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Aleta Baun, Struggle Ecofeminists and the Ethics of Care.

Highlighting the Ecological Agenda in an Effort to Improve the Welfare of the People of South Central Timor.
P. Johanes W. K. Seran, SVD.

I. Preliminary Notes
The Mollo community in South Central Timor Regency (TTS), East Nusa Tenggara Province
(NTT), has ecological local wisdom. In particular, it can be categorized as an ancestral heritage belief.
This belief is based on a perspective that the ancestors of the Mollo people came from stone, wood and
water. There is a strong ecological bond between the ancestors and nature. Therefore, stone, wood and
water for the Mollo people are symbols of clan and dignity. In fact, in another philosophy, it is said that
the Mollo people are described as a beautiful line of solid marble mountains, having a sturdy and manly
character.
The message of the Mollo people's philosophy above is that they must always coexist with nature.
Separation from nature will not only make them lose their identity, but also cause them to be cut off
from life. This means that nature that has been damaged and neglected certainly can no longer provide
them with food sources to survive. This is the ecological awareness that lives in the philosophy of the
Mollo people in TTS Regency.
This article is not meant to discuss the philosophy of the Mollo people. However, through their
local wisdom, the author would like to lead readers to look further into the important points of
ecological awareness that must be considered in the effort to achieve the economic welfare of the TTS
community. The starting point is deliberately from the East, from the view of the Mollo people. The
people of South Central Timor should be aware that although most of the great theories were born in the
Western hemisphere, in practice through the struggle of an original ecological activist from Mollo, Aleta
Baun, a native TTS woman who received an award in the field of nature conservation, became an
influential figure in terms of ecology. Aleta's struggle is an attempt to reclaim our awareness of the TTS
community, to learn practically first from nature itself, before enriching ourselves with theories from the
West. This paper will briefly present the ecofeminist view of nature and the concept of ethics of care
that governs our behavior towards nature. It is hoped that the synthesis of these three views will
contribute ideas that can raise the awareness of the people of South Central Timor in general about
ecological awareness. This is because most of their needs still depend on natural resources. In particular,
for the TTS government, the ecological principle should be an agenda that needs to be echoed in
planning for economic improvement for the welfare of the community through optimizing mining
natural resources.

II. Aleta Baun: TTS Women Fighters for Ecology.

She is a woman warrior and nature observer. She was born in Lelobatan, Mollo, South Central
Timor, March 16, 1966. Mollo is a place rich in cultural philosophy as briefly mentioned above. 1 She is
a wife and mother of two children who were born and raised in this context. On a day-to-day basis, she
lives the life of an ordinary housewife. Aleta Baun is also known by the nickname Mama Aleta. She
comes from a local noble family as her father was an Amaf (Amaf means king).
"I am the daughter of an Amaf (king), but I am a woman. According to custom I have no
right to speak out and no right to be a leader. But I can't stay silent, I lead the struggle
1
Wikipedia, Mama Aleta Baun, (online), (https://id.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mama_Aleta_Baun, accessed on April 8,
2020, 11:33).

[1]
 against mining. We, men and women, must fight to save our bodies. Our bodies,
customs and traditions are our weapons to fight, because that is what binds us to our
ancestors and nature.".2
Mama Aleta is called to protect the beautiful nature of Mollo which is full of ancestral heritage
values. Gender is not a barrier for her to stop trying to protect the beautiful nature of the heritage of her
ancestors. For her, women should be at the forefront. For this reason, she emphasized that, "The origin
of our ancestors will be lost when the rock mountains are destroyed, forests and water sources are
damaged. Women, mothers like me, will suffer the most. We are responsible for providing water and
food for our families." 3
Mama Aleta's spirit takes her beyond the boundaries of an ordinary woman to become a brave
woman who fights for ecology. She is not afraid to undermine the power of the government that is
counter-ecological, breaking the stigma against her people (women) as weak, becoming a warrior for
life and knocking down the logic of domination through a friendly ethic.
He first came into the media spotlight when he began fighting against marble mining in 1999 in
Mollo, as an actor who mobilized the Mollo indigenous community's rejection of the marble mining
company in Fatukoto village. As a result, he became an opponent of the local government leaders who
had obtained a license for the mining company. In 2006, he again confronted the TTS regent, resulting
in his DPO status (wanted list), because he was considered responsible for the action of hundreds of
people occupying the marble mine. In that action, 150 women staged a peaceful protest, weaving in
front of the mine entrance, then occupying Anjaf Hill and Nausus Hill at the foot of the rock mountain
for approximately one year. The men helped by babysitting, cooking, and sending food to the women
who continued to weave to block the miners.4
In that action, the demands remained the same, namely to stop the marble mining activities
owned by Jakarta entrepreneurs, because they damaged the ecosystem in their area. His struggle with
the Mollo community lasted for 13 years (1999-2012) and was not in vain. In 2012 the marble mine was
successfully stopped and closed. However, during her struggle there were many difficulties she went
through. Mama Aleta had to go in and out of the forest carrying her toddler baby to hide for her safety
from the threat of thugs who wanted to kill her. In fact, she also had to swallow the scorn and bitter
blasphemy of the people who were in the contra camp.
"We pledge to no longer allow development and economics that destroy nature. We
pledge to be independent. Until now we are still struggling to restore nature". "This
stone is no longer intact, one of the easiest ways to understand environmental issues is
that nature is like a human body. Stone is bone, water is blood, soil is flesh and forest is
skin, lungs and hair. So destroying nature is the same as destroying our own body,".5

