ABSTRACT
In many ways the motto for the Second Congress of Archipelagic Indigenous Peoples reflects the transition of the indigenous peoples’ movement in Indonesia from an emphasis upon gaining government acknowledgement to operationalizing social and political articulation. The resounding call of the first congress had been the declaration, ‘If the state will not acknowledge us, then we will not acknowledge the state [Kalau negara tidak mengakui kami, kamipun tidak akan mengakui negara]’ (Down to Earth 1999: 3), echoed numerous times throughout the subsequent years. Indeed, the demand for acknowledgement (pengakuan) remained the leitmotif summarizing the various demands articulated by the leadership of AMAN (Aliansi Masyarakat Adat Nusantara, Alliance of Indigenous Peoples of the Archipelago) leadership in the context of the worldwide struggle of indigenous peoples for recognition of their rights, especially those over land and other natural resources (AMAN 2003: 13). However, despite this declaration providing a constant refrain throughout the second congress as well (and indeed always eliciting the choral response: Hidup masyarakat adat! , ‘Long live indigenous people!’), this second congress sought to transcend the original call for recognition and focus on the practical problems of implementing programmes that would actually ensure not only such recognition but also respect and legal protection for the rights of Indonesian ‘indigenous societies’.3
