[4] AMAN is officially registered in with the Indonesian Department of Justice and Human Rights as an Organizations Alliance under the Notary Act No.
The founding was a response to a growing from the mid-1980s awareness among non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and social scientists about a wide variety of the negative impacts on the development to indigenous communities in Indonesia.
Repression to Indigenous Peoples under the Suharto New Order regime in various issues, i.e. economic development, political, legal, health, social, cultural and education.
These situations arouse the concern of many social movement activists and academics on the conditions faced by indigenous peoples in various communities in the country since the 1990s.
The JAPHAMA meeting also discussed and agreed on the term Indigenous Peoples in Indonesia context as “Masyarakat Adat”.
KMAN I also established a working definition for indigenous communities as "community that inhabit an ancestral domain from generation to generation, have sovereignty over their land and natural resources, of which social and culture regulated by customary law and institution maintaining the peoples’ sustainability.” KMAN I also laid the foundation of gender equality in the Indigenous Peoples movement.
Since then, the date of March 17 was celebrated as the Day of the Resurrection of Indigenous Peoples of the Archipelago (Hari Kebangkitan Masyarakat Adat Nusantara - HKMAN) and simultaneously, the birthday of AMAN.
In carrying out responsibilities, the Secretary General would be accompanied by the National Council (Dewan AMAN Nasional - DAMANNAS) delegates from 27 provinces, each consisting of one male and one female.
Until now, DAMANNAS consists of 14 indigenous leaders, one male and one female, both representing each of 7 regional division of AMAN's working areas, Sumatra, Borneo, Java, Bali, Nusa Tenggara, Sulawesi, Maluku and Papua.
To perform its function as an organization for Indigenous Peoples movement in Indonesia, AMAN programs established according to the needs of service to its members.