Recognition without Influence? Triadic Power Negotiation between Customary Institutions and the State in the Local Political Governance of South Papua

Abstract

Studies of adat–state relations in Indonesia have documented the revival of customary politics after decentralisation, while studies of Papua have focused largely on Special Autonomy at the level of the former single province. Little attention has been paid to how power between customary institutions and the state is negotiated in a newly established province, where the rules of interaction are still being written. This article examines power negotiation between customary institutions and the state in South Papua, the factors shaping the bargaining position of Indigenous communities, and the governance framework needed for substantive influence. Using a qualitative design based on document analysis and theory synthesis, the study analyses legislation, previous research, government publications, and media reports available up to October 2026 across three arenas: representation, recognition of customary communities, and land-based development. The analysis shows a consistent gap between formal recognition and substantive influence. The South Papua People’s Assembly exists but plays a mainly consultative role; legal recognition of customary communities proceeds slowly at the regency level; and decisions on large-scale national strategic projects are taken at the central level with limited involvement of either regional government or customary institutions. The article makes three contributions: it reconceptualises power negotiation in South Papua as triadic rather than dyadic; it adds a “bypassed” relation to the complementary, competitive, and symbolic types of adat–state relations; and it operationalises a Recognition, Participation, Authority, and Accountability (RPAA) framework with indicators for empirical testing.