A traditional ritual to welcome a newborn had been previously held secretively. Now, the ritual is done openly by Sepintak, a jungle boy who inhabits the southern part of the Bukit Duabelas region.
Sepintak wants the world know the value and wisdom of the life of the nomadic Anak Dalam tribe, known as the Orang Rimba. The baby welcoming ritual involves a songoriy (sengeris) tree (Koompassia malaccensis), one of the most respected and protected plants of the Orang Rimba. "Every newborn child will have a songoriy tree," he said.
After a part of the tree skin is removed, a piece of wood about the size of a thumb is taken out. It is then wrapped in leaves and heated on fire. The powder from the burned wood is rubbed on the crown of the baby. While saying a prayer, parents give names to their babies.
Birth rituals and the close relationship between people and nature were reported by Sepintak on Saturday (05/18/2019), through a forum for citizen journalism built by young people in Bukit Duabelas, namely "Kabaron Rimba Beik".
In the forum, they tell the world about life, culture and wisdom that are taught from generation to generation, not to mention, about the threat of forest destruction. "If the forest is lost, our traditional rituals will also be lost," he said.
Because of this, the Orang Rimba very rarely cut down trees, especially the sengeris trees. That\'s because cutting down a tree means losing someone\'s life. If someone is caught cutting down a tree, he will be punished. The heaviest penalty is 500 pieces of cloth. "The fine is the same as the act of killing people," said Anggun, an assistant to Orang Rimba from the Indonesian Conservation Community of Warsi.
Apart from Sepintak, there was also Beteguh who reported the damage of the road leading to their settlement in Air Hitam district. Although the road is often used by government officials, its condition is quite bad. About 40 kilometers of the road are badly damaged.
Another youth told about the houses provided by the government, which were abandoned by the Orang Rimba. They abandoned the houses because they cannot settle outside Bukit Duabelas. Moreover, the government did not give them land for farming, so they felt like being isolated. If they live in a forest, they have all they want. Everything is provided by the nature.
Radio broadcasting
With limited language skills, the jungle youths try to introduce their lives to the world. In addition to the "Kabaron Rimba Beik" forum, they also developed a community radio broadcasting named Benor FM.
A small studio was built on top of Bukit Suban, the western edge of Bukit Duabelas National Park. With simple equipment, they routinely broadcast via 88.8 FM waves. Broadcasts can reach a radius of 30 kilometers in five districts around Bukit Duabelas National Park, namely Sarolangun, Batanghari, Merangin, Tebo, and Bungo.
Even though in the middle of the forest, jungle children can send messages and songs to each other. Besides Sepintak and Beteguh, there are young broadcasters under the age of 10, such as Bepuncak, Bekaram, and Ivory Author.
They once received reading, writing and counting education from volunteer teachers. When on air, they use native language so that the communication with listeners will go smoothly. The broadcasters also show its identity as Orang Rimba.
Every day, various issues are discussed, starting from the ups and downs of the prices of rattan, rubber latex, or fruits. There is also a story about the pollution of the river or the movement of wild squatters.
In fact, there is also news of death. Usually, it is followed with the moving of a group of people to other area. They move because there is a resident die.
At night, broadcasts are interspersed with cultural stories in birth and marriage rituals, not to mention
various customs and fines that apply in the jungle. Occasionally, the music of Orang Rimba is played.
Especially on Sunday morning, kid announcers tell a story told by their parents before going to bed. The contents of the story usually about the bond of the jungle people with the whole forest, including animals and trees.
Citizen journalism in the middle of the jungle has grown since 2014 even though the news from the jungle to the world has been rising and falling.
According to Sepintak and Beteguh, sometimes they are busy with their own affairs. Beteguh, for example, became a member of forest security with a team from the Bukit Duabelas National
Conservation Center, while Sepintak often accompanied researchers to Bukit Duabelas.
However, they agree that Benor FM radio has to go on air regularly. "You have to keep broadcasting because listeners are always waiting," said Sepintak, who has many fans.