Migrasi Demi Sekolah: Strategi Adaptasi Masyarakat Adat Negeri Kanike dalam Merespons Keterbatasan Akses Pendidikan Menengah di Pedalaman Seram Utara, Maluku.

Abstract

This study investigates the partial relocation of the Kanike Indigenous community from the Manusela Mountains to coastal areas in North Seram District, Central Maluku Regency, due to limited secondary education access. The relocation focuses on Batu Pica and Rumah Lima, situated about two kilometres from Roho Village’s centre. Utilising a qualitative case study approach, data were gathered through interviews, observations, and document analysis to explore the social, cultural, and structural factors influencing this decision. The findings reveal that the lack of secondary schools, inadequate transportation, and parental aspirations for children’s social mobility through education primarily motivated the move. Relocation is seen as a collective adaptive strategy, leveraging Indigenous social capital, particularly kinship networks, to secure new land and manage resources. This shift has altered livelihoods, social interactions, and cultural practices, while posing challenges in ecological adaptation and identity negotiation. From a sociology of education perspective, the study underscores education’s role in driving spatial and social transformation within Indigenous communities. It advocates for affirmative, context-sensitive education policies considering socio-cultural and geographical contexts in archipelagic regions. The study’s novelty lies in education-driven relocation as an adaptive strategy and its impact on spatial and identity dynamics.