The Center for Religious and Cross-cultural Studies (CRCS), Graduate School of Universitas Gadjah Mada (UGM), in collaboration with the Intersectoral Collaboration for Indigenous Religions (ICIR), organized the 2025 Forum Kamisan Daring (FKD) as an inclusive virtual dialogue space for indigenous communities and followers of indigenous belief systems.
Carrying the overarching theme of Democracy and the Environment, FKD 2025 facilitated discussions on strategic issues such as ancestral religions and cultures, women’s issues, environmental concerns, legal policy, and education. One of the sessions in the series took place on Thursday (June 26th), titled “Welcoming 1st Suro: Narratives of Young Believers Amidst Majoritarianism.”
This session featured two young speakers from indigenous belief and customary communities: Oksafira from Gema Pakti/Hangudi Bawana Tata and Alit from the Anak Rawa Penyengat Village in Riau Province. They shared their experiences and reflections on the position of the younger generation of indigenous belief adherents in facing the pressures of majoritarianism in various areas of social life.
“So far, there has been no official recognition of the existence of indigenous belief adherents. We are still unable to record our belief identity on civil documents and cannot conduct traditional marriages that are legally recognized by the government,” said Alit. He emphasized the need to continue fighting for the recognition of belief communities amidst the pressures of modernization and the dominance of mainstream culture.
Oksafira added, “There are some major groups that still respect belief communities. We are continuing our efforts to preserve the ancestral teachings passed down to us since childhood so that they may inherit by our grandchildren.”
The discussion also featured a response from journalist Tantowi Anwari of the Alliance of Journalists for Diversity (Serikat Jurnalis untuk Keberagaman, Sejuk). In his remarks, Tantowi highlighted the lack of representation of indigenous belief communities in mainstream media.
“The media still often overlooks the narratives of minority groups, including indigenous belief communities. This presents both a challenge and a call for journalists to be more fair in representing diversity,” Tantowi said. He also pointed out that another major challenge faced by indigenous communities is the absence of state policies that legally recognize their existence.
The session, moderated by Afkar Aristoteles, a 2024 CRCS student, was conducted interactively, with participants actively contributing responses and questions that enriched the discussion. Forum Kamisan Daring remains an important platform for raising public awareness on the diversity of beliefs and cultural practices in Indonesia, while also promoting constructive dialogue to strengthen an inclusive democracy.
Writer: Asti Rahmaningrum