The Portrait of Democracy and Local Culture in the Land of Kings: Recruitment Study of Elite, Natural Resources Management, Social Community, Conflict, and the Conservation of Local Culture of Hila

The development democracy at the local level can be seen not only from the process of reproducing new elites and playing the important role in local politics but also from the role of local culture as a media to organize the work of local democracy. Democracy and local culture are strongly influenced by the norms and values that form the basis of the operation of democracy and culture process, values and norms that have been born together with the presence of community. As a community that already has the structure and system, either good governance or good community, those values and norms have become “The Best Way of Life’ and guidance of action to manage the power relationship between people, nature, and institutional structure that has been formed, as well as a capital to survive. This article is a small portrait of democracy and local culture on the aspects of elite recruitment (king), natural resource management, social community, conflict management and cultural preservation of local culture of Hila, which is important to know in order to understand the dynamics and complexity of Indonesia. By understanding the diversity of democracy and local cultures, we can improve those points base on the context and culture at the local level.