservation
In relation to environmental problems, some groups of indigenous peoples are usually positioned themselves as a group that diidealkan in touch with nature with emphasis on the reality of the relationship akan spirituality of indigenous communities with nature.

We take the example of smaller and more closely, in North Sumatra, there are various social groups that can be classified as indigenous, that is, some of the Malay ethnic group in Medan, Langkat, Deli Serdang, Serdang Bedagai, Tebing Tinggi, Batu Bara, Asahan, Central & Tanjung Labuhan Batu. Groups of the other indigenous peoples; Karo, Simalungun, Toba Batak, Dairi / Pak Pak and Mandailing in South Tapanuli and Mandailing Natal.

In a book "From Forest to Rarangan National Park, Portrait Local Communities Around the Batang Gadis National Park" which was written by a team BITRA Consortium, comprised of 4 institutions, BITRA Indonesia, PUSAKA Indonesia, North Sumatra Walhi & Ocean. Very interesting disclosures about how the indigenous peoples have a traditional concept of nature conservation is closely associated with the belief supranatural, where this example is related to this article. Some of the excerpt as mentioned below.

The concept of protecting natural resources in order to remain well maintained, not new things for people Mandailing. Since their first term of the fit of it, namely "rarangan", which literally means "forbidden". Especially for a forest area called "harangan rarangan", which is "forbidden forest." Restrictions in the forest is the traditional conception of a forest area belonging to a village (Huta), which can not be opened for agriculture or timber should not be taken for home furnishings. The area also so common as to be a place populated by a sentient being-smooth and is called "borgo-Naborgo" means is "a moist-humid." There are beliefs that violate no-no to enter such places will cause a disaster for the perpetrators.

In addition to the forest environment, rarangan concept is also valid for a certain area in the river area. The parts that dipantangkan for ordinary people to catch fish in the river is in the hole-hole in the above and there are trees large leaved dense. Place as well as a trusted place naborgo-borgo and forbidden to perform actions that could disrupt the soul-existence of the supernatural creature mendiaminya.

The existence of the forest and reservoir restrictions that ban be instituted through the mechanisms of belief and taboo akan supranatural forces in the surrounding areas, in reality, be in places signifikasinya high for environmental sustainability. For the forest area which is called before harangan rarangan usually berasosiasi with sources of water or eye area resapan water (water catchments area), which is very vital for the maintenance and sustainability of water supply regulation for the people who live around or people who are in the downstream river. Similarly for the flow of the river called the reservoir restrictions, is a place where the fish breeding progress. Therefore, the concept of the Mandailing rangrangan in a covered trust will be the strength of supranatural that should not be disturbed, at the bottom is the mechanism that set the cultural practices in conservation of natural resources traditionally.

The existence of the prohibition of forest in the past are also related to the regulation of the area into a region of the village (Huta). Huta is a residential unit at the same time the government of autonomy, in the past led by a king (Hato Bangon (territorial scope of the king in the village). Confederation of Huta who have socio-historical ties and make a pact called the genealogis Mandailing Natal and in Luat South Tapanuli that form a common law union.

One hand, we know that most indigenous peoples live from the bowels of love nature, very intimate relationship with the love of nature with a variety of traditions with the wisdom of the local respectively. In a way that is different and that diversity is very beautiful and wise. Away from the things that are ekploitatif or mass devastation of nature.

On the other hand for reasons of development and prosperity of a few people living in large cities with diverse lifestyles hedonism always mengekploitir its natural wealth in the hinterland of the mass is very likely to damage the condition of origin and the balance of nature and the environment. Usual by mine companies, illegal logging and large-scale plantation and akan meningglkan severe damage in areas that are diusahai and that has been abandoned.

To maintain the balance of development and exploitation of the natural need to be reinforced the position of indigenous peoples solid, both institutional and personal awareness in order to fortify seizure of natural resources and the devastation occurred.

Congratulations Congress to implement the SAFE-3 (Pontianak, 17 - 21 March 2007). Hopefully the national level agreement that can be memakmurkan indigenous peoples as stakeholders ulayat.

Iswan Kaputra
Deputy Director BITRA Indonesia
Chairman of the Forum Community of origin Labuhan Batu (FORMAL)