Kédang - Economy



Subsistence and Commercial Activities. Most of the population depends on subsistence swidden agriculture, although in recent years mining has provided some local employment. The staple crop is maize, supplemented by dry rice, tubers, vegetables, and spices. Cotton is grown for local use. Palms are exploited for innumerable purposes, including the provision of food and building materials. Copra, tamarind, and candlenuts are sold to dealers to raise cash for various purposes, including payment of taxes. A small amount of coastal fishing takes place. Among domestic animals are pigs, chickens, goats, and dogs. Schoolteachers earn wages.

Industrial Arts. Traditionally Kédang women were prohibited from weaving, although today many do weave cloth for everyday wear. They must never, however, weave in the ritually important ancient village centers. The Kédang proper lack the skills of pot making, smithing, weaving, and dyeing of fine ikat cloths, although local residents deriving from neighboring groups do provide these goods and services to a limited extent.

Trade. Some coastal peoples engage in petty trading. There are weekly local markets where inexpensive commodities and produce may be purchased for cash. Young men increasingly travel from Kédang seeking employment as far away as Malaysia. Small stores, mostly in Chinese hands, are found in a few of the larger villages.

Division of Labor. Men fish, hunt, and carry out the extended negotiations attendant on marriage and the giving of marriage gifts. A very few women also hunt. Cooking, except at feasts, is primarily a task for girls and women. Both sexes clear, plant, weed, and harvest fields.

Land Tenure. Originally, rights in land were vested collectively in the village, represented by the descent group that was regarded as "lords of the land," usually thought to be the first or oldest existing inhabitants. Permission to use the land was obtained from them successively by other descent groups. Individual rights of usage were established by clearing and maintaining fields. Since World War II, the government has overseen the opening of fields in areas previously made uninhabitable by warfare and piracy and has encouraged a shift toward private, individual conceptions of property.


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