Jambi forest nomads running out of space<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): A Jambi Social Services Office official is
\nwarning that time is running out for the indigenous nomadic
\npeople who inhabit the province's forests because their
\ntraditional forest habitat is shrinking rapidly.<\/p>\n
Imam Achmadi, head of the Social Services Office, said that
\nthe Kubu people who roam the forest lead a unique life in that
\nthey move each time a member of their family dies.<\/p>\n
But with much of the forest they inhabit being cleared for
\nresidential areas or being parceled out to timber companies, the
\nKubu people could soon run out of space to live in, Imam was
\nquoted by the Antara news agency as saying.<\/p>\n
The Kubu tribe is one of three indigenous peoples still living
\nin Jambi. The other two are the Talang Mamak, who also live in
\nthe forest but are more permanently settled, and the Bajau
\npeople, who live on the coast.<\/p>\n
The interests of the three tribes, with a combined population
\nof 10,480 people in 2,637 families scattered throughout the
\nregion, are handled by the Social Services Office.<\/p>\n
They live in 52 different localities, but the government can
\nonly establish routine contacts, to provide assistance, with 27
\nof the communities.<\/p>\n
Imam said the government is having difficulty encouraging the
\nKubu people to settle in one area because they are holding on
\nstrongly to their age old tradition of continually moving from
\none area to another.<\/p>\n
He fears for them because \"the size of the Jambi forest is not
\nonly limited but also declining,\" he said.<\/p>\n
He also feared that the Kubu people could one day become
\ninvolved in territorial conflicts with concessionaires.<\/p>\n
The government has launched a study on the culture and
\ntraditions of the Kubu people so that it can better handle their
\naffairs, Imam said. \"Handling the Kubu people requires a
\ndifferent approach and takes a longer time,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Jambi province has already designated a total area of 28,703
\nhectares in Bukit-12 in the Sarolangun regency for the Kubu
\npeople. It is estimated that 1,000 families live in the area,
\nwhich is part of the protected forests.<\/p>\n
Located about 60 kilometers from the regency town of Bangko,
\nthe area is reserved solely for the Kubu people so that they can
\ncarry on with their traditional life style. (emb)<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/jambi-forest-nomads-running-out-of-space-1447893297",
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