The Sacred Forest of the Orang Rimba Hunter-Gatherers of Sumatra

Abstract

The Orang Rimba are nomadic hunter-gatherers living in the Bukit Duabelas area in the central part of Jambi Province, Sumatra, Indonesia. The Orang Rimba live in small groups along river branches or tributaries that support their livelihoods. In the past, Jambi held vast tracts of rainforest, but since the 1970s, rapid growth-focused infrastructural development and poor management have increased access to rainforest resources, accelerating both legal and illegal logging and resulting in rapid deforestation. The park’s forests cover an area of about 60,500 hectares, and it is the only national park in Indonesia designed for exclusive indigenous use. In addition to a strong legal framework, the Orang Rimba uphold their own forest protection customs based on a traditional resource zonation system. Forest management is divided into three major sections: the forbidden forest, the customary forest, and the residential forest. The Orang Rimba’s forest management practices are imbedded in their cosmology, and they contribute to the sustainability of the forest itself.