The People of the Twelve Hills
Forty centuries ago, they came from the north. With stone and wood tools, they relied on the blessings of the forests for their livelihood: plant roots, fish, wild animals and fruit. But seasons change, and the world changes too. Today, the natural forest has been transformed into oil palms. Wild boar have been replaced by trucks and busesand rivers have been turned into asphalt-covered roads. In the name of civilization, the Orang Rimba, or Forest People, were turned away from their own homeland. The Twelve Hills, their last bastion, have been plundered by newcomers. How are the Kubu people adjusting to these tumultuous times? Follow this special report by TEMPO reporter Agung Ruliyanto from the heart of the dark Jambi forest.
April 30, 2002
The sun had already set when the trans-Sumatra bus approached a restaurant in Mentawak, Jambi. A man with unkempt hair, sporting a threadbare T-shirt and pants, waylaid passen-gers about to eat lunch. These are original concoctions from Kubu, he said, showing various balms, crocodile genitals, deer hide, and elephant sperm.
Elephant sperm? A glob of white liquid was contained in a used medicine bottle. Its truethis is magical, it can attract women
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