The people of Indonesia & their culture, politics, economy and environment - Inside Indonesia: The peoples and cultures of Indonesia

Adat

Gambling with truth

Two Acehnese young women hold up colourful protest signs demanding justice for past human rights violations.

Aceh’s Commission for Truth and Reconciliation has an important, though delicate, mission ahead

‘We are natural-born children, you are adopted’

A small wooden boat is docked on the shore, with two others in the background, in Malifut, North Halmahera. (Yefta Christiono)

Locals contest national citizenship rights in North Maluku

Comes with the territory

A sign next to a dirt road reads in Indonesian, ‘Welcome to the territory of the Kiyu customary forest under Constitutional Court Decree No. 35/PUU-X/2012. THIS IS OUR CUSTOMARY FOREST, NOT STATE FOREST.’

Compromises must be made in the quest for indigeneity among the Dayak Meratus

Traditional village institutions and the Village Law

The Village Law provides recognition for traditional village institutions, but villagers in Bali and Mentawai are not interested

Film review: Bitter Honey

Robert Lemelson’s latest documentary film takes his audience inside the lives of the women, men and children living in polygamous families in Bali

No-take zones

In West Papua province’s Raja Ampat islands, a local fisheries conservation initiative is setting a global standard

Time bomb in Bali

A culture that suppresses conflict disguises decades-long tensions in Balinese communities

Sympathy for the Devil

Pining for the certainty of the Suharto era

Land, ethnicity and politics

Direct local elections have led to new developments in the struggle for land rights in East Kalimantan

Fighting over the land and forest

Century-old conflicts persist in the vast tracts of Indonesia that are designated as state forest

Land and social justice

Communities struggle for access while reforms run aground

The trouble with oil palm

Conflicts between villagers and plantation companies in Sumatra are still unresolved

Not just a piece of paper

The state’s requirements for marriage registration disadvantage poor rural women

Beyond the Museum

Asmat bisj-poles gain new meaning in a Papuan refugee protest in Melbourne

Papua road map

Conflict resolution should move from a security to a justice approach

The end of fasting

Evolving performances at Hari Raya celebrations are a window into deeper cultural change

How strong is local tradition in the face of the modern state?ARIANNE VAN DER MEER attends a ceremony in Sumatra's Minangkabau area, famous for its matrilineal culture. She finds that the cultural symbols do survive. But they are now also tools in the hands of the central government.

Permeable border

Indonesian fishermen whose traditional fishing grounds are in Australian waters may have a Mabo-style claim, says CAMPBELL WATSON.

Living in peace

The village of Oelua proves that Indonesians can live with difference.

Community justice

Why do people in Banyuwangi kill ‘sorcerers’?

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Lontar Modern Indonesia

A selection of stories from the Indonesian classics and modern writers, periodically published free for Inside Indonesia readers, courtesy of Lontar.