Talang Mamak Tribal People
History
Talang Mamak people belong to the Old Malay ethnic group, representing one of the traditional communities of Indragiri District. Being old traditional people or "Suku Tuha" they have rights to district resources. There are several arguments of where the Talang Mamak came from. According to Obdeyn (a former Indragiri Assistant Resident), Talang Mamak came from Pagaruyung region of West Sumatra, where they were pushed outside because of conflicts concerning adat/tradition and religion. But according to Talang Mamak myth, they were the third generation descended from Adam who came down to the earth at Sungai Limau hamlet and have lived in Sungai Tunu hamlet until now. This can be seen from the saying 'Kandal Tanah Makkah' meaning that the Talang Mamak were the first human beings to live on the earth.
Distribution
The distribution of Talang Mamak covers 4 sub-districts of Indragiri Hulu: Batang Gangsal, Cinaku, Kelayang (Rakit Kulim), and Rengat. There is a group who live in Semerantihan hamlet in Jambi Province. In year 2000 the Talang Mamak population was approximately 1314 households or 6418 individuals.
Tradition
Although most of the Talang Mamak follow traditional animism, there are some of them who follow Catholic teachings, especially those who live in Siambul and Talang Lakat villages. They refer to themselves as being traditional people known as 'Langkah Lama'. The identity of Talang Mamak people is mainly based on the belief system that the person follows. If a Talang Mamak person converts to the Moslem religion, he/she will lose his/her identity and become a Malay. The Talang Mamak people have inherited their ancestor's tradition by having long hair, wearing turbans and chewing betel nut. Other traditions include rituals that still exist until now, which are performed on occasions such as birth, circumcision, marriage, healing, death, etc.
The pride of being Talang Mamak is closely related with the history of Talang Mamak and Malay leadership in the surrounding areas of the Gangsal, Kuantan, and Cinaku rivers. This is shown in the saying 'Sembilan Batang Gangsal, Sepuluh Jan Denalah, Denalah Pasak Melintang'; Sembilan Batin Cinaku, Sepuluh Jan Anak Talang, Anak Talang Tagas Binting Aduan; beserta ranting cawang, berinduk ke tiga balai, beribu ke Pagaruyung, berbapa ke Indragiri, beraja ke Sultan Rengat' It shows that the Talang Mamak have had an important role in shaping the Indragiri Kingdom structure, politically obtaining a legitimacy and support from Pagaruyung Kingdom. Most Talang Mamak groups have the tradition of going down river to Rengat to pay their respect to their Datuk/King every year, in particular during the big Moslem Holidays. It is a tradition inherited from the Indragiri Kingdom. It is said if this tradition is transgressed, it will cause bad luck to descend on those people, which is summed up in the saying 'Ke akar ndak berpucuk, ke bawah ndak berurat, di tengah dilarik kumbang' (literally meaning the transgressors will be humiliated).
There are several Talang Mamak traditions which are performed during a ceremony, such as martial arts performed with traditional drum music, gambus music, Balai Terbang dance etc. In addition there is a healing ritual ceremony 'Rentak Bulian' which is performed by a shaman to cure sick people from disease caused by bad spirits.
The Talang Mamak's attempts to protect their traditions from external influences is shown in the saying 'biar mati anak asal jangan mati adat' or literally its preferable that a child may die as long as tradition does not. The Tiga Balai groups and other groups in Bukit Tigapuluh still firmly maintain their traditions, except the groups living in the vicinity of the Trans Sumatran Eastern Highway, who have had much interaction with external communities.
The implementation of national laws regarding village government structure has resulted in a centralized government which does not recognize informal leaders. As a result, the traditional Talang Mamak leaders were divided into several positions, of which the highest position (Patih) was held by three people. Each Patih leader often had fanatic followers and, as a result, sometimes led to severe conflicts of interests, including resource claim conflicts, which were often very difficult to solve.
Education
Most Talang Mamak people are still illiterate because of the lack educational facilities and remoteness of their homes. Although some schools have been built outside the park, the education does not apperar to help to solve their problems. In Tiga Balai hamlet, parents were reluctant to send their children to school because they were afraid their children would leave the villages after completing the course.
Environment and Economy
Land and forest are regarded by Talang Mamak as an inseparable part of their life. For hundreds of years they have been living peacefully and in harmony with nature. They collect forest products and practice shifting cultivation. For a considerable time they have played an important role in meeting the demands for forest products in the world market. Since 19th there has been an increase in collecting activity in line with the increasing demand for dragon bloods, rattan, commercial plants, etc. But in 20th century these activities declined due to fall in demand for forest products in the world market; therefore they switched to alternative incomes by integrating rubber planting into their shifting cultivation system. At the time it was thought that rubber planting would force the people to settle and protect their lands or forests from encroachment.
However, much has changed since forests concessions have gained control of the area and transmigration settlements have expanded. Much of the original forests have been converted to make way for oil palm plantation and settlemens, while a large portion of the land is now under the control of migrants. Now they face marginalization as a result of land pressure. To survive they need to adapt this new situation, and for those who can not their life is threatened. In response to encroachment by logging companies a chief of Talang Mamak in Tiga Balai hamlet was willing to die for the forest. Because of his struggle WWF International awarded him, together with two other recipients from Malaysia and India, a Conservation Merit aware received during a WWF International Annual Meeting held in Kinabalu, Malaysia 1999. This has given additional attention on the part of the decision makers and has popularized Riau Province or Indonesia to the world. Again in 2003 this same chief won a KALPATARU award from the president of Indonesia.
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