An institutional analysis of sasi laut in Maluku, Indonesia



Table 17.5. Attrition and persistence of marine sasi in relation to village size and religion.

Marine Sasi lost

Class 1

Class 2

Class3

Class4

Muslim

Christian

Total

1990s

0

0

0

1

1

0

1

1980s

3

0

0

0

0

3

3

1970s

2

1

0

1

0

4

4

Lost earlier

2

4

1

3

3

7

10

Sub Total: lost

7

5

1

5

4

14

18

Number still
Existing

0

4

10

3

5

12

17

Never had marine
sasi

6

7

6

9

11

17

28

Total

13

16

17

17

20

43

63

Table 17.6. Attrition of marine sasi per island.

Marine Sasi
lost (n=18)

Seram
(n=1)

Ambon
(n=6)

Haruku

(n=2)

Saparua

(n=4)

Nusa Laut

(n=5)

Total

1990s

0%

6%

0%

0%

0%

6%

1980s

0%

11%

0%

0%

6%

17%

1970s

0%

5%

0%

11%

6%

21%

Earlier

6%

11%

11%

11%

17%

56%

Total lost

6%

33%

11%

22%

28%

100%

The persistence of marine sasi is linked to the fate of land sasi, in that villages with marine sasi
usually have relatively active land sasi. Land sasi is significantly more active in Class 3 villages
(ANOVA, p=0.01), which helps explain the resilience of marine
sasi in this size class. Where
marine
sasi has been lost for some reason, the land sasi institution that is left behind is also
weak (Table 17.7).

Table 17.7. Relation between marine sasi status and activity of land sasi. Land sasi score (average ± S.E.).

Village status

Average land sasi score

Village with marine sasi

12.2 ± 1.02

Village that never had marine sasi

10.8 ± 0.73

Village where marine sasi has been lost

8.3 ± 0.87

In Maluku, fishing villages are most often overwhelmingly Christian or Muslim. The seven
villages where marine
sasi was most active (score 10-12, see Table 17.8) were all homogeneous
i.e., with at least 95% of the population being of the dominant religion. Out of 17 cases of
marine
sasi, three were effectively dormant (score=3) and another three were weak (score 6-
7). One of the cases of dormant marine
sasi occurred in a relatively non-homogeneous village
and a second case was in a Christian
dusun attached to a predominantly Muslim village.
Cultural homogeneity can thus be important to the resilience of this traditional institution.

Resilience of marine sasi is also linked to the interplay among governing authorities. Sasi has
been stable in the Muslim villages where the institution is neither
adat nor church (Table
17.9). In a number of cases,
sasi on marine resources was abandoned (e.g., Akoon, Ameth,
Leinitu) or weakened (e.g., Haria, Ulath) when
adat sasi was taken over by the church.
Compared to marine
sasi that is of the adat or “other” type, marine sasi in villages with church
sasi is significantly less active (p<0.05). Where adat sasi has survived, losses of marine sasi are
fewer compared to losses in villages where only church
sasi remains (Table 17.9).

Institutional Resilience : Loss and Revival of Sasi 245



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