ofthe SAME TREE

were not: they had no settled existence, ate “unclean” (haram) food, and left
their bodies uncovered except for breechcloths. Regarded as little more than
animals, they were then hunted and sold as slaves, with some eventually working
for the Malayu in the pepper plantations. 34
As a result of these traumatic experiences, one Orang Rimba group came
to associate the name “Malayu” with “layu,” a root word in their language that
is used to indicate the death of growth tissue, hence to refer generally to anything
that had a wasting effect on a living thing or soul. In this way the name
Malayu became a reminder of the danger of the “Orang Malayu,” or “people
who cause a wasting effect.” Even among their deities, the Orang Rimba distinguish
between those from upstream (where the Orang Rimba themselves
live), who were benign, and those downstream (where the Malayu live), some
of whom were malicious. 35
In earlier centuries the relationship between the Malayu and the Orang
Rimba was far more sanguine. Leaders of the Orang Rimba were given titles
and formally incorporated into the Malayu system of government. Their
principal tasks were to facilitate the movement of trade goods and to assure
the Orang Rimba of the protection of their Malayu lord. Of equal importance
to the Orang Rimba was the legitimizing role the lowland Malayu ruler could
provide in trade with the outside world, particularly in determining acceptable
weights at a time when there were no fixed standard measurements. At
the turn of the twentieth century, some Orang Rimba continued to weigh
valuable goods with a copper plate said to have been given to the group by
the legendary Palembang queen Ratu Sinuhun. She reputedly presented them
with their first cloth and salt in return for forest products, thus initiating the
Orang Rimba to world trade. 36
The importance of the relationship between the Kubu (Orang Batin/
Orang Rimba) and the Malayu is noted in various reports reaching VOC
officials. In one case in Jambi, the Kubu indicated their wish to follow one
particular Malayu official rather than another. Their wishes were taken seriously
because they could physically threaten the Malayu subjects living in the
interior, but more importantly they could refuse to deliver the forest products
that were key to the prosperity of the downriver kingdoms. 37 The Orang
Batin, who were more acculturated to the Malayu than were the Orang Rimba,
found ways to continue to participate in beneficial economic arrangements.
Even after the demise of the Malayu kingdoms, former Malayu officials were
preferred as patrons and links to the outside world. 38 The Orang Rimba followed
a different path because of the devastating effects of diseases, unpleasant
experiences with outsiders, and the threat of slave raiders. They chose to
erect ethnic boundaries strongly reinforced by customary law to limit and
even end further contact. 39
208 Chapter 7