By Timothy P. Barnard
The conference was attended by seventeen scholars from around the globe, mainly representing the fields of history, anthropology, and literature. Many of these scholars were relatively young, in that at least nine of the participants are currently writing their dissertations or have recently completed them. By bringing together fresh faces into an interdisciplinary mix, new ideas and approaches were discussed, debated, and (tentatively) agreed upon. There are plans to publish the papers given at the conference, and they seem to fall into four categories.
History
Barbara Watson Andaya (University of Hawaişi at Manoa), one of three keynote speakers,
addressed the unity of such an eclectic region in her presentation, 'Recreating a Vision:
daratan and kepulauan in context'. As seen on maps, Riau is a mix of two major
regions, daratan (mainland) and kepulauan (archipelago). Andaya traced the
creation of the modern-day province of Riau back to the fifteenth century when the kingdom of
Melaka united these two areas under its rule. The unity of the two regions continued throughout
the centuries despite numerous difficulties ranging from wars to varied economic and political
development. Thus, despite their differences, or more likely due to strengths both regions have to
offer to a united whole, the mainland and island areas of Riau do have a historical and cultural
unity between them.
The second paper with a historical flavor was by Kato Tsuyoshi (Kyoto University), who in 'The
Localization of the Kuantan Area: from Rantau Kurang Oso Dua Puluh to Kabupaten Indragiri
Hulu' described a recent tendency of the population of a mainland Riau area that has historically
been populated by Minangkabau migrants to identify itself as not Minangkabau, but as a local
variation of Malayness. The final paper in a historical vein was 'Local Heroes and National
Consciousness: The Politics of Historiography in Riau' by Timothy P. Barnard (University of
Hawaişi at Manoa). This paper focused on how regional heroes from Riau are portrayed in
nationalist biographies, in order to qualify them for consideration as national heroes. In the process
many of these heroes lose their local significance as they are pictured in light of modern-day
Indonesian developmental policies.
Development
A second category of papers focused on development issues. Many of the problems in this area
were summarized by Vivienne Wee (Centre for Environment, Gender and Development,
Singapore) in her keynote address entitled 'Continuity and Discontinuity in the Multiple Realities
of Riau'. In her presentation, Wee dramatically described how everyone involved in the ongoing
economic development has a different view of what is occurring. For example, the Singapore
government views Riau as a hinterland that can provide natural resources that are not available to
the small nation-state. Meanwhile, the Indonesian government sees Riau as an area that can be
developed quickly due to its proximity to Singapore and Malaysia, and the infusion of financial
resources into the region. The problems that this entails for the region, particularly the Riau
Archipelago, was also discussed by Mubyarto (Gajah Mada University) in his paper 'Progress and
Poverty in Riau', which focused primarily on the difficulties that the residents in Riau face when
they are not involved in the developmental process.
The effect of development programmes in mainland Riau was the focus of two papers. Cathy
Hoshour (Harvard University), in 'Resettlement and Politicization of Ethnicity in Indonesia',
described how funds and facilities designated for transmigration projects on the Riau-North
Sumatra provincial border have been manipulated, resulting in embittered relations between
Javanese transmigrants, local residents, and Batak migrants. Ken-ichi Abe (Kyoto University)
provided another development-related paper, but also added insight to the proceedings through his
perspective as a natural scientist. With his paper 'Cari Rezeki, Numpang Siap - Reclamation of
Peatswamp in Riau', Abe described how Bugis migrants on coconut plantations have produced
remarkable yields in the nutrient poor soil of Riau. These yields, however, hold a false promise
since the nutrients are quickly exhausted, and thus the central government should be wary of using
recent figures for future development planning in the region.
Minority Groups
A third group of papers, which also took a more active stance toward development policies in
Riau, can be categorized as minority groups under pressure. Three of these papers were about the
Orang Laut (Sea People) of the Riau Archipelago. Lioba Lenhart (University of Cologne),
in 'The Suku Laut People of the Riau Islands (Indonesia): Views on Sea Nomads Living in a
Region Undergoing a Process of Modernization', described the stereotypes that are held in
Indonesian society about the Orang Laut. These stereotypes, such as being vindictive and
isolated, have influenced Indonesian governmental policy toward the Orang Laut. The problem
with such stereotypes was echoed by Sudarman Sembiring (Gajah Mada University) in his paper
'Mobility and the Willingness of Orang Laut to Become Sedentary in the Framework of
Developing Isolated Peoples'. Sembiring described how Orang Laut have historically been
a flexible people moving between sea and land, despite the perception that they are entirely
opposed to living on the land. The problem of stereotyping Orang Laut was further emphasized in
a paper given by Cynthia Chou (IIAS), entitled 'Ownership and Social Relations: the Orang Suku
Laut of Riau'. Chou described how the Orang Laut do have fixed territories and feel a
responsibility for the state of development in these traditional areas. These three papers describe
current policies that negatively stereotype the Orang Laut, but reflect little understanding of any
possible role they might play within the future of the region. These three scholars called for a re-
evaluation of policies toward the Orang Laut, and an increased two-way dialogue between the
government and affected minority groups.
