Making Sense of Claims across Institutional Divides: critical PGIS and mapping customary land in Timor-Leste

ABSTRACT

This article explores land-tenure issues faced by Timor-Leste, specifically with reference to customary land, and the significance of mapping in resolving those difficulties. A critical review is undertaken of the pitfalls of Indigenous mapping and applications of Participatory Geographic Information Systems (PGIS) to achieve sensitive and empowering outcomes for customary groups seeking land claims. A methodology for mapping customary land in Timor-Leste is described and an analysis of the author's on-the-ground research is presented. Although the importance of customary institutions for rural land management across Timor-Leste is ascertained, this article does not advance a definitive land rights framework for the country or prescribe national mapping of customary areas. Instead, it argues for a mapping methodology to support land-use decision-making that can make sense of Indigenous knowledge and appropriate cultural practices in rural land-use claims. Identified as crucial in the process is the equal value attributed to evidence presented in myriad forms that may act as key information bridges across epistemological divides and knowledges. PGIS is a potentially important tool for resolving land-use conflicts in rural Timor-Leste when resolution occurs within a formalised institutional framework.

KEY WORDS:

• Critical PGIS
• Timor-Leste
• customary land tenure
• mapping
• resource access

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author.

Notes

[1] A similar approach was used in Indigenous communities in Mexico to explore and represent local knowledge of land (Smith et al. 2012).