Triono (45) drinks his black coffee while enjoying the morning at a food stall in Lendono Village 2, South Konawe, Southeast Sulawesi. In front of him lied the greenery of Mount Lendono, a habitat for many types of forest bees that collect the nectar of flowers and turn it into honey

Honey has become Triono source of livelihood for over 25 years. His experience as a forest explorer and expertise in hunting beehives for honey, made him leading a group of a honey hunter named Margasari with 21 people as members.

Honey hunting requires physical provision and courage, also the knowledge about the forest itself, they often have to walk up and down the mountain for tens of kilometers to find honey.

They equipped themselves with long sleeves shirts, thongs, and machete and sewing a shirt with nets to protect their faces.

To hunt for the honey bee, they have to understand their part in the group and support each other to avoid vicious bee sting.

Solihin who is also part of Margasari group said that the most important thing is to protect oneself by using smoke from burning leaves to repel bees. He was also been stung by a bee many times that he becomes immune to it.

Honey hunter profession is highly respected by the neighborhood people because the honey they hunt is sold cheaply for the residents to fulfill children's nutrition while to other villages even abroad the price could reach IDR 150.000 per kilogram

The golden time of the profession of honey hunter didn't last long, at 2016 most of the forest around Lendono Mount have change into palm tree plantation, causing a decrease in honey production significantly.

Member of the group only four left in 2018, others choose to become construction workers because the payoff from honey hunted no longer sufficient for daily needs, as Triono recalled.

One of the four members, Bartono, said, in the old-time, they can harvest 30 kg of honey of dursara bee (tawon gong) in one hunt, but today they can only harvest 8 kilograms.

As the hunters' income decreased, so did the honey rations for the children in their village. However, the villagers still respect honey hunters dan call the four of them the tiger of Mount Lendono with their slogan "Preserved The Forest and The Family Will Live"

Photos dan Text : Jojon

Editor : Fanny Octavianus