10.6 Incentives to Cooperate
The keys to resource management are enforcement of, and compliance with, fisheries rules
and regulations. However, various contextual variables affect an individual’s inclination to
participate in, and be governed by, sasi.
Spiritual significance of sasi
Compliance and legitimacy are closely related to respect for the ancestral spirits and God.
People in Nolloth believe that neglecting traditional rules or pledges results in illness or even
death. Ceremonies are essential to win the ancestors’ approval and to keep harmony, and
they need to be carried out in the proper, prescribed way and by the appropriate people. Fear
of, and respect for, ancestral powers are, therefore, profound. “Sasi is something from the
ancestors, it needs to be followed.” (Otniel Patty, pers. comm.).
Legitimacy
The sasi rules in Nolloth are the result of a collective process nested in adat and, therefore,
highly legitimate. Adat, the traditional customary law, provides the constitutional basis of
sasi as an institution. The village officials explained: “Adat is important, and adat cannot be
changed. People acknowledge adat and this is their incentive to accept the rules and regulations
that come with it.”
The overlap between formal and traditional village authorities in Nolloth is very high
compared to other villages. The village government is, therefore, seen to be highly legitimate.
The legitimacy conferred upon the village head, through his association with sasi and adat, is
an incentive for him to support and participate in sasi.
Sasi can and does evolve through time, as seen in Nolloth. With the increasing involvement
of the church, the sasi institution has become both more complex and even more legitimate in
the eyes of the people. On the other hand, the minister also comes to share the legitimacy and
respect of adat through his association with sasi.
Status
There was no clear answer to the question why Nolloth still has sasi while it has been lost in
many other villages. But although the villagers could not give an explanation for the strength
of sasi, they felt it was important to have sasi. They were proud to be a sasi village and not in
the least because of the attention of researchers, NGOs, and tourists that are attracted to the
village. This pride and status apply to all the (traditional) village officials and kewang members.
Economic benefits
Village leaders make decisions concerning the harvest and sale of sasi resources: a position
that is not only prestigious, but also allows them certain powers and economic benefits. The
kewang members earn little in the way of economic benefits, but for them, the status makes up
for their efforts and the time they spend guarding the sasi area and village.
Whereas land sasi benefits the individual landowners, the profits from marine sasi disappear
into the village treasury. The KUD, harvesters, the kewang and church get direct shares, but
the other villagers only benefit indirectly through village development. The money is spent
112 An Institutional Analysis of Sasi Laut in Maluku, Indonesia