12-03-2025
GLOBAL INDIGENOUS: Indonesian farmers fight company's eviction attempts
Deusdedit RuhangariyoSpecial to ICT
Around the world: North Sumatra farmers fight eviction against palm oil giant, Garden River First Nation student researches fish contamination levels in Canada, and Indigenous artists included in Minderoo funding recipients in Australia.
A last-minute court ruling led an Indonesian palm oil company to pause the eviction of several hundred farmers from Aek Kuo subdistrict in North Sumatra, Mongabay reported on March 7.
On Feb. 20, a local court authorized the eviction of farmers in Aek Kuo, granting PT Sinar Mas Agro Resources and Technology (SMART) permission to convert 83.5 hectares (206 acres) of land into an oil palm plantation.
However, the farmers, who have cultivated the land for generations, consider the eviction a violation of their rights. In an effort to prevent their displacement, some traveled to Jakarta to seek support from Indonesia's National Commission on Human Rights, known as Komnas HAM. The company carrying out the eviction, SMART, is a subsidiary of Sinar Mas Agribusiness and Food, one of the nation's leading palm oil producers.
Originally, SMART planned to remove the farmers on Feb. 28, but the court postponed the action until March 6 after Komnas HAM's mediation chief, Prabianto Mukti Wibowo, intervened.
'We came here to ask Komnas HAM for protection,' said Misno, a fruit and vegetable farmer from Aek Kuo, according to Mongabay.
'We rely on just 83.5 hectares to sustain ourselves,' he added. 'This land is our only means of survival.'
After Indonesia gained independence in 1945, many workers took over land left unoccupied by departing European plantation firms. However, land disputes remain prevalent today, with companies often laying claim to areas that local communities have long inhabited.
According to the Consortium for Agrarian Reform, a Jakarta-based advocacy group, Indonesia recorded 295 land conflicts in 2024 alone.
The Aek Kuo farmers insist they hold legitimate documentation proving their tenure, including a Land Occupation Registration Certificate issued by government authorities in the 1950s.
'This document serves as official recognition by the government of the community's presence,' said Muhammad Syafiq, a researcher at the Agrarian Resource Center, according to Mongabay.
Post-independence bureaucratic reforms have frequently created friction with older land titles, contributing to ongoing disputes. The farmers say SMART previously attempted to remove them in both 2012 and 2019.
Past legal rulings have favored Sinar Mas, upholding its plantation permit – known as an HGU – over the community's claims.
However, in a separate case within the same province, a judicial review sided with local farmers, rejecting a competing claim from state-run plantation company PT Perkebunan Nusantara IV (PTPN IV).
'We continue to seek an amicable solution as a sign of the company's goodwill,' said Sinar Mas spokesperson Stephan Sinisuka, according to Mongabay.
A graduate student from Garden River First Nation is working to enhance the safety testing of fish in her community, CBC News reported on March 9.
Jessica Pauze is conducting research by sampling inland lakes throughout Garden River First Nation's traditional territory, working to create a custom fish consumption advisory chart tailored to her community. While Ontario has been testing fish for contaminants since the 1970s, the province's approach is limited, as it cannot sample all of its 250,000 lakes.
Furthermore, many fishers in Garden River don't consult provincial advisories because they are not easily accessible, and Pauze notes that the provincial method for assessing fish safety does not align with the needs of First Nation harvesters.
'From the Ontario guideline perspective, those values are based only on the fish filet, with the skin removed,' Pauze explained, according to CBC News. 'But we know that Indigenous communities often consume other parts of the fish that aren't considered in government advisories.' This highlights a significant gap in the current government approach to fish safety.
Pauze is addressing this gap by testing fish from a wider range of body parts, including strips from the muscle to the belly, as well as examining fish stomachs for microplastics. Her research is ongoing year-round to determine whether contamination levels change with the seasons, as government research is only conducted during the summer and fall. Last summer, Pauze conducted preliminary research in Echo Lake and is now analyzing over 85 fish she collected, with a quarter of the testing completed for heavy metals and some stomach samples already showing microplastics.
For her consumption guide, Pauze plans to test at least 15 fish per species per lake and is increasing community outreach to engage more local fishers. A few have already volunteered to help with sampling.
