Survivors fear loss of traditions
The following is the second of three articles about Lampuuk, which was once a popular tourist destination about 20 kilometers west of Banda Aceh, but now has becomes a ghost town following the Dec. 26 quake and tsunami. The Jakarta Post's Nani Afrida has toured the area, interviewed survivors and prepared these articles.
Shortly before lunch time, the aroma of a traditional soup called pliek u wafted seductively through a displaced persons shelter at Lam Lho, just outside of Banda Aceh. A number of women could be seen hovering over a large pot, the epicenter of the appetizing aroma.
"Today, I want to enjoy a good pliek u soup," said Netty, 25, a survivor from Lampuuk village, which was all but wiped off the map.
Pliek u soup, a special dish that is uniquely Acehnese, contains a mixture of various vegetables, herbs, fruit and sour coconut milk.
As lunch approached, a group of women got down to the serious business of preparing the distinctive soup along with some accompanying dishes like fish fried up in a wok.
Later the displaced former Lampuuk locals, mostly men, were nothing short of euphoric, as they devoured the soup and fish, a real treat in normal times, and the first time they had eaten any "comfort food" since the disaster.
According to Netty, the Lampuuk locals at Lam Lho had not eaten any special local dishes over the past two weeks, just steamed rice and instant noodles.
"Although the group from our village is small, we want to make a difference, we want to make all the refugees happy," Netty said.
Netty, who hails from Balee hamlet in Lampuuk, is the only survivor from her family. Her husband and all three of her children were killed on the morning after Christmas day.
Balee is one of the largest hamlets in Lampuuk. It had a population of over 300 women, but only nine survived, including Netty.
Out of about 750 survivors from Lampuuk district, only 40 are women. Meanwhile, about 4,250 others have been listed as dead or missing.
Most of these survivors were carried by the raging sea from Lampuuk to Lham Lho, where they now reside in this tent city of grieving displaced persons. Lham Lho is located about five kilometers from Lampuuk.
According to Juarti, 39, from Lambaro hamlet, the small number of surviving women has raised some serious concerns. It has been the topic of discussion of late, and many now worry that some Lampuuk traditions may die out.
"Sometimes, I feel frightened by this situation. Moreover, many of the wise women who knew our traditional culture and religious practices were killed in the disaster," Juarti said.
One of the possible solutions discussed among the surviving women is to request that the male bachelors quickly marry women from outside Lampuuk.
"Then, we will ask them to return to Lampuuk and teach them our ways so that we can have more women in our village," Juarti said.