Institutionalizing Information Access on ASEAN’s Folklore: The Orang Laut

Abstract

The blueprint of ASEAN becomes the foundation for symbolic interaction when one accesses related information. Information access is a repeteadly tracing pattern, by a group, on the availability of information. In the context of ASEAN Socio-cultural Community, ethnic group identities can be used as a mediator to deliver and disseminate folklore’ icons, at any time of face-to-face  rituals activities (interaction), both formally and informally.

Pattern on information access is in the mind and belief of ASEAN people, which also becomes references for their living. Continous institutionalizing process to the daily life of ASEAN people will strengthen the sense and conviction of information access as an institution, because it will raise the awareness of the we-feeling of ASEAN.

Folklore on Indonesia’s Orang Laut (literally, sea people), especially the permanent sea-living Bajo Tribe, shows resemblance on its origin and accordingly can be referred to be the ASEAN Community 2015, both economically and politically. The question is  how to provide sources and access of information, wether its format, channel, and location, and  how such access could be institutionalized, so that the ASEAN blueprint 2015 will come into existence.  

Keywords: Information access, ‘Orang Laut’, Bajo Tribes; Folklore