The Meaning of Land for the Malind Community

For example, they can determine fertile and infertile land simply by observing the types of plants, the shape of the stems, or the color of the leaves of plants growing in a place. They also understand the right day or time to start gardening. To begin the planting season, they rely on the wind season or the fruiting season of certain plants. At certain times, they know when to conduct forest burning just by looking at the wind direction to protect the villages.

The sense of ownership of communal land and forests can be understood, as the life of the Malind community is indeed inseparable from the forest. Almost all aspects of their life originate from and depend on the forest, including in terms of medicine. Indeed, some residents can now access modern medicine from medical personnel in the village, but the Malind community hunting in the forest still uses natural medicinal foundations. The basic ingredients come from the forest (ethnobotany) which is abundant and easy to obtain. For example, when they process sago and someone falls ill, they perform traditional healing.

There are several tribes in the Malind community, and the largest tribe is the Mayo, who believe in Totemism. This tribe consists of various sub-tribes called Malind Anim, meaning Mayo people. One of them is the Gebze clan. This clan is associated with land, stones, and all animals that live symbiotically with coconuts. Other clans are similar.

Some reasons for mapping are that the tribes have long inhabited the Malind region for generations and are very familiar with their surroundings. Additionally, newcomers should also learn about the environment as they are responsible for ongoing development. The results of mapping important places of the Malind Anim tribe in Merauke can be seen on the map.

In the past, residents would feel ashamed if they violated customary laws. Actions considered violations of customary laws related to environmental protection include forest fires when clearing villages, intentionally burning forests, poisoning fish with tuba roots in rivers without the knowledge of the village owner, damaging other people's villages, hunting animals excessively for sale, and others.

The Malind community believes that if the entire environment is destroyed, all living creatures will die and become extinct. Starting from small animals to large ones, then humans will also die and become extinct. Such environmental conservation is not new to indigenous communities, as it is already present in the teachings of the "four winds."

If a child is born in their communal villages, the child will have a strong connection with the village where they were born, as their birth is witnessed by the ancestral spirits. By maintaining the communal villages, the Malind community also believes that the ancestral spirits will protect them from danger or illness.

The rules include prohibiting the capture of birds of paradise or other birds unless for customary purposes. It is forbidden to burn forests indiscriminately. It is forbidden to cut down trees or hunt game animals excessively, especially those related to the symbols of certain clans or totems. If they still cut down, there is an obligation to replant more than what was cut down.

Based on participatory mapping conducted in Kaliki Village, the boundaries of Kaliki Village are recorded. To the West, it borders Domande Village and Sinegi Village. To the North, it borders Wayau Village and Bad Village. To the East, it borders Wapeko Village, Salor Village, and Kumbe Village. To the South, it borders Kaiburse Village and Onggari Village.

The natural resources potential in Kaliki is utilized by the community to meet daily needs. There are sago groves, places for hunting animals, rivers, and swamps for fishing. To preserve these places, the Kaliki village community has a habit of hunting or gathering. This activity is not done all the time, but only at certain times.

There are several sanctions for those who violate the rules of utilizing natural resources considered sacred. If someone steals sago plants in another clan's village, they must compensate by planting new sago as much as was cut down, or replace it with the same amount of processed sago. Additionally, there is compensation in the form of money, the amount of which is determined by custom. If someone takes another clan's communal land, they are required to raise a pig from a young age until it matures. After that, the person who demands it is given the right to kill the pig and eat it together in a traditional ceremony.

The community's initiative to manage the forest sustainably and legally began with a meeting between WWF Indonesia and Agustinus Kanki Balagaize, a community leader, in 2005. From this meeting, the community wanted to manage the forest with WWF's assistance to gain higher economic benefits while still considering sustainability and protection aspects both traditionally and legally.

For generations, the Balagaize clan has maintained the balance of their communal forest, which is now used as a model for sustainable forest management by the community. From there, a working group for forest product management was formed, named Mo Make Unaf, which means let's walk or let's move forward. The communal ownership of the Balagaize Kaliki clan began with the arrival of their first ancestor, Widui. When he first arrived in this area, Widui settled in Samta Village. In this village, there are their relics in the form of a grave, which is still believed to be Widui's dwelling place. They also believe they can call Widui's spirit to communicate.

All of this is preserved and maintained by the people in Kaliki Village. Respect or appreciation for the clan is by not disturbing or damaging the forest around the grave.

Besides community logging, Mo Make Unaf members also agreed to protect and secure their area, especially important places they call ICCAs. The ICCA location name is Sumok, an acronym for Samta, Upip, Mahek, Oyam, and Kwafran, which are the names of sacred places and ancestral journeys of the communal landowners. By protecting these places, the community wants to ensure food and medicine sources, as well as honor their ancestors. Additionally, this area is a habitat for various protected flora and fauna needed by the community.

Source: The Long Journey of the Community for Conservation and Living Space: 15 Stories of Indigenous Community Conservation in Indonesia (ICCAs)