The Orang Rimba (People of the Forest) are nomadic tribes living in the rainforests of Indonesia. Today, outsiders are encroaching upon their tribal grounds. While they have the skills needed to preserve their jungle, The Orang Rimba are ill prepared to deal with land contracts or sale of rainforest products. Butet Manurung shares the journal she kept during her first year in the jungle. She te…
This book begins with the diary entries of Butet Manurung, which were later refined into a manuscript during the Fellowship-INSIST program—a writing grant program in 2003 for community organizers, social movement activists, and educators. Butet Manurung was one of the selected figures to share her experiences of assisting literacy education with the Orang Rimba in the remote areas of Jambi.