Responses of Indigenous Peoples Against the Local Economic Empowerment in Biak Numfor Regency

This research aims to understand and explain responses of indigenous peoples, as well as to identify and understand their socio-economic condition in the local economic empowerment program carried out in Biak Numfor Regency. Research analysis was done through phenomenology paradigm, qualitative approach, with inductive-deductive mindset, or inductive abstraction that point to specific to general. Data analysis is done through Spraedly analysis covering domain themes abstracted from the field, componential analysis and cultural theme on technical triangulation. The results demonstrate that indigenous people's responses to the implementation of local economic empowerment at research locations vary from those who are accepting and those of rejecting. But due to the strong role of the organizer (actor) as well as the rigid technical guidelines in the program implementation, the coercion occurs in its implementation, which finally makes indigenous peoples using “the mechanism of defeating self as well as symbol of resistance” and become powerless. Keywords: mechanism of defeating self, powerlessness, social-economi