Customary Law and Constitutionalism in the Process of Recognizing Indigenous Communities in the Indonesian Legal State
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.30863/ekspose.v25i2.12483Keywords:
Customary Law, Constitutionalism, Recognition of Indigenous PeoplesAbstract
This study analyzes the position of customary law and the status of indigenous peoples in the national legal system through a constitutional perspective. The purpose of this study is to construct the principle of constitutionalism applied to the status of indigenous peoples, and to analyze the structural and legal obstacles that result in this recognition not being optimal. This study uses a normative legal research method with a limited statutory, conceptual, and historical approach through an analysis of constitutional provisions, sectoral laws and regulations, legal doctrine, and relevant court decisions. The results of the study indicate that although indigenous peoples and customary law have obtained constitutional legitimacy through Article 18B paragraph (2) and Article 28I of the 1945 Constitution of the Republic of Indonesia, the practice of recognition is still dominated by a conditional administrative approach and is oriented towards legal centralism. The fragmentation of sectoral regulations, the weak integration of collective rights within the human rights framework, and dependence on regional government policies give rise to legal uncertainty and unequal protection. This study concludes that the recognition of indigenous peoples needs to be reconstructed as an inclusive, pluralistic, and participatory constitutional process to strengthen substantive justice and legal certainty in the Indonesian legal system.
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