Bird in the hand?

Bird in the hand?

"I used to think that life in Jakarta was so great. It's like
a dream place for people like me," said Eman, a 27-year-old man
born and raised in Tangkil Sari, Cibaliung, West Java. Eman is
one among thousands of people who think that way.

Living in a village is sometimes hard, especially in
Cibaliung, Banten. Many of the villagers are jobless farmers.
They have not had a harvest for three years because they have
nothing to plow. This has been caused by the lack of rain and the
government's regulation that forbids huma (farming by burning the
land first). Huma is done as the rice field do not need much
water.

Having nothing to do, some people creatively think to do
something that is forbidden. They go into a forest with some
incense and a trap. Famous in applying a magical formula, the
Bantenese can call any bird by burning the incense, which casts a
spell on the bird. In this way, they can catch many birds. A bird
called Anis is worth up to Rp 80,000. This bird can be trained to
imitate the sound of any bird, including singing birds.

Nevertheless, bird hunters are far from happy. They may be
arrested for catching protected birds in the forest. They have to
abandon this living because it will disturb the habitat and
ecosystem.

Eman should abandon his idea of living in the city and return
to his village and, together with his fellow villagers, try to
develop the village by utilizing their potential and knowledge.

AYA MUCHTAR

Jakarta