Month: November 2008

by Crissy Guerrero, NTFP-EP

Phong looked at his baby, Kim Ngoc, smiled and shared with us his story. Over a year ago, his wife, Tien, was complaining of pains in the lower abdomen. Phong decided to bring her to the doctor trained in Western medicine. To his dismay, the doctor said that his wife had a grave illness in her kidney and she had to be operated on immediately or else she would not be able to deliver another baby ever again. Phong did not believe the doctor and instead bet with him that he would be able to heal his wife through medicines from forest plants. Kim Ngoc was proof enough that he had won that wager.

Phong had used the plant, Thui Dit of the family Fabaceae, to treat his wife over a year ago. Phong is a traditional healer from the ethnic Cham people of Southern Vietnam. The Kingdom of Champa flourished up to the 15th century in Central and Southern Vietnam. They are known not only for the temples that reflect the legacy of an ancient civilization but also for their healing tradition.

“We have at least 400 recipes of traditional medicines”, Phong said, as he leafed through the delicate pages of what he called the “Bible” of Cham traditional medicine written in an ancient script only a few can decipher. Because of his knowledge and his eagerness to keep the Cham healing tradition alive (Phong photocopied dozens of the “medicine-recipe-Bible” and distributed it free of charge to other Cham colleagues), Phong had been made the Chairman of the 32 man-strong traditional healers association of his commune in the Village of Binh Nghia in the province of Ninh Thuan. The interest is so high in conserving the healing tradition such that the provincial government has now offered to support a publication on traditional Cham medicines and medicinal plants.

Such interest was unheard of about three years ago. At this time, the Center for Biodiversity and Development (CBD), a group of young community-development minded, Saigon-based researchers, met Phong. Realizing his zeal and depth and breadth of knowledge, they supported his work with meager funds to start a traditional medicine garden. Lo and behold, after several months, the resourceful Phong, with hardly any space behind his small home (doubling up as his wife’s tailoring shop) had established a flourishing 100 sqm meter garden with over 100 species of different plant varieties. Phong shared that the plants could provide relief to common colds, cure cows of fever and some plants could be used to treat liver disease and other ailments. Phong treats not only local residents with his medicines but people come from far and wide to be treated.

Phong is still experimenting with the cultivation of medicinal plants. He has had some success with some plants while for others he is still testing soil, light and water conditions. He tells us that “The forest is still the best medicine bank”. Unfortunately it is that same “bank” that is being “robbed” through illegal logging and poaching activities.

It is the hope of Phong and CBD that through awareness raising, medicinal garden development and further training of healers, more can understand the importance of forest-based medicine. His simple message is, the forest can cure, only if and when we also care for the forest. May the legacy of Cham medicine extend beyond the generation of Kim Ngoc.

Email: crissyg33@yahoo.com

by Sarim Heang

The CANDO Crafts Center, which features the crafts of indigenous peoples in Ratanakiri, Cambodia was officially opened last 17 November. The opening went well with official opening speeches, ribbon cutting, crafts shop and gallery tour, and a cultural exchange program. This was organized by CANDO in Ratanakiri province.

The Cambodia National TV broadcasted the said event in the Community News section. Radio Free Asia also featured this event and indigenous crafts development of CANDO in Ratanakiri last weekend. Last 07 November, RFA highlighted the role of the indigenous crafts shop in providing market access support to the indigenous peoples and rural poor of Ratanakiri.

For more information about CCC, please download the brochure:
http://www.ntfp.org/bb/bbupload/cambodia/CCC brochure.pdf

To listen to the broadcast, click here (Khmer only):
http://www.ntfp.org/bb/bbupload/cambodia/081108 Can-do.mp3

Ms. Sujin Kwon of the Toyota Foundation visited Kalimantan rattan farmers and weavers in Kedang Pahu, West Kutai, East Kalimantan, Indonesia last 17-19 October 2008. Through the Toyota-funded project, Dayak communities have better hopes of strengthening their economic position and enhancing their sustainable forest management. Sujin met with the different stakeholders, namely:

> Members of the community crafts enterprise Bina Usaha Rotan and the P3R office of the credit union. They identified challenges in rattan trade including increasing rattan prices, lack of rattan stocks, and difficulty of stripping & refining rattan strips due to lack of technology;

> Ibu Hangin Donggo, businesswoman, designer and owner of the CV Matan showroom. She has helped the Kedang Pahu craft weavers in product development (value addition with beads and more functional bags for the expat community) for marketing in trade fairs in Balikpapan and other cities;

