Hutan Adat Imbo Putui

Petapahan Village is one of the villages located in Tapung District, Kampar Regency. As its name suggests, this village is situated on the banks of the Tapung Kiri River and is surrounded by the Petapahan River. The Petapahan River flows to the north of the customary forest, with a length of approximately (3.96) km, while the Tapung River is 700 meters from the customary forest. The Tapung River is the estuary of the Petapahan River. According to stories from the elders, the name Petapahan comes from two different interpretations: (1) Petapahan comes from the word "pertapaan" meaning a place for meditation, as this place was once used for meditation by people from Muara Takus. (2) Petapahan means a place where the ‘tapah’ fish is always present, as this river was once a breeding ground for tapah fish, known by the Tapung community as ‘main fish’. The tapah fish is a type of river fish that is the largest, with weights reaching 100 Kg per fish, and most commonly between 7-20 kg per fish. Petapahan is one of the oldest villages among others—being an ancient settlement, no one knows exactly the month and year this village was established. It is said that this village existed long before the Srivijaya era or around the time of the construction of the Muara Takus Temple.

According to the elders, Petapahan Village was founded by the Kampai clan led by Datuok Siberani. It is said that the Kampai clan always faced obstacles from Imbang when they wanted to ‘clear the forest’ to establish a settlement. The obstacle they faced was a forest that often regrew as it was every time the community cleared land. Datuok Siberani was confronted by the Jin Nation Datuok Ali Boce and a tiger figure named Datuok Dubalang who regrew every tree that was cut down. The tiger asked, the forest is their home, but why are the trees being cut down? After deliberation, the two Datuks challenged Datuok Siberani to stay awake for a week. With determination and the cleverness of a human mind, and always invoking the Power of the Almighty God, Datuok Siberani succeeded in winning the challenge. Finally, Datuok Ali Boce alias the Jin nation and Datuok Imbang alias the Tiger fulfilled their promise and gave the community the opportunity to build Petapahan Village. Datuok Ali Boce and Datuok Imbang along with their followers were allowed to live and inhabit the forest area called ‘Imbo Putui’. Before moving to ‘Imbo Putui’, they asked Datuok Siberani to promise that he and his descendants who inherit the village must continue to do good. “If not, we will return.” said Datuok of the Jin nation and the tiger figure. Since then, the community has lived and thrived in the area of Petapahan Village, while the ‘Imbo Putui’ forest was designated as a customary prohibition forest through customary agreement.

The establishment of the settlement in Petapahan Village by the Kampai Tribe caused other tribes to come and live in this area. Until now, there are no less than 8 out of 5 clans inhabiting the Petapahan Village area. Each tribe is led by a datuk and Datuk Majo Indo is appointed as the Chief Datuk in the Petapahan Kanagarian. The leaders of each tribe in Petapahan are: (1) Domo Tribe, originating from the Muara Takus kingdom with the tribal chief titled Datuk Majo Indo (Majo Indo comes from the words Maharajo Indo/Hinduj; (2) Peliang Tribe, originating from Minangkabau with the tribal chief titled Datouk Suro Dirajo (Totan Raja Bermusyawarah); (3) Peranakan Tribe, originating from Bugis with the tribal chief titled Datuok Setia Pahlawan; (4) Kampai Tribe originating from Kampar with the tribal chief titled Datuok Tenaro; (5) Original Malay Tribe, their tribe is also called the Malay tribe and their tribal chief is titled Datuk Senaro; (6) Descendants of Arabs/Yemen, this group is the descendants of the Prophet Muhammad who are titled Said for men and Syarifah for women. Each tribe in the Petapahan Kenegerian has members with the title Said and Syarifah. These six tribes are the indigenous inhabitants of Petapahan Village, although each has a different history, none of the tribes claim to be the original tribe, and they all consider themselves indigenous people with none considered as migrants.

Based on historical accounts, the Indigenous People of Petapahan Kenegerian have the Imbo Putui area which is mandated as a customary prohibition forest to be well preserved so that Datuok Ali Boce alias the Jin nation and Datuok Imbang alias the Tiger do not return to disturb their lives. This area is referred to as the Imbo Putui Customary Forest which contains biodiversity and water recharge sources. Imbo Putui itself means ‘Rimbo Putus’ which comes from the word “decision” or “verdict”—this relates to the past story that Imbo Putui was a place to make decisions for someone deemed worthy to become a king. It is said that every prospective king must come to Petapahan to meditate in the forest until ‘his knowledge is severed’ and he can exit from the forest.

