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Abstract
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.
Notes
1. For more on local sharia regulations in Indonesia, see Buehler (Citation2008) and Bush (Citation2008).
2. The bissu were typically in charge of sacred heirlooms (regalia) and ‘princely ceremonies’ that ran contrary to the myths of origin in Kajang (Pelras Citation1994, p. 133).
3. The kingdom of Gowa officially became a Muslim state in November 1607 and, by 1611, nearly all the rulers of South Sulawesi has uttered the syahadat and accepted Islam, with the notable exceptions of highland Tana Toraja and lowland Kajang Dalam (Pelras Citation1994, p. 134).
4. For more on the Darul Islam rebellions, see van Dijk (Citation1981), Harvey (Citation1974) and Ricklefs (Citation1993).
5. For more on the New Order era, see Anderson (Citation1983), Liddle (Citation1985), Ricklefs (Citation1993) and Robinson (Citation1986), among others.
6. Friberg (Citation1993, p. 100) referred to the inhabitants of western Kajang, those still committed to local traditions, as the ‘Black Konjo’.
7. Reference to mufakat and musyawarah reinforces the eclectic character of local culture in Kajang because they are Arabic loanwords, used in relation to Islamic law rather than adat law.
8. Wudhu used in this context may derive from the Arabic term wudū', which involves washing before prayer (so long as water is available), indicating that ritual purity may be impaired by the bodily functions (Burton Citation1988, p. 21).
9. Erfpacht rights represent a mode of land tenure based on a system of leases. For an account of the erfpacht system used by the sugar industry in Indonesia, see Alexander and Alexander (Citation1978).
10. For an account of PT Lonsum's financial and political difficulties related to palm oil plantations, see van Gelder (Citation2004) and Tripathi (Citation1998).