In 2021, the Australian government apprehended several Indonesian fishing boats for carrying out their fishing activities on the sea border between Rote Island and Ashmore Reef. This issue was further exacerbated by the growing demand from the traditional leader of the Rotenese community to reassess the status of Ashmore Reef, known as Pulau Pasir, by the Rotenese. The claim could be traced back to the previous attempt in the 2000s, in which they demanded the Australian government restore Ashmore Reef to Pulau Pasir. Collective memory played a significant role in directing the thoughts and decisions made by Rotenese fishermen, as the passing down of the narrative of origin led them to continue their journeys and activities in the islet. In a struggle to preserve their tradition, however, the fishermen had reached an inevitable encounter with modern-day policy, as the 1974 Memorandum of Understanding closed the dispute. This article shall elaborate on the encounter between two ways of life that shaped the perception of the Rotenese fishermen within the critical approach from studies on collective memory as their basis of survival. © 2023 Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group.