Production and promotion assistance for products of the Orang Rimba Tribe, at Twelve Mountain National Park, Sarolangun, Jambi Province

Abstract

Primary forest degradation in Sumatra island due to the conversion of primary forest into plantation area, expansion of transmigration area, and illegal logging, has caused tremendous pressure for the Orang Rimba, the native people of the Sumatera island. Traditionally, the Orang Rimba earn their living by hunting and gathering, but unfortunately forest degradation has made it difficult for them to do so. The Orang Rimba have the expertise to make a variety of handicrafts, but, due to their lack of marketing knowledge, they rarely to sell their handricaft outside their hometown, and used them only for daily activities. The purpose of this program is to provide production and marketing assistance for the Orang Rimba so that they will be able to produce more valuable handicrafts that will play an important role as an alternative source of income for them. Another purpose of this program is to promote the culture of the Orang Rimba. The program took place in 2011. The outputs of this program are to enhance the capacity of the Orang Rimba to produce various handicraft products with a good production process (starting from selecting the raw materials to labeling and the finishing process), to develop various handicraft products of the Orang Rimba which have a higher selling value, and also facilitate the cultural and handicraft exhibitions of the Orang Rimba in Jambi (the capital city of Jambi Province, Indonesia).