Isolated groups or indigenous peoples; Indonesia and the international discourse

Abstract

The most prominent international indication that interest in the position of indigenous peoples has reached global proportions was the proclamation of the United Nations Year of Indigenous Peoples in 1993. When at the end of that year it had become apparent that all the goals could not be achieved within a one-year time frame, the Decade of Indigenous Peoples was proclaimed. Indonesia ignored the UN Year of Indigenous Peoples. The government refrained from participating in international discussions on the topic, insisting that the 'indigenous issue' does not apply to Indonesia. Indonesia, it claimed, is considered to be 'a nation consisting predominantly of indigenous population1 (Permanent mission 1993). Even so, numerous international organizations invited representatives of Indonesian indigenous peoples to speak about the situation in their country. Recently, the Asian Development Bank involved some members of indigenous groups in Indonesia to join in discussions about operational procedures for development projects affecting indigenous peoples in Asia. Due to increased awareness and a higher degree of organization, some of these groups present themselves as separate ethnic groups or indigenous peoples and speak out more vocally than they have in the past. This article will focus on discussions about the tribal groups or indigenous peoples of Indonesia. The outside world regards this issue as one particular example of a general, nearly global phenomenon of indigenous peoples or cultural minorities within a modern nation-state dominated by people of a mainstream culture. In Indonesian state policies, however, this distinction is looked upon in a different manner. It is not conceptualized in terms of indigenous versus non-indigenous, as all Indonesians are considered to be indigenous. The government looks upon these groups as deviating from the cultural mainstream, and policies are aimed at bringing these people back into the mainstream of Indonesian life. The term used to refer to these people is not 'indigenous community' - since the government acknowledges only one Indonesian people (bangsa) - but 'isolated (masyarakat terasing). How then do tribal groups in Indonesia actually deal with global interest in the situation of indigenous peoples, and how does the government of Indonesia try to avoid outside involvement? First of all, I will briefly outline how the international community has dealt with indigenous peoples in recent years, then I will focus on Indonesian state