TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Over the past four months, Antonius Toni has been making regular trips from his home in Nangahale village, Talibura subdistrict, Sikka Regency, East Nusa Tenggara, to the Maumere District Court, about 72 kilometers away.
Toni, a member of the Soge Natarmage indigenous community, has attended weekly court hearings in a bid to defend his community’s customary land. He and two other members of the Soge people were brought to court after Kristus Raja Maumere, a company owned by the Diocese of Maumere, accused them of trespassing on private property.
“I spend about Rp100,000 (around US$5.5) on public transportation for each trip,” he said on Wednesday, July 22, 2026. The travel costs have placed a heavy burden on Toni and his family, who make a living as farmers.
The land dispute in Nangahale village erupted in 2023 after Kristus Raja Maumere received a renewed cultivation rights permit from the National Land Agency. Armed with the renewed concession, the company sought to take control of land that the Soge Natarmage people regard as part of their customary territory. In January 2025, hundreds of homes belonging to members of the Soge Natarmage community—including Toni’s stone house—were demolished.
Toni said the house had sheltered his wife and their two school-aged children. “I’ve lived in Nangahale village for 62 years, yet I was driven out of my own home,” he said.
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