Indigenous Communities' Struggle to Defend Their Ancestral Lands

Antonius Toni regularly travels 72 kilometers from his village in East Nusa Tenggara to the Maumere District Court, a journey fraught with financial strain, to defend his community's ancestral land. Toni, a member of the Soge Natarmage indigenous community, is embroiled in a legal battle after Kristus Raja Maumere, a company linked to the Diocese of Maumere, accused him and two others of trespassing.

"I spend about Rp100,000 (around US$5.5) on public transportation for each trip," Toni stated, highlighting the significant burden on his farming family. The land dispute intensified in 2023 when Kristus Raja Maumere obtained a renewed cultivation rights permit. Armed with this permit, the company moved to claim land the Soge Natarmage people consider their customary territory.

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I spend about Rp100,000 (around US$5.5) on public transportation for each trip.

The conflict escalated in January 2025 when hundreds of Soge Natarmage homes, including Toni's, were demolished. "I've lived in Nangahale village for 62 years, yet I was driven out of my own home," Toni lamented, referring to the house that sheltered his wife and two children.

This case underscores the persistent struggle of indigenous communities in Indonesia to safeguard their ancestral lands against corporate interests. Despite government commitments to finalize customary forest designations, land grabs continue, illustrating a complex and often contentious relationship between development, legal permits, and the rights of indigenous peoples.

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I’ve lived in Nangahale village for 62 years, yet I was driven out of my own home.