Traditional Beliefs about Sumatran Tiger

Many people in West Sumatra from Minangkabau ethnic believe that tiger can help them to find their way back home if they got lost in the forest.

Mr Ramli (60 yr.) said that having tiger in the forest is good.  He believes the tiger could take him back home if he got lost in the forest.  When he was young he had experienced being almost lost in the forest.  At that time, he was collecting fuel wood in the forest alone. Coincidently, he entered a very dense forest which he never encountered before.  He walked round and round in the forest but he could not find his way out until night. He then stopped walking, being too tired. He believed that the tiger could help him find a way back home. In this critical situation he then talked loudly “Inyiak* awak sasek di rimbo, tolong tunjuak an jalan pulang” (Minangkabau language), which means “Tiger, I got lost in this forest, please help me to find my way home”.

After sometime he heard a branch fell from a tree. And he followed some sound, until he made his way back home. Though he did not encounter the tiger directly, he believed that he was able to find his way back home because of the tiger’s help.

Ibrahim (26 yr.) is also from Minangkabau ethnic group. He had never experienced being lost in the forest. Yet, he too believes that tigers can show the way back home if he ever got lost in the forest.

*Inyiak is the local name of tiger in the Minangkabau, which means someone who has a high social status