Ancestral Lands Research Articles

Review: Apsáalooke Women and Warriors. Field Museum, Chicago, Illinois

Review: <i>Apsáalooke Women and Warriors</i>. Field Museum, Chicago, Illinois

INDIGENOUS PEOPLES’ RIGHTS OVER NATURAL RESOURCES: AN ANALYSIS OF HOST COMMUNITIES RIGHTS IN NIGERIA

Many States are engulfed in crises over natural resources in the form of claims and counterclaims over who should exercise legal authority over the resources located within the state territory. In Nigeria, the agitation over control of natural resources has led to militancy and rebellion against the federal government and multinational oil companies. The debate on who should control and manage natural oil resources in Nigeria exists at the local community level, the federating states level, and the federal government level. This paper x-rayed the varying contentions of these agitations from an international law perspective. It adopted the doctrinal method to explore international human rights instruments and other legal and non-legal sources to realize the result and arrive at persuasive conclusions. The paper concluded that although international law guarantees states’ exercise of sovereign rights over their natural resources, it safeguards the right of indigenous peoples and communities to manage the natural resources found within their ancestral lands to deepen their economic and social development. It also concluded that the Niger Delta indigenous peoples and oil-producing communities are entitled to exercise some measure of control and management of the processes of exploitation of the natural resources found within their lands. The paper calls on the Nigerian government to fast-track legal and policy reforms to resource rights to indigenous host communities of natural resources in Nigeria.

The interaction between informal and formal institutions: A case study of private land property rights in rural China

Informal and formal institutions coexist, interacting in a complex and dynamic manner. We examine whether informal institutions can still function without official recognition and how they impact formal institutions. Drawing on a quasi-natural experiment involving the private land system in rural China known as “ancestral land”, and using trust change to represent institutional outcomes, this paper discusses the dilemma of informal institutions. The results indicate that ancestral land induces the transition of rural residents’ interpersonal trust to contract-based trust and increases the marketization of land rentals, which is one goal of China’s current land reforms. However, ancestral land reduces rural residents’ institutional trust and perceived security of tenure, and even hinders the new round of land titling. Our analysis implies that, although induced institutional innovations optimize the governance of the commons and increase the efficient allocation of production factors, the lack of official recognition is an obstacle to its potential.

Divided Loyalties: The Elector Palatine and Charles I, 1638–1649

Abstract In August 1644, the eldest nephew of Charles I landed in England and publicly declared his support for parliament. Charles Louis, the exiled Elector of the Palatinate, has been accused by successive generations of scholars of either harboring ambitions for his uncle’s throne, or having a long-standing friendship with leading parliamentarians which made his eventual allegiance an inevitability. However, such interpretations ignore the influence of short-term developments in the British Isles and on the continent on the actions of this impoverished and exiled prince, who was dependent on English financial and diplomatic support and faced the very real risk of being permanently excluded from his ancestral lands and titles. This article therefore provides a valuable insight into how political and financial necessities could clash with the perceived obligations of dynastic loyalty between ruling elites in early modern Europe.

Reflections on an action-oriented workshop: How can more of our professors be Māori and Pasifika?

There is a chronic underrepresentation of Māori and Pacific academics in our university sector in Aotearoa New Zealand. Sitting behind the disparity are a range of practices that support some groups in Aotearoa New Zealand to succeed and move more freely through higher education institutions than others. In response to scholarship highlighting this issue, a collective of students and staff at Te Herenga Waka | Victoria University of Wellington came together to organise an action-oriented workshop to draw attention to ways that universities are governed through power relations. Attention was also paid to mitigating power imbalances in the organisation, format, and delivery of the event, and between attendees, presenters, and event facilitators from dominant and non-dominant ethnic and cultural groups. This reflection piece is not so much a recounting of the event itself but rather an opportunity to share with the wider academic world ways in which the collective attempted to hold our university accountable for failing in their responsibilities to the people on whose ancestral lands they exist.

