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Changing Livelihoods, Development, and Cultural Practices: Reshaping Forests Among the Tau Taa Vana People

Forest and Society · Vol. 8 No. 1 (2024) · pp. 61–80

DOI
10.24259/fs.v8i1.26593
ISSN
2549-4333, 2549-4724
Published
2024-02-17
Publisher
Forestry Faculty, Universitas Hasanuddin
Language
en
License
creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0

Abstract

The Tau Taa Vana people live in the Bulang Highlands, Tojo Una-Una, in Central Sulawesi Province. The region's development has shaped the marginalization of forest-dwelling and forest-adjacent communities. From the 1980s to the 1990s, illegal logging networks served as the power holders, backed by Indonesia’s authoritarian regime of that time. Illegal logging destroyed a large part of the Tau Taa Vana's sacred forest (pengale kapali). As part of the massive logging agenda, the government launched many legal programs that further isolated the Tau Taa Vana people from their land. The first program was transmigration in 1995-1998, which converted sacred forests into plantation areas and worker camps. Meanwhile, the Tau Taa Vana people were forced to relocate from their forest livelihoods (pengale lipu). In 2014, development shifted towards government-supported gold and nickel extraction identified in the Tau Taa Vana people's traditional regions. The government's planned material extraction of the region has forced the Tau Taa Vana people to adapt traditional environmental management systems. In the past, the forest had three main functions, as the source of food, medicine, and livelihoods. Nowadays, those functions are reduced drastically and the sacred forest with the Kaju Marangka'a region as the center has lost its cultural importance. Tau Taa Vana people today use the remaining forests as the center of their resistance movements and consider it as their last bastion for cultural preservation. In this regard, the role of traditional healers (tau valia) has become even more critical amidst the lack of traditional elders.

Keywords

Collaboration network of the authors

29 authors · 150 co-authorship links · 13 across different organisations

Hover or tap a name to highlight its co-authors. Double-click to open the author's page.

  • National Research and Innovation Agency
  • University of Indonesia
  • Johann Heinrich von Thünen-Institut
  • Technische Universität Dresden
  • State University of Semarang
  • Affiliation unknown
  • Different organisations
  • Same organisation
  • Affiliation unknown
  • Thicker line = more joint articles · bigger circle = more articles
Show as table
Co-authorOrganisationJoint articles
Vianny AhimbisibweJohann Heinrich von Thünen-Institut2
Kendisha Soekardjo HintzTechnische Universität Dresden2
Purwanto PurwantoNational Research and Innovation Agency2
Didi TarmadiAffiliation unknown1
Ongko CahyonoAffiliation unknown1
Dwi Priyo AriyantoAffiliation unknown1
Sri Rezeki FebrianiAffiliation unknown1
Bramantyo WikantyosoAffiliation unknown1
Muhamad Khoiru ZakiAffiliation unknown1
Ratih DamayantiState University of Semarang1
Widya FatriasariAffiliation unknown1
Danang Sudarwoko AdiAffiliation unknown1
Yusup AminAffiliation unknown1
Wahyu DwiantoAffiliation unknown1
Rohmah PariAffiliation unknown1
DjarwantoAffiliation unknown1
Listya Mustika DewiAffiliation unknown1
Raden Gunawan Hadi RahmantoAffiliation unknown1
Dyah Ayu AgustiningrumAffiliation unknown1
Imran Arra’d SofiantoAffiliation unknown1
NartoAffiliation unknown1
Dimas TriwibowoAffiliation unknown1
Teguh DarmawanAffiliation unknown1

Affiliations come from OpenAlex; journal OAI-PMH metadata carries none. Authors without an OpenAlex ID are matched by name, which can merge or split people.

Metadata source: OAI-PMH (metadata jurnal) https://journal.unhas.ac.id/index.php/fs/oai, first harvested 5 Nov 2026, last seen 8 Nov 2026.
Original metadata (oai_dc) 
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	<dc:title xml:lang="en">Changing Livelihoods, Development, and Cultural Practices: Reshaping Forests Among the Tau Taa Vana People</dc:title>
	<dc:creator xml:lang="en">Humaedi, Muhammad Alie </dc:creator>
	<dc:creator xml:lang="en">Nadzir, Ibnu </dc:creator>
	<dc:creator xml:lang="en">Himmi, Setiawan Khoirul</dc:creator>
	<dc:creator xml:lang="en">Astutik, Sri </dc:creator>
	<dc:creator xml:lang="en">Tessa, Adhis </dc:creator>
	<dc:creator xml:lang="en">Andari, Rosita Novi</dc:creator>
	<dc:subject xml:lang="en">Sacred forests</dc:subject>
	<dc:subject xml:lang="en">Forest management</dc:subject>
	<dc:subject xml:lang="en">Tau Taa Vana people</dc:subject>
	<dc:subject xml:lang="en">Gold and nickel mining</dc:subject>
	<dc:subject xml:lang="en">Patchouli cultivation</dc:subject>
	<dc:description xml:lang="en">The Tau Taa Vana people live in the Bulang Highlands, Tojo Una-Una, in Central Sulawesi Province. The region's development has shaped the marginalization of forest-dwelling and forest-adjacent communities. From the 1980s to the 1990s, illegal logging networks served as the power holders, backed by Indonesia’s authoritarian regime of that time. Illegal logging destroyed a large part of the Tau Taa Vana's sacred forest (pengale kapali). As part of the massive logging agenda, the government launched many legal programs that further isolated the Tau Taa Vana people from their land. The first program was transmigration in 1995-1998, which converted sacred forests into plantation areas and worker camps. Meanwhile, the Tau Taa Vana people were forced to relocate from their forest livelihoods (pengale lipu). In 2014, development shifted towards government-supported gold and nickel extraction identified in the Tau Taa Vana people's traditional regions. The government's planned material extraction of the region has forced the Tau Taa Vana people to adapt traditional environmental management systems. In the past, the forest had three main functions, as the source of food, medicine, and livelihoods. Nowadays, those functions are reduced drastically and the sacred forest with the Kaju Marangka'a region as the center has lost its cultural importance. Tau Taa Vana people today use the remaining forests as the center of their resistance movements and consider it as their last bastion for cultural preservation. In this regard, the role of traditional healers (tau valia) has become even more critical amidst the lack of traditional elders.</dc:description>
	<dc:publisher xml:lang="en">Forestry Faculty, Universitas Hasanuddin</dc:publisher>
	<dc:date>2024-02-17</dc:date>
	<dc:type>info:eu-repo/semantics/article</dc:type>
	<dc:type>info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion</dc:type>
	<dc:format>application/pdf</dc:format>
	<dc:identifier>https://journal.unhas.ac.id/index.php/fs/article/view/26593</dc:identifier>
	<dc:identifier>10.24259/fs.v8i1.26593</dc:identifier>
	<dc:source xml:lang="en">Forest and Society; Vol. 8 No. 1 (2024): JUNE; 61-80</dc:source>
	<dc:source>2549-4333</dc:source>
	<dc:source>2549-4724</dc:source>
	<dc:language>en</dc:language>
	<dc:relation>https://journal.unhas.ac.id/index.php/fs/article/view/26593/11252</dc:relation>
	<dc:rights xml:lang="en">Copyright (c) 2024 Forest and Society</dc:rights>
	<dc:rights xml:lang="en">http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0</dc:rights>
</oai_dc:dc>