Published works for WWF (1998 - 2000)

I am a self-taught master of photography. It was starting since I worked as a graphic designer at the WWF project ID  0117, from 1998 to 2000. The project required images for the periodical bulletin production needs. That was the time when I started learning to take pictures with film cameras. Object of my photos were degradation forests and the people whom interacting with the forest. One of the traditional tribe that I come across is the Orang Rimba, the name meaning of People of the Forest.

People of the Forest

Orang Rimba, the name meaning "People of the Forest" are an indigenous people in Jambi Province. Total number of Orang Rimba recorded is more than 2,5 thousand individuals, most of whom live in the forest. The Orang Rimba have here developed a traditional system of forest resources management, based on enrichment and selective enhancement of many tree and plant species. They generally collect of non-wood forest products, hunt, and practice swidden cultivation.

 

The Real Jungle Book

The Orang Rimba sons are not cartoon film characters, they are alive. They are the sons of the Orang Rimba tribe who live in tiny parts of rain forest left in Jambi Province, Sumatra - Indonesia. They are living fun in the forest deep. With their minimized style cloth, they are free to climb a tree or to swim in a small river while catch some fish or collecting shells for dinner all at once. Their toys are a lizard or a tiny bat, and when they are boring with the toys, they will cook them as a snack; grilled turtle will be the main course. The older sons help their parents to distribute the rattans from the forest deep to the nearest village for trade, or help to carry a wild boar when their men have luck on hunting.

They don’t get a formal education. Many of them now can read and understand a simple mathematics because of the existing of the education activists that live together with them in the deep forest to teach. With the knowledge, they can help their parents when they had trading with the villagers. Most of the older men are speak only their own language and they cannot read and calculate.

The new generation of Orang Rimba is now close to the modernization. They are changing their authentic identity when they have to go to the village; blue jean is their choice to replace their minimized style cloth. The toddler is addict to be a passenger of a Japanese motor bike, that owned by few Orang Rimba successful traders.

Unfortunately for them, large areas of their habitat are changing rapidly for the oil palm plantation and illegal logging. Now, most of the Orang Rimba are living around the Bukit Duabelas National Park, a protected area that, for now, is keeping them survive with its non timber forest resources that relative safely from the marching of the deforestation.