Villagers undeterred by Mount Merapi eruption
Villagers undeterred by Mount Merapi eruption
By Haryoso
SEMARANG (JP): Central Java Governor Soewardi went ballistic
on hearing residents of Sambirejo village on the slopes of Mount
Merapi had refused to evacuate when the volcano erupted last
month.
The people that live about 10 kilometers from the mountain's
summit seemed to challenge the clouds of hot ash, the burning
lava streaming down the slopes, the tremors and the occasional
bangs.
The governor visited the village a few days after the
volcano's activity subsided only to hear his offer of free
resettlement politely refused.
"They refused to move under the (state-sponsored)
transmigration program on the grounds that they were inseparable
from their village," the governor said.
The villagers have always fiercely stuck to their belief that
Merapi eruptions are not a calamity for them -- at least to those
who are devoutly religions.
Prawirorejo, a 60-year-old farmer and respected community
leader, says that Merapi's explosion is no less than a divine
test for people in nearby areas.
"Only those who had not carried out God's word would perish
and those who wholeheartedly believe in God would have nothing to
worry about," he told The Jakarta Post.
To the surprise of officials and public alike, Sambirejo was
not significantly affected by the Jan. 17 eruption which forced
18,000 people to flee their homes, leaving behind their livestock
and hard-earned belongings.
The village was also spared by the Nov. 22, 1994 eruption that
claimed 68 lives, maimed 11 others and left 5,000 homeless,
mostly in the nearby Turgo village.
Prawirorejo said Sambirejo residents believe the people saved
from the ravages of Merapi's hot lava and heat clouds were true
believers while those affected were sinful and had to repent.
For most Sambirejo villagers, the eruptions are divine
intervention because Merapi's lava fertilizes their land while
the rocks and sand provide useful building materials.
The farmers believe in an old man named Slamet (literally
meaning "Safe"). In times of high volcanic activity, they will
not vacate unless Slamet tells them to.
Prawirorejo says God will pass messages of impending disasters
to the villagers through Slamet, who conveys them to the whole
village.
But academics say that the villagers' belief is "irrational"
and stories about the old man Slamet are made up with to instill
a sense of fanaticism about the village.
"Natural disasters can kill anybody no matter whether they
believe in God or not, sinful or otherwise" says Fajar Ismail, an
anthropologist from Diponegoro University.
"The truth is that the Sambirejo villagers are reluctant to
move," he says.
Agricultural land near Merapi is renown for its fertility.
The 2,968 meter high volcano is one of the world's most
active. In times of low activity, it is highly popular among
mountaineers.