Baar Tribe Cultural Agreement Celebration in Torong Padang Peninsula, Riung

In the last week of October 2019, Komodo Survival Program was invited to attend Larik, a biannual cultural activity held by Baar Tribe in Riung. The first sequence of Larik is “pintu manuk” ritual in Nambe (part of Torong Padang Peninsula), followed by the game hunting in two days strike. Short after, cultural market was started, involving all Baar Tribe members across Nampar Sepang to Riung. Larik was then held as the final event, followed by Rentok.

Baar Tribe is a local cultural community assisted by Komodo Survival Program for three years starting from August 2016. Their settlement area and landscape overlaps the habitat of komodo (Varanus komodoensis) in North Flores, or mbau in local language. Komodo Survival Program has brought the effort to build harmonious coexistence with giving understanding and knowledge of komodo presence’s benefit in their cultural land and the importance of Timor deer (Rusa timorensis) in Torong Padang Peninsula. This effort has been welcomed by local community members through intensive meetings and discussions – formal and informal, and successfully brought an agreement to protect Torong Padang Peninsula in 2019 as both their sacred land and the habitat of komodo and Timor deer. This year, Larik activity is also a celebration for that agreement. Baar Tribe starts to conduct this hunting game for only two days with two years interval, bringing the local wisdom in the conservation effort. They also have commitment to protect the landscape, along with the komodo population and the main prey (deer).