Protection of the Talang Mamak Customary Law Community in the Creative Economy Sector in Facing Opportunities and Challenges from the ASEAN Economic Community

Abstract

The ASEAN Economic Community (AEC) presents significant opportunities and challenges for Indonesia in the areas of trade, investment, and employment. One sector significantly impacted is the creative economy, which is closely linked to cultural preservation and the empowerment of Indigenous communities. This study highlights the Talang Mamak indigenous community in Indragiri Hulu Regency, Riau, which has the potential for a tradition-based creative economy, such as Kenduri Talang Mamak, Gawai Gedang, and various traditional arts. These cultural activities serve as creative economic assets as well as intangible cultural heritage that need legal protection to remain competitive in the era of regional economic integration. The main problem of this research covers the legal regulations related to the protection of indigenous legal communities in developing the creative economy amidst the dynamics of the ASEAN Economic Community (AEC), as well as the effectiveness of legislation regarding the creative economy in providing real protection for the Talang Mamak indigenous legal community. The research uses a juridical-sociological approach with observation methods and the distribution of questionnaires to 30 respondents from the Talang Mamak community. Analysis is conducted by examining the relationship between empirical data and the theory of legal validity, the theory of justice, and the principles of human rights. The research results show that despite the existence of legal instruments such as Law Number 24 of 2019 concerning the Creative Economy and its implementing regulations, the implementation of protection for indigenous peoples remains partial. For the Talang Mamak creative economy to develop optimally, strengthening specific regulations and cross-sector collaboration is necessary. Therefore, appropriate legal arrangements can be a strategic instrument in increasing the competitiveness of the indigenous peoples' creative economy amidst the opportunities and challenges of the ASEAN Economic Community (AEC).