The Imbo Putui Customary Forest is managed through generations by the Indigenous People of Petapahan Kenegerian and is part of the customary territory of Petapahan Kenegerian. The youth of the indigenous community (the children of the Indigenous People of Petapahan Kenegerian) have the initiative to protect the Imbo Putui area officially from the state. They are worried and afraid of occurrences such as massive illegal logging in Imbo Putui. Therefore, all the Indigenous People of Petapahan Kenegerian strive to gain recognition and official protection from the state. In the process of assistance or advocacy, the Indigenous People of Petapahan Kenegerian are supported by external parties, such as: the Kampar Regency Government, the Alliance of Indigenous Peoples of the Archipelago Kampar (AMAN Kampar), Pelopor Sehati, Bahtera Alam, and the World Resources Institute (WRI).

The Indigenous People of Petapahan Kenegerian utilize non-timber forest products from the Imbo Putui Customary Forest such as Kulim Fruit for traditional cooking spices. However, its collection is also limited according to the permission of the managing institution. In addition, the community also utilizes the craft of Petapahan's special serving covers. The utilization of fruits in the forest is adjusted according to the permission of Ninik Mamak of Petapahan Kenegerian. In general, the Imbo Putui Customary Forest is communally owned and cannot be sold.

In the utilization of the Imbo Putui Customary Forest, the Indigenous People of Petapahan Kenegerian are given limited space to access the natural resources within it with permission from the customary forest managers and Ninik Mamak. This is done to preserve the natural wealth and ecosystems present in Imbo Putui. The history of the protection of the Imbo Putui Customary Forest began in the 1980s when there was massive illegal logging. At that time, the children of the Petapahan Kenegerian were worried about the loss of the natural forest. Until now, only 251 Ha remain after the granting of HPH, HTI, and palm oil plantation concessions.

The regulations in the management of the Imbo Putui Customary Forest are mostly passed down through generations, but some have been documented in the RPHA (Customary Forest Management Plan) document. The management of the Imbo Putui Customary Forest is based on customary law that applies to protect the prohibition forest from irresponsible individuals, especially loggers. This customary law does not regard social status, but rather “tibo dipowuik ndak dikompin tiba di mata ndak ka bapiciong,” which means “without discrimination.”

The indigenous community has its own mechanism for resolving conflicts and imposing sanctions, making recovery effective. Supervision of the Customary Forest is carried out by Dubalang from each tribe and the involvement of the indigenous community itself. Decisions are made through consensus deliberation, according to the customary saying: “Jan la tabului lo daulu, baghu kodo malantai” which means “everything done must be preceded by deliberation to reach consensus.”

Management Institution of the Petapahan Kenegerian Customary Forest

The institution responsible for managing the Imbo Putui Customary Forest is the Management Institution of the Petapahan Kenegerian Customary Forest (LPHA Kenegerian Petapahan). The organizational structure of LPHA is as follows:

1. Chairperson: Leads, develops LPHA, and is accountable to Ninik Mamak and coordinates with the village government regarding the formulated programs.
2. Ninik Mamak: Advisor and holder of customary forest control rights. Has the right to intervene if there are customary violations.
3. Village Head: Supervisor to ensure that the goals and duties of LPHA are well implemented.
4. Treasurer: Manages the finances and assets of the institution and is accountable to the chairperson.
5. Secretary: Organizes institutional administration and conducts organizational activities.
6. Head of Utilization and Environmental Services: Designs and implements strategies for utilizing forest products and developing customary forest ecotourism.
7. Head of Conservation, Supervision, and Protection: Responsible for the conservation, supervision, and protection of the customary forest.
8. Head of Research and Development: Conducts research related to flora and fauna and institutional development.
9. Head of Socio-Cultural and Environmental Programs: Develops socio-cultural and environmental programs, including education and socialization.

Sanction Rules for Violations

The following are the rules regarding the mechanism for imposing sanctions for violations of timber theft or destruction of customary forests:

1. Reports from forest guards or children of the clan who witness timber theft to Ninik Mamak.
2. The reporter, Village Party, and Ninik Mamak go to the Scene of the Incident (TKP).
3. A group is formed to search for the perpetrator and the stolen timber.
4. After data and facts about the perpetrator are found, Ninik Mamak will meet with the uncle of the perpetrator.
5. The uncle is informed to bring the nephew to meet Ninik Mamak at the Customary Hall.
6. The perpetrator is asked for information and confession in front of the Ninik Mamak about the timber theft.
7. The Village and Ninik Mamak will negotiate to decide the case.
8. After the negotiation, the Village and Ninik Mamak will impose sanctions on the perpetrator.