Mama Aleta's resilience has had a positive impact. As a result of her struggle, there has been a
mapping of traditional forests as part of the recognition of territorial rights by indigenous peoples, as
well as defending land from mining, oil and gas exploitation. The women activist then continued her
struggle by sitting in the seat of the NTT Provincial DPRD 2014-2019. In addition, her work in the
ecological field earned her two international awards. The 2013 Goldman Environmental Prize at the San
Francisco Opera House, United States, in 2013 for her services in the field of nature conservation, and

2
VOX NTT, Aleta Baun, Timorese Women Fighters for Humanity and the Environment, (online),
(https://voxntt.com/2018/03/07/aleta-baun-perempuan-timor-pejuang-kemanusiaan-dan-lingkungan/25821/, accessed April 8,
2020, at 11.35).
3
CNN Indonesia, Aleta Baun, Women Environmental Fighters in Eastern Indonesia, (online),
(https://www.cnnindonesia.com/gaya-hidup/20170422102142-277-209416/aleta-baun-perempuan-pejuang-lingkungan-di-
timur-indonesia, accessed April 8, 2020, at 11.34)
4
Wikipedia, Mama Aleta Bau, (online), ibid.
5
CNN Indonesia, Aleta Baun, Women Environmental Fighters in Eastern Indonesia, (online), Loc.Cit.
[2]
the 2016 Yap Thiam Hien Award in Jakarta in 2017 for successfully defending and fighting for human
rights.
Mama Aleta moves from her simple thoughts about nature. "When the marble mine came in, the
government said that the mine was development, many researchers also said that there would be no
impact when the mine came in". "When it rains, water falls from the sky to the trees in the forest, then
flows into the branches, then falls into the rocks and the water is stored there so that people do not
drought". "Water from the mountains carries soil humus to farms, so the soil will remain fertile". So if
the mountains are mined, it will affect the lives of the people around them. He reiterated that for the
Mollo people, nature is a unity of life that cannot be separated from one another, if one part of nature is
uprooted then there is no balance anymore. These are excerpts of her thoughts when giving a lecture in
the VIII Philosophy and Feminism Study class with the theme of ecofeminism, on Friday, September
22, 2017, at the Jurnal Perempuan Foundation office. 6

