Juliana: The Voice of Suku Anak Dalam Women at the National Entrepreneurship Award
"That shy woman has now dared to thrill the hearts of all the participants in this large room. When we first met, her voice was so small that she did not dare to meet our eyes."
When it comes to Juliana, people will find many articles about her as the first woman from the Suku Anak Dalam Jambi community to study at university. Her story is told as an indigenous woman who dares to go against tradition and has a strong determination to achieve her goals. Hundreds of articles tell almost the same thing. However, for the people who have known Juliana, there is a remarkable change that happened to her that is not told.
Suku Anak Dalam is an indigenous group that inhabits the Jambi forest. They are spread all the way to southern Sumatra. They have always lived hidden and isolated from the outside world. However, around 2014 the Ministry of Social Affairs of the Republic of Indonesia (Kemensos RI) has provided housing assistance to them as a form of support for the welfare of these indigenous communities. Although they have been settled, some of their cultures and traditions are still carried out, including protecting women.
Suku Anak Dalam women have the role of managing the household. Their voices are the strongest when dealing with family matters. However, they do not dare to speak out in public forums. Like a bird in a cage that is beautiful to look at but its wings are folded, it has never felt the freedom of the wind, confined in a restrictive beauty, without the right to fly to reach the sky. Thus, shyness is inherent in their personalities. Such is the case when describing Juliana, a shy woman who is so careful in her voice.
Standing on the Big Stage
On August 30, 2024, Juliana dared to appear with other women of the Anak Dalam Tribe from Dwi Karya Bakti Village. They are Induk Ita, Induk Tuti, and Induk Benang. These four women appeared on the magnificent stage at the 2024 LLDIKTI Region X Entrepreneurship Award event. This activity was attended by all private universities throughout Indonesia on a national scale. Juliana not only appeared as a participant, together with three women of the Anak Dalam Tribe, but they also brought important messages from their community through poetry and traditional chants that have become an inseparable part of the Anak Dalam Tribe culture.
Juliana read a poem titled “Voices from the Forest”. This poem expresses her concern about the shrinking condition of the forest, and it also implies great hope for a better future. Every word spoken by Juliana contains power, depicting the pain, hope, and struggle that the Suku Anak Dalam have experienced.
“Juliana sudah mampu menempatkan dirinya, dia berani tampil diatas panggung besar dan ditonton banyak orang. Kita melihat Juliana sudah jauh sekali berubah, ia lebih percaya diri,” tutur Dewi Yunita selaku CEO Pundi Sumatra yang telah lama mendampingi Juliana sejak sekolah dasar.
Juliana has transformed into a different person. It took years to prepare herself to be able to represent the voice of women of the Suku Anak Dalam. Education became one of the doors for Juliana to achieve her dreams. Now Juliana is at the end of her studies, she will soon achieve her Bachelor's Degree in Forestry.
Muhammadiyah University of Jambi, which provided an education scholarship to Juliana, is also involved in empowering the Suku Anak Dalam community. The commitment given by the university to advance and open access to education for indigenous communities is an example that should be adopted by other policy makers. Empowering the Suku Anak Dalam requires ongoing cooperation between parties.
"Juliana is expected to be an inspiration and motivation for women from other indigenous communities. Women must be free of themselves, dare to fight for and achieve their dreams," said Dewi.