Still Striving for Modesty: Land,Spirits, and Rubber Production in Kajang,Indonesia

Questions of atavism have long confounded policy makers and nation builders. This is certainly the case in the vast and diverse Indonesian archipelago. Indigenous adat (customs and traditions) revivalism is a complex politicised process involving multifarious groups searching for rights and recognition. The Konjo-speaking inhabitants of Kajang Dalam are among the Indonesian communities being selectively portrayed as exemplars of premodern society. Kajang Dalam (the ‘inner circle’ of Kajang) is located in Bulukumba district, on the south-east peninsula of South Sulawesi province. Adat in this territory are aligned with the mystical belief system of the spirit cult of the Amma Toa. A variety of external actors have attempted to build a case against the palm oil and rubber plantation estates of PT PP London Sumatra Indonesia Tbk by invoking the name of Kajang Dalam.