Almost 25 years ago the Aliansi Masyarakat Adat Nusantara (AMAN) was founded in Jakarta. The establishment of AMAN generated hope that in democratizing Indonesia, adat - a term referring both to customary rights and traditions - would be better respected, thereby giving Indonesian citizens more control over their natural resources.

The historiographical differences and memories between Indonesia and the Netherlands regarding the Dutch colonial period in the Indonesian Archipelago are very real. Indonesia needs to maintain the historical narrative of Dutch present in the Indonesian Archipelago to legitimize its existence as an independent and sovereign nation-state.