Beyond GIS Application: Adat Revitalization, Empowered Communities and Improved Natural Resource Management Practices in West Kalimantan.

Today the Dayak culture and the environment in West Kalimantan is under serious threat. The total area of West Kalimantan is 10,276,490 hectares. More than 74 % of this land has been allocated to forest concession companies, while totally disregarding the fact that historically the Dayak have been living and managing this land for centuries. PPSDAK Pancur Kasih (a Pontianak Based NGO) is working to empower local Dayak communities to protect their land and their rights, using a combination of participatory mapping, GIS application, and Adat Revitalization.
During 1998, PPSDAK Pancur Kasih assisted the communities in 41 'kampungs' to map their ancestral lands, covering an area of 107.500 hectares. Through participatory mapping workshops, these communities acquired the technical skills to develop maps describing traditional land boundaries, land use, sacred places, wild animal feeding/breeding areas, river systems, settlements and other priority areas, and much more.

Developing Mutual Understanding and Respect

For many Dayak communities, mapping is not a new concept and maps are very clearly demarcated in the community's collective memory. For example, the people of Banjur Karab village were able to trace the boundaries of their 'Kawasan Adat' (traditional lands) as far back as 400 years. They recalled an old age saying "Bajontang maro, baguris tonah, sapat karamabok saropun" which means boundaries are drawn on areas that have been measured with a rattan measuring stick, then signs are put up, until over the years moss will grow on these signs (lose translation). Once a boundary mark named 'pontik' has been put up the community will prepare a feast where all neighboring communities are invited. The feast consists of a pig a chicken and 'tuak' (traditional wine). Blood from the slain pig is painted on the pontik's head and everyone vows to honor these boundaries. A fine is put in place for violations, consisting of 20 white porcelain plates. This proves that in the past the community owned effective and workable, techniques, institutions, and rules to settle conflicts over boundaries. However more and more communities are experiencing threats from new actors who do not recognize these traditional boundary conventions. Often these new actors include the government as well as various business corporations who are introducing industrial forestry practices into the region. In this light the introduction of community mapping and GIS application provides communities with the ability to produce maps that are understood and above all respected by these newcomers.

The Best from Past and Present for Better Natural Resource Management Practices.

What is so interesting about the PPSDAK Pancur Kasih approach is that they are at the same time openly adopting a new and modern technology on the one hand, and revitalizing their traditional values and practices on the other. The beauty about it is that this is happening within the same process. The participatory and reflective approach used in the mapping workshops brings important traditional wisdom back into the spotlight of the communities attention, including wisdom related to natural resource management practices. Wisdom that often reflects the superiority of these practices when compared to the modern practices used by forestry industries be they government or private owned. Indeed it seems that in many 'kampungs' the initial introduction to community mapping has strengthened cultural roots - encouraging communities further to document indigenous knowledge which is then actively applied to preserve natural resources in their own 'Adat' teritoty. But there is also a growing openness in sharing this information with outside people. In Nangka village, a sustainable and unique way of catching fish was documented and introduced to neighboring communities. This method of catching fish forbids the use of 'tuba' (sap from a poisonous vine). The 'tamunan' method allows smaller fish to swim back into the river guaranteeing regeneration. A "tamunan" is a small fish farm built where the river bends, snuggly fitting into the natural landscape, it also must be built where the river bed meets forested land. A number of logs are put into the river and stacked with special 'ansama' (a local bush) twigs, hence fish will come and nest in this stack. Around three months later a fence made out of woven bamboo and rattan will be positioned around the area. The weaving of this fence is such that larger fish do net get away, while smaller fish freely swim through. The fish are then caught with a tool made from woven bamboo and a certain root. It is taboo to keep the first catch which must always be returned into the river, symbolizing the need to always leave seed to regenerate while harvesting. Any member of the Nangka village community may obtain permission to make a 'tamunan' within the 'Kawasan Adat' at one time. However this permit is not permanent, it rotates throughout different community members. Now the 'tamunan' method is being adopted in many other communities outside of Nangka. While a management agreement to avoid the use of 'tuba' in catching fish that covers the entire river basin has been made. Many more of these examples exist.

Affirmation of Traditional Values Lead to a Stronger Dayak Voice

The simultaneous reaffirmation of traditional land boundaries and the cultural knowledge evoked during participatory mapping processes, has strengthen the 'Dayak' voice in articulating the central role the environment has in shaping the way they live to the outside world. In the words of John Bamba, "Land, forests, and rivers, are the three most important elements of nature that make it possible for us to be Dayak. Forming the basis of our biological as well as our spiritual life, determining the virtue and value of our people, these elements over thousands of years have nurtured the evolution of our identity, our culture and, our belief system. Without our land, forests and rivers, our culture would die, for our traditional ceremonies, rituals, and beliefs are all embedded in nature. The disintegration of our cultural life begins with the refusal to recognize the cultural functions of forests and rivers to the Dayak people, when forests are merely seen as "green gold" which should be exploited." While the new maps produced, are providing the tools to negotiate the achievement of protection for the land and their way of life.

Such a case was documented in late 1997, when a team of people from the National Body for Land Issues (Badan Pertanahan Nasional) and representatives of a huge national corporation "Bakri Brothers", visited Semandang Kiri village. They came to inform the community, that government permission had been provided to the "Bakri Brothers' to open a 13,000 hectare oil-palm plantation in the area, and that the project would begin promptly after the community gave their consent. These visitors based their arguments on BPN maps. However, the community brought out their own maps to explain the fact that there was no vacant land in their village to be handed over to the project. All of it was already functioning very well as rubber gardens, 'ladangs', reserve forests, and sacred sanctuaries. The community also spoke of how they perceived the forest and what the forest ultimately meant to them. The guests examined the community maps, admitted they were better than theirs and have not returned to follow up on their plans as of yet.

Steadily if Slowly Outside Recognition and Respect is Growing.

For PPSDAK Pancur Kasih, an important objective of this community mapping and 'Adat' revitalization work, is to assure outsiders that the Dayak people own their land as well as the fact that they are managing their environment in a way that is globally beneficial (i.e. protection of rare biological diversity). PPSDAK Pancur Kasih's choice of combining community mapping and 'Adat" revitalization in its work, has effectively involved communities is analyzing the different threats being faced. By no means are communities focusing their attention on outside threats alone. Maps are being used for as a basis in a wide range of crucial decisions, from refusing the entry of palm oil or HPH/HTI concessions, to developing natural resource management agreements within communities, as well as between communities.

Recognition from the government as well as from corporations towards Dayak land rights, as well as respect for their way of life is slowly growing. In March 1998 for instance, the Menawai Tekam community fined PT Finantara Intiga (a industrial forestry company) Rp. 4,854,250 for trespassing their 'kawasan Adat' boundaries, damaging natural resources, and disrespecting sacred ancestral grounds. Furthermore the community banned the company from operating in their territory. The shear fact that the company accepted these fines and moved out of the area is a new phenomena. These kind of victories have far reaching impacts beyond the communities who have done participatory mapping. While in the larger scene they provide hope for political recognition of indigenous rights in Indonesia, as communities become competent players in policy dialog with other important stake holders. More and more communities are playing a major role in setting their own advocacy goals and achieving them.