Indigenous Peoples and Their Future Challenges

Closing the year of 2016, indigenous peoples in Indonesia got a ‘present’ from President Joko Widodo (Jokowi). The government stipulated 13.122 hectare of indigenous (adat) forest in eight areas and one addendum of concession area. However, this achievement is still below expectation of some NGOs that work in indigenous issues, particularly AMAN that claimed around 8,23 million hectares of indigenous forests (Kompas, 2017). Despite it still below expectation, this policy taken by the government has legally recognized the living adat law and indigenous peoples’ rights within their customary areas. It is still a breakthrough. Moreover, it is also important to note that this victorious moment of indigenous peoples is earned through a long history of advocacy and reform strategies.