MUARO JAMBI, Indonesia — Mbok Hawo picked a clutch of galangal, lemongrass and turmeric as the gaggle of schoolkids assembled by an array of potted plants, arranged in Hawo’s garden like bottles in a medicine cabinet. “Turmeric isn’t only for flavoring cooking,” the 64-year-old healer explained to the children. “It can also be a medicine for the stomach.” Generations of Indigenous healers like Hawo have drawn on the forest floor to treat minor ailments and ward off more serious health conditions. However, here in Muaro Jambi district on the Indonesian island of Sumatra, many parents worry about the loss of know-how to spot medicinal plants, as modern distractions compete for children’s attention spans. More than two decades ago, a group of Muaro Jambi residents formed Rumah Menapo, a civil society group dedicated to preserving local culture. Ever since, members of Rumah Menapo like Mukhtar Hadi, the founder, have worked to enable their ancient history to live side by side with contemporary Islamic culture. Mukhtar and members of the Rumah Menapo community understood more than a decade ago the risks that young people wouldn’t learn about the local history and culture. “I don’t want them to forget or not know about the history of the place where they were born and raised,” Mukhtar told Mongabay Indonesia. In 2010, Mukhtar helped found the Sekolah Alam, or Nature School, a voluntary initiative staffed by Indigenous elders like Hawo. The school’s teachers help young people identify herbal tonics, and apply the range of senses…This article was originally published on Mongabay
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