Author / Penulis: Fera & Yantramanava
We are Elephas maximus sumatrensis, recorded to have inhabited the forests of Sumatra since 1292. In truth, our presence precedes that by far. Geological and paleontological history proves that we are a subspecies of Asian elephants who have dwelled within the Nusantara archipelago long before the 13th century—even since the Pleistocene epoch, millions of years ago, when these islands were still one with the Asian mainland. For ages, from generation to generation, we have taken on the role of forest architects; building and guarding the Sumatran wilderness with every footfall.
Kami Elephas maximus sumatrensis, yang tercatat mendiami hutan Sumatera sejak 1292. Sebenarnya, keberadaan kami jauh lebih lama dari itu. Sejarah geologi dan paleontologi membuktikan bahwa kami adalah subspesies gajah Asia yang sudah menghuni wilayah Nusantara jauh sebelum abad ke-13, bahkan sejak zaman Pleistosen—jutaan tahun lalu—ketika pulau-pulau di Nusantara masih menyatu dengan daratan Asia. Sejak lama, dari generasi ke generasi, kami mengambil peran sebagai arsitek hutan. Membangun dan menjaga belantara Sumatera dalam tiap langkah kaki.
Then, you arrived, building empires that rose and fell in succession. The history you write always repeats itself. You commit the same mistakes, time and again, as if no lesson was ever learned. From era to era, you grow increasingly absurd—transforming into a greedy species that arrogantly claims the Earth as your own. You print sheets of paper as proof of ownership over land you never even occupied. It is far too "comical" to see a species that has only just learned to crawl, haughtily claiming our home as theirs, armed with nothing but a piece of paper you made yourselves.
Lalu, kalian datang, membangun imperium yang bangkit dan runtuh bergantian. Sejarah yang kalian tulis selalu berulang. Kesalahan yang sama terus kalian lakukan. Seperti tidak pernah jadi pelajaran. Dari masa ke masa kalian tumbuh makin menggelikan. Bertransformasi jadi spesies tamak yang jumawa mengklaim bumi milik kalian. Kalian cetak lembar kertas bukti kepemilikan untuk tanah yang bahkan tak pernah kalian tempati. Terlalu "lucu" melihat spesies yang baru bisa merangkak, angkuh mengklaim rumah kami adalah milik mereka bermodal selembar kertas yang dibuat sendiri.
"We have existed since the continents were one, and we shall remain silent witnesses when you vanish, consumed by the greed you have nurtured." — Elephas maximus sumatrensis
"Kami sudah ada sejak benua masih bersama, dan kami akan tetap menjadi saksi bisu saat kalian musnah ditelan keserakahan yang kalian pelihara." — Elephas maximus sumatrensis
Not content with theft, you brand us as "pests" on the land we have carved out, inch by inch. Meanwhile, you yourselves are a virus, carriers of a lethal disease of avarice. You tear at the earth, amputate the forests, and exterminate the original species inhabiting this soil. You arrive with iron monsters that roar, wounding the ground. You nail the earth with boundary stakes, marking it as "yours." You claim the paths we have trodden since before your ancestors knew how to breathe. You rob, you fence, and from behind those fences, you scream "pest!" when we cross the porch of our own home. We, who formed and guarded this land, cannot fathom the sheer foolishness you display.
Tidak cukup merampas, kalian beri kami cap "hama" di tanah yang kami ukir depa demi depa. Sementara kalian sendiri adalah virus pembawa penyakit serakah yang mematikan. Mengoyak bumi, mengamputasi hutan, dan memusnahkan spesies penghuni asli lahan. Kalian datang dengan monster besi yang meraung melukai bumi. Memaku bumi dengan pasak-pasak batas menandai "milik" kalian. Kalian klaim jalur-jalur yang telah kami lalui sebelum moyang kalian tahu cara bernapas. Kalian rampok, kalian pagari, dan dari balik pagar itu kalian berteriak "hama!" saat kami melintas di teras rumah kami sendiri. Kami, yang membentuk dan menjaga tanah ini, tidak habis pikir akan kebodohan yang kalian pertontonkan.