'Our project is based on community-based sampling, so it benefits Garden River directly. The samples we test come from the community's harvesters and the fish they eat,' Pauze said, according to CBC News.
This community-centered approach fosters greater transparency and trust in the data. Having grown up with a strong connection to water and fishing, Pauze sees her work as a continuation of the knowledge passed down by her family, seeking to combine Indigenous wisdom with academic research for the benefit of her community.
Nine artists from Western Australia will launch bold new projects with the help of the Minderoo Artist Fund, which offers grants and residencies to mid-career creatives, National Indigenous Times reported on March 7.
The Minderoo Artist Fund has announced its 2025 recipients, supporting nine Western Australian artists with grants and residencies to develop new projects. Among the recipients are Indigenous artists Gary Hamaguchi and Mark Coles Smith.
Hamaguchi, a Jaru/Noongar/Japanese filmmaker, will create 'Kodj,' a sci-fi film about a Noongar father teaching his son traditional survival knowledge to combat an alien invasion. Coles Smith, a Nyikina musician, will produce 'Kalaji 2,' an electronic music album focused on cultural resilience.
Hamaguchi shared that his partner's grandfather, who possessed deep knowledge of traditional customs, once taught him how to make a kodj (axe). "He knows all the knowledge about how to build tools … as an adult, he actually took me out and told me how to make a kodj," he explained, according to National Indigenous Times. Expressing gratitude for the funding, Hamaguchi said, "Being a freelance filmmaker with a young fella and a family, it's hard sometimes. … This funding helps with that and lets me work on the project."
Established in 2020, the Minderoo Artist Fund supports mid-career creatives, including dance artists, musicians, writers, visual artists, and theatre-makers. Each recipient will receive a $35,000 grant or a six-week residency at Forrest Hall in Perth.
The fund aims to nurture vibrant communities through investment in the arts. Minderoo Foundation co-chair Nicola Forrest AO expressed excitement about the impact of this year's cohort, which reflects the diverse range of artistic talent in WA.
Other recipients include: Laura Boynes (dance), Alan Fyfe (literature), Sarah Nelson (theatre), Elise Reitze-Swensen (music composition), and Fleur Schell (visual arts & community engagement).
Residency recipients include: Emma Fishwick (dance) and Hiroshi Kobayashi (visual arts). The event also recognized WA author Holden Sheppard with the Minderoo Artist Award, a $50,000 grant to support his work on the sequel to Invisible Boys, addressing themes of discrimination and masculinity in Australian Rules football.
My final thoughts are in Indonesia where the eviction of farmers in Aek Kuo exposes the persistent injustice faced by Indigenous and local communities. These farmers have cultivated this land for generations, yet they are being forced out by powerful palm oil corporations.
The court's decision disregards their historical ties and documented land rights, favoring corporate interests over human rights. Such actions reflect a troubling pattern where legal loopholes and bureaucratic inefficiencies enable land grabs that displace vulnerable communities.
Granting Indigenous communities authority over their land is essential for protecting their livelihoods, culture and economic stability. When people are removed from their ancestral lands, they lose not just their homes but also their primary source of income and cultural identity.
Research shows that Indigenous land stewardship promotes environmental conservation, preventing deforestation and biodiversity loss. Stripping them of land rights not only deepens economic inequality but also accelerates environmental destruction.
To ensure justice, Indonesia must strengthen land tenure policies that prioritize community claims over corporate expansion. The government should conduct transparent reviews of historical land ownership and recognize verifiable claims like those of the Aek Kuo farmers. Independent human rights bodies such as Komnas HAM must be empowered to mediate conflicts and hold corporations accountable for unlawful land seizures. Legal frameworks should also be reformed to close loopholes that companies exploit to justify evictions.
A sustainable way forward requires legal recognition of Indigenous land rights, stronger policy protections, and corporate accountability. The government must balance development with social justice, ensuring that economic growth does not come at the expense of vulnerable communities.
Companies like SMART and Sinar Mas should engage in fair negotiations rather than resorting to forced evictions. Recognizing and respecting community land rights is key to achieving both social equity and sustainable land management in Indonesia.
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