Life and Death for a Gram of Gold
Tailings are mining waste in the form of sand, leftover rock resulting from the processing of gold, copper and silver ores.
PT Freeport Indonesia’s tailings deposition area on the Ajkwa River, Timika, Papua on Monday (11/10/2021). Traditional miners look for leftover gold in the tailings, the mining waste made up of sand and rock resulting from the processing of gold, copper and silver ores.
The swift current of the river flowing in the tailings deposition area in Mimika Regency, Papua, does not discourage the thousands of gold miners. The more swift and the more flooded, the more dazzled their eyes would be, hoping to find gold to fill their coffers. Their lives are at stake for a speck of gold.
Yakundus Heatubun (36) parked his motorbike in Nawaripi, about 20 minutes from Mozes Kilangin Airport, Timika City. The sun was scorching hot. He rushed across the old dam of Timika City that was full of moss. He should take off sandals to be able to cross the dam.
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After passing the dam, Jek, as he was often called, crossed to Jalan Port Site owned by PT Freeport Indonesia (FI). After five minutes of walking, he arrived at the large Ajkwa river, which was called by the residents as the clear river. Jek then walked along the river over the rocks and then crossed.
He had to make two attempts to cross the river as the waves kept rolling. In the first attempt, he drew back again as he was not sure of the depth. On the second attempt, he had to walk another 10 minutes to make sure that the place he crossed was shallow.
"Here, two people have died for being carried away by the current to the [Arafura] sea there," he said, at the end of October 2021.
The two people who died, Jek said, were his relatives who were also fellow miners. Both were swept away by the current while trying to cross the river to the gold panning area. The incident took place in January 2021. At that time, the river was flooded after a heavy rain.
Gold panners live in a camp they established inside PT Freeport Indonesia ‘s tailings deposition area on the Ajkwa River, Timika, Papua, on Tuesday (26/10/2021). They use dishwashing liquid or detergent to separate the gold from the sand.
"They were already old, about 60 years, so they could not stand the current and then sank, their bodies have not be found until now," said the man from Kei Besar island, Southeast Maluku.
His face was straight as if the incident was something usual. He knew very well that the risk of gold panning in a waste dump was indeed life threatening. However, for the sake of finding gold, he had to forget about the risk of death that could occur any time.
After crossing the river, he arrived at the camp for the traditional miners. This camp was more like a village. Lots of log houses were built, some looking like makeshift huts. However, there was a soccer field the size of a futsal arena and a vegetable garden.
There, he met Konstantinus Hungan (35) who was smoking a cigarette with a cup of hot coffee. As soon as he saw Jek coming, Konstantinus immediately grabbed the tray in his wooden house. He left his cup of coffee on the couch. They headed for a “runaway” river, the name for PT FI's tailings location.
Tailings are mining waste in the form of sand, leftover rock resulting from the processing of gold, copper and silver ores. Tailings still contain precious metals, especially gold, so they have commercial value for miners.
Konstantinus immediately jumped from the dune into the hazy river where the waves were still rolling fast. The water was black, slightly gray, full of sand, with a depth ranging from 50 centimeters to two meters.
In the middle of the swift current there was a mal, a tool they made themselves to filter the sand. The top of the mal was like a snowboard covered with dull carpet. It was on the carpet that the first stage of filtering sand and gold was carried out.
Using the river water flowing under their feet, the sand and gold were splashed. Then, the carpet was brought to the river bank. On the bank Jek was waiting with a bigger carpet.
The carpet was gently shaken, so that the adhering material fell into the water. It took at least five to seven times of shaking, until all the material fell. They waited a while for the fine sand to fall to the bottom, then threw the water into the pan. The contents of the material in the large frying pan were put into smaller ones that had been given dishwashing liquid or detergent. Jek shook his small frying pan over and over again until the gold separated from the sand between the cleaning bubbles. They had promised not to use mercury in the process.
They had to shake the little frying pan for at least in 15-20 minutes. After that, they could see the golden dots gathering, separating from the black fine sand in the cleansing water.
"That's gold, just one kaca (0.2-0.3 grams)," shouted Konstantinus.
Miners sort fine sand to get gold on the banks of the Ajkwa River, named by local residents as the murky river, at the Mile-28 site, Timika, Papua, on Tuesday (26/10/2021).
Jek answered with a nod. The sand was set aside and then thrown away, while the gold was moved again to a smaller pan and the pan was then heated to dry the gold.
The gold granules are usually collected and then sold at a gold shop around Jalan Ahmad Yani, Timika. In a day Konstantinus could get three to four grams of gold at a price of Rp 650,000 (US$45.35) per gram at that time.
The carpet was gently shaken, so that the adhering material fell into the water. It took at least five to seven times of shaking, until all the material fell. They waited a while for the fine sand to fall to the bottom, then threw the water into the pan. The contents of the material in the large frying pan were put into smaller ones that had been given dishwashing liquid or detergent. Jek shook his small frying pan over and over again until the gold separated from the sand between the cleaning bubbles. They had promised not to use mercury in the process.
