It’s a festival that celebrates kinship and efforts to protect the land from the destruction of nature in Bombana regency, Southeast Sulawesi.
By
Saiful Rijal Yunus
·6 minutes read
Hundreds of people moved in tune and formed a big circle. Hand in hand, they followed the rhythm of Molulo, which marked the end of the Tangkeno Festival series. It’s a festival that celebrates kinship and efforts to protect the land from the destruction of nature in Bombana regency, Southeast Sulawesi.
It was getting late but people kept on showing up to the closing of the Tangkeno Festival, in the middle of last September. In front of a large stage, hundreds of people moved to the tune of the Molulo, a dance adapted from the Lulo, a traditional dance from Southeast Sulawesi.
Old and young, men and women, moving left and right while holding hands. The powerful rhythm from the sound system helped them move in tune at a plaza in Tangkeno village, Kabaena, Bombana regency, Southeast Sulawesi.
"This is the seventh festival. We organize a lot of activities and competitions, from the Lulo Alu dance competition, Lusese, folklore, cultural parade and others. We are trying to present the treasures and culture that exists in this region," said Janariah, head of the Bombana Tourism Office.
Although not as crowded as usual, the Bombana Tourism Office wants this festival to continue to grow and become a new attraction for anyone who wants to get to know more about Tangkeno and Kabaena.
This festival is held to foster the kinship of residents on Kabaena Island. Residents from the east and west areas meet in the middle, namely in Tangkeno village. During this time, the citizens\' social ties have weakened over time. Moreover, the area in Kabaena is surrounded by mining sites that have divided citizens.
There are a lot of mining sites here and there are social changes in the community. Thus, culture and tourism must be preserved. At the same time, it is aimed to continue and to maintain the kinship of citizens.
"There are a lot of mining sites here and there are social changes in the community. Thus, culture and tourism must be preserved. At the same time, it is aimed to continue and to maintain the kinship of citizens," said Janariah.
Tangkeno village is on the slope of Mount Sabampolulu, part of the Sangia Wita mountain range on Kabaena Island. This village, with an area of 68 hectares, is located on the highest part of the island in the southeast of the Sulawesi mainland. The topography of the village is mountainous with soothing views. The village, famous for its cold surrounding and often cloud-covered nature, was nicknamed "a country above the clouds".
The soil in Tangkeno is red. The dirt road, the valley and the edge of the hill are also red. The three mountains in the Sangia Wita mountain range are barren and without trees.
From afar, this mountain is similar to a volcano or sandy mountain. Various mineral rocks are scattered. Nickel quality in this region is predicted to have high values.
Mine rejection
Syahrul, a community adviser of the Tangkeno and Kabaena villages, said the festival was an effort to keep Tangkeno from being badly affected by mining. Moreover, this festival is a marker that Tangkeno village has been recognized as a tourist-destination village.
The Tangkeno Festival, which has been taking place since 2013, is an annual event that has become a tourism agenda in the regency and eventually for the the province. Initially, this activity was called the Kabaena Cultural Arts Festival. Various cultural activities and art shows from Tangkeno and Kabaena were staged.
Abdul Madjid Ege, 70, head of Tangkeno village, from the beginning has regretted the issuance of a mining business permit covering the area of Tangkeno village. Mining activity is feared to damage the Tangkeno landscape. In addition, local residents also worried the spring water on Kabaena Island, which has an area of 873,000 hectares, will also disappear.
"So I reject the presence of the mine," said Madjid, who always wear a black cap on his head.
Although being rejected, the mining company stays there. They come again and again to meet Madjid, saying that they already have all the required exploration permit.
Some individuals, paid by the company, even secretly took sample of soil from Tangkeno. However, Madjid firmly told the persons to return it. For him, mining activity will only damage the lives of the residents and leave nothing for the future life of their children and grandchildren.
Their struggle eventually brings fruit. The mining business permit (IUP) of a company, which originally includes Tangkeno as an area of operation, has been revised. The business permit of mining company PT Bumi Sulawesi, which is registered at the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources, for example, its operation area initially covers an area of 5,000 hectares. But, then it shrinks to 4,888 hectares. A total of 112 hectares, including the Tangkeno village area, have been excluded from the business permit.
Nining Rahmawati, head of the mining area mapping (WIUP) and mineral and coal mining permit (IUP) at the Southeast Sulawesi Energy and Mineral Resource Office, said the company has revised the area of operation since the production permit was issued in 2012. With the issuance of this permit, the company can legally carry out mining by completing various additional permits.
"So far, they have not carried out production activities. If there is a forest area, they must get the permit first," said Nining.
Madjid is committed to continuously preserving the Tangkeno region from the destruction of nature and the environment. Because, taking care of Tangkeno means protecting the livelihood of many people, including the children and grandchildren in the years to come.
"I think not just for today, but for the future. At my old age, I do not want to leave a depressing legacy," said Madjid, who is also the chairperson of the Moronene Tokotua Customary Institution. His gaze widened, right into the reddish mountain range.
Like a series of festivals, the struggle of the Tangkeno community is just at the start of a long struggle for land and nature preservation. There is a long road to take until the show was really over. In the period after this, time will answer, whether what we hear is the rhythm of the feet of the residents dancing or instead the buzzing sound of the trucks and heavy equipment.