Kubu

▪ people

      indigenous seminomadic forest dwellers found primarily in swampy areas near watercourses in southeastern Sumatra, Indonesia. Late 20th-century population estimates indicated some 10,000 individuals of Kubu ancestry.

      Contact of the Kubu with their neighbours had traditionally been primarily through “silent trade”: goods for barter were put where traders could look them over. They, in turn, placed nearby what they were willing to give in exchange and retired to a distance. If the deal was satisfactory, the Kubu took what was offered and vanished into the bush.

      Traditional settlements normally consist of 20 to 30 persons living in frail houses made of bamboo and leaves. An older person serves as headman, but he has little authority. Jungle produce and small game provide most of the food, for there are no domestic animals other than an occasional dog or chicken. Dress consists of a bark loincloth and a headband to hold back the hair. Little is known about their beliefs beyond the fact that they have mediums, or shamans, and that they make offerings to the spirits.

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