- For the Akit tribe of Sumatra and countless other Indigenous communities, their land is more than what provides their livelihoods. Rather, it is their past, present, and future, and more than that, it is like their body, a new op-ed explains.
- But the Akit community has steadily seen rights to its territory eroded, as the land continues to fall into the possession of private companies.
- “Respecting Indigenous self-determination is not just a matter of justice, but a journey to a more resilient future,” the authors argue.
- This article is a commentary. The views expressed are those of the authors, not necessarily Mongabay.
For the Akit tribe of Bengkalis and Pelalawan districts in Riau province, on the Indonesian island of Sumatra, land is more than just soil beneath their feet: it is their identity, their lifeblood, and their heritage. As one elder has said, “Adat is like a part of the body, an epitome of blood and heart,” where adat means cultural values passed down through generations, with one of its tangible forms being land.
Embedded within their ancestral land are wisdom, spirituality, and centuries of tradition passed down through generations. This profound connection contrasts sharply with the commodified view of land that has dominated since colonial times, reducing it to an economic resource to be traded and exploited. Their case illustrates how land grabbing perpetuates colonial legacies, threatens Indigenous cultures, and undermines sustainable development efforts. To address these injustices, we must push Indigenous land rights forward and challenge exploitative practices. Immediate action is needed to navigate these injustices through stronger legal protections, community advocacy, and international accountability measures.
A history of marginalization
The Akit people are an Indigenous tribe, or Suku Asli, who trace their lineage to the Malay Peninsula. They were historically sea nomads, living on rafts and navigating rivers and coastlines. Today, they predominantly inhabit North Rupat Island, relying on fishing, handicrafts, and subsistence farming for their livelihood. Their animistic beliefs and deep respect for nature have shaped their sustainable way of life.
Despite their rich cultural heritage, the Akit have faced marginalization and threats on their land from different institutions: corporations, local brokers, and the Indonesian government. These actors prioritize economic gain over cultural and ecological sustainability. In the 1980s, the tribe started to practice agriculture, and began growing sago palm. However, in 1974, they experienced disruption from PT National Timber and Forest Product (NTFP) due to the legal permit given by the government for forest rights. According to Walhi, Indonesia’s biggest environmental advocacy group, at first the disturbance was not significant because the company did not bother peoples’ activities around the concession area, as long as they did not cut down trees. Then, in 2009, the area was transferred to PT National Sago Prima (NSP) without the consent of the Akit tribe.
The issue is not only the companies doing the land grabbing, but also brokers, local landlords, and investors from the district capital, through bondage practices (sales of agricultural products that are not yet harvested) and buying the land at a very low price. The effect is that many of the peoples now only own small parcels of land.
Then, a 2014 wildfire caused the Akit people to be unable to pay their debts, due to their burned cropland. This debt was changed to a land-ownership transfer, so though historically elusive to colonial powers, the Akit now confront modern forces of land acquisition and environmental exploitation that threaten their existence.
A crisis of land grabbing and meaning
Land grabbing is a global phenomenon driven by the commercialization of land for agriculture, biofuel, mining, and carbon trading. In Indonesia, this has reached alarming proportions: as of 2024, only 13.8% of 28.2 million hectares (almost 70 million acres) of Indigenous land has been recognized by the government, while corporations have claimed millions of hectares for plantations and extractive industries.
For Indigenous peoples like the Akit, the consequences are devastating. Land grabbing not only displaces them, but also erodes their cultural fabric. In 2023 alone, more than 2.5 million hectares (6.2 million acres) of Indigenous lands were seized, often accompanied by violence, criminalization, and destruction of homes.
The erosion of Indigenous land rights reflects a broader issue: the reduction of land’s meaning in modern governance. Despite legal victories like the 2012 Constitutional Court ruling recognizing customary forests, implementation remains insufficient and policies such as the Omnibus Law (also known as the Job Creation Act) keep marginalizing Indigenous peoples. Indigenous lands are still classified as state forests, perpetuating a colonial mindset where the state exercises supreme control over natural resources.
For the Akit tribe, this disconnect is profound. The Akit live as fishers, catching fish in the sea, and during stormy seasons they raise livestock and make handicrafts such as woven mats, and roofing materials from sago palm leaves (rumbia), which grow in the forest. As for local wisdom, according to research, the Akit tribe has a mangrove conservation practice.
Yet, their ancestral lands, governed by traditional laws and collective stewardship, are now recast as commodities under national law. This shift undermines not only their autonomy, but also the ecological balance that their practices sustain, such as conservation based on local wisdom and knowledge.
Toward a just resolution
Many of the Akit do not understand land rights or land-grabbing methods. They don’t have educational provisions, and the elderly have never even attended school, so they are easily lured subtly or with coercion into giving away their land. The concrete action that must be taken is through Indigenous land advocacy, by working to recognize Indigenous or customary land rights; improving historical studies since the colonial era to reveal land-grabbing practices that were detrimental to society; and improving policies on Indigenous land. This action must start with advocates and activists for the human rights of Indigenous peoples.
Furthermore, advocacy can involve working with governments, communities, academia and other stakeholders to create and implement regulations and laws. All countries, including Indonesia, have regulations regarding land and must ensure that land that has long been owned by Indigenous people, even before a nation’s independence and laws and policies were formed, is protected.
In this case, international support and collaboration can also play a role in holding the state and corporations accountable and preserving Indigenous territories. Advocating for more comprehensive recognition of Indigenous land rights through legal reforms starts at the village law level, suggesting mechanisms for involving Indigenous peoples in environmental policymaking, and calling for international accountability for corporations involved in land grabbing via international forums.
Indigenous perspectives on land — a view that land is a relative rather than a resource — offer insights for mitigating climate crises strategically, and driving sustainable development. Respecting Indigenous self-determination is not just a matter of justice, but a journey to a more resilient future.
For the Akit tribe and countless Indigenous communities, the land is more than their livelihood. It is their past, present, future, and more than that, it is their body. Hence, protecting the land means safeguarding their identity and their humanity.
Alberta Christina Cahya Pertiwi is an adjunct lecturer and the current secretary of the undergraduate program at the University of Indonesia’s Department of Anthropology. She has more than five years of experience in researching gender, Indigenous peoples, and development issues in regional, national, and international contexts. Nukila Evanty is the chairperson of the Indigenous People’s Initiatives (Inisiasi Masyarakat Adat). She is a member of the Rokan Hilir Indigenous community of Riau, Indonesia, and holds degrees from the University of New South Wales in Australia and the University of Groningen in the Netherlands.
Banner image: Akit tribe residence, Titi Akar Village, North Rupat, Bengkalis, Riau, Indonesia. Image courtesy of Nukila Evanty.
Related audio from Mongabay’s podcast: A conversation about endangered Indigenous languages, life-ways and landscapes with author Jay Griffiths, listen here:
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Citations:
Rumpia, J. R. (2024). Marginalisation of Adat communities: Intersectionality of land grabbing, human rights, climate adaptation, and human mobility in indonesia. In: Jolly, S., Ahmad, N., Scott, M. (eds) Climate-Related Human Mobility in Asia and the Pacific. Sustainable Development Goals Series. Springer, Singapore. doi:10.1007/978-981-97-3234-0_13
Sugiyanto, S., Jalil, A., Asriwandari, H., & Sidiq, R. S. (2022). Mangrove and Akit tribe: Description of value orientation and natural conservation effort. Sosial Budaya, 19(1). doi:10.24014/sb.v19i1.16628
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