The Unraveling Ulos

The struggle of the Batak Toba community never ceases to lose groundthe ground of its ancestors, that is. In addition to the land robbing, they have also been subjected to environmental degradation. The loss of life has only added to the misery in Porsea, North Sumatra. The source accused of bringing them this misery is the PT Indorayon pulp factory, now known as Toba Pulp Lestari. However, public opinion in the community is starting to divide. Some of them support the factory, while others reject it. This has resulted in a heavy blow to the three pillars of Batak social life, known as dalihan na tolu. And formerly strong social ties have begun to unravel, just like one of their worn-out ulos shawls. What drives them to carry out such a spirited struggle? What price must be paid to carry out this resistance? TEMPO reporter I G.G. Maha Adi visited Porsea and contributed this report.