Strengthening the role of indigenous women in customary institutional structures is a project being implemented within the indigenous community that encourages the birth of Archipelago Indigenous Peoples Alliance (AMAN) women at the Regional Management level in Sumbawa and West Sumbawa Regencies. AMAN focuses on increasing the involvement and representation of indigenous women in their local political structure thus ensuring their space in decision-making processes. Another key output is the strengthening of the Sumbawa SAFE Women, a group that previously collaborated with another Voice grantee, the Center for Innovation Policy and Governance. It is through the previous collaboration that AMAN realised the need to continue the efforts to push for women’s participation in the local government’s various activities and initiatives.

The group is creating a pool of indigenous women representatives from each indigenous community in the region. Various programmes are co-created with the communities through the representatives. At the same time, the profiles and stories of the representatives are developed and amplified to inspire other potential women champions. Lastly, dialogues with both the government and private sectors are organised as spaces where the representatives and other community members voice out their ideas and aspirations.

While indigenous women are an important part in the customary institutional structure, they are seldom allowed by men in indigenous communities to take or make important decisions. Indigenous women play a very important role in their communities including giving voice to the interests of those affected by the policies of the government, the private sector and to parties who threaten the position of indigenous peoples. They are the backbone for men as well as being mothers, their roles cannot be separated from the needs and desires of the men in the customary area. In some instances. They make crucial suggestions touching on decisions to be made but these ideas are not used because they are not included in the customary institutional structure which is the highest customary decision maker in the customary institution itself. 

The presence of AMAN women at the regional management level can help further the struggle of indigenous peoples at the regional level, facilitate communication with various parties, especially with local governments, and more specifically to indigenous women at the indigenous community level to become stronger. 

For several years, indigenous women, especially in the area of ​​AMAN Sumbawa, which covers 2 districts of Sumbawa and West Sumbawa, have mostly remained unrecognized with their roles in public affairs have even become weaker. As an example, in 2015 when AMAN Sumbawa pushed for a regional regulation on the recognition and protection of indigenous peoples, only the voices of men were dominant at the community level with almost no female voices, and no indigenous women at all.  

The Archipelago Indigenous Peoples Alliance (AMAN) is based in the Sumbawa region of Indonesia and is home to 17 indigenous communities with a total population of around 17,000. AMAN’s vision is to realize a just and prosperous life for the indigenous people with its mission being to develop indigenous peoples who are politically sovereign, economically independent, and culturally dignified. 

The organization has implemented the project strengthening the Role of Indigenous Women in Customary Institutional Structures within the indigenous community to encourage the birth of Archipelago Indigenous Peoples Alliance (AMAN) women at the Regional Management level in Sumbawa and West Sumbawa Regencies. AMAN focused on increasing the involvement and representation of indigenous women in their local political structure thus ensuring their space in decision-making processes.  

Some of the results of the project included the socialization of program activities in 10 indigenous communities of Sumbawa and West Sumbawa, workshops on indigenous women in 10 locations of indigenous peoples of Sumbawa and West Sumbawa, workshop on Indigenous women at the AMAN Sumbawa Regional Management level in Sumbawa district and the launch of a book on profiles of indigenous women in 10 locations of indigenous communities. In addition, in terms of writing profiles of indigenous women, AMAN Sumbawa placed 10 writers from both academics such as from UNSA, IISBUD SARAE and from the Sumbawa University of Technology. 

Another achievement of the project from activities carried out was the establishment of an agreement with the indigenous peoples on the acceptance in the indigenous community of the Sumbawa AMAN program supported by Voice. There is now representation of two women who sit in customary structures/institutions in the community and the foundation of AMAN women’s management at the district level consisting of one chairman, one secretary and one treasurer who is represented by their respective delegates.  

Through the project, indigenous people came to realize the importance of the rights of indigenous women and their voices became critical in opposing policies that harm indigenous peoples thereby bringing a critical contribution of the project.