Good Practices and Lessons Learned from Experiences in the Asia-Pacific Region
Simeulue, Nias and Siberut, Indonesia
Legend, Ritual and Architecture on the Ring of Fire Koen Meyers and Puteri Watson Abstract Indigenous practices have proven to reduce the impacts of natural disasters in three islands in Sumatra, Indonesia, namely Simeulue, Nias and Siberut. Though culturally different, all three islands have within the last five years experienced earthquakes and tsunamis and have brought to light indigenous practices previously unremarked by the international community concerned with disaster risk reduction. These practices include traditional communication, human-settlement planning and building methods and associated rituals. These practices will be examined in detail to fully understand their impact and consider what relevance these indigenous practices and knowledge have for modern development.
Background
is estimated at 713,0451. A view of a village in Nias is shown in Figure 1.
Simeulue
Siberut
Part of the Province of Aceh, Simeulue is an island district which consists of 1 large island, i.e. Simeuleu Island, and approximately 40 small islands. The islands cover a total area of 205,148.63 ha and are located approximately 155 km from the mainland Sumatra.
With an area of 400,030 ha, Siberut is the largest of the Mentawai islands which encompasses more than seventy islands and islets. It is located off the west coast of the province of West Sumatra. The more than 35,000 indigenous inhabitants of Siberut, belonging to the Mentawai ethnic group, represent one of the few remaining communities in Southeast Asia whose way of life is still to a large extent dependent on the natural environment. Many parts of Siberut still feature a semi- subsistence economy in which indigenous environmental management and related belief systems play an important role in the daily lives of peoples. A typical Siberut village is displayed in Figure 2.
Nias Nias consists of a group of islands located between Simeulue and the Mentawai islands, approximately 100 kilometers off the west coast of North Sumatra, Indonesia. The islands cover an area of 4,771 km2. Administratively, Nias Island group belongs to the North Sumatra Province and is divided into two districts, Nias and Southern Nias. According to the population census of 2006, the total population of Nias
1 Badan Pusat Statistik Sumatera Utara
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