Disrupting Infrastructures of Colonial Hydro-Modernity: Lepcha and Dakelh Struggles against Temporal and Territorial Displacements

To be Indigenous within the modern nation-state is to live with a profound sense of territorial and temporal displacement. Colonial legal regimes situate indigeneity as a condition of temporal stasis, perpetuating the logic of territorial dispossession and erasure. Drawing on research in India and Canada, we focus on Indigenous experiences to theorize the relationship between colonial legal regimes, territory, temporality, and infrastructure. In the Indigenous territories of the Lepchas in the Indian Himalaya and the Dakelh in British Columbia, Canada, hydropower infrastructure effected displacements of Indigenous space-times and sovereignty. Although Indigenous peoples continue to assert legal claims challenging these massive infrastructural projects, colonial legal regimes normalize the often violent imposition of the space-times of state and capitalist development. The Dakelh have challenged the enduring impacts of a 1950s river diversion project; however, Canadian courts legitimized historic displacements, delimiting constitutional protections to current existing Dakelh rights. For the Lepchas, a recent infrastructural boom in the Indian Himalaya is threatening special constitutional provisions upholding tribal customary laws, raising concern among younger Lepchas over the future of their ancestral lands. Despite these threats, we demonstrate how Lepcha and Dakelh relations to time and territory exceed colonial containments. They call into question how the colonial present normalizes historic and ongoing displacements and demand responsibility for the past to craft alternative futures.

Temporal change in traditional knowledge and use of wild plants in Artas, Palestine

ABSTRACT Traditional communities have wide knowledge and experience of wild plants as natural resources that have historically been important for food, medicine, spiritual and hygienic uses. These communities have over generations developed knowledge, skills, beliefs and practices related to the natural environment that they are a part of. This type of knowledge is defined as Traditional Ecological Knowledge and is critical in the understanding of cultural heritage. Palestine encompasses a unique cultural heritage regarding wild plant use. The village of Artas, south of Bethlehem, has been researched by ethnobotanists and anthropologists as early as the 1930s, where studies illustrate the profound rooted connection Palestinian villagers held with their natural surroundings, and how social coherence around the outdoor life was entrenched in the local culture. The results of this study indicate that foraging wild plants was traditionally a social activity, and the villagers attach a lot of meaning to these plants due to their medicinal and nutritional value, but also as a part of their surrounding environment around which their lives revolved. The Israeli occupation since 1967 progressively caused a shift from a centuries-old common-pool resource to a restricted area, which eliminated the access to ancestral land and will possibly diminish future levels of Traditional Ecological Knowledge.

News, Events, Publications, and Awards

News, Events, Publications, and Awards

The Exodus of KNIL Soldiers from Maluku to the Netherlands in 1950s

ABSTRACT : The transition of power on 27 December 1949, resulted in a conflict between pro-Indonesian and pro-Dutch forces, namely the KNIL ( Koninklijke Nederlands Indische Leger or the Royal Netherlands Indies Arm y ) . The group that was pro-Dutch, chose to exodus to the Netherlands . The research method used is historiography, the A uthor conducted interviews with ex-KNIL families in the second and third generations, interviews were conducted in the Netherlands. Researcher also conduct document and library research. Respondents of this study were the second and third generation of ex-KNIL families from Maluku who lived in the Netherlands since 1950s. The second and third generations of the Ex - KNIL family, see Indonesia as their ancestral land but they do not have the emotional ties as strong as the first generation. RMS (Republik Maluku Selatan or South Maluku Republic) for them is just their old man's dream in the past , unrealistic for now . The love of the Maluku people for their country is manifested by helping the government in carrying out various positive activities. In Indonesia , they help develop health, education , and agriculture. Hopefully the dark story of RMS in the past will be a memory and lesson for current and future generations . KEY WORDS: Exodus ; KNIL Soldier; Maluku , Indonesia; Netherlands . About the Author: Dr . Abdul Haris Fatgehipon is a Lecturer at the Department of Social Studies Education FIS UNJ (Faculty of Social Sciences, State University of Jakarta), Jalan Rawamangun, Jakarta, Indonesia. For academic interests, the Author is able to be contacted via e-mail address at: pertahanan@yahoo.com Suggested Citation: Fatgehipon, Abdul Haris. (2021). “The Exodus of KNIL Soldiers from Maluku to the Netherlands in 1950s” in TAWARIKH: Journal of Historical Studies , Volume 12(2), April, pp.195-206. Bandung, Indonesia: Minda Masagi Suci and ASPENSI, with ISSN 2085-0980 (print) and ISSN 2685-2284 (online). Article Timeline: Accepted (January 15, 2021); Revised (March 2, 2021); and Published (April 30, 2021).