III. Ecofeminism: The Ethics of Care Vs. The Logic of Domination

Ecofeminism was first coined by French feminist Françoise d'Eaubonne in 1974. The term was
first used in Françoise d'Eaubonne's book Le Féminisme ou la Mort.7 The term ecofeminism (eco-
féminism) was first used to refer to a women's movement to save the planet earth. This term summarizes
the ideas of the feminist movement that focuses on concern for the integrity of the planet earth. 8 Then
still around the 1970s, feminists began to use the hermeneutics of suspicion as a lens in reading various
natural damage done by humans. They concluded that the destruction of nature is the implementation of
patriarchal culture.9 Patriarchal attitudes and systems have weakened the dignity of women. These
attitudes and systems become the same patterns used in exploiting (non-human) nature. Françoise
d'Eaubonne uses the term ecofeminism to refer to such relations. Although a decade earlier, Rachel
Louise Carson had also addressed this phenomenon in her work Silent Spring. In her work, she also
presented a similar critique to ecofeminists of the destructive pattern of pesticide use and uncontrolled
culture (or better understood as an inevitability) in what she called 'Domination'.10
In ecofeminism, the phenomena of violence against women and exploitation of nature have an
identical relationship. There is an integral understanding between nature and women (feminism). That
is, if nature is exploited massively without an ethical awareness such as concern for the sustainability of
nature and an attitude of responsibility, then nature will slowly lead to destruction. This logic has a
destructive impact on both nature and women. Because in the same pattern, where nature is plundered at
will, it will also be carried over into the subordination of women. 11 This puts women and men in an
unequal status. Women are on the lower side and men are on top (power). In addition, such logic is the
6
Jurnal Perempuan, Aleta Baun: We Can't Sell What We Can't Make, (online),
(https://www.jurnalperempuan.org/warta-feminis/aleta-baun-kami-tidak-menjual-apa-yang-tidak-bisa-kami-buat, accessed on
April 8, 2020, at 11.34).
7
Charlene Spretnak, Critical and Constructive Contributions of Eco-Feminism, in Marry A. Tucker and John A.
Grim (eds), Religion, Philosophy and the Environment, (Yogyakarta: Kanisius, 2003), p. 227.
8
Catriona Sandilands, The Good-Natured Feminist: Ecofeminism And The Quest For Democracy, (Minneapolis:
The University of Minnesota Press, 1999), p. 6.
9
Patriarchy comes from the word patriarchate, a structure that places the role of men as the sole ruler, the center of
everything. So patriarchal culture is a culture built on a hierarchy of dominance and subordination, which requires men and
male views as the norm. Patriarchal domination is a system of control in which men in all structures of life have influence.
The term is also often contrasted with the term matriarchy. In general, it can be said that leadership is passed down through
the female line. cf. Alfian Rokhmansyah, Introduction to Gender and Feminism, Initial Understanding of Feminist Literary
Criticism, (Yogyakarta: Garudhawaca Publisher, 2016), p. 32.
10
Anne M. Clifford, Introducing Feminist Theology, (Maumere: Ledalero Publisher, 2002), p. 363.
11
Subordination is a situation where the relationship of a person or group of people is denigrated or placed below
others with the assumption that the person concerned is considered incapable and weak. In the context of gender, this term
leads to gender inequalities, namely gender injustice against women. Women are seen as number two and men as number
one, so the two become unequal.
[3]
cause of the behavior of making nature an object of gratification of human will. Such logic allows
nature to be instrumentalized, exploited and controlled. In fact, according to them, nature has intrinsic
values. (Intrinsic values are values that are derived for the survival of certain species).
The concept of the logic of domination opposed by ecofeminists is directed at an ethical concept
called the ethics of care. Tyas Retno Wulan, quoting Karen J. Waren, further specifies the basic
assumptions of ecofeminism. There are four basic assumptions, namely (1) there is an important
connection between oppression against women and oppression against nature; (2) understanding nature
in this connection is important to gain an adequate understanding of oppression against women and
oppression against nature; (3) feminist theory and practice must include an ecological perspective and
(4) solving ecological problems must include a feminist perspective. 12 The fourth point emphasizes a
feminist perspective approach. The feminist model approach always emphasizes its distinctive feature,
namely an ethical concept based on the values of care, harmonious relationships, love, responsibility,
and trust.13 The ethical model of compassion can be illustrated in the form of a mother's love. A mother,
who with her affection takes care of the baby (a helpless being), because despite its weakness, the baby
has value in itself. This kind of love does not arise as a principle that must be accepted a priori. Rather,
it is born out of a unique and contextualized relationship. Without the mother demanding the baby or the
baby demanding the mother to take care of him as a right that must be received by her.14
Therefore, the ecofeminism approach is actually directed towards an ethic of care. It is an ethical
concept that is contextual and situational, focusing on (concrete) people and their needs. People are seen
in terms of a personal and social relationship, with interdependence and emotional involvement.
Attitudes emphasized are care for others, empathy, concrete relationships between people rather than
systems of rules. People are seen as embedded in a particular social context and not as isolated, people
standing alone.15 In an ethic of care humans cannot see themselves apart from their relationship with
nature. Humans are directed to be able to determine actions on nature as something that coexists with
humans.

