Part of the
Long Uli Village land is inside a designated forest concession
area, with the rest inside the Kayan Mentarang Nature Reserve. The
villagers claim that it is their customary land, that they have
lived there fore generations, and have managed the forest resources
sustainably according to their traditional knowledge.
The objective
of this study was to map the Long Uli Village customary land using
oral history, traditional knowledge, and sketch maps, verified with
global positioning systems (GPS). A geographic information system
(GIS) was used to overlay the village maps with other official
land-use maps in order to clarify the land boundary
conflict.
The
Mapping Process
Villagers' participation.
The process
of mapping customary land requires the participation of many
members of the community. Some villagers know more than others do
about aspects of their history. For example, as younger people
attend school and spend less time on the land with the elders, they
do not learn the important cultural sites or the subtleties of the
traditional resource use or tenure pattern.
Depending on
how it is done, the mapping process can aggravate boundary disputes
with neighboring villages, or it can resolve them. In this case,
meetings were held, and a consensus was reached regarding
boundaries.
Literature search.
Background
research was carried out on the anthropology, ecology, and
traditional resource-management practices in the area. Statistical
data were also obtained from the district office.
Sketch
maps and interviews.
The villagers
worked closely with researchers from the Worldwide Fund for Nature
to record traditional resource management and customary boundaries
on a sketch map. Once the villagers had shown the researchers the
important sites relating to resource use and land boundaries, the
researchers located the sites on a topographical map, using compass
triangulation and altimeter readings. Additional data about
resource management were recorded in field notes. The oral history
of migrations was also drawn on a sketch map. This process involved
interviews with individuals and groups. An initial survey helped
the researchers to understand village dynamics and to select
research assistants and informants. Information was recorded and
cross-checked with other informants.
Surveying with Global Positioning
Systems.
Villagers
acted as guides to take researchers to the places on the sketch
map. GPS positions were recorded at the protected lands, the
village road, several hidden areas, along rivers, at the mouth of
rivers, and at important cultural sites. Because the outer boundary
of the village was too large to walk around, GPS positions were
taken at key points, and the topographic map was used to
extrapolate. Altimeter readings were also taken at each point. Over
a period of 10 days, 117 GPS positions were collected.
GIS
Operations.
The GPS data
were entered into a Geographic Information System (GIS), and a map
was plotted that could be overlaid with a variety of land-use maps
used by the Forest Department. The objective of the GIS analysis
was to identify the position of the customary land boundary and the
amount of overlap with the forest concession, the nature reserve,
and other land classifications.
Finally, the
village map was displayed for easy interpretation by the villagers
and other decision makers.
Based on
Martua Thomas Sirait, Mapping Customary Land: A Case Study in
Long Uli Village,
East Kalimantan, Indonesia,
1996.