Ahmad Asik is a respected name around the Tulang Bawang area in Lampung province, particularly when it comes to water buffalos. Fifty-nine years old Ahmad is a breeder of water buffalos, owning 300 of them and caring for 150 belonging to others. He is a keeper of traditions, a water buffalo expert and Tulangbawang's chief breeder, responsible for rituals involving water buffalos and their shelters. "This is a heritage from my grandfather," he told Tempo.
Ahmad claims to have a way of dealing with water buffalos. When they go back to their pens, he welcomes them home and cleans them, all of it done with love. Even so, there are times when he escaped being gored by an angry buffalo. "It's our tradition, I must keep it going, whatever the risks," said Ahmad, who has dealt with these animals for the past 40 years.
Two weeks ago, Ahmad spoke to Tempo correspondent Nurochman Arrazie at his shack, on the edge of Rawa Pemokou. Their conversation would intermittently be disrupted by someone asking to buy his water buffalos. Excerpts of the interview:
How important are water buffalos to the people of TulangBawang?
In our tradition, livestock is very important. In every ritual when someone is given a customary title, the person must step on the head of a slaughtered water buffalo. They sympolize power and pride. The person who seeks to borrow money from his neighbor will be asked how many water buffalos he owns. They are the guarantor of a person's credibility. From the business perspective, they are promising assets. Water buffalo transactions can bring in billions of rupiah in one season. This does not include other potential benefits, like the tourism they generate. Many visitors come to enjoy the beauty of the marshland and watch the water buffalos. We don't have this aspect covered yet.
How do you tame a wild water buffalo?
The key is in touching them and patting them gently. That's how I have treated them for years. When they first get in, they tend to be violent, but after two days in the pen they become tame.
But we heard you were once attacked and almost gored to death. How should a violent water buffalo be treated?
You should pretend to be dead. Otherwise, the water buffalo will keep on attacking you. I was attacked and it only left me alone after I lay absolutely still. We must be carefull when a water buffalo becomes nervous and bellows. That means he is hungry and can attack anyone in his way.
You own the biggest number of water buffalos in Tulang Bawang, about 300 of them. How do you do it?
I sell only male water buffalos which are over three years old and female ones over 10 years old -- which are no longer productive. I have a female one which is 15 years , named Waway Tegah, which I continue to keep. She always gives birth to one when she comes home to the enclosure or pen, after being let loose on the forest. I always look out for her when I lead them home. Many people ask to buy her, but I haven't found the right price.
There seems to be a plan to convert the swamplands into agricultural areas, which might affect the life of the water buffalos. What are the villagers doing to prevent his from happening?
We are trying to influence the provincial government to issue a regulation that would protect the marshland and the forest. This will not only benefit the water buffalo owners, but the villagers who earn their living from fishing. Frankly, we feel quite alone in preserving this tradition. Two years ago, the provincial administration and the central government were going to convert Rawa Pemokou to an agricultural area. Today, many buffalos have suddenly died, and we still don't know what caused it. Yet the government has never bothered to have the buffalos examined.