IV. Synthesizing Aleta Baun's Struggle, Ecofeminism and the Ethics of Care.
Aleta Baun's Struggle, the Struggle of Ecofeminism and the Ethics of Care stem from the
primary awareness that nature is central to life. Aleta Baun's struggle is actually a struggle to preserve
nature as an investment in future life. This means that nature contains the guarantee of human life. In
nature, there is water, soil, plants, animals and so on. These elements support human life for the long
term. Mining that depletes nature without being accompanied by an awareness of the sustainability of
nature, will certainly have an impact on a society that is completely dependent on nature. Aleta Baun
brings to life everyone's critical awareness that economic actions must take into account the ecological
impact on indigenous peoples who depend on the ecosystems around mining areas.
From the practical realm of Aleta Baun, ecofeminists enrich their struggle by presenting an
analysis of the phenomenon of natural destruction and discrimination against women. Ecofeminists
analyze the logical basis of the causes of natural destruction and discrimination against women. In their
analysis, stopping the destruction of nature due to exploitation is inseparable from the basic awareness
to let go of the logic of domination that has long been inherited by patriarchal culture and which is

12
Tyas Retno Wulan, "Transformative Ecofeminism: A Critical Alternative to Deconstruct the Relationship between
Women and the Environment", in Solidarity, Transdisciplinary Journal of Sociology, Communication and Human Ecology.
Vol. 1. No.1. 201., p. 119.
13
A. Sonny Keraf, Environmental Ethics, (Jakarta: Kompas Book Publisher, 2010), p. 161.
14
Idem.
15
Frans Magnis-Suseno, Sparks of Philosophy, from Gatholoco to Women's Philosophy from Adam Müller to
Postmodernism, (Yogyakarta: Kanisius, 2005), p.238.
[4]
nourished by anthropocentrism.16 By tearing down the logic of domination, ecofeminists expect
hierarchical structures that have an impact on asymmetrical patterns of relationships between women
and men with subordinative tendencies to be eliminated. To tear down the logic of domination, it must
start from the simple thing of stopping the desire to dominate nature. Nature must be seen as non-
human, which has intrinsic value in itself. In this way people will be able to learn to determine how to
behave towards women. They remind us that the treatment of nature is the first step in forming a way of
thinking that is not arbitrary.
The struggles of Aleta Baun and ecofeminists have led us to the ecological realization that nature
is related to human life. Humans are basically inseparable from nature. Treating nature arbitrarily brings
consequences that will be borne by humans themselves. This is because humans derive life from nature
by taking it for free. However, it is still important that humans apply ethical principles of care that take
responsibility into account. This is necessary to reduce the tendency to dominate nature because it is
influenced by an exploitative spirit and a way of thinking that controls nature only for the sake of
momentary interests.
V. End Notes
Economic improvement and equity are the goals and ideals that a government must achieve in
order to realize the welfare of all people. This ideal is also what the people of South Central Timor want
through mining. Exploration and exploitation of nature with the aim of improving the economy of the
TTS community must pay more attention to ecological principles. Aleta Baun's struggle is an
ecofeminist criticism, that it is not just a matter of fighting for the beautiful nature of the Mollo people,
but rather a warning for all TTS people, that every effort to improve the economy through mining must
be kept away from the logic of domination over nature which tends to be exploitative and adjusted to
ecological principles, and pay attention to its relationship with the surrounding community.
As a recommendation in this final note, the author really appreciates every effort to improve
welfare for the community that the Government of South Central Timor District and other related parties
have made so far. In particular, the exploration of nature to improve the economy. This is a positive
thing in order to optimize all existing natural resources. However, once again it needs to be seen
carefully so that it does not fall into the ultimate goal that leads to exploitation. Aleta Baun's struggle
has proven that she missed the ecological agenda. Therefore, the ethical responsibility to care for nature
must be taken more seriously and thoughtfully, in addition to being directed by economic goals. Various
efforts to improve the economy through mining must be driven by a deep ecological awareness that
takes into account the context of local wisdom, not just impressed by pro-mining recommendations.
This is a necessary principle for all parties, including the government, the people of South Central
Timor who are active in the economic sector from the highest to the grassroots level.

16
The belief that God, a deity, has characteristics similar to those of humans. For example, consciousness, intent,
will, emotions, perception. God has the ability to discriminate judgment, make responsible decisions and choices, and the
ability to carry out long-term goals. Another form of anthropomorphism maintains that God or deities exist in human form
but are more perfect and more powerful. Humans are therefore seen as a form of ruler that can be equated with God. This
ethics emerged in response to the theocentrism that developed in the previous century. In theocentrism the role of religion is
emphasized and there is little room for the rational aspect of man.
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