The Inevitable Consequences of Nuclear Armament: An Urgent Call for Nuclear Disarmament

Advancement in technology and growth in human wisdom and knowledge has become a boom and at the same time, a bane to the continued survival of mankind. Despite been born free, mankind has become enslaved to the products of their hands. The invention of weapons of human destruction (nuclear weapons), which remains the most destructive form of armory ever created, with the capacity to inflict a large-scale disaster in the shortest time, in just a strike. These weapons and their mass destructive capacity were first experienced in the Hiroshima and Nagasaki atomic bombing in the year 1945, from that moment on the world, have seen an increase in nuclear testing, nuclear armory, and nuclear race among nuclear-weapon states. The mere presence of nuclear weapons poses a serious threat to the earth's environment and its inhabitants. Many islands have become inhabitable or declared a no-go zone due to the high presence of radiation and radioactivity in those places which is a direct result of years of nuclear testing. As a consequence, many people have been displaced from their ancestral lands, while some victims have lost their time to radiation-induced diseases such as cancer and its various variation. This article, therefore, will focus on the global threat to humanity posed by nuclear armament.

FIRST ON LAND, LAND IN PLAN: THE ORANG ASLI AS KEY PLAYERS IN FOREST REHABILITATION, MANAGEMENT AND CONSERVATION PRACTICES

There are 869 Orang Asli communities within Peninsular Malaysia, with the state of Pahang accommodating the highest number of Orang Asli. Despite formal acknowledgement of the government’s responsibility to the Orang Asli (Aboriginal Peoples Act, 1954), the Orang Asli have always been considered relatively unimportant players within the Malaysian political sphere, often marginalised and exploited for their ancestral land. Success stories in Asia and a variety of literature have revealed that community based forestry and management practises have been a proven means to rehabilitate and conserve forests sustainably. Through interviews conducted with Orang Asli in the Pekan Forest Reserve, (neighbouring Bukit Leelau Estate), this paper uses this case study coupled with the rehabilitation works with the same Orang Asli community conducted by the Global Environment Centre (GEC) to reveal the true impacts community based forestry can have. Only when the Orang Asli are recognised as key players, can the combined efforts from both the state authority and the Orang Asli produce an inclusive and effective framework towards better rehabilitation, management and conservation practises. The review shows that at the same time an interview with a few residents of the Orang Asli settlement adjoining a plantation indicates that the residents benefit from the plantation: some having employment in the plantation and the community benefits from the plantations’ infrastructure for access. The interview also reveal that the peatlands was a result of carelessness by fishermen who use fires on poles to attract fish during fishing at night. Keywords: Orang Asli, aborigines, peatland, peat fire, peat rehabilitation.

The State and the Minority Group: Land Rights between the State and Kpaduma Indigenous Group in Abuja, Federal Capital Territory (fct), Nigeria

Abstract The politics of land rights and low or high intensity protest in the twenty-first century has produced several land-related protesters with a variety of strategies. This study focuses on the challenges of urbanization as it affects the Kpaduma community in Abuja, Federal Capital Territory (fct), Nigeria. Kpaduma, an indigenous group, has a history of protest at various times with the government over its ancestral land. The last protest in 2016 brought massive destruction of settlements and forced displacement. Quite a number of works have been written on the land protests, with particular reference to their causes and consequences. However, the post-protests situation, particularly regarding the tense relationship and urbanization process in the locality, is yet to be sufficiently explored. This study investigates the state of relations between the government and Kpaduma as well as the urbanization processes in the country’s capital after the forced displacement of Kpaduma.

