Tumenggung Tarib fights for a cause<\/p>\n
Haidir Anwar Tanjung, The Jakarta Post, Pekanbaru, Riau<\/p>\n
If anyone ever wanted to know what love looked like, Tumenggung
\nTarib, leader of the Orang Rimba (Jungle People) tribe, would be
\nthe one to show them.<\/p>\n
Tarib, 45, is illiterate, yet he is a hero to his people
\nthanks to his fight to protect them and their environment.<\/p>\n
Tarib shows his love for the soil, water and air, and he
\nstruggles against those people who want to destroy his beloved
\nforests where his people live in harmony with nature.<\/p>\n
His home is deep in the Bukit Duabelas National Park (TNDB),
\nsomewhere in the Paku Aji river basin, Pemanatang Kabau village,
\nPauh district, Sarko regency, Jambi.<\/p>\n
Today there are only about 22 families or some 5,700 Orang
\nRimba.<\/p>\n
As a senior member of his tribe, Tarib was entrusted to
\nrepresent his people at the first congress of traditional
\ncommunities in Indonesia held at the Hotel Indonesia, Jakarta, on
\nMarch 15, 1999.<\/p>\n
The lanky Tarib, a father of eight, attended the congress in
\nhis normal clothes -- a loincloth.<\/p>\n
He was also named a member of the Regional Alliance Council,
\nrepresenting the Alliance of Traditional Communities in Jambi
\nprovince for the period between 1999 and 2002.<\/p>\n
In this council, Tarib had the chance to ensure the
\nsustainability of the forests that maintain his tribe.<\/p>\n
In appreciation for the efforts of Tarib and his Orang Rimba
\nto save the forest and its biological diversity through the
\nimplementation of their hompongan agricultural method, the Kehati
\nFoundation, a non-governmental organization for biological
\ndiversity conservation, honored them and presented the tribe with
\nRp 40 million in January 2000.<\/p>\n
For nine years now, Orang Rimba have been practicing the
\nhompongan agricultural method.<\/p>\n
They open up land for agricultural activities along the
\nreserve boundary, allowing these plots of land to also serve as a
\nfortress that prevents outsiders from entering the reserve.<\/p>\n
This method of land opening has effectively separated the
\nnature reserve from the residential areas outside of it,
\npreventing illegal logging in the forest.<\/p>\n
Between Sept. 18 and Sept. 25 this year, Tumenggung Tarib took
\npart in the second congress of traditional communities in
\nIndonesia.<\/p>\n
At the congress, in the presence of government officials,
\nincluding the second deputy to the state minister for the
\nenvironment, Jhon Purba, Tarib called on the government to follow
\nthrough on its logging policy.<\/p>\n
\"I'm asking our leaders to save our jungle in TNDB. Saving the
\nforest means saving us as well. If the forest is gone, then it
\nwill be the end for our people,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Although the hompongan agricultural method can serve as a
\nfence for the national park, illegal logging cannot be completely
\nprevented. Many logging bosses, he said, continue to log in the
\nforest using sophisticated equipment. Tarib and his people are
\npowerless against these illegal loggers.<\/p>\n
\"Illegal loggers will kill us if we try to stop them. We are
\npowerless because we are outnumbered. How can we fight against
\nillegal loggers that are guarded by members of the security
\napparatus. If the provincial administration of Jambi turns a
\nblind eye to these practices, the Orang Rimba will in for a great
\ndisaster,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Apart from safeguarding the forest from illegal logging, Tarib
\nalso takes part in activities to protect biological diversity in
\nthe national park.<\/p>\n
Thanks to his effort through the Orang Rimba communication
\nforum, a loose organization facilitated by WARSI, an
\nenvironmental non-governmental organization in Jambi, all of the
\nOrang Rimba now share a common perception about how to save their
\nforest.<\/p>\n
A farmer and a collector of non-wood forest products, Tarib is
\nalso a traditional healer. He can concoct various herbal
\nmedicines for his people.<\/p>\n
A 1998 biodata survey performed by a team from the health
\nministry, in cooperation with the Indonesian Institute of
\nSciences (LIPI), the University of Indonesia and the Bogor
\nInstitute of Agriculture, found there are 137 medicinal herbs in
\nTNDB.<\/p>\n
Tarib is always involved in such surveys as he is considered
\nthe most knowledgeable of all his people about this matter.<\/p>\n
\"Every time a biodata survey is made in the national park, I
\nam included on the survey team to tell them the efficacy of
\nmedicinal herbs.\"<\/p>\n
Indonesia has been an independent state for over half a
\ncentury, but the Orang Rimba have never officially become
\nIndonesian citizens. None of them, for example, possess a
\nresident identity card.<\/p>\n
\"We are not officially registered as Indonesian citizens. None
\nof us have a resident identity card although we are required to
\ntake part in the general elections,\" he said.<\/p>\n
\"Let us live our traditional life without a resident identity
\ncard. Just leave our forest as it is. This is what matters most
\nto us,\" Tarib said.<\/p>",
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