l Creating the Ulu Papar biocultural community protocol 149
text based on the views and comments
collected from community members. In
March 2012, after almost two years, the
protocol was finalised and printed in
Bahasa Malaysia for community members
and researchers to disseminate (a digital
English version has also been prepared).7
The protocol forms part of the backbone
of the Ulu Papar Community and Conservation Campaign launched in 2011 to
disseminate information about the importance of Ulu Papar as a biocultural heritage
site for the State of Sabah. Activities
conducted under this campaign include:
• roadshows that visit each Ulu Papar
village to share the latest updates and
enable community members to discuss the
critical issues they collectively face;
• dialogues with government to raise awareness about the heritage value of Ulu Papar
and the role of the community in the
conservation of this heritage;
• the circulation of the Ulu Papar BCP as a
document that represents the desire and
commitment of the Ulu Papar community
to work together in preserving Sabah’s
biocultural heritage.
Overall, the Ulu Papar BCP, and the
participatory process undertaken to create
it, have helped the community articulate a
common vision and aspirations for wellbeing. Most importantly, it has fostered a
sense of solidarity among Ulu Papar
people, giving them a belief in the future.
These, however, remain early steps in the
larger journey of equipping state governments to recognise and support
indigenous peoples’ rights to self-determination. As the Ulu Papar community
researchers begin to use the BCP as a
means of engaging with government agencies in Sabah, receptivity and reciprocity
on the part of state actors remains to be
seen. To bring their aspirations to reality,
what was an intensive community process
must now reach out and inaugurate
constructive relationships with outside
actors and government agencies.
CONTACT DETAILS
Theresia John
Ulu Papar Community Researcher
Email: theryjohn@gmail.com
Patricia John
Ulu Papar Community Researcher
Email: johnpatricia89@gmail.com
Louis Bugiad
Ulu Papar Community Researcher
Email: owescellis@gmail.com
7 Developing the protocol was not a full time task – villagers had to tend their farms, look after
their families, participate in cultural and religious observances, etc. Developing the protocol also
involved a lot of unaccustomed paperwork – often it proved useful to ‘take a breather’ and
allow people the time to talk, reflect and the return to the document later.