Si Gale-Gale Folklore in the Toba Batak Society: A Study of Continuity and Change

The Si Gale-Gale folklore contains exemplary values and education about the character of the Toba Batak king named Raja Rahat who is loved by the people who is fair and wise. The king had a son by the name of Raja Manggale who he loved very much and was the only child. King Manggale died on the battlefield, he heroically fought to defend his ancestral land from invaders. The death of King Manggale inflicted a deep wound on King Rahat. To entertain the king, a wooden statue was made as a representative of King Manggale, who magically can move like a dancing person, because it is believed that the spirit of King Manggale enters the statue with the help of the power of a shaman who is termed guru sibaso. This study aims to describe the continuity and change of this oral tradition in the Toba Batak people in North Sumatra. In order to know this folklore, a research was conducted using qualitative methods through field observations, interviews, documentation, and literature studies. As an oral culture and tradition, the legendary Si Gale-Gale folklore has been passed down from generation to generation throughout the Batak Toba generation which is full of values. It is not known when this tradition emerged, but the Toba Batak people believe that this oral tradition arose before the entry of religion into the Toba Batak area. It is known that the Si Gale-Gale folklore provides educational values and role models for the community about the love for the ancestral land and the important role of boys as the next generation according to the system adopted by the Toba Batak community. In its development, this folklore is not only a story that is passed down from generation to generation, but also becomes a cultural tourism offering and attraction for travelers who visit tourist enclaves in the North Sumatra area such as in the tourist area of Lake Toba, especially in the Tomok and Huta areas. Bolon Simanindo, Samosir Regency. In tourist attractions, The statue of Si Gale-Gale as a representation of King Manggale moves staccato or breaks and moves like a dancing person who is driven by a player (dalang) and is accompanied by typical Toba Batak music gondang sabangun.

Indigenous People, Organized Crime and Natural Resources: Borders, Incentives and Relations

This article explores the relationship between the Emberá–Wounaan and Akha Indigenous people and organized crime groups vying for control over natural resources in the Darién Gap of East Panama and West Colombia and the Golden Triangle (the area where the borders of Laos, Myanmar (Burma), and Thailand meet), respectively. From a southern green criminological perspective, we consider how organized crime groups trading in natural resources value Indigenous knowledge. We also examine the continued victimization of Indigenous people in relation to environmental harm and the tension between Indigenous peoples’ ecocentric values and the economic incentives presented to them for exploiting nature. By looking at the history of the coloniality and the socioeconomic context of these Indigenous communities, this article generates a discussion about the social framing of the Indigenous people as both victims and offenders in the illegal trade in natural resources, particularly considering the types of relationships established with dominant criminal groups present in their ancestral lands.

2021 Annual Meeting: CEO and Medical Director Address.

2021 Annual Meeting: CEO and Medical Director Address.

Estate farming and Ndau people’s displacement from Zimbabwe into Mozambique, c.1940-2010

This article focuses on the development of plantation farming close to the Zimbabwe-Mozambique border and its effects on the Ndau people. Colonial incursions on the Zimbabwe/Mozambique border areas resulted in the development of estate farming in the Chimanimani/Chipinge region. European settlements in the borderland led to land expropriation by the colonial state and multi-national companies for estate farming. These estates ranged from natural and exotic forests, coffee, tea to sugarcane plantations. The majority of the plantations lie along the Zimbabwe/Mozambique border. The estates are vast, numerous and cover a significant area of Chimanimani/ Chipinge district. Apart from protecting tree and animal species, the promotion of tourism and provision of employment, the estates have assisted in the development of amenities and infrastructure in the region. In spite of the positives highlighted above, this article argues that the establishment of plantation agriculture displaced the Ndau people from their ancestral lands and pushed them into Mozambique.

