Revitalization of Marapu Belief on Sumba, Indonesia: Local, National and Global Movements for Human Rights

Paper Abstract: The followers of indigenous belief in marapu (ancestral spirits) have faced discriminations and difficulties on the island of Sumba, NTT, Indonesia. The paper aims to explore how movements against the prejudice have started and developed in the regency of East Sumba. From the perspective of social anthropology, it investigates the complicated situation in which local, national and global actors collaborate to protect the human rights of the marapu followers. Since the independence of Indonesia, the number of marapu adherents has decreased with ongoing modernization. In Indonesia those who did not adhere to agama (a state-recognized religion) faced legal and social discrimination. A local NGO and an official of the local government struggled to improve the legal status of marapu followers. The background of the activities is the revitalization of adat developing all over the nation. A Sumbanese villager and three Indonesians who follow indigenous beliefs, appealed to the Constitutional Court on the discrimination they suffered. The legal proceedings were supported by international organizations and Indonesian NGOs. They won the case in 2017. The Court declared that religions and beliefs should be both constitutionally protected. Additionally, based on the Minister of Education and Culture’s Decree No. 27/2016, formal inclusive education has started for pupils and students who follow indigenous beliefs. In December 2022, supplementary reading materials of Marapu belief education were published for high school students in East Sumba. This is considered as a great step forward for the improvement of the social status of marapu followers.