Defending Mother Earth
Edition 163: Jan-Mar 2026
Indonesian women play a special role in environmental activism. Out of their holistic traditional knowledge, they campaign against the miners who seek to destroy it for short-term gain.
This edition profiles some of these inspirational defenders of Mother Earth, whose stories are told in a new book, Senjata kami adalah upacara adat (Our weapon is traditional ritual) edited by Siti Maimunah and Noer Fauzi Rachman.
Rukka Sombolinggi introduces the edition with a vivid depiction of just how formidable these women are. We then highlight the stories of three of these women, accompanied by their mantras. We hope you find this edition as inspiring to read as we found it to prepare.
We will never be alone
Written by Rukka Sombolinggi
We, the Indigenous Peoples, are never alone
Gunarti: Profile
Decolonising knowledge
Gunarti: Mantra
Aleta Baun: Profile
Name stone resistance
Aleta Baun: Mantra
Jull Takaliuang: Profile
Save Sangihe
Jull Takaliuang: Mantra
The body in nature
Siti Maimunah in conversation with Gerry van Klinken
A new way to write about mining and logging
