Protecting Forests by Giving Nature Time to Recover

This tradition is known as Sasi. For the Marori community, Sasi is more than a customary rule; it is an expression of the relationship between people, their ancestors, and the environment in which they live. Throughout the restriction period, community members are prohibited from entering designated areas, hunting, cutting down trees, or harvesting natural resources. This allows the area time to recover.

Wilhemus S. Gebze, Chief of the Marori Men Gey Tribe, explained to National Geographic Indonesia that the practice of Sasi has changed over time. Some of its customary rules and practices have gradually disappeared as society has evolved. Nevertheless, the community continues to preserve the remaining traditions as part of its ancestral knowledge and heritage of environmental stewardship.

The prohibition is formally lifted through a ceremony known as Garo Oggy. During the Nisa removal ritual, the Sasi marker is taken down, allowing the area to be used again. Clans from various parts of Merauke gather in Wasur Village for three nights to take part in the ceremonial proceedings. Beyond marking the end of the restriction period, the ceremony also serves as an expression of respect and a farewell to the deceased.

A similar system is applied to sago groves. Following the mourning period, community members place markers in the form of cords or bracelets known as urea. The designated area is then closed to resource extraction for an agreed period, typically two to three years. During this time, hunting, tree felling, and activities that disturb the sago groves are prohibited.

This practice reflects a fundamental principle of natural resource management: allowing ecosystems the space and time they need to regenerate. When resource extraction is temporarily suspended, wildlife has an opportunity to reproduce, vegetation can regenerate, and forest and wetland ecosystems are protected from continuous human pressure.

The experiences of the Marori community also demonstrate that ecological knowledge is not limited to formal rules governing resource use. It is embedded in collective memory and everyday life. Agustinus Mahuze, a resident of Wasur Village, has observed that environmental changes and excessive hunting have made several wildlife species increasingly difficult to find. Kangaroos, which were once commonly seen around areas where people carried out their daily activities, including agricultural land, are now rarely encountered.

Sasi in Merauke is not the only example of how Indigenous communities regulate their relationship with nature. On Seram Island, Maluku, the Nuaulu Indigenous community recognizes protected forest areas known as sin wesie. In his 2016 study, Nuaulu Ritual Regulation of Resources, Sasi and Forest Conservation in Eastern Indonesia, anthropologist Roy Ellen describes how the Nuaulu community regulates protected forest areas to secure resources for constructing customary houses and conducting traditional rituals.

In West Papua, the Baham-Matta community also possesses traditional knowledge for managing Papua nutmeg, known as henggi in the Iha language. Research by Antoni Ungirwalu and colleagues, published in the Journal of Forest Science at Gadjah Mada University in 2019, examines the relationship between community culture, forest management, and the utilization of Papua nutmeg. The processes involved, from pre-harvest and harvesting to post-harvest activities, are guided by inherited local knowledge, including Sasi as a mechanism for regulating the use of forest resources.

These examples demonstrate that Sasi does not take a single, uniform form. Each community has its own rules, markers, and restriction periods, shaped by its history and local environmental conditions. Nevertheless, these practices share a common principle: the use of natural resources must be regulated to ensure their continued availability for future generations.

Professor Fransina Sarah Latumahina, a forestry professor at Pattimura University, has also emphasized the importance of Indigenous ecological knowledge. In an interview with ANTARA on January 5, 2026, she highlighted how practices such as Sasi and customary zoning can help maintain forest ecological balance. For this reason, Indigenous communities should be engaged as strategic partners in conservation efforts rather than treated merely as the subjects of policy interventions.

Despite their established knowledge systems and customary regulations, Indigenous communities face various pressures on their ancestral territories. The 2024 Year-End Report of the Indigenous Peoples' Alliance of the Archipelago (AMAN) recorded 121 conflict cases affecting 140 Indigenous communities, with an estimated impacted area of approximately 2.82 million hectares. These conflicts involve competing interests, including plantations, mining, infrastructure development, and forestry concessions.

Ultimately, threats to forests are not solely about the loss of tree cover or wildlife habitats. When Indigenous territories come under pressure, communities also risk losing the spaces in which they practice their traditions and pass down knowledge that has long contributed to environmental stewardship.

Within Wasur National Park, a diverse landscape of wetlands, forests, savannas, and other wetland ecosystems provides habitats for a wide range of wildlife. Within this landscape, the Marori community maintains its own protection mechanisms through Sasi and the designation of sacred areas where hunting and resource extraction are prohibited. These practices demonstrate how conservation efforts can emerge from the knowledge of communities that have lived alongside nature for generations.

Wilhemus S. Gebze hopes that the Sasi tradition can be revitalized and passed on to future generations. He believes that achieving this requires guidance and support from the management of Wasur National Park. Preserving the tradition cannot rest solely on the Indigenous community; it also requires collaboration with the institutions responsible for managing and protecting the area.

For Legenda Khatulistiwa, exploring Indonesia is about more than visiting beautiful destinations and experiencing its natural landscapes. Every region holds its own history, culture, and traditional knowledge, all of which shape the way people interact with their environment. Wasur Village is one of the places where this relationship can be understood through the Sasi tradition of the Marori Men Gey community.

Visiting Indigenous territories also means entering as a guest. Visitors should respect local customs and regulations, listen to community stories, and understand that not every area is open for access or resource use. In particular, areas currently under Sasi restrictions are not automatically open to tourism.

Interested in discovering the Sasi tradition and the Indigenous communities that uphold it? Explore Indonesia more closely with Legenda Khatulistiwa. Come to listen to local stories, understand Indigenous wisdom, and learn to appreciate the ways communities care for their environment. After all, a meaningful journey is not only about what we see, but also about what we learn from the places we visit.