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Published: January 14th 2011
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Actually, this trip was unthinkable before. You know, what's in Kerinci in addition to the sleeping volcano and cough all day long? But I did not expect, this journey becomes an exciting adventure.
my friend (Elias Widhi) and I was assigned the office to make a documentary about the Kerinci. tell the life of society and how they are friends with nature. to be honest, initially I was not interested. because at that time I was concentrating on making documentary films that are more challenging than just visiting a cinnamon garden which usually grow along the Bukit Barisan.
We flew to Padang, West Sumatra on March, 19 2009. We must to use early morning flight, because we will take eight hours of travel from to Sungai Penuh, Kerinci. Having met the driver who picked us up around 10 o'clock in the morning. This began the long journey. From the city of Padang, we continue heading south through Sumatra across the narrow lane, winding around hill, full of steep rise and fall of dense until eventually see a wider road and quiet along Baso, Solok Selatan until finally arriving in Sungai Penuh at eight p.m. We were two hours late
because we have to met a fixer that will help to contact the nomad Kubu tribe and stopped at several places to rest and take photos with the background of Kerinci volcano. The highest active volcano on the island of Sumatra.
We stayed at the hotel with room prices Rp. 250.000 per night (I forget the name of the hotel). That's the best hotel in town, and frankly facilities are not suitable price. It room-sized 4x5 meters with the green paint. There were two beds wide wooden mattress hard enough, the 14 inch tv with a broadcast that is not complete and there are only a fan. You know, all these hotel amenities missing complaint so we slept soundly until tomorrow morning.
Cassiavera Long travel promising exciting adventures. That's supposed to, right? And on the first day on the Sungai Penuh, I enjoy the beauty of small town surrounded by beautiful hills in the distance. The first day we'll make a movie about a family that uses a patch of land in the Bukit Barisan to gardening and taking cassiavera peel for flavor and cut down the trunk for firewood.
Introducing, Pak Ali. Head of the
family of Kerinci tribe who lived in two level of the wooden house near of the road to Sungai Penuh. As the Indonesian community at large, pak Ali and his family welcomed us friendly. After a chat about anything, he invites us into his garden. And that means an hour uphill to cross the creek via a bridge from the frail pile of bamboo.
No pain, no gain. Right? Having arrived in his garden, an hour of heavy climbing through a steep path paid off with stunning Bukit Barisan that was incredible. Not a single inch of any land in the Bukit Barisan in front of me that is not filled cassiavera trees. Reddish green color is so amazing. Character cassiavera tree leaves like the trees in the highlands of Europe. When the stalks are young leaves on the tree tops until it turns red when the old green tree growing old.
We start to make a movie about four hours. Pak Ali shows how to peel the bark cassiavera to the dry until to be the cinnamon. With three colleagues who participated with us, he cut down some trees that were old enough to be made in
the firewood. According to him, this is good because wood cassiavera flammable and not humid.
To fall back from the hill even more difficult than during ascent. This time we brought six cassiavera trunk along with four to five meters. Without any safety rope or safety, one by one, wood was launched down the steep path which we had been through during the climb. You can imagine the timber weighing more than eighty kilos free glide down to a person who guard so as not to get into a river.
It was a great struggle for the sake of a cent rupiahs. For me, the results they get from selling pieces of cinnamon bark and wood from trees cassiavera not worth the risks they face to get it. But the joy on the faces of these tough people never seemed extinguished.
Life under the lush tropical rain forest. Since I was in college, the news of the existence of nomadic tribes on the island of Sumatra I have ever read in an article in the daily newspaper. That said, they live to move because it is not accustomed to farm or raise livestock to meet the
needs of everyday life. They used to hunt forest animals anything that met for dinner.
Fixer I encountered was a policeman in the district of Solok, a two-hour return trip from the city of Sungai Penuh. He was a commander of another unit was assigned there. Two years ago, he had lived for six months in the jungle and live to move to study the culture of the Kubu tribe. In fact, he was appointed head of a group of Suku Kubu until now. We meet today to ask Pak Amir's phone number, a head of the Kubu tribe families and asked him to call first before we meet them directly.
It was hard to contact pak Amir. In addition because he lived in the woods that is very hard to signal, he was not accustomed to speak the Indonesian language. And among the three of us (me, cameramen, and drivers), nothing could be the local language. Armed with information from the fixer, we headed to the Calendar, the border between West Sumatra to Pekanbaru. Many times I kept trying to reach him and try to find their campsite direct armed with a little information. The result is
nil.
It was frustrating when the day started late and we still couldn't contact pak Amir. While taking a break at the near of the highway with a burning head, I finally managed to contact pak Amir. With two-way communication and choking language. We met him at the roadside not far from where we rested. Apparently he had two hours waiting for us there and we even had time to pass them!
Arriving at their camp, where they lived was concern from my vantage point. There are three tents there. Each form of small wooden rods are arranged like a king-size mattress for the floor. And on the fourth side was a wooden pole that may be to the roof when it rained. But today it did not rain and there is nothing that cover each of these tents.
In one group of the Kubu tribe families have four adults, including pak Amir, pak Amir's wife and two other adult women and several young children. They were scantily clad. Men only use a sarong wrapped around their crotch. And there are women who only wear a bra and shirt pickup.
We carry one box of instant
noodles and two packs of local made cigarettes who would be trusted or not, half were sold out. I finally understand why they are always nomadic life. My friend immediately set up a camera to record of their activities at that time. quite interesting indeed, because even though life moves, they've got two motorcycles and mobile phones to communicate giving fixer that I have come across before.
Finished lunch, pak Amir and the three other men showed me the actual hunt dinner. To mix, my cameraman and I took off our clothes and shoes and use only shorts. It was a challenging adventure!
We went farther into the jungle toward the creek to look for turtles (a type of freshwater turtles are soft shell). You know, to get it is not as easy as finding a cat in the neighborhood. I got injured foot stepped on the trunks of small trees and sharp rocks along the creek. not to mention the risk of meeting a snake! Just like hunting anywhere, today we did not find any one turtle. It was five p.m and we had to return to camp before dark.
Because of the deadline, we can
not continue making films any longer, let alone just for a turtles. Cameraman, driver and I say goodbye to pak Amir and his family. To end the adventure we traveled for one week. It was seven p.m. We were still has a 10 hour trip to return to Padang, West Sumatra. Who's eyes are not strong to resist sleep.
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Muz
non-member comment
Did you bumped into them by accident in the woods? at its easy to see which one is not the tribe member..hihi. Nice pic..