Forgotten people in mist of Gunung Halimun

Forgotten people in mist of Gunung Halimun

By Dami Buchori

BOGOR, West Java (JP): Dadun has lived all his life in one of
the remote Kasepuhan communities among the trees of Gunung
Halimun National Park. He is 72 now and no longer ventures into
the dense forest to gather wood, rattan or bamboo.

When he was young and strong, he collected wood for his daily
needs. He would also make handicrafts from rattan and bamboo
after he had finished his work in the fields. Gunung Halimun --
halimun is Sundanese for the mist often blanketing the area -- is
home to many varieties of trees and wild plants with medicinal
properties.

The fact that few people know about this beautiful rain
forest, about 80 kilometers southwest of Jakarta, is an ironic
blessing. Spanning around 40,000 hectares, Gunung Halimun is the
largest remaining primary rain forest on Java. Its remoteness has
also contributed to its preservation.

Its area ranges from 529 meters to 1,929 meters above sea
level. This contributes to immense habitat diversity and is
conducive to the magnificent biodiversity of the park.

Many species of indigenous wildlife are found in the area.
Gunung Halimun is a refuge for the Javan gibbon (Hylobates
moloch) and the grizzled langur (Presbytis comata). The shy Javan
gibbon is a monogamous tree dweller which rarely descends to
land. The leaf monkey, long-tailed macaque, leopard and many
species of birds, including the critically endangered Javan hawk
(Spizaetus bartelsi), also roam the park.

The Kasepuhan are the human inhabitants. Legend says they are
descended from the ancient Padjadjaran kingdom, but others
believe the Kasepuhan share anthropological ties with the Baduy
tribe of West Java. These people have lived and protected the
forests for generations, long before the area was designated a
national park by the government. This strong bond can be seen in
individuals like Dadun, who lives in harmony with the forest.

The Kasepuhan believe that the forest is a legacy from their
ancestors, and thus should be preserved to support their lives
rather than be exploited. This wisdom has been passed down from
generation to generation. Spiritual ties with the fields and
forest are maintained through a series of traditional laws
administered by the Abah, the hereditary leader of the Kasepuhan
society.

These traditional laws govern most of the society's life. It
is seen in the timing of planting rice, festivals and religious
ceremonies, and even the type of roofing materials on Kasepuhan
houses. Traditional law is also the reason the forest has been
preserved for so long. The belief divides the forest into
different areas, leuweng kolot, leuweng titipan and reuma. The
primary forest belongs to the first two categories, in which all
kinds of human intervention is strictly prohibited. The latter is
secondary forest, where people are allowed to enter to collect
forest products.

Like the majority of Kasepuhan, Dadun is a traditional farmer.
They depend on the growing of rice, maize, cassava and cash crops
such as coffee and cloves for their livelihood. In the past, the
Kasepuhan mostly practiced migratory agriculture. Before 1990,
the Kasepuhan's belief did not allow them to use agricultural
techniques and tools needed for paddy rice cultivation, thus
necessitating the use of slash and burn agriculture.

This farming technique is not practiced anymore. The Kasepuhan
are unique in not using the IRRI rice varieties, proven to be
more sensitive to pest attacks. Instead, they plant many
traditional rice varieties not commonly grown anymore. In this
sense, the community is also preserving many rice varieties which
are no longer used in other parts of the country.

Rice is stored in traditional rice storage containers made of
bamboo and straw called leuit. Selling rice to the outside
community is only permitted if there is a surplus and, under
traditional law, only husked rice is permitted for sale.

The Kasepuhan are a community most informed and concerned
about the threats to biodiversity. This is because maintaining
diversity has always been a part of their lives. But how long
will this diversity last? Is preservation best ensured by
remaining unknown to the rest of the world ?

It is obvious that Halimun, with its distinctive wildlife, is
an asset to the country. Unfortunately, there are many threats
imperiling its preservation. At night, as the Kasepuhan sit
together and join in traditional dances, their concern for the
future is apparent. Dadun and his community worry whether they
will be successful in protecting the land, the people and the
wildlife.

They worry that shared ties as people and dependence on one
another are being silenced in the growing clamor of an escalating
outside human population with greater demands for a better
material life. But the Kasepuhan, far removed from society and
with no understanding of lobbying systems, are powerless. It
will be up to others to point out the vital importance of the
bonds that link human life to all other life forms which share
the earth.