The Challenges of Sustainable Livelihoods Through Land Restoration in South Africa

This paper explores the extent to which land ownership through restoration results in non-sustainability in the Nonoti community in South Africa. During the apartheid era, Black communities were evicted from their ancestral land to make way for tourism development, though those lands were later repossessed by their original owners. This study aims at exploring the challenges of post-settlement after land restoration to new landowners in the Nonoti Beach resort. This paper is anchored on the sustainable livelihoods theoretical framework to measure the extent to which land can enhance socio-economic development. This study adopted a qualitative research design using in-depth interviews and focus groups. The sample of this study was drawn from the Nonoti local community members and representatives of the government agencies in charge of land restoration. The study concludes that landowners should be capacitated through training and skills development to live sustainably on the land they have acquired through the land claims process.

The Maya and the Belizean state: 1997-2004

ABSTRACT Like indigenous peoples across the hemisphere, the Maya of southern Belize have long struggled to decolonize their ancestral lands. For over four decades, the ‘Maya movement’ has clashed with the state, yielding mixed results. After a series of favorable court decisions, the Maya communities have won legal claim to their lands. However, the government of Belize has not substantively addressed this decision, and the rural Maya communities of Toledo remain the poorest in the country. This paper analyses one exceptional period, 1997–2004, when the Maya movement aligned itself with progressive state leaders to advance a set of goals, including but not limited to land rights. I argue that a combination of factors made the 1997–2004 conjuncture decisive for shaping present conditions in Toledo.

Diaspora Komunitas Tamil di Sumatera Utara: Antara Menjadi India atau Indonesia

Cultural sustainability refers to inter-and intra-generation access to cultural heritage. The sustainability of non-material culture is complex because it is related to the experiences of cultural groups and is built by actors in their daily lives. Cultural sustainability is important for the diaspora community because it is an attempt to maintain their cultural identity in their communities while not completely losing contact with cultural elements in their ancestral lands. This paper discusses the strategies used by Muslim Tamils ​​in Medan, North Sumatra, The Muslim Tamils ​​in Indonesia use mainly informal strategies in the process of preserving culture. However, technological advances that have increased the ease of travel and communication have also enhanced the communication and closeness of these two communities with other Tamil communities around the world and have helped further the sustainability of art, language, culinary and religious practices. Muslim Tamils ​​in Medan are experiencing a crisis of identity as Tamils ​​because they are Muslim and many cultural identities conflict with Islamic teachings. Cross-ethnic marriage, assimilation with the non-Tamil community is strong enough to influence changes in cultural orientation, the identity that is still embedded in the Tamil Muslim community can only be found in weddings, culinary and some cultural adaptation practices. At the same time, as citizens of descent, they face the construction of a citizenship identity, becoming Tamils ​​who live in Indonesia or become Indonesians as ethnic Tamils.

Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Group (PVTGs) Landscape amidst COVID-19

A polarised society like that of the Vulnerable Tribal Groups suffer profound ineffective social capital as well as blocked pathways of upward mobility in the society. This leads to a vicious poverty trap. The inception of this pandemic has cost these PVTGs even more profound impact. As the lands inhabited by Indigenous Peoples from time immemorial are the only areas in India with healthy forests, rich biodiversity and other natural riches. Their very own ancestral lands are promulgated as the specific target of developing. India’s speedy economic development schemes and programs during the COVID-19 lockdown, Indigenous people then bear the brunt of the most serious challenges by the COVID-19 pandemic. To explore these the connotations, this paper uses a mix of quantitative and cross examining qualitative factors using statistical tools to reach a final conclusion. This would be through employing the newfound econometric analysis of the parameters. Qualitative analysis through patterns of mobility, and confirms the continuation of this pattern of limited upward mobility and a low-level poverty trap. In addition, both parameters would permit a closer look at the crucial role played by social relationships which are often missed out by the profit-surplus entities through adequate evidence of active social instruments of kinship, descent, capital, etc. This would help in delineating an economic sense of these primitive societies to sociability amongst the tribals engaging in labour markets in the urban regions, fostering products in ‘Mandis’ and contract schemes with the government and private entities, elimination of the polarised economic legacy of their ‘savage’ ‘barbaric image’ will ultimately require more proactive efforts.