Desi Anwar: Losing a Language

Jakarta Globe, Desi Anwar, April 30, 2010

According to an article in The New York Times, New York City is home to as many as 800 languages, many of them in danger of disappearing. This makes it a laboratory of world languages in decline. As official national languages tend to domi n ate because they are a country’s main tongue and English creeps into even the most remote corners of the world, many local languages are fast dying out.

New York, on the other hand, finds itself a Tower of Babel for all sorts of exotic languages and dialects brought in by immigrants who keep their languages alive, at least while there are enough people around who remember how to speak them.

Bukhari, a Persian language spoken by the Bukharian Jews of Central Asia, has more speakers in Queens than in Uzbekistan, the article said. Daniel Kaufman, a professor of linguistics at the City University of New York has addressed the problem by starting the Endangered Language Alliance to research the city’s exotic tongues. Kaufman found, for example, Husni Husain, 67, who speaks Mamuju, a language of West Sulawesi, which he learned as a child.

A large number of ethnic languages are fast disappearing as the original native speakers grow old and die, burying their languages with them. Efforts are being made by Kaufman and the alliance to record and identify these dying languages, which often have no written form, and to encourage native speakers to teach them to compatriots.

It’s always sad to hear about anything dying out. A language can only last, develop and thrive if it is used. In an increasingly globalized world, many languages are becoming strangers in their own homelands as indigenous cultures become marginalized and perhaps even abandoned altogether. Betawi used to be the spoken language in Jakarta. Now it is rarely heard except in the fringes among low-income native Jakartans. People living in Jakarta speak Bahasa Indonesia, except when they’re at home with their parents or back in their home villages.

Many of us are now brought up in a multicultural environment speaking or exposed to different languages through mixed marriages, upbringing, education and our social environment.

A language is a window to an identity, the speaker’s culture, character and tradition, even his or her general temperament, sense of humor and values. However, when the language you speak is different from that of your parents, that sense of continuity diminishes.

When my parents were alive they would speak to each other solely in the West Sumatran Minang language. Being born and raised in Bandung and having never been to their villages in West Sumatra, I naturally assumed it was their own special language, as everybody else around spoke the local Sundanese dialect or Indonesian with a Sundanese accent. My parents spoke to me in Bahasa. When we moved to England, they continued to speak to each other in Minang, while they switched to English with me as my Bahasa diminished with the passing years. So while my parents continued to hold on to their identity until they died, Minang through and through, I was not so clear.

I speak Bahasa to the family, but if people ask me where I’m from, if they are Indonesian I always say I’m Minang. I understand the Minang language. But I don’t speak it and have never lived where it’s spoken. My stomach cannot even tolerate the region’s spicy food.

Meanwhile, I have a niece who lives in Taiwan and speaks Mandarin, and another studying French in Paris. My sisters definitely don’t speak to them in Minang. No one among us professes any desire to live in the home village, though we are fiercely proud of it.

My good friend has an even more complicated identity. Her father is Batak from North Sumatra and speaks Batak with people from his side of the family, while her mother is German. She understands German when her mother speaks to her but rarely responds in that language. Similarly, she understands a bit of Batak but doesn’t really speak it and has never lived in the region. The languages she feels comfortable conversing in are Bahasa and English. She describes herself as either Batak or German whenever it is to her advantage, but for the most part, she feels neither.

As more and more of the older generation in the villages pass away, and more and more of the younger generation settle in the cities to work and raise their families, it is only a matter of time before local languages fade away for good — perhaps until they are rediscovered by a professor in New York who’s compiling a list of endangered languages.

Desi Anwar is a senior anchor and writer. She can be contacted at www.desianwar.com and www.dailyavocado.net.

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Papua coast key of Austronesian culture

Antara News, Wednesday, April 28, 2010 22:44 WIB

Jayapura (ANTARA News) - Papua`s southern coastal areas are quite strategic for the entry and development of Austronesian culture.

Researcher of the Jayapura Archeological Institute Hari Suroto said here Wednesday Papua is geographically the most western part of the Pacific connecting Southeast Asia and the Pacific.

"This point is a strategic area for migration traffic from the west to the east," ujarnnya.

Hari said many archeological factors and sustainable forms of culture found in Papua`s coastal areas indicated the presence of Austronesian culture in Indonesia`s most eastern parts.

Austronesian culture, he added, is known and spread by nations using Austronesian dialects in areas between Madagaskar in the west, to Easter Island (in the Pasific) in the east, and Formosa in the north.

The result of archeological research shows that the areas in Papua which speak Melanesian are Yapen island, Raja Ampat regency, Biak, Waropen, and the areas of Wandamen Bay, the coastal areas of Cenderawasih Bay, the most eastern part of Papua island from Sorong regency to the south along Sele strait coastal region, Bintuni Bay, Arguni Bay, to the coastal regions of Etna Bay.

