Defining Indigenous Social Norms of Water-Related Taboo: Contemporary Social Attitude, Social Harmony and Development
Elfiondri, Oslan Amril, Dibya Prayassita SR, Uning Pratimaratri

Abstract
The development has brought social conflict and ineffective development to indigenous Mentawai due to no synchronization between development and the social norms. Unfortunately there is no previous study on the social problem. The study examines the social norms of water-related taboo and contemporary social belief in relation to development and social harmony. The examination is held on water-related taboo due to that water in indigenous life is a sacred and essential part of land and forest. The result is that the social norms cover traditionally very important activities: building traditional house Uma, hunting, fishing, and farming. The norms are in the forms of forbidding doing and saying something. The norms control the social activities and have much influence on social harmony and development. The infringement will cause social conflict and failure of development as occurred in the past. However, the contemporary social attitude on the norms has changed. Some of the social norms are not practiced by the society. For development, it is seriously important to pay attention to the norms still fanatically practiced by the society in order to keep social harmony and sustainable development of the indigenous society.

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