They had to shake the little frying pan for at least in 15-20 minutes. After that, they could see the golden dots gathering, separating from the black fine sand in the cleansing water.
"That's gold, just one kaca (0.2-0.3 grams)," shouted Konstantinus.
Jek answered with a nod. The sand was set aside and then thrown away, while the gold was moved again to a smaller pan and the pan was then heated to dry the gold.
The gold granules are usually collected and then sold at a gold shop around Jalan Ahmad Yani, Timika. In a day Konstantinus could get three to four grams of gold at a price of Rp 650,000 (US$45.35) per gram at that time.
"When it's flooded, here like ants, thousands of people come to pan. So, when it gets more and more flooded, yes, there's also a flood of gold," said Konstantinus.
When the water is high due to the high intensity of the rain, the miners can get 10-20 grams a day. This means that in a day they can earn a minimum of Rp 6.5 million, which is divided into three to four people in the group.
Elin Walten (center) watches members of his group separating gold from sand in their camp inside PT Freeport Indonesia’s deposition area on the Ajkwa River, Timika, Papua, on Tuesday (26/10/2021
Konstantinus and thousands of other miners from the Mile-28 to Mile-69 mining sites are members of the Warngokru group. At the PT FI tailings disposal site there are groups of miners divided by ethnicity. For example, the Mile 72-74 site is controlled by the Moni Tribe and Mile-69 by the Dani Tribe. As for the Kamoro and Amungme tribes, as local indigenous tribes, they have the privilege of being able to mine anywhere.
We determine our own destiny, no one rules, all are independent and take responsibility for their own risks,” said Elin, who is also from Kei.
The leader of Warngokru, commonly known as the head of the location, Elin Walten (40), is also a miner. “All work here, there is no boss, there are no workers. We determine our own destiny, no one rules, all are independent and take responsibility for their own risks,” said Elin, who is also from Kei.
Elin said that he came to the place for the first time around 1990. At that time he was asked to join by the previous head of the location who is also his relative from Kei, Maluku.
According to him, in the past, there was only one river where PT FI's waste was dumped, the Ajkwa River which is now divided into two parts, namely the clear river and the hazy river, which is a place for waste disposal and a port site.
Elin explained that the government and officials had forbidden them from panning for gold. They then protested. In order to avoid a prolonged conflict, they were then allowed but prohibited from using mercury.
"With a condition, any incident including death is the responsibility of the miners," he said.
Mining gold in this place, continued Elin, posed many risks, ranging from floods, lightning strikes, to clashes with other groups. In 2020, two people were killed by lightning.
Gold panners carry tailings to be filtered using a mal (hand-made tool) at Mile-28, Sungai Kabur, Timika, Papua, on Tuesday (26/10/2021).
"Clashes occurred when they [another group of miners] tried to control and to mine in our territory, even though there had been an agreement," he said.
Elin added that people only needed to ask permission from him if they wanted to join the mining. He admitted that he did not charge any fees for the miners. There was no restriction to mine in the location as long as they did not make any trouble, he added.
The people from Kei mostly come just to pan for gold. They lived only in huts or makeshift houses in the camps. They went home to Maluku twice a year, sometimes by plane or by ship.
While panning for gold in the hazy river, the miners often suffer from skin diseases such as water fleas, malaria or dengue fever. However, they still gain.
Alternative livelihood
PT Freeport Indonesia's vice president of Corporate Communication, Riza Pratama, explained that the company and the local government had banned miners from doing their activities as the area was part of the company's concession.
Elin Walten crosses an embankment while carrying a frying pan filled with fine sand at their camp inside PT Freeport Indonesia’s tailing deposition area on the Ajkwa River, Timika, Papua on Tuesday (26/10/2021)
"We are even more concerned with their safety because many areas are steep, especially when it rains heavily and floods come in flashes, it's very dangerous. We only think about their safety," said Riza.
The ban on the traditional mining activities has been informed by government officials, and companies. However, the miners still come to the location and continue their activities. "It has also become their livelihood," Riza said, in a publication from the Center for the Study of State Financial Accountability entitled "Analysis" Mining and Coal Governance Accountability The “Supreme Audit Agency‘s (BPK) Mining and Coal Governance Accountability Report: Case Study on Contracts of Work and Imposition of Export Duty Tariffs at PT Freeport Indonesia “ from 2020 noted that the increase in PT FI's production activities from 100K to 300K resulted in tailings volume reaching 230,000 tons per day for 28 years (1988- 2016).
Riza explained that the company was inviting several miners to participate in the cocoa and sago plantation development program that was currently being implemented for the community around the tailings. The project was intended to provide other alternative livelihoods for the traditional gold miners so they would stop their panning activities.
"Our approach is dialogue and offering the cocoa and sago program," he said.
Freeport Indonesia’s vice president for Corporate Communications, Riza Pratama
However, the miners still continue to come and try their luck at the tailings location. The gleam of gold dots that are obtained relatively easily, makes them forget the risk of death.
(This article was translated by Hendarsyah Tarmizi)
