Jambi forest nomads running out of space

JAKARTA (JP): A Jambi Social Services Office official is warning that time is running out for the indigenous nomadic people who inhabit the province's forests because their traditional forest habitat is shrinking rapidly.

Imam Achmadi, head of the Social Services Office, said that the Kubu people who roam the forest lead a unique life in that they move each time a member of their family dies.

But with much of the forest they inhabit being cleared for residential areas or being parceled out to timber companies, the Kubu people could soon run out of space to live in, Imam was quoted by the Antara news agency as saying.

The Kubu tribe is one of three indigenous peoples still living in Jambi. The other two are the Talang Mamak, who also live in the forest but are more permanently settled, and the Bajau people, who live on the coast.

The interests of the three tribes, with a combined population of 10,480 people in 2,637 families scattered throughout the region, are handled by the Social Services Office.

They live in 52 different localities, but the government can only establish routine contacts, to provide assistance, with 27 of the communities.

Imam said the government is having difficulty encouraging the Kubu people to settle in one area because they are holding on strongly to their age old tradition of continually moving from one area to another.

He fears for them because "the size of the Jambi forest is not only limited but also declining," he said.

He also feared that the Kubu people could one day become involved in territorial conflicts with concessionaires.

The government has launched a study on the culture and traditions of the Kubu people so that it can better handle their affairs, Imam said. "Handling the Kubu people requires a different approach and takes a longer time," he said.

Jambi province has already designated a total area of 28,703 hectares in Bukit-12 in the Sarolangun regency for the Kubu people. It is estimated that 1,000 families live in the area, which is part of the protected forests.

Located about 60 kilometers from the regency town of Bangko, the area is reserved solely for the Kubu people so that they can carry on with their traditional life style. (emb)