> The Nurani Perempuan (“Inner Women”), a women’s NGO which can potentially support the community crafts enterprises in developing NTFPs as alternative livelihood, including assistance inproduct development and marketing of beadworks and rattan crafts; and

> The Department of Industry and Cooperatives of Kutai Barat for possible future collaboration in enterprise organizational strengthening and developing markets. In Eheng village, Sujin saw how the weavers make and sell “anjat” (traditional rattan backpacks). Ibu Patmawaty demonstrated rattan harvesting in her own rattan garden. Sujin also went to the P3R rattan warehouse and the rattan training center; both facilities lack funding, making their sustainability and maintenance difficult. The visit also showed her the field realities: the threats faced by the rattan farmers and weavers as she traversed the vast oil palm plantations and mining sites from Balikpapan enroute to Kedang Pahu. {Peachy Ongleo}

The Punan of Adiu (Malinau) have been busy rehabilitating depleted gaharu (eaglewood) stocks in their forest for quite some time now (see Voices 14). Soon the community reforestation initiative will be broadened and tackle hunger alleviation of the wild boar in the area. They go hungry, as earlier rampant logging targeted exactly the dipterocarp trees, the fruits of which constitute the preferred mast food of the pigs.

This ‘Babi Senang’ (Happy Pig) initiative aims at replanting illipe and other shoreas in designated areas in order to make the animals prosper, while simultaneously restoring a key component of the forest architecture. It cannot be excluded, of course, that when the pigs are plentiful and fat again, once in a while a few of them will end up in the cooking pot.

The initiative was presented at a large extension meeting organized by LP3M last November and hosted by the village of Setarap. The meeting was attended by representatives of several Dayak from NE Kalimantan as well as a delegation from Sarawak, Malaysia. All shared concerns with destructive developments – oil palm and acacia plantations, ongoing logging and open pit coal mining – as they are looking for ways to take matters in their own hands. In this respect, AMAN secretary Abdon reminded the audience to find strength in customary (adat) institutions and law.

Back to Happy Pig: the concept resonated well during the meeting, not in the least with the Penan participants from Sarawak. Forest rehabilitation there so far is focused on wild sago (Eugeissona utilis), the main staple food of the semi-nomadic Penan. Now Happy Pig, but also Happy Fish, Nice Rattan and so on, are also considered. {Jenne de Beer}

Still haven’t voted? You have until midnight (GMT) of 22 November to cast your votes for Keystone in World Challenge 2008. Please vote and make the reality of a new honey processing center come true. Kyestone Foundation is among NTFP-EP’s founding partners is a finalist in the global competition World Challenge 2008. This initiative of BBC World News, Newsweek in cooperation with Shell aims to find projects or small businesses from around the world that have shown enterprise and innovation at a grassroots level. Show your support and vote for Keystone! Click on http://theworldchallenge.co.uk/html/vote.php To read more about Keystone, please click http://theworldchallenge.co.uk/html/project08_keystone.html To watch a brief clip about Keystone and to vote, click on http://theworldchallenge.co.uk/html/vote.php

A symposium last 21-22 October 2008 at the Forest Department in Jakarta brought together the Director General for Forest Conservation, Ir. Daruri, on behalf of the Minister of Forestry MS. Kaban of the Forest Department, JMHI members & other local organisations, scientists, national NGOs, companies such as Martha Tilaar and AMWAY, and from the region: WWF Cambodia and Keystone (India).

Keynote speakers Sumbawa Besar Regent, Drs. Lamaluddin Malik & Danau Sentarum National Park director Suwignyo both stressed how they actively encourage honey related activities among their respective constituencies, as these not only provide much needed additional cash income for the communities, but also give a very significant boost to the forest conservation effort.

The overall conclusion is that, yes, the link is definitely there, but putting more stress on the conservation aspect was, without reservation, welcomed by all present. Read more in a richly illustrated symposium booklet, edited by Dian Niaga’s Bebek, which will soon be published in Bahasa Indonesia and in English. The talk of the Danau Sentarum National Park director will also be translated in Khmer for distribution among the management of Mondulkiri Protected Forest and Phnom Prich Wildlife Sanctuary.

The event was organized by JMHI, in collaboration with SawitWatch, Telapak/Gekko, AMAN and NTFP-EP, with financial support from NC-IUCN/EGP. {Jenne de Beer}