A second set of essays concerning minority groups in Riau focused on the Petalangan people of
the Kampar River valley. The first of these papers was by Ashley Turner (Monash University)
with 'Cultural Survival, Identity, and the Performing Arts of Kamparşs Suku Petalangan'.
Turner, an ethnomusicologist, described how the cultural identity of the Petalangan people is
closely linked to specific areas of land and is expressed through their songs and epic poems. As
various timber and palm oil industries have moved into their territory, however, the Petalangan
have lost control over much of this land and face a very uncertain future. A possible solution for
the Petalangan was discussed in a second paper entitled 'Petalangan Society and Change in Riau'
by Pak Tenas Effendy (Yayasan Setanggi), a renowned local expert from Riau. Pak Tenas
documented his attempts to protect the Petalangan ethnic group from the increasing encroachment
of palm oil plantations into their territory. As part of these efforts, he has developed a regional
cultural arts centre that has received funding from the Ford Foundation for its attempts to help the
Petalangan preserve their unique place in Riau society. He is hopeful that other Orang Asli
(Indigenous Peoples) in Riau will use the preserve as a model for the preservation of their culture
during periods of increasing economic and cultural pressure.
Malay Consciousness
The last category of papers touched on many of the topics brought up throughout the conference.
In the third keynote address of the conference, entitled 'Tradition and Modernity in Malay
Writing', Henk Maier (Leiden University) described the difficulty in finding a transition point
between traditional and modern writing in the Malay world. In order to better understand this
difficulty he referred to the Hikayat Hang Tuah, a traditional Malay epic, in which the
hero Hang Tuah describes Malay areas and peoples as kacu (mixed, jumbled up). Maier
then posited that it is best to understand Riau as an area that is kacu. If scholars try to place a false
homogeneity on the region it fails to take into account the plethora of peoples and cultures that
constitute both historic and modern Riau, and have influenced Malay consciousness in the region.
The voice of Riau Malays was represented by two scholars from the region. Muchtar Ahmad
(Universitas Riau) presented a paper entitled 'An Inquiry into Economic Sense in Riau' that
described attempts by Malays to share in the massive economic development that has hit Riau.
Although various economic cooperatives have been formed, Muchtar still perceives a feeling of
helplessness among the Malays over a situation that is centrally controlled and allows little local
input. Al Azhar (Universitas Islam Riau) presented a passionate plea for increased Malay self-
identity in a time of increasing pressure with his essay, 'Malayness in Riau: the study and
revitalization of identity'. Presented in Indonesian, Al Azharşs carefully chosen words poetically
documented the feeling of peripheralization that many Malays experience in their own homeland of
Riau.
Will Derks (IIAS) also discussed these feelings of peripheralization in his contribution, 'Malay
Identity Work.' In this paper, Derks describes signs of 'Malayness' in the Riau capital of
Pekanbaru. In this Indonesian city Malays are expressing their identity through a variety of
methods, including poetry reading, songs at stoplights, and rumors spread throughout the city.
These seemingly small events have the cumulative effect of Riau Malays attempting to preserve
certain aspects of their cultural identity in an area facing increasing Indonesianization and
globalization.
Finally, Jan van der Putten (Leiden University) with 'No Riau Without Your Books: the
Significance of Print for Malay Authors', documented a period in the nineteenth century when the
availability of the printing press provided new opportunities for Riau Malays to express their ideas
in new ways through a variety of genres.
Much like Riau, the placing of these papers within these four divisions creates a false categorization. Most had a significance in all of the areas being discussed. The papers described a region in flux, with a variety of ethnic groups and cultures negotiating their place in a not only a complex world or the complex nation-state of Indonesia, but also within the complex region known as Riau.
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