Story
March 13, 2022
The Hope Is for the State To Return the “Heart” of the Mapur People (bahasa Indonesia)
Country:
After political reforms in Indonesia in 1998, about 13,565 hectares of forest belonging to the state...
This story excerpt was translated from bahasa Indonesia. To read the original story in full, visit Mongabay. You may also view the original story on the Rainforest Journalism Fund website here. Our website is available in English, Spanish, bahasa Indonesia, French, and Portuguese.
Asih Harmoko [40] was silent for a moment when asked about the customary forest of the Mapur Tribe in Aik Abik Hamlet, Gunung Muda Village, Bangka Regency, Bangka Belitung Islands. He took a breath. “There is no customary forest in this village. Everything has become an oil palm field," he said in early February 2022.
"This hamlet used to be surrounded by forests and kelekak [orchards such as durian, cempedak, and mangosteen]. Various trees are growing," said Asih, who since 2019 has been chairman of the Mapur Indigenous Institute [LAM].
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He recounts his childhood and adolescence, often invited by his late grandfather [Atuk Amin] and his father [Saini Pangilan Aku], to his family's garden in Benak, the customary forest of the Mapur Tribe at the foot of Pelawan Mountain [300 meters].
