Survivors fear loss of traditions
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.