Papua people lived in Fak-fak and Raja Ampat regencies, and Yotefa, Waena and Sentani bays north of Jayapura, also applied communal organization based on the hierarchical system under which the leaders are their descendants.

Such culture is not found in the Central Mountains who considered their fellowman equal.

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Building Papua from within

The Jakarta Post, Emanuel Dapa Loka, CONTRIBUTOR, JAKARTA | Sun, 04/25/2010 3:14 PM

Despite the lingering image of the people of Papua being "backward", the land of the bird of paradise has always attracted various circles. Is it just the "backwardness" that has been a magnet for outsiders? If your answer is yes, then the next question is why? Papua is not the only poor region in Indonesia. What makes Papua unique?

It is the abundant natural wealth of Papua. Ironically, these natural endowments have apparently been increasingly taken from the Papuan people, who can no longer benefit from them themselves. Take Freeport Indonesia for example. Everybody knows the giant mining company takes various mineral products from Papuan soil, for profit. But the Papuans do not profit from this.

Starvation, which occasionally leads to tragic deaths, has often been reported in the mass media in Papua, for example the Yahukimo tragedy several years ago.

Like chickens dying in a granary, this ironic fact has led to various "uprisings" often linked to a separatist movement. This is always regarded by the Indonesian government as an act that should be repressed. And it seems these repressive measures have been the weapon of the government in dealing with such "rebellions" in Papua.

The territorial approach thus far applied by the government in developing Papua should be abandoned. Papua is only maintained territorially while the welfare of its population is consciously neglected. The implementation of special autonomy for Papua based on Law No.21/2001 and Government Regulation No.5/2007 has not satisfied the indigenous people's expectations. The development fund for Papua, claimed by the government to be substantial, has failed to promote their wellbeing.

Therefore, even if it's rather late, the only way for the government is to change the paradigm or approach in the development or empowerment of Papuan people. Papua has to be developed from within, beginning with local potential and human resources.

Those visiting the region such as NGOs, religious groups and even public officials should think about developing the local potential along with local people as well. This means no visitors should think like Santa Claus or experts who "impose" new ideas to be followed or adopted by local communities.

Any mistaken strategy will make all their well-intended aid go to waste and be problematic. It should also be realized that Papuans will in future be masters of their land and the resources they own.

In other words, they need to be assisted in identifying their inherent potential and exploit it for their own benefit. Later, various improvisations should be introduced in a gradual manner, to make the existing potential even more productive. If something alien to them is offered, it will remain superficial and soon be lost without a trace.

Papua has diverse unique handicrafts, which is part of the local strength to build Papua. For instance, noken (bags or baskets) used by Papuan men and women are made of strong wooden strips of rattan or other trees. These woven products come in various attractive colors and range in price from Rp 15,000 to Rp 100,000 apiece. Through serious development of local craftsmanship to produce noken and other accessories, the people's income will increase. Sadly, proper government handling of this area remains lacking.

In this way, visitors wishing to "empower" Papuans need not boast or "force" their knapsacks or other exotic bags for locals to imitate. What the craftspeople need is a way to churn out noken more productively and with a better quality, thus enhancing the economic value of the handicrafts.

This book presents a clear description of the lives and livelihoods of the Moni people, as one of the tribes living in Sugapa district in the Paniaii, Papua. It is a product of research carried out by PKPM (social research and study center)-Atma Jaya Catholic University, Jakarta. It pinpoints the potential, opportunities and challenges that go along with the daily existence of the Moni community. All the findings offer hope for a far better Papua in the years ahead.

The Monis highly appreciate their land, as is noticeable in their system of land ownership. To them, land is their mother, as they say, "Mai go I ama," meaning my land is my mother. Land is like a mother, making people live and providing resources for them to survive and thrive. They also maintain close personal and emotional bonds with the land they occupy. Land is valued far beyond economic calculation so that it cannot be transacted.

This conviction implicitly indicates their very favorable environment orientation. However, this very positive understanding may on the other hand create a "problem". With their determination to defend their land valued as their own mother, they don't hesitate to stake their lives. This is precisely the question. The very traditional land ownership with no laws governing it in fact requires government intervention, but it should be done with great care by heeding the prevailing custom. The Monis should not be alienated from the local wisdom they have hitherto observed.

In general, land in Papua is owned communally. In Sugapa district, for instance, there is no office of the National Land Affairs Agency for communal land registration. Mutual land claims between families in Bilogai and Jogatapa villages, taking place since the time of their ancestors, have become a source of horizontal conflict.

