Donate Now
THE aroma of ripe fruit wafted in the air as we entered the deep forest region of Simatalu, West Siberut, Mentawai Islands, in West Sumatra in mid-March. As we walked, toktuk durian fruit—the soft-prickled durian specific to Mentawai—again and again fell onto the dirt track we were traversing as they ripened on the tree, oozing a tangy aroma from its yellow flesh. On the river banks, rambutan trees had turned bright red with the abundance of ripening fruit covering all the branches. Lanzones (Lansium parasiticum) trees were also well into their season.
The fruit season was indeed reaching its peak in the jungle of Simatalu. We, who were simply passing by, ate our fill all down the road to Simatalu. I was accompanied by Viator Simanri Sakombatu, usually called Bajak Letcu, a Mentawai tattoo artist. There was also Teu Taloi, a sikerei (shaman and traditional Mentawai herbalist) from Simatalu, and his son, Cristian, who had just completed high school.
To view the bahasa Indonesian version of this story, visit Tempo's website.
AROMA buah-buahan menguar ketika kami memasuki kawasan hutan Simatalu, Siberut Barat, Kepualuan Mentawai, Sumatera Barat pada pertengahan Maret lalu. Di jalan setapak, durian toktuk—durian khas Mentawai yang berduri lunak—berjatuhan karena matang di pohon, menebarkan aroma yang tajam dari buahnya yang kuning. Nangka hutan yang masak merekah di atas pohon tampak dikerubuti ngengat. Dari kejauhan, pohon rambutan yang tumbuh di tepi sungai terlihat memerah karena buahnya yang serentak matang menutupi daun hijaunya. Pohon duku juga tengah berbuah. Buahnya yang kuning cerah berderet dari tangkai-tangkai daun.
Saat itu, musim buah memang sedang memasuki masa puncaknya di hutan Simatalu. Siapa pun boleh mengambil buahbuahan itu. Kami yang sedang melintas memakan buah sepanjang perjalanan menuju Simatalu. Dalam perjalanan itu, saya ditemani Viator Simanri Sakombatu atau biasa dipanggil Bajak Letcu, seorang seniman tato Mentawai. Selain itu, saya ditemani Teu Taloi, seorang sikerei (dukun dan ahli pengobatan tradisional Mentawai dari simatalu, dan anak lelakinya, Cristian, yang baru tamat sekolah menengah atas.