Ungirwalu, A., Mansoben, J. R., Runtuboi, Y. Y., Fatem, S. M., Peday, M. H., Marwa, J., & Maryudi, A. (2025). The fall of the kings: Power relations and dynamics in Papua’s indigenous community in forest resource management. Forest Policy and Economics, 172, 103424. https://doi.org/10.1016/J.FORPOL.2025.103424
Abstract
Tribal leaders in Papua had been positioned as both cultural symbols and real decision-making leaders, but they have lost their power over natural resource management and forests. Using the case of nutmeg management by the tribal Baham-Matta community, we present changes in the power constellations within the local social structures, in which the Kings (Patuans), the highest tribal leaders, have increasingly been unable to rule their people. In this research, we mainly employed the theoretical