Romanus Meak: Championing Food Independence
For 38 years, Romanus Meak has been a teacher in Asmat regency, Papua. Seeing how many children were unable to fulfill their food needs, Romanus was motivated to fight for food self-sufficiency.
Romanus Meak
The sun was scorching hot on Tuesday afternoon (19/10/2021) in Yufri village of Jeorat district, Asmat regency, Papua.
Romanus Meak (59) checked one of the tilapia fish ponds behind the school. Hitting his head, he shouted, “Oh no, all the fish are dead! What will kids eat [for the next few days]?”
The tilapia were floating on the surface of the pond. He had just checked two of his 13 ponds. The ponds were filled with tilapia, belida (knifefish) and several other types of freshwater fish. But the failure didn't stop him.
“If you live in Asmat, you must be willing to fail. Here, the failure is 80 percent, the rest is just trying,” Romanus said, sweat pouring down his face.
Also read:
> Millennial Teacher in Papuan Interior
> History of Ancient Agriculture in Baliem
He built the ponds after moving from Agats, the capital of Asmat, when he still teaches. He is now an education supervisor at the Asmat Education Office. He built the pond from swamp mud.
Asmat district is located along the Arafura Sea and is mostly swampland and mangroves.
The Asmat indigenous people are hunters and gatherers and are not a farming community. Because of this, Romanus has tried to introduce farming and built the ponds in an effort to develop their food self-sufficiency.
Even though the swampland is muddy, Romanus insists on building embankments on the edges of the ponds, filling them with mud for growing various types of plants. He started by growing sweet potatoes, mangoes and ambarella trees. It turned out that these plants could grow there.
However, Romanus had to go through a series of failures before he finally succeeded in cultivating the plants. In order to cultivate the plants successfully, said Romanus, the level of the mud must be higher than the tide, because if it becomes submerged in seawater, the plants would certainly fail.
I find where the mistake is, then I try again.
He could no longer count the number of times he had failed because his crops were submerged in salt water.
"It turned out to be successful. If we plant between April and September, the development potential [of the plants] is higher,” said Romanus.
He then tried other types of plants. He planted 30 orange trees and they grew. Not satisfied, he tried to grow pineapple, dragon fruit, longan, rambutan, coconut, papaya, and banana trees. All the plants that had never been imagined could grow there finally fruited after trying various methods.
Romanus now harvests their fruit almost every month.
He then tried crop vegetables. The story was the same as the fruit trees. He failed many times before finally succeeding. "I find where the mistake is, then I try again," he said.
Romanus Meak
Romanus had help from several Asmat people who wanted to work and learn. Not only that, but the local students now know how to grow crops because during their free time at school, they learn how to cultivate and harvest crops in the school garden.
"All the coconut trees behind the school were planted by the students, not me," he said.
Sad
Romanus's efforts to fertilize the muddy swamp was motivated by his feelings of sadness for the life of the people in Asmat. As a teacher, he observed that almost 90 percent of the local high school students could not read. He then looked for the root of the problem.
According to Romanus, the students found it difficult to accept and understand their classes because their parents did not provide breakfast. This is what drove him to pick up a hoe and start farming, using his gardening experience in Flores, East Nusa Tenggara, where he comes from.
Also read:
> Sweet Potatoes No Longer Favorite
> Selling Sago and Fish, Buying Instant Noodles
When he was principal of YPPK Yufri elementary school, he prepared snacks for his students. He gave the crops he harvested from his garden, mostly fruits, to his students during the lunch break. Accompanied by hot tea or milk, his students enjoyed the fruit. The tasty food was provided for the Asmat children, who only ate sago or instant noodles every day.
He sells the rest of the crops to meet his family's needs, including his children's schooling and meals. "I dare say, of the many schools [where I’ve taught], only the first graders at my elementary school can read," said Romanus.
Romanus recalled how he sometimes had to argue with the parents who protested because their children were not promoted to the next grade. These “protests” he received were neither verbal nor peaceful, but involved threats using bows and arrows, spears and axes. "They raised their axes, I raised their machetes," he said, laughing.
Romanus Meak
He then explained to the protesting parents that their child did not pass because of many factors. Schools had standards. He no longer wanted to see junior or senior high school students in Asmat who couldn’t read. "Here, 80 percent of the schoolchildren are illiterate," he said.
Another challenge was that Romanus often took a motorboat to seek his students in Bivak, a sago-producing hamlet where the Asmat community live. This was because in Asmat, the teachers look for their students and bring them to school, not the other way around.
The culture and rules Romanus applied were then continued by his wife, Maria Hurulean, who became the principal of YPPK Yufri elementary school. Romanus began to focus on supervising the school and his garden.
"I told the village head, if I relocate, all my gardens are for the people there," he said.
How rich Asmat is, the forest products are good, the fish are abundant. There are only a few good people here who are willing to accompany [the people] with their whole heart
In order to provide incomes for the village and the children who tended to the gardens, Romanus will buy their produce when he retires. This is intended to keep the idea of farming alive in Asmat. He also wants to spend time in Asmat until he retires or who knows when, even though many teachers had abandoned their jobs. "In Asmat, we don't need money, we need people who have heart," said Romanus.
For Romanus, his service in Asmat is for life. Creating programs for the welfare of the Asmat people, according to him, would be in vain without passion.
"How rich Asmat is, the forest products are good, the fish are abundant. There are only a few good people here who are willing to accompany [the people] with their whole heart," he said.
Indeed, a teacher never wants to let go of his student's hand. Romanus is well aware that good and sufficient food will support life in Asmat, including education. Romanus is a true teacher and Indonesia needs more teachers like him, especially in Papua: Teachers who survive in the classroom, and even outside.
Bio:
Name: Romanus Meak
Place, Date of Birth: Sikka, East Nusa Tenggara (NTT), 31 Aug. 1962
Education:
- SMA Negeri I Maumere senior high school, NTT
- Jayapura Catholic Teacher Education
Wife: Maria Hurulean
Children:
Arita Adelheit Meak Orimbao, Rudolf Meak Orimbao, Christin Meak Orimbao
This article was translated by Kurniawan Siswo.
