The Uma Saerejen Indigenous Community Group is one of the indigenous communities located in Sirilanggai Hamlet, Malancan Village, North Siberut District, Mentawai Islands Regency. This community has a long history, starting from their ancestors who came from the Simatalu area in West Siberut District. The kinship system of the Uma Saerejen Indigenous Community is very strong, where important decisions such as land management and natural resources are always agreed upon together. Until now, members of Uma Saerejen continue to strive to defend their customary territory from external threats, such as exploitation plans by logging companies that have logging permits in the area.

Uma Saerejen decided to strengthen their position through mapping of customary territories. Supported by the Nusantara Fund Direct Funding, the Uma Saerejen mapping program aims to ensure recognition of customary territories by the government and avoid destructive exploitation of natural resources. The customary territory mapping activity took place from February 1 to April 30, 2024, with various stages such as customary agreement deliberations, participatory mapping training, coordinate point surveys, and map making. The final result of the program was a map of customary territories covering an area of ​​2.304 hectares, far from the initial rough estimate of only 100 hectares. Participatory mapping involved 55 people from 15 heads of families in Uma Sarajen.

Starting with a customary deliberation, where the Uma Saraejen Indigenous Community gathers to discuss, deliberate and agree on customary territory boundaries. With consensus, it is ensured that all parties have the same understanding regarding the results of the customary territory mapping. Then the process is continued with participatory mapping training so that the community is technically skilled in how to carry out mapping.

The survey of coordinate point taking was conducted after participatory mapping training. The coordinate point data taken in the field was processed to produce a clear map of the area, including important elements in it. Map making is not just a visual representation of the customary area, but also functions as an advocacy tool that will be submitted to the government as concrete evidence to obtain formal recognition of their area.

The benefits of mapping customary areas are not only for the Uma Saerejen community, but also have an impact on other stakeholders, such as neighboring tribes and local governments. With the certainty of territorial boundaries, other tribes bordering Uma Saerejen also benefit, because conflicts related to land boundaries can be minimized. In addition, the local government has clear boundaries for customary areas in Malancan Village, which will facilitate development planning and land conflict resolution.

Through participatory mapping, Uma Saerejen now has a map of customary territories that are recognized by custom and can be used as a basis for obtaining formal recognition from the government. Mapping customary territories is a way for Indigenous Peoples to be more sovereign in managing and protecting customary territories.

Mapping the Uma Saerejen Customary Territory is not only about defending the territory, but also about strengthening cultural identity, maintaining ecological sustainability, and realizing the sovereignty of indigenous peoples over their land. What the Uma Saerejen Indigenous Community has done is an example for other indigenous communities facing similar issues, especially in fighting for their rights to land and livelihoods.