Forest transformation
in java
Java is one of the famous Sunda Islands in
Indonesia; bordered by the Indian Ocean
to the South and the Java Sea to the
North. The population of Java is 147.7
million people, making it one of the most
populous islands with approximately 55%
of the Indonesian population. It is known
as an Indonesian rice-producing island but
it was originally mostly covered by
forests. The Dutch were the colonial
power in Indonesia, and the regulations
for forest control in Indonesia and India
were very similar. The Dutch began forest
management on the Indonesian island of
Java. They, like the British, desired Java
timber for shipbuilding.
The woodcutters in java
The Kalangs of Java were a skillful
society of forest cutters and shifting
cultivators. The 6,000 Kalang
families were divided equally
between the two kingdoms when
the Mataram kingdom of Java split
in 1755. It would have been difficult
to harvest teak and erect the
monarchs’ palaces without their
knowledge. When the Dutch took
possession of the woodlands in the
eighteenth century, they attempted
to force the Kalangs to labor for
them. The Kalangs resisted in 1770
by storming a Dutch fort at Joana,
but the revolt was put down.
Dutch scientfic theory
When it became vital to govern terrain
rather than merely people in the nineteenth
century, the Dutch created forest
regulations in Java, restricting locals’
access to forests. Wood could now only be
harvested for defined purposes, such as
producing riverboats or building houses,
and only from specific forests under strict
control. Villagers were fined for grazing
cattle in young stands, transporting timber
without permission, or using horse carts or
animals on forest routes. The need to
manage forests for shipbuilding and
railways, as in India, prompted the
establishment of a forest service. All of
this, however, necessitated labor to chop
the trees, transport the logs, and prepare
the sleepers.
Blandongdiensten
system
The Dutch first levied rents on forest land that
was being cultivated, and then exempted
certain settlements from these charges
provided they worked together to offer free
labor and buffaloes for cutting and hauling
timber. This was known as the
blandongdiensten system. Instead of rent
exemption, forest dwellers were later given tiny
wages, but their ability to cultivate forest land
was limited.
Around 1890, Surontiko Samin of Randublatung
village, a teak forest hamlet, began challenging
the state’s ownership of the forest. He
contended that because the state did not create
the wind, water, earth, or wood, it could not
claim ownership of them. Soon, a huge
movement arose. It was organised with the
cooperation of Samin’s sons-in-law. 3,000
families had adopted his beliefs by 1907. When
the Dutch came to survey their land, some
Saminists protested by lying down on it, while
others refused to pay taxes, fines, or labor.
War and deforestation
The impact of the First and Second World
Wars on woods was substantial. At this period
in India, working plans were abandoned, and
the forest authorities hacked down trees at
will to meet British war demands. To keep
large teak logs out of the hands of the
Japanese, the Dutch implemented a scorched
earth policy in Java, dismantling sawmills and
burning vast heaps of them. After that, the
Japanese actively exploited the forests for
their own war industries, forcing forest
residents to down trees. Many villages took
advantage of this chance to expand their
forest-based farming activities. After the
fighting, the Indonesian forest service found
it impossible to restore this land. People’s
need for agricultural land, as in India, has
clashed with the forest department’s aim to
manage the area and restrict people from it.
Samin’s challenge
Around 1890 Surontiko Samin of
Randublatung village a teak forest
village began questioning state
ownership of the forest. He argued
that the state had not created the
wind water earth and wood so it
could not own it. Soon a widespread
movement developed. Amongst
those who helped organise it were
Samin’s sons-in-law. By 1907 3 000
families were following his ideas.
Some of the Saminists protested by
lying down on their land when the
Dutch came to survey it while others
refused to pay taxes or fines or
perform labour.
Made by-parth gupta
(9-a)
(19)
