WHY INDIGENOUS LEADERSHIP IS

MATTER?

Paul Porodong (PhD)

Environmental Anthropologist

Sociology and Social Anthropology

Universiti Malaysia Sabah

5

1960’s

Read more: Massey et al, 2011. Beware the animals that dance:

Conservation as an unintended outcome of cultural practices

2016

Protected Area (PA) management and community

• Most Protected Area (PA) networks worldwide have been established and managed by Government Departments in a top-down fashion

• ...many ignore the presence local community completely in PA management (Pimbert & Pretty 1997).

Impact of “top down”

• As a result, the establishment of PAs has often been accompanied by the displacement or marginalisation of local populations.

• In India, the establishment of national parks has displaced roughly 600,000 tribal people (Colchester 2004:146 cited PRIA 1993).

• During the last few decades conflicts between PA managers and the local populations that surround them have steadily increased both in rate and magnitude (Pimbert & Pretty 1997; Castro & Nielson 2003).

PA managers failed to integrate community in management plan...

• Until quite recently few PA management plans have made any reference to the needs, beliefs, knowledge and institutions of local peoples living in or around them, fewer still have integrated these into the structures of PA management (Pimbert & Pretty 1997).

PA and Community

• The caveat that emerges from the history of PA-community interactions is that no PA can survive for long without local support (Wells & McShane 2004).

“Fortress conservation” vs Global trends

• Traditional conservation is also challenged by global

trends of political decentralisation, greater local empowerment and the rise of an increasingly influential indigenous rights movement, the success of which resulted in the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP 2007).

• Together these trends are making it increasingly difficult on a global scale to manage PAs through traditional means (Pimbert & Pretty 1997).

Empowerment

Ladder of participation

Empowerment

Delegation of Power

Partnership

Consultation

Feedback

Tokenism

Manipulation

Education

Decoration

• What can we learn

from “leadership” of

the past – the

Indigenous

leadership?

How to Empower People?

Indigenous knowledge

• Familiar with;

• Indigenous knowledge – tangible ( i.e

medicinal) and non tangible (i.e value system)

• It very often that when a particular practice of

products labelled “indigenous” , the reception

antenna conveniently switch off

• Common notions: ‘outdated’; ‘traditional’

‘primitive’; ‘backward’;

Modern knowledge?

• The so called modern knowledge is

relatives. 20 year from now, the so

called technological edge today is

antique of tomorrows.

• i.e farming.

Moving forward

• One the greatest human nature is ability to learn, get hold of the latest knowledge and moves forward with it.

• Problem with this is, we tend to ignore the past and fixed our eyes to the future

• Prof. Khoo Kay Kim once said “people tend to dislike history…past is past they said, but can they tell what will happen in the next five minutes?”

Lessons from the past

• “Lessons from the past, springboard

to the future” George N. Appell

(Anthropologist)

• What can we learn from “leadership”

of the past – the Indigenous

leadership?

Leadership-vision, guidance,

decider

• Leadership is having a vision, sharing that

vision and inspiring others to support your

vision while creating their own." – Mindy

Gibbins-Klein, founder, REAL Thought Leaders

• "Leadership is the ability to guide others

without force into a direction or decision that

leaves them still feeling empowered and

accomplished." – Lisa Cash Hanson, CEO,

Snuggwugg

Leader – visionary, motivator, provider,

recogniser

• "Effective leadership is providing the vision and

motivation to a team so they work together

toward the same goal…”

• "Leadership is the art of serving others by equipping them with training, tools and people as well as your time, energy and emotional intelligence so that they can realize their full potential…”

• "Leadership is being bold enough to have vision

and humble enough to recognize achieving it…”

Leader – the brain, creator, empowerer,

decider, knows

• "A true leader is secure in creating a framework that encourages others…”

• "In my experience, leadership is about three things: To listen, to inspire and to empower…”

• "I define leadership as knowing when to be in front to lead and guide a team during the journey, and when to step back…”

Leader - INDIVIDUAL

•"My perspective of a leader is an individual who knows the ins and outs about the business…”

A leader - individual centric

attributes

Indigenous Leadership

• Woyoon/Vozoon (root word:

woyo / vozo = follow

• “A person we decide to follow”

• people - plays active roles

I am your leader!

You are my leader!

You are my leader!

You are my leader!

You are my leader! You are my leader!

Indigenous leadership

To decide and choose

Follow critically

Evaluate continuously

Vozoon - Passive

People centric

Perform to their best

Experience-credibility

Cannot demand

Action do the talking

Empowering local leader

• Understanding local leadership is first step to

empowerment.

• People need necessary environment to play

active roles to sustain culture...identify the

necessary environment to revive local

leadership

• Provide this environment. Never take over or

replace local power structure without proper

consultation.

Terima kasih!!