Danau Sepunjung

The Indigenous Community of Rantau Baru Village is part of the Petalangan Indigenous Community in Pelalawan. Rantau Baru itself was formed hundreds of years ago, and the name Rantau Baru was chosen because the current settlement location of Rantau Baru is the second location after the old village was abandoned. However, the Rantau Baru community itself does not know when they moved to the new village from the old village, as their grandmothers were already born in the new village, so it can be confirmed that the move occurred more than 4 generations ago.

Based on legends and stories passed down from their ancestors, Rantau Baru Village was originally named Malako Kocik (Small), which was located across from the current settlement. According to the legend in Rantau Baru, the residents had lived in Kampung Malako Kecil before there was Rantau Baru Village. At that time, there was a resident of Malako Kecil named Datuk Uban who was fishing in the river. While fishing, Datuk Uban encountered Bialo Bagomba Ome (a spirit-like creature that resembles a small human but has a golden head). He brought the Bialo home. This sparked the curiosity of the surrounding residents to see what the Bialo that Datuk Uban found in the river looked like. As a result, many residents visited Datuk Uban's house to see the Bialo. However, a strange event occurred that struck Kampung Malako Kecil after Datuk Uban brought the Bialo home. Every resident who had seen the Bialo at Datuk Uban's house would soon die. The number of deaths caused the area of Kampung Malako Kecil to be filled with many graves. This event made the residents fearful of the presence of Bialo around them. Thus, the residents of Kampung Malako Kecil slowly but surely migrated to the land across to establish a new village. This new village area was then named Rantau Baru by the residents. Meanwhile, Datuk Uban eventually had a dream to prevent more deaths from occurring. In his dream, he was instructed to return the Bialo he found to the place where he found it; if this was done, the situation in the village would return to normal.

The Indigenous Community of Rantau Baru Village has several areas that are managed and protected through generations, including the Pesukuan Forest, River Suak, and Lake. The Pesukuan Forest is owned by each tribe, such as the Meliling Tribe, Tuk Tuo Malay Tribe, and Tuk Mudo Malay Tribe. The general characteristic of the Pesukuan Forest is the “Sialang Cluster,” which is the Sialang Tree that is a place for honey bees (Apis dorsata) to build their nests, known as sialang honey bees. This tree is highly protected by the Petalangan Tribe because it provides economic benefits to the village residents from its honey. Others cannot cut down the Sialang tree because if caught cutting down the Sialang tree, they will be fined as determined by the tribal chief. It is called a cluster because the bee nest trees cannot stand alone; they must have other supporting trees surrounding the Sialang tree as a food source for the bees, so the bees can continue to build nests in the main trees. In the past, if they wanted to take honey from the Sialang tree, the Petalangan Tribe had to perform the tradition of menumbai. The menumbai process is a ritual performed by the Petalangan Tribe when they intend to take honey from the Sialang tree. This activity must be done at night, and it must be done collectively by the residents of the village, because after taking the honey, the results will be shared with other tribe members.

The Pesukuan Forest is utilized by the community to obtain wood as building material for houses because the settlement characteristics in Rantau Baru Village are stilt houses located on the banks of the Kampar River, so wood is made the primary material by the community for house construction. Additionally, the community also utilizes non-timber forest products such as rattan, pandan, and sialang honey. Generally, rattan is sold as raw material, processed into semi-finished goods and crafts. Meanwhile, pandan is used to make ketupat during religious holidays and customary gatherings.

The Pesukuan Forest is owned and utilized by the community communally and is not for sale. Several rules related to the management of the Pesukuan Forest are passed down orally, such as:

1. It is prohibited to cut down Sialang trees within the Sialang Cluster area, even if it is not a Sialang Tree.
2. It is permissible to cut down trees outside the Sialang Cluster area provided it is only for specific purposes, such as building houses (specifically for the Indigenous Community of Rantau Baru Village).
3. Communities from outside the tribe must report if they wish to take timber or non-timber products from the Pesukuan Forest; otherwise, they must pay a fine equivalent to the value of the cut tree.

The management and protection of the Pesukuan Forest are the responsibility of the customary authorities. The people of Rantau Baru adhere to a matrilineal system, where tribes and positions are passed down through the female line. There are two major tribes in the village, namely the Maliling Tribe and the Malay Tribe. The Malay Tribe is further divided into two, namely: the Tuk Tuo Malay Tribe and the Tuk Mudo Malay Tribe. The tribes in this village are the original Petalangan Malay tribes.

The highest customary position in Rantau Baru village is held by the Pucuk Adat who is titled Datuk Sari Koto from the Maliling Tribe. Furthermore, there are Ninik Mamak from each tribe who will carry out the mandate under the authority of Datuk Sari Koto. The position of Datuk Sari Koto is actually below Datuk Sakti from the Malay Tribe. Like a boat, Datuk Sakti is the paddler in front, and Datuk Sari Koto is the paddler in the back. Both must work in harmony to move the boat.

The management and protection of the Pesukuan Forest contribute to the preservation of forest ecosystems and the biodiversity within them. The management of this area is closely related to honey bee commodities (apis dorsata)—known as the Sialang Cluster. This commodity certainly provides economic benefits to the community and can affect the welfare of the community if managed sustainably. The community also commonly utilizes the Pesukuan Forest as a place to obtain wood as raw material for house construction. This is also related to the cultural identity of the Rantau Baru Indigenous Community, which is characterized by stilt houses. Furthermore, through the protection of the Pesukuan Forest, cultural identity and other spiritual meanings such as the Menumbai Ritual, which is carried out in the Pesukuan Forest, are preserved. This ritual aims to seek guidance, honor, inform, request permission, and ask for protection when they engage in activities to collect sialang honey. Thus, the Indigenous Community of Rantau Baru maintains their relationship and connection with nature, fellow humans, themselves, ancestral spirits, and also God.

The Indigenous Community of Rantau Baru Village does not yet have a legal basis or specific regulations governing the recognition and protection of rights or the protection of community-managed areas. However, the Indigenous Community of Rantau Baru Village has made efforts to propose customary forests and encourage recognition and protection as a legitimate customary law community. Additionally, the Indigenous Community of Rantau Baru Village plans to create written village/customary regulations related to river protection and preserving cultural traditions that have environmental conservation values, such as River Auctions and Sialang Clusters.