Orang Rimba pushed to the edge

Avi Mahaningtyas, Contributor/Jakarta

Thriving timber and furniture markets in major cities in Java do not seem to have suffered any downturn in supply, despite the government's declared efforts to halt rampant illegal logging in national parks.

Among the timber on sale, one is likely to find meranti Jambi and tembesu, two species found only in Bukit Duabelas and Kerinci Seblat forests in Jambi.

As affluent urbanites fill their homes with luxurious wooden furniture culled from the nation's forests, they do not spare a thought for the Orang Rimba (literally, people of the jungle), the hunter and gatherers living in Bukit Duabelas National Park.

Illegal logging activities continue in both protected and unprotected areas, and Bukit Duabelas' status as a biosphere reserve and national park is effectively in name only.

This is despite the decision by the local and national governments in 1999 to triple the park's protected area to almost 60,500 hectares.

The intention to protect the living space for the 3,000 Orang Rimba has not been fulfilled. Today, the Orang Rimba, with a population halved in the past decade, are still struggling against the odds to survive as illegal logging and encroachment by plantations take the land.

While access to basic education and health care have been provided by non-governmental organization WARSI, the threats to the forest are increasing faster than the Orang Rimba's capacity to address them.

Their very survival is threatened, because they will have no place to go once the jungle is felled. Elders make repeated appeals for the government to take more forceful action against the loggers. Disillusioned younger tribe members are looking to leave the jungle for better prospects outside.

With cultural sanctions against the use of violence and woefully lacking in experience to deal with the powerful forces that are clearing the forests, the Orang Rimba are being pushed further inside the no-take zone of the park.

As the forest is destroyed, the stock of animals and plants disappears, making hunting and gathering a time-consuming and often fruitless activity.

Attending a gathering of the Orang Rimba in April was a great learning experience in how national and international policies on protected areas have failed to secure the future of forest- dependent communities.

From early in the morning, the whirring of chainsaws and sound of tree felling could be heard in the distance, shattering the stillness. About 50 Orang Rimba walked slowly through the garden belonging to a young member of the tribe.

The group gathered that morning with their elders to conduct a planning meeting. The men and young boys wore loincloths and shirts, with a few in long pants. Sitting behind the camera were 20 bare-breasted women who refused to be captured on video.

Three men had to sit apart from the main gathering because their shaman had diagnosed them with a contagious illness. They coughed heavily amid the smoke from the tent, where young and old alike smoked clove cigarettes, accompanied by very sweet coffee and candies.

Conducted with the help of a local non-governmental organization, SOKOLA, the all-day meeting allowed the people a forum to recount witnessing many instances of illegal exploitation of the forest. They said no government representative had ever visited them in their forest home.

The Orang Rimba elders of the Tumenggung Mirak group are aware that their next generation must be equipped with basic education in reading, writing and accounting to help them survive in a changing world. They expressed interest in building their own bush school that can function as a community education center, as long as the kids can learn without having to leave the jungle.

Another pressing task is to continue their efforts to clear a long strip of forest that can function as a "living fence" to stop further encroachment of plantations and logger. The strip will be planted with a combination of food, fruit and rubber plants.

Government support, through law enforcement, is also needed, as well as activities that are based on a recognition of the Orang Rimba's right to use the Bukit Duabelas protected area as their forest home.

The Orang Rimba are involved in a struggle that concerns their very survival as a people, with their own language, religion, culture and the accumulated skills and knowledge of how to live with the forest. Their struggle will also be central to the fate of Bukit Duabelas.

The Orang Rimba are not alone in their struggle to survive. Interdependency and coexistence of forest and indigenous peoples throughout the country should be recognized by the government, as the existing policy of removing indigenous communities from forests has left the areas prey to marauders.

The attendant deprivation of sources of livelihood and self- identity will not help the dependent communities survive, let alone protect the forests. Adults and children everywhere need to learn firsthand about the interdependency of humans and other living beings. The Orang Rimba, and many other forest communities in this country, can be our teachers and guides.

The writer is the national coordinator of the Global Environment Facility-Small Grants Program Indonesia, and can be reached at avi@ybul.or.id or www.sgp.or.id; www.undp.org/sgp