The current village head in Hutumuri has no firm position in the village. He is not from the
traditional adat lineage (i.e., Tipiorij or Waas). One villager complained “anybody who can
get support from influential villagers nowadays can become a village leader.” Besides, people
feel that he has insufficient management skills and so have no confidence in him. His position
is further undermined by lackluster staff, whose motivation has flagged ever since government
officials and the heads of the RTs3 stopped receiving regular salaries.
Faced by conflict and confusion, the new village head decided to reorganize the village
government. In the course of 1998, a new LMD will be formed that will include all traditional
clan leaders (including the tuan negeri). The ones who are old or who have died will be replaced
and elected by the clan members. In total, the new LMD will have 10 clan leaders: five kepala
soa adat (traditional) and five kepala soa perintah (government). The former will take care of
adat affairs, while the latter will be involved in government affairs. In this way, both adat and
government sides are involved in the decision-making process. The village head is to
inaugurate the officials and have their positions acknowledged through an official decree
from the municipal government in Ambon.
Dusun Toisapu will be represented in the Hutumuri LMD by the dusun head, Poli Thenu.
Unlike the village head in Hutumuri, Thenu has a highly legitimate position in his dusun. He
takes care of the village in such a way that people feel included; they, therefore, trust him to
represent their interests.
15.2.2 Village organizations in Hutumuri
Most village organizations are based in Hutumuri. The Protestant church in Hutumuri was
established by the Dutch in 1830. In 1997, the congregation consisted of 1,884 people. There is
a close working relationship between the church and the village government. Important
announcements from the government are made after the Sunday service. Sometimes instead
of bible reading during an in-house service, there are lectures about agriculture, improving
family income, health, etc. The church also works together with the village government to
maintain a social organization called “Muhabet” of which Hutumuri has five.
People have confidence in the church because it has a more solid structure and is more
accountable than the village government. Also, the government development programs are
developed without involvement of the people, and therefore, the more participatory church
programs are preferred. The church programs include spiritual empowerment, environmental
programs (cleaning up places containing potential diseases), economic programs (development
of clove cultivation), and social services (yearly gifts to elders and low-income families). The
church officials are responsible for the implementation of the programs.
Carolina Souhuwat-Thenu chairs the Pelwata in Hutumuri, which aims to “unite and nurture
women as wives and mothers in relation to their responsibility in the family life, to the mission
of God in the world, and to village development.” Membership is relatively low (154) because
for many people, the economic burdens are too heavy (they have to wear special clothes to
the meetings etc.). In 1984, when the church opened its branch in Toisapu, a church youth
wing was established. Under the supervision of Jakob Waas, the 40 members develop spiritual
and social skills that will help them to become leaders.
3 The RT groups consist of several neighborhood households. It is the lowest level in the government structure.
Dusun Toisapu, Desa Hutumuri, Ambon Island 199