Her name is Hermina Mawa, a brown-skinned traditional woman with curly hair; some are starting to look white, showing that they are no longer young. Hermina was born in Kawa village, Labolewa village, Aesesa subdistrict, Nagekeo Regency in 1974 to Mama Imelda Dheta and Andreas Tenga.
In April 1992, Mince's mother moved to Rendu village to follow her parents. Four years later, Mama Mince married Yohanes Don Bosco Riba and was blessed with two children. But unfortunately, in 2005 her husband died due to liver disease. This incident changed her title as female head of the family. Now, Mama Hermina is often called Mama Mince by her fellow relatives in Kawa village.
Mama Mince tries hard to meet her daily needs by managing a 0.75 ha field. There are rice, corn, beans, tubers and also vegetables which are the main crops. Mama Mince admitted that the soil texture in Rendu was not as fertile as the soil in other places. Therefore, during the summer he cannot continue to rely on agricultural products. Field products are harvested once a year for consumption and some are sold at the Raja market and Mbai market, such as rice, corn and beans.
From selling the harvest, Mama Mince earns an income of around Rp. 200,000.00/month. Mama Mince uses these results for her child's school needs and daily living needs. Of course, this minimal income is still far from enough. Therefore, Mince's mother took up weaving and raising livestock to help pay for her two children's school needs and other needs.
Mama Mince started learning weaving when she was in elementary school from her mother. He is used to weaving well. To be able to produce a piece of Mama Mince's woven cloth takes three weeks. The price of a piece of woven cloth is around Rp. 350,000 – Rp. 400,000,-. Not enough to weave, Mama Mince also raises goats, pigs and chickens. Even though it is not sold regularly, this livestock is very helpful when he needs sudden expenses.
Apart from being the head of the household, Mama Mince is also known as a figure who has fought for traditional women in Rendu since 2015. She has been active in conveying aspirations and fighting against the talk of building the Lambo reservoir. Mama Mince and 41 other traditional women gathered and formed a women's group called the Tanah Rendu Fighters Group (KOMPETAR). This community is a forum for organizing traditional women in Rendu, under the daily community management (PHKOM) PEREMPUAN AMAN and Mama Mince is trusted as the secretary of PHKOM KOMPETAR.
The Rendu traditional community is known for its beautiful savanna area and abundant natural resources. The Rendu indigenous people are able to meet their daily needs only by utilizing existing natural resources. This makes dependence on markets or goods and materials produced from outside traditional areas very low.
The Malaledu grazing fields, the Kage Wae ritual site, the Napu spring, the Lowo Pebhu river and the Robo Meze traditional forest have been able to guarantee the survival of the Rendu indigenous community for hundreds of years. Because of this, Mama Mince really loves her ancestral heritage.
His love for his ancestral heritage meant that he did not take a step back from fighting against the construction of the Lambo reservoir. In 2021, Mama Mince was arrested by the authorities for carrying out a blockade at the entrance to point zero of the Lambo Reservoir construction area. His commitment to preserving the legacy of his ancestors never fades.
“The land is God's creation and the struggle of our ancestors. We don't want our land to be destroyed. If that happens where should we go? Should we be stranded? "I will continue to defend people's right to life," said Mama Mince.
As a traditional woman, Mama Mince experienced many challenges, especially in organizing traditional women in Rendu village. It is difficult to get permission from the family when they have to leave the house or leave the village, one of them. However, this did not break Mama Mince's fighting spirit. Mince's mother's continuous approach strategy finally succeeded in melting her family's views. Mama Mince continues to be present to consolidate together with other traditional women to be at the forefront of protecting ancestral land and opposing the construction of the Lambo reservoir.
Mama Mince always leads the action so that the construction of the Lambo reservoir can be stopped. However, the power of the national strategy project continues to send police officers to criminalize indigenous women and communities who guard their traditional territories. Even though he is currently defeated because development is already underway, it has not broken his desire to continue fighting in the slightest.
Together with her fellow PHKOM KOMPETAR administrators, Mama Mince is actively fighting to continue to advocate and consolidate with community leaders, the village government and the relocation committee, to fight for the sustainability of the lives of the affected communities. Especially in Malapoma hamlet, where it is certain that the settlement will be flooded by water due to the construction of the Lambo reservoir.
Mama Mince hopes that the rights of indigenous communities affected by the construction of the Lambo reservoir will be compensated by the government. Also ensure that all affected indigenous communities have a safe relocation place. "I will continue to fight with the community to obtain our rights, especially assets that are not accommodated and ensure that we have a place where we can continue our lives if the water comes," he concluded.
