Old Malay Trade Activities

The communities living in Bukit Tigapuluh practice shifting cultivation and collect forest products for external exchange. This tradition has taken place for thousands of years ago and has been an important factor in shaping the communities' social-politic structure in the Sumatra lowland. Paths, small roads and river are a means of transportation for bringing resources out of the forest and into the surrounding areas. Rivers used in this way as means of transportation include Cinaku, Keritang, Akar and Gangsal rivers in the northern and western part of the park. From Jambi they travel using the Tungkal and Sumai rivers.

The major center of the Talang Mamak/Malay Kingdom in the past was based around two big rivers: Indragiri and Batang Hari, which served the 'Silk Route' to introduce goods to central Asian trade through the Malacca Straits. The communities in the extensive area of lowland rain forests between the Indragiri and Batang Hari rivers were formed in a loose federation that was based around drainage. However, basically the federation was autonomous and weak as the number of people were always very few.