Lebong Regency is a regency that was split from Rejang Lebong Regency and was approved by Law No. 39 of 2003. The Rejang ethnic group used to have a traditional governance system known as Kutai (kuteui/kutei). In 1861, the Marga governance system was established in the Bengkulu region, which was a combination of several kutai. The law used at that time was simbur cahaya, adopted from the simbur cahaya law in South Sumatra. The Marga governance system was in place until 1980 with the issuance of Law No. 5 of 1979 concerning the village governance system. With the enactment of this law, the traditional Rejang community system in Lebong Regency lost control over the rights of the traditional Rejang community. The customary land, which was formerly known as Marga forest or Marga land, was lost, and currently, much of that area has been included in protected forest areas and national parks.

Some of the issues above have led to conflicts between the indigenous communities and the state. Issues regarding their customary lands that are now claimed by the state as protected forests and the Kerinci Seblat National Park (TNKS) have arisen.

In response to the situation of the Rejang indigenous community in Lebong Regency, Akar in collaboration with HuMa signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Regent of Lebong Regency to accelerate the recognition of the rights of the Rejang indigenous community in Lebong Regency. The activities aimed to strengthen the Rejang indigenous community in Lebong Regency. The activities included conducting studies on the potential of customary lands, creating maps of customary lands, and various training activities to empower the indigenous community.

The activities carried out by the Akar Foundation in collaboration with HuMa were located in five villages that are part of the Suku IX Marga. Two villages in the Plabai District, namely Plabai Village and Kota Baru Santan Village, and three villages in the Uram Jaya District, namely Embong Uram Village, Embong I Village, and Kota Baru Village.

Various events were held, including Public Dialogues on Customary Areas. These dialogues aimed to strengthen the discourse on recognizing customary lands. This activity also generated notes and input on the needs for recognizing customary lands. The event took place at the Lebong Regency Government Hall.

Another initiative was the production of Thematic Maps of Customary Areas. Mapping of customary lands was carried out in two villages in the Plabai District, bordering Protected Forests and inter-regency boundary conflicts, namely Plabai Village and Kota Baru Santan Village, and in three villages in the Uram Jaya District, namely Embong Uram Village, Embong I Village, and Kota Baru Village, which directly border the Kerinci Sebelat National Park (TNKS). This mapping aimed to determine the boundaries of the Suku IX customary land in these five villages.

Furthermore, in the field of research and studies, activities were conducted to study the potential of customary lands. This study collected as much information and data as possible about the potential in the five Customary Areas, namely Plabai Village, Kota Baru Santan Village in the Plabai District, Embong Uram Village, Embong I Village, and Kota Baru Village in the Uram Jaya District. This research is essential for strengthening the capacities of community facilitators in the field.

In the field of advocacy, Critical Legal Training was conducted. This training was one of the efforts to strengthen the indigenous community in Lebong Regency. Through this activity, the indigenous community could understand and analyze legal mechanisms and patterns of monitoring their implementation. The training took place at the Plabai Village Hall, involving representatives of the indigenous community in the five villages (Plabai, Kota Baru Santan, Embong Uram, Embong I, and Kota Baru) as participants.

As a follow-up to the critical legal training, a training on drafting regional policies was conducted. This training aimed to empower the indigenous community by helping them understand the mechanisms of drafting regional policies, including understanding the space for engagement, monitoring, and accountability. This activity was carried out in Embong I Village. During the event, Awareness on Indigenous Women’s Rights was also raised. The goal was for women to be aware of and position themselves in raising awareness on Indigenous Women’s Rights, which could later motivate the community in various activities.

In terms of communication strategies and campaigns, Citizen Journalism Training was conducted. This two-day training was held at the Embong Uram Village Hall. The training aimed to enable the indigenous community to understand and express their thoughts on customary lands and