Digging for diamonds in South Kalimantan

Digging for diamonds in South Kalimantan

By Alex Abraham

BANJARMASIN, South Kalimantan (JP): Cempaka is a small town 38
kilometers out of Banjarmasin on the road to the coast of South
Kalimantan. The town has neither famous landmarks nor any
inspiring touristic monuments. The market place is not crowded
with visitors. But this is the land that many adventurers come to
in search of priceless treasures hidden under the ground. They
come again and again to explore and to dig in the hope of finding
hidden wealth. For this is the land of gold and diamonds.

The best locations to begin the search are the "secrets of the
elders" sites. Customarily, prospectors drill close to other
successful finds. It is common to see eight to 10 derrick-like
structures in one valley. The exploration starts with drilling
up to 10 meters below the ground and pumping out a muddy mixture
of sand, rocks and water. The piles of separated stones are then
sorted to isolate potential agate- and diamond-bearing rocks. The
mixture of water and fine sand, which has run into a carefully
dug pit is panned for gold dust.

It was Friday and all was quiet in the valley. Only one site
was being worked as everyone else was at jemaah (communal
prayer). Acacia and durian trees and elegant tall grasses cover
the hillsides. Swaying young paddy painted the pretty valley
green. Iyuth and Yadi were patiently panning for gold and little
stones that glistened and showed promise of potential diamonds.

They were using a uniquely Kalimantan technology: flattened
conical vessels made of wood with serrated surfaces to help hold
back fine particles as the water flowed away. When held up
against brilliant sunlight, there was indeed a faint glitter --
but, said Iyuth, it was too faint and too little to be profitably
collected. Yadi has been laboring in these mines for four long
years. He likes the sense of adventure and of the hope of a big
find, the promise of fortune.

"That is the hope that keeps us going through heat and rain.
There are some weeks when all that the panning produces is mud.
But one good day, one good dig, and we can make as much as a
hundred thousand rupiah," he said, his eyes glowing.

"Last year, Parlin, who had toiled for months with no luck,
found a nugget the size of a pigeon's egg. They say he got five
million (rupiah) and he's gone to the big city. Anyway, we have
not seen him since then."

Iyuth is a more recent explorer, having heard from a cousin in
his village of the opportunity to make wealth in these diggings.

"Yadi has sharper eyes, that can locate the smallest glitter
and that's so important in this work," he said.

They just cannot afford to miss any tiny particle. Every
little bit counts because they find so little after long hours of
work.

"Anyway, I'm better at selling to the dealers who come from
Cempaka," he said.

He said he knows that the city price for 24-karat gold is Rp
150,000 per gram and for diamonds it is more than Rp 50 million
for a pure carat. But since they are dealing with raw stones,
their recovery is less than 10 percent for gold and even less for
the stones.

Suddenly, and as if from nowhere, Pak Syahbuddin appeared. He
was tall, elegantly clad for these surroundings in faded tan
trousers and a pale-blue shirt. He sported a natty felt hat that
had seen better days. Deep-set eyes, bushy eyebrows, long nose
and sharp chin gave him a professorial air. A brown bag hung
lazily from his shoulder.

"Persistence, hard work, dedication and most of all patience,"
he said, "is the secret of successful mining. It is a demanding
job and fortune does not smile on you each day."

His deep-set eyes, weather-beaten face and leathery hands
spoke volumes of the hard life he had led and underlined the
authority of his revelation. "People talk of the wealth of the
ancients," he said, almost secretively. "The grandeur of the
Singosari era, Airlangga and even Adityawarman.

"What few realize is that before even Tarumanegara, there
flourished on this island a greater empire. Greater in wealth, in
extent and in glory. Much of that wealth and greatness came from
the mines around Cempaka."

Ever the optimist, he was sure his big find was yet to come.

Those stones, he said, pointing at the pile near where Iyuth
and Yadi were hard at work, would become diamonds after cutting
and polishing.

Then, with a gleam in his eye, he pulled out of his bag an
envelope of gems. Not only were these stones of inestimable value
he said, but they each had in them their own mysterious power to
make all my wishes come true.

He was now in his element. He offered gems that would ensure
boundless marital bliss, love, money, children and peace. As he
saw the potential buyer hesitate, he pulled out more stones and
added the promise of harmony, health and happiness.

A superior salesman, Pak Syahbuddin would not give up even
after the visitor said he had it all: happiness, love, two
wonderful children.

Putting his hands into the deep depths of his bag, he pulled
out a little brown agate. "This," he declared authoritatively,
"will give you your youth!"

This time, he won.

The stone was handed over for Rp 15,000 -- half of his asking
price.

A month has passed. The brown agate sits at the center of the
writing desk. It might not work, even if it is being polished
everyday, but it surely helps us remember Cempaka and of the
vigor for life.