Analysis of Cultural Landscape in Forest Management by Indigenous People of Sahu Indigenous people in West Halmahera Regency, North Moluccas Province
Abstract
Traditional and cultural landscape has a conservation value that is linked to the continuance of traditions, so that the landscape doesn’t only exist for functional or visual, aesthetic reasons but also has a responsibility to local culture. The aim o f this research was to (1) determine the relationship between education level, age, amount of family expenses and land area on income level, (2) determine the existence of native land rights for the Sahu indigenous group, (3) determine community perception of the importance of cultural landscape organisation in forest management, (4) formulate a concept to conserve cultural landscape in forest management. This research was done using the descriptive research method with a quantitative and qualitative approach. Analysis of the chisquare showed that factors outside of the land had an influence on the level of community income, while general factors, like education and amount of family expenses did not. The Sahu ethnic group had traditional land rights in fore st management because of community agreement through the traditional legal council. This council satisfied the specific characteristics on the subject of native rights, existence of specific boundaries of the land as lebensraum which is an object of native rights, and the existence of a traditional, legal community authority to take specific steps. In macro the organisation of the landscape in the area covered by the Sahu ethnic group is divided into forest, housing and agricultural areas. The forest area surrounds the agricultural land and the residential area. In micro, the arrangement of the cultural landscape which surrounds the housing area is classified by the local community as Bangan, La’lat , raki, jerame dansosoki . Continuity of the organisation of t he cultural landscape in forest management appears in quadrant 1. This position demonstrates that continuity of the cultural landscapein forest management faces some threats but stilll has internal strength.
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Introduction
Landscape is an area of earth which has a complex system including rocks, water, air, plants, animals and people and its physiognomy creates a whole which can be recognised. Indonesia is renowned for its variety of cultures and ethnic groups complete with all of the cultural attributes. Culture is the characteristics, identity or uniqueness of a country or its people. Forest is a natural source of potential which has as a very important role in continuity of development.
The indigenous Sahu group are a traditional group who live in and around the forest which they manage from one generation to the next. The siting of the village beside the edge of the forest allows the Sahu people to make use of the forest resources to met th eir daily requirements. The ancestors of this indigenous group have already bequeathed the land and its abundant natural resources to them; however the group has been badly treated by the policy of accommodating investors like PT Oro Kni Global (Mining Com pany C) which has dominated the tribal Sahu land area. The concern about the consequences for the continuation of indigenous Sahu management of the forest is the background of this research. It is hoped that this research will provide a basis for preservation of the characteristics of land and forest management by the Sahu indigenous group of an area which is unique in its own right. The research aimed to:
1. Analyse social -economic aspects of forest management by the Sahu indigenous community
2. Determine the existence of tribal rights of the Sahu indigenous people
3. Determine community perception about the importance of traditional forest management compare to importance of other land use
4. Formulate a strategy for conservation of the terrain through forest management by the Sahu indigenous group
Conclusion
- Results of the analysis of the sosio -economic aspects using the chi square test in the three research villages, showed that amount of land affected community income while general factors like education level and amount of family expenses didn’t affect income level.
- The Sahu indigenous people have rights over their traditional region in forest management due to community unity and the existence of institutions which maintain the strength of the traditions; there is a clear, lawful, traditional area; there are institutions for strengthening traditions, there are legal practitioners for specific traditional processes in regard to harvesting from the forest for people’s daily needs
- The continuity of the cultural landscape of forest management is in quadrant 1 which shows there arreseceral threats but still has internal strength