Indigenous Women’s Connection to Forest: Colonialism, Lack of Land Ownership and Livelihood Deprivations of Dayak Benawan in Indonesia

Abstract

Forest is essential for indigenous women in Indonesia. This article discusses the connection between Dayak Benawan women’s lives with their land. Dayak Benawan women today face the challenge of preserving their forest and traditions. Meanwhile, the existence of the Dayak Benawan women is the source of protecting native forests in West Kalimantan. Indigenous women’s identity is often connected to living in poor conditions with low quality of life and limited access to various public services. Their daily activities in the forest are part of the way they maintain their traditions in ecological knowledge. Based on long-term ethnographic research, we concluded that the indigenous women’s tradition represents the closeness between humans and nature. The connection between ecological and women’s knowledge have existed for hundreds of years in the Dayak Benawan community.

Indigenous women, forest, and the battle for livelihood rights of Dayak Benawan in Indonesia

“…The indigenous Dayak Benawan community has unique knowledge of forest management and has a direct attachment to cultural, spiritual, ecological, social, economic, and political elements (Niko et al, 2024). Their presence is crucial as key actors directly involved in forest and its contents management because they depend on the forest.…”

“…Discussing indigenous peoples cannot be separated from forest governance which has direct links to their cultural, spiritual, ecological, social, economic, and political elements (Astuti & McGregor, 2016;Kepkiewicz & Dale, 2018;Suiseeya et al, 2021). The existence of indigenous peoples is highly important as the main actors who are directly involved in the management of the forest and its contents (Niko et al, 2024). On the other hand, their existence also clashes with the concept of investment by the state which actually damages the environment (Witter et al, 2021).…”

“…Many studies have highlighted the reliance of indigenous women on forests for their daily basic needs (Affonso et al, 2024;Baruah and Biskupski-Mujanovic, 2023;Ameneshewa, et al, 2023;Niko et al, 2024). The World Bank, IFAD, and FAO study (2009) indicated that women in forest communities derive half of their income from the forest, while men derive a third.…”

“…Indigenous women and local communities have been the subjects of extensive research (as depicted in Figure 2). The interconnectedness and mutual dependence between indigenous women and forests are beneficial; women obtain their basic needs from the forest, while the forest is preserved (Niko, 2022;McIntyre-Mills et al, 2023;Niko et al, 2024).…”

“…Indigenous forest management is characterized by the close bond between Indigenous communities and the forests they oversee (Niko et al, 2024). These communities demonstrate a deep ecological knowledge of their forests, combining traditional wisdom with contemporary scientific methods to promote sustainable stewardship.…”