The management and protection of the Imbo Putui Customary Forest area have contributed to the preservation of the forest ecosystem and the protection of the biodiversity within it. The Indigenous People of Petapahan Kenegerian have consciously committed to protecting these two areas due to the cultural and historical values they believe in carrying the mandate to protect the forest. In addition, the Imbo Putui Customary Forest is closely related to the identity of the Indigenous People of Petapahan Kenegerian. The Imbo Putui Customary Forest is part of the Customary Territory of Petapahan Kenegerian. Thus, the relationship between the Indigenous People of Petapahan Kenegerian and the Imbo Putui Customary Forest and all the natural resources within it is an inseparable unity. The existence of the Imbo Putui Customary Forest cannot be separated from the dignity and honor of the indigenous people in Petapahan Kenegerian. The Indigenous People of Petapahan Kenegerian have committed to protecting Imbo Putui from threats and dangers that may come. Through the local knowledge of the Indigenous People of Petapahan Kenegerian and their life relations with the forest, they think about the future and fate of the next generation who will also depend on the forest for their livelihood. This is done as an effort to protect the water sources in the forest and the biodiversity such as the timber within it from depletion.

The local knowledge of the community is also utilized as a means of ecotourism. The Imbo Putui Customary Forest has the potential to attract and bring interest to tourists to visit and enjoy the natural atmosphere available in the Imbo Putui Customary Forest—of course, if managed and utilized properly. Ninik Mamak and Village Officials believe that sustainable tourism is the most promising potential that can be developed in the Imbo Putui Customary Forest. Its development must adhere to the principles and concepts of Ecotourism, which is tourism that presents knowledge about conservation values and culture in preserving and conserving nature and its environment. The development of Ecotourism can provide significant benefits in maintaining the forest's function as a source of life for the community in ecological, economic, and socio-cultural aspects as well as being a home for the wildlife that lives within it.

The biodiversity present in the Imbo Putui Customary Forest area consists of various types of timber, medicinal/herbal plants, and fauna. The types of timber available include Meranti, Medang, Pitatar, Pelangas, Petai, kulim, resak, Tembosu, Kruing, Jelutung, Kompe, Mpuyan, Damar, Ubegh, Gaharu, and others (attached in the Customary Forest Management Plan Document). Then, the types of medicinal/herbal plants include: Sundak Langit (Medicine for Back Pain), Pasak Bumi (Medicine for Joints, Malaria, Appetite), Kombang Simangkuak (Medicine for Internal Heat), Galinggang (Medicine for Ringworm), Kulim Fruit (Poison Medicine, Kitchen Spice), Kaduduak Leaves (Medicine for Wounds), Sitobal Leaves (Medicine for internal heat, pain, fever). Tampui Fruit, Cibodak, Idan. And various types of fauna, such as: Bears, Deer, Sambar Deer, Monkeys, Mouse Deer, Tapir, Forest Goats, Monkeys, Siamang, Ungko, Wild Boar, Punai, Green Magpie, Hornbill, Kingfisher, Boba, Sipoca, Green Viper Snake, King Cobra, Cobra, Python, Tiwuang Snake, Lidi Snake, Water Snake, Squirrel. And various types of fish: Bawuang, Tapah, Pantau, Catugh, Limbek, Labilabi, Turtles, Frogs, (attached in the Imbo Putui RPHA Document of Petapahan Kenegerian).

The Indigenous People of Petapahan Kenegerian have a special regulation that governs their recognition and protection as a subject of rights and recognition of the protected area, namely the Imbo Putui Customary Forest through the Decree of the Kampar Regent Number 660-491/X/2018 concerning the Establishment of the Indigenous Law Community of Petapahan Kenegerian and Recognition of the Imbo Putui Customary Forest of Petapahan Village, Tapung District, Kampar Regency. After going through the registration and verification process with the Regional Government and the Central Government, President Joko Widodo directly handed over the Customary Forest SK in February 2020, affirming that the Indigenous People of Petapahan Kenegerian have full rights over the ownership and management of the Imbo Putui Customary Forest. The struggle of the Indigenous People of Petapahan Kenegerian did not stop with the recognition of the Imbo Putui Customary Forest by the Ministry of Environment and Forestry of the Republic of Indonesia with Number SK 7503/MENLHKPSKL/PKTH/KUM.1/9/2019.

The Indigenous People of Petapahan Kenegerian have an action plan/follow-up plan to protect and maintain the managed area with their commitment to strive:

1. Strengthening the Imbo Putui Customary Forest Patrol Team;
2. Forming Pokdarwis and training members from the children of the indigenous youth of Petapahan Kenegerian;
3. Strengthening the management of the customary forest to provide economic value for the Petapahan Kenegerian community, especially for the Customary Forest Managers.