The capital of the province is Jambi City. Upon arrival, we visited Museum Negeri Propensi Jambi which minimally displays artifacts and handicrafts of the place as well as write up of the Kubu or Orang Rimba tribe. It is a nomadic hunter gatherer tribe in the area.
Due to time constraint, I requested the guide to bring us to Muara, 26 kms from the City. It is claimed that it is the most important Hindu-Buddhist site in Sumatra.
It is assumed that the temples marked the location of the ancient city of Jambi, the capital of the Kingdom of Malaysia 1,000 years ago.
Most of the temples, known as candies date back to the 13th century.
In hindsight, the desired sites missing in the museum were adequately compensated by the visit to this historical area.
On our way back to the city, I noticed the unique architectural design of the houses particularly the pointed roofs. I was informed that if a house has several pointed roofs, it means that it is occupied with as many sisters as the number of pointed roofs.
It was a nice visit but it’s unfortunate that I was not able to bring souvenir for display in my museum relating to the tribe.
I learned that being nomads it would not be practical for them to make artifacts, devices, etc. as well as to come up with recordings of their activities as they would hamper their mobility.
On the following day, we set our journey to the site where the Kubu tribe at least temporarily stays. It took us four (4) hours to reach the staging area to visit the actual site.
From the staging area, we walked for about thirty (30) minutes to the site. We saw the men in loin clothes while the women wore no upper garments as they try to hide themselves in the bushes ( strange, why not wear garments if they are shy). The guide gave cigarettes and candies to the tribe. After chatting with the tribe and posing for a picture with them, we went back to the staging area for a trip to the city.
Without the usual souvenirs, I, however, bought a beautifully designed batik shirt to remind me of my visit to the place.