ProFauna’s educational visit to a village on the edge of the National Park of Bromo Tengger Semeru (TNBTS) - Traditional Javanese Dances, Conservation Films and an Investigation into Deforestation in the Park.
The journey to the final village before the national park began, was not easy. The sloping road, thick with bulging sand was a fortress, penetrated only by experienced motor-bike drivers and four-wheel drives. Luckily we had taken a Jeep and with a rope, we helped pull up some fellow ProFauna supporters in their little car who were struggling in the falls and rises of the sand. Yet after an hour or two we eventually arrived at our destination and were greeted by the tinny sounds of xylophones. Soon a dance was performed for us. Since ProFauna intended to teach the villagers about conservation, it was important to watch the dance and learn more about the culture of the people in the village...
...Gamelan music played by the villagers.
It was the first time I had witnessed a traditional Javanese dance; this one was called the kuda lumping. Six children with white horse adornments held between their legs began to dance in time with the music.
Soon, the dance began to speed up until...
...all of sudden, the crowd went wild, dispersing and screaming in delight as one of the dancers wildly bucked in their direction like a horse, spraying dust in the air. The chief of the village quickly grabbed the child and waving a red, woven stick over his forehead, the child began to calm down.
However, the children looked as if they were in a trance, lost completely in the dance, with eyes wide and white, staring continuously up into the sky.
Soon, three members of the audience, suddenly began to convulse excitedly, rolling on the floor, before the chief calmed them with his stick and they joined in with the dance which lasted around three hours. One ProFauna supporter who studied psychology at a university in Malang told me that the dancers had reached a state of unconsciousness. Another man told me that the dancers believed they were contacting their ancestors through the smoke which was being waved in their faces by the chief. He also mentioned that a man who had been whipping some of the dancers was from Ponorogo in Eastern Java and practised black magic. Only a select few were able to dance. It seemed clear that there was an elite here in the village, where those with knowledge in the black arts kept their secrets about this dance, and the rest of the villagers, mesmerised by the art were not able to participate.
Later in the evening, after dinner, the villagers were sat down in front of a screen we had prepared and we all watched a film. Rosek, the chairman of ProFauna had devised a strategy to play a commercial film first to get the villager’s initial attention, he then interrupted the film half-way with a conservation film. This educational film explained about the importance of conserving the forest for the benefit of mankind but also for animals, such as the threatened Javan Langur. The villagers learnt about the forest and problems such as deforestation or hunting. The crowd were then asked a series of questions after the film and those with the correct answers were offered small prizes. Everyone seemed interested in the conservation film and the crowd cheered when they saw footage of traditional farming methods, which they had probably never seen in film before.
The next morning we woke at dawn and the chief of the village offered to take us into the forest. In this photo, ProFauna staff and supporters can be seen and on the far left, the chief of the village can be seen.
We began our walk across a ridge overlooking the valley near the village. The mountains had been stripped of trees in order to grow crops, however, further expansion into the park is forbidden. We wanted to investigate any evidence of illegal deforestation in the national park.
We headed down to a river. A villager passed us, returning home after a morning of collecting thick leaves called memikul, which are fed to cows or goats. The river had been dammed by the villagers due to river flooding during the wet season. Flooding is often exacerbated by deforestation, since without a root infrastructure, landslides are common and the loosened soil eventually makes its way to the water course, causing the water level to rise and the river to flood.
We found large paw prints of cat of some kind in the mud on the riverbank. Just before we reached the river, the chief of the village had showed us the position of a cave above the river, deep in the hillside where a Javanese leopard lived. These cats are now classified as critically endangered by the IUCN Red List.
After the river, we took a steep and tough path up the sandy hillside into the forest. At the top of the hill, the view below of thick, towering trees, lush and green, was spectacular.
Yet as we ventured into the park, we noticed signs of illegal deforestation. This tree had only been hacked, however we later found evidence of slash and burn...
Slash and burn is when trees and foliage are burnt in order to clear the land for growing crops. The ash supplements the soil, meaning that no fertilisers are needed.
Finally we reached the end of the path. Here the chief showed us the grave of the forest’s protector who was buried on the hillside. As the chief quietly said a prayer, we all bowed our heads in silence, with great respect for a forest that needs our protection.
The next morning we woke at dawn and the chief of the village offered to take us into the forest. In this photo, ProFauna staff and supporters can be seen and on the far left, the chief of the village can be seen.
We began our walk across a ridge overlooking the valley near the village. The mountains had been stripped of trees in order to grow crops, however, further expansion into the park is forbidden. We wanted to investigate any evidence of illegal deforestation in the national park.
We headed down to a river. A villager passed us, returning home after a morning of collecting thick leaves called memikul, which are fed to cows or goats. The river had been dammed by the villagers due to river flooding during the wet season. Flooding is often exacerbated by deforestation, since without a root infrastructure, landslides are common and the loosened soil eventually makes its way to the water course, causing the water level to rise and the river to flood.
We found large paw prints of cat of some kind in the mud on the riverbank. Just before we reached the river, the chief of the village had showed us the position of a cave above the river, deep in the hillside where a Javanese leopard lived. These cats are now classified as critically endangered by the IUCN Red List.
After the river, we took a steep and tough path up the sandy hillside into the forest. At the top of the hill, the view below of thick, towering trees, lush and green, was spectacular.
Yet as we ventured into the park, we noticed signs of illegal deforestation. This tree had only been hacked, however we later found evidence of slash and burn...
Slash and burn is when trees and foliage are burnt in order to clear the land for growing crops. The ash supplements the soil, meaning that no fertilisers are needed.
Finally we reached the end of the path. Here the chief showed us the grave of the forest’s protector who was buried on the hillside. As the chief quietly said a prayer, we all bowed our heads in silence, with great respect for a forest that needs our protection. 
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