By: Agetha Lestari and Febri
Within the expanding extractive projects for mining, farming, and transmigration continue to disrupt the living space of the Indigenous Peoples, KAoem MUda in Talang Mamak, Riau Province choose a different form of resistance: They fight back by planting.
A youth of Talang Mamak Indigenous Peoples is planting coffee
Picture by: KAoem MUda Talang Mamak, 2025
Without a banner or a large-scale demonstration, this resistance birthed from the indigenous ground by way of protecting the forest, nurturing the coffee, and inheriting the local culture across generations.
The story began from the small villages deep within Indragiri Hulu, Riau, where the young generations of Talang Mamak rose to defend their ancestral land. On Saturday, July 5, 2025, during a gathering event between KAoem MUda members in a discussion space and cross-region sharing session, titled “Indigenous Youths Protecting Talang Mamak Local Wisdom,” they showed a reflection of strong resistance that’s subdued but consistent.
This force of will doesn’t appear only in Riau, but also among the indigenous youths in Sulawesi and Kalimantan who are connected to each other through the KAoem MUda network. They learn together, share their experiences, and strengthen their grassroots movement for the sake of one purpose: To defend their indigenous area from any threats that might erase them.
Gilung, a member of Talang Mamak and leader of Indigenous Society Alliance of Nusantara (AMAN) in Indragiri Hulu, told the story of how this movement came to exist.
“We grew agitated upon seeing our forests opened for palm oil by outsiders and corporations,” Gilung said.
The cultural spirit of Talang Mamak burns ever brighter
In 2012, Talang Mamak Indigenous Peoples discussed with the indigenous leaders regarding the issues within their own area and answered numerous aspects of their indigenous region’s history, how to open the land with their own customs, how to plant their food supply sustainably, their traditional medication, inner institutions, as well as art and culture.
A group of Talang Mamak Indigenous Peoples are fishing on the river using traditional fishing nets
Picture by: KAoem MUda Talang Mamak, 2025
That event gave birth to the Gawai Gadang Culture, a celebration of cultural identity that is now known as the symbol of the rise of the Talang Mamak culture. The indigenous leaders agreed to celebrate the event once every five years.
“We realize that if we don’t remember and uphold the tradition, then the tradition will gradually disappear. Even though that is part of our identity,” Gilung said.
Solidifying the culture’s existence in the eyes of the law
However, the Talang Mamak Indigenous Peoples don’t fight without a struggle. To this day, the government still hasn’t given a lawful acknowledgement to the Talang Mamak indigenous region, despite the fact that the people have written academic papers, conducted meetings with the Legislative Council (DPRD), and obtained the Regent’s signature for the letter of acknowledgement.
“Even after what we’ve done, the concession maps from Cultivation Rights (HGU), Industrial Plantation Forest (HTI), or even the national park areas are still pushing back our living space. As if we’re never there to begin with,” Gilung expressed.
He continued, “We feel like the country has abandoned us, even though it’s not as if we just arrived and lived here yesterday.”
Despite all of that, their resolve doesn’t waver. Amid the limitation, the indigenous youths are instead building their strength from the roots. Ronaldo or Aldo, a member of Talang Mamak KAoem MUda, told a story of how they developed the indigenous economy through the sustainable forestry products such as floor mats, bracelets, baskets, and bags that they made from rattan and other natural resources that they procured and planted back.
Two youths of Talang Mamak Indigenous Peoples are weaving rattan
Picture by: KAoem MUda Talang Mamak, 2025
Of all the products they made, one of their main commodities is coffee. Aldo explained, “We take advantage of the coffee plantations that our parents cultivated long ago. We nurture the coffee plants and process the coffee beans traditionally. We roast them on the fire pit and then ground them on a wooden mortar.”
“Our role as the indigenous youths is important. If we’re not the ones to inherit the knowledge and protect this land, then who will?” he continues.
Aldo encourages the government of Indragiri Hulu Regent to support them by promoting the Talang Mamak coffee, even making it the official souvenir at regional events like Musabaqah Tilawatil Quran (MTQ). For him, coffee isn’t merely a commodity, but also a cultural identity and proof that the Indigenous Peoples can live without destroying nature.
The necessity of law protection for indigenous regions
Meanwhile, Muslimin, another member of Talang Mamak KAoem MUda, expressed his concern towards the lackluster law protection for the indigenous regions. He explained that many indigenous forests and ancestral lands fall into the concession permit without a clear official status, whether it’s for HTI, palm oil, mining, or transmigration.
“Even though the 1945 National Constitution (UUD 1945) and Constitution Court Decision No. 35/2012 acknowledge the indigenous forests as something that isn’t part of the nation’s forestry, there is no constitution that truly protects us so far,” said Muslimin.
In addition, the Forestry Law No. 41 Verse 67, which requires regional regulations to be the basis for the acknowledgement, proves to be ineffective. As a result, conflicts between the Indigenous Peoples and corporations keep continuing since the early 2000s.
During the online discussion, participation from the participants remained high, with some of them asking questions about the difference between Sakai and Talang Mamak Indigenous Peoples.
Gilung explained, “Sakai and Talang Mamak Indigenous Peoples are different, but we’re from the same region. Unfortunately, much of the land that the Sakai Indigenous Peoples owned were sold to newcomers and corporations, which caused them to lose their farm land. We don’t want to experience the same thing.”
For Gilung, the strength of Talang Mamak Indigenous Peoples lies in their collective consciousness to protect what remains of their forest. “There are challenges, sure, but because we have a collective understanding, we can continue tending our forest,” he continued.
A consistent resistance amid the silence
Today, the Talang Mamak KAoem MUda are not only the guardians of their cultural heritage, but also the driving force behind their fight. They’re formulating strategies to endorse the Bill of Indigenous Peoples, accelerate the regional regulation of region acknowledgement, and creating a local culture-based contextual education. They’re building a political awareness so that the voices of the Indigenous Peoples exist within the space of the decision makers.
Signature coffee beans from the Talang Mamak Indigenous Peoples
Picture by: KAoem MUda Talang Mamak, 2025
Talang Mamak KAoem MUda’s resistance isn’t loud, but consistent. In a world that becomes more obsessed with economic development and concretization, they instead survive with seeds, with stories, and with roots that refuse to let go. Because for them, protecting their ground is more than protecting their space, but also saving lives.