The land once occupied by a nomadic family, for instance, is claimed to be the family's land all the time. Whenever a family member returns to the place where they lived, they maintain their ownership of the land. Any encroachment on the relevant land means tribal war, with victims falling wherever battles occur.

As in other areas, the book with numerous photos and graphs points out that issue to the Moni tribesmen. The land they own signifies their presence. The chairman of the Sugapa district Village Community Development Institute, Mansfred Sondegau, said: "We, Moni people, have land and the land is our possession. From our forebears to our descendants later, this land remains and we are here. Nobody can claim to be a Moni member unless he owns land in the area where we live .." (page 127).

The research that went into producing this book was part of a pre-feasibility study of PT Mineserve International, involving an eight-member core team aided by a team of five census enumerators and eight local assistants. The team applied qualitative and quantitative methods with cultural and participative approaches. This approach necessitated researchers to stay with local people, from whom they gained firsthand knowledge of local culture.

Earlier, PKPM-Atma Jaya with the same team compiled another book on the Mee tribe. This is a reflection that this team is quite experienced in identifying the various aspects of life in Papua. So, the weakness of this book is the absence of any recommendation from the team concerning the handling of different issues in Papua. In fact, the team's research methods enabled the recording of details of community life there, so that important and critical notes should have been made about present and future case handling in Papua.

It is therefore suggested that this team and possibly also other research groups in Papua should try to make recommendations, because intellectually and academically researchers have no political aims and thus are capable of presenting honest and objective proposals.

One more thing is that this book should be translated into English or other languages to make a lot more readers aware of the real conditions in Papua - along with its people's happy moments, expectations, fears and challenges.

Budaya dan Tanah Adat Orang Moni di Distrik Sugapa, Papua (The Culture and Communal Land of Moni People in Sugapa District, Papua)

George Martin Sirait, et al.
PKPM-Atma Jaya Catholic University, Jakarta (2010)
PP: XVII+204

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‘Infidels’ Angry at Failure to Annul Blasphemy Law

Jakarta Globe, Nurfika Osman, April 21, 2010

Labeled an infidel by village administration officers, Elly Sukemi, a woman from the Sasak tribe in West Nusa Tenggara, chose not to back down.

“The Wetu Telu ritual I perform as part of my traditional religion is sacred. It welcomes Ramadan [the Islamic fasting month]. According to my religion, if you insult us, you must pay. I asked those officers to slaughter a goat as the fine,” Elly said on Wednesday, two days after the Constitutional Court ruled to uphold the 1965 Blasphemy Law, which provides criminal penalties for those who express religious beliefs that deviate from the central tenets of the six state-recognized faiths.

“But, they refused to slaughter a goat and pay the fine. We find that insulting, because we love our traditional rituals. It is something that makes our country rich. How can they call us kafir [infidels], or followers of a misguided sect, or atheists?”

Elly was one of 30 women on Wednesday who expressed their deep disappointment over the court ruling, which rejected a motion by human rights applicants to review or annul the Blasphemy Law on grounds that it violated freedom of religion. Elly said the government had failed to protect their Constitutional rights — security and protection as citizens.

Elly’s friend, Nurseri Hartini, said that aside from being insulted, access to health care was difficult for Sasak people.

“We have Jamkesmas [state health insurance] but nobody serves us. We are Muslims but we believe in Wetu Telu rituals. So, we are not treated like everybody else,” Nurseri said, adding that her tribe was one of seven in the northern part of West Nusa Tenggara whose members were considered infidels. Under the Constitution, Islam, Buddhism, Hinduism, Catholicism, Protestantism and Confucianism are state-recognized faiths. Followers of unorthodox interpretations of the religions, such as the Ahmadiyah, are not protected.

Tenri Bibi, a woman from the Tolotang tribe of South Sulawesi, said Indonesia should acknowledge other religions.

“Can you imagine that we cannot state our religion on our own ID card? We cannot have a marriage certificate. Our children cannot have birth certificates. Children born out of wedlock lose rights to property. We want the state to officially say that our local religions are equal in status with the six official religions,” Tenri said.

Agnes Dwi, from the National Alliance of the Bhinneka Tunggal Ika (Unity in Diversity), said there were some 1,400 ethnicities whose traditional beliefs were threatened by law.

“We are going to meet officials from the Ministry for Women’s Empowerment and Child Protection regarding the plight of all these women,” Agnes said.

The National Commission on Violence Against Women (Komnas Perempuan) also expressed disappointment with the court.

“That ruling is an act that strengthens discrimination against groups of people who plights are threatened,” said Masruchah, deputy chairwoman of Komnas Perempuan.

“When they cannot have their IDs, they lose access to public services, including legal and health services,” she said. “As they cannot have marriage certificates, they cannot file reports if they are abused by their husbands .”

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