You strip our living space, severing the veins of the forest until it dies, and slaughtering our friends and kin. It is only natural that we strike back, defending ourselves and reclaiming what was stolen. You rage, acting as the victim, feeling threatened. You cry out for mercy, wailing in the name of human life and humanity—a deranged dogma that considers your lives more paramount than the balance of the universe.
Kalian rampas ruang hidup kami, memotong nadi hutan hingga mati, dan membunuhi teman serta saudara kami. Wajar kami membalas, membela diri, dan meminta kembali hak yang dicuri. Kalian meradang, bertingkah seolah korban dan merasa terancam. Cengeng meraung minta diselamatkan. Berteriak atas nama nyawa manusia dan kemanusiaan. Dogma sakit jiwa tentang nyawa kalian lebih utama dibanding keseimbangan semesta.
Is it acceptable to hollow out the belly of the earth in the name of human life? Is it no matter to strip the buffer forests bare? If this were truly about survival, you would only need a mere patch of land to plant and a single tree for shelter. You do not need to pluck the heart of the forest just to fill your bellies. You use "survival" as an excuse to feed a greed that knows no word for "enough." You pillage more than you can swallow, naming this plunder "development." A cruel irony: a species endowed with reason and wisdom, yet not knowing how to stop destroying its own life.
Apakah atas nama hidup manusia, perut bumi tidak apa dilubangi? Hutan penyangga tidak masalah digunduli? Jika ini tentang hidup, kalian hanya butuh sejengkal tanah untuk ditanami dan sebatang pohon untuk melindungi. Tidak perlu mencabut jantung hutan hanya untuk mengisi perut kalian. Kalian gunakan alasan "bertahan hidup" untuk memberi makan keserakahan. Keserakahan yang tak kenal kata "cukup". Kalian jarah lebih dari yang mampu kalian telan. Menamai penjarahan itu "pembangunan". Sungguh sebuah ironi, spesies yang diberi akal budi, tapi tidak tahu cara berhenti merusak kehidupannya sendiri.
"Look into the mirror: are you still human, or is your humanity merely empty rhetoric?"
"Berkacalah, apa kalian masih manusia atau kemanusiaan kalian hanyalah retorika kosong belaka."
Even among yourselves, there are high walls called castes. The lowest castes become the wretched ones, their lives and deaths toyed with. They are always used as tools. You give them saws and empty promises of a future, sending them into the depths of the woods to destroy nature with their own hands. You say, "This is for development." Yet they are but slaves serving your greed. This is how you consume your own kind—those you deem worthless.
Bahkan di antara sesama kalian ada tembok tinggi bernama kasta. Kasta terendah jadi golongan hina yang dipermainkan hidup matinya. Mereka selalu menjadi alat. Kalian beri mereka gergaji dan janji hampa masa depan. Mengirim mereka ke rimbunnya hutan. Memakai tangan mereka untuk merusak alam. Ucap kalian, "Ini demi pembangunan." Padahal mereka hanya budak pemuas keserakahan kalian. Itu cara kalian memakan sesama yang menurut kalian tidak berharga.
Over thousands of years observing your antics, we have realized: you cannot be saved. Now, we will simply remain still and watch. There is no more anger, only apathy toward the decay that rots you from within. You have merged with the darkness. Love is gone. Only war, pillaging, and enslavement for wealth—repeated over and over again. You feel grand as you tear the forest apart, unaware you are walking toward the edge of an abyss. You think you can bargain with death using your piles of riches. You forget that death cannot be bargained with.
Beribu tahun menyaksikan polah kalian, kami sadar: kalian tidak bisa diselamatkan. Kini, kami hanya akan diam dan menyaksikan. Tidak ada lagi kemarahan, hanya apatis terhadap kalian yang membusuk hingga ke dalam. Kalian telah menyatu dengan kegelapan. Tidak ada lagi kasih sayang. Perang, penjarahan, dan perbudakan demi harta yang terus kalian ulang-ulang. Kalian merasa hebat bisa mengoyak hutan tak sadar sedang berjalan ke tepi jurang. Kalian kira bisa menawar maut dengan tumpukan kekayaan. Kalian lupa maut tidak bisa kalian tawar.
"In truth, it is not we who will disappear; it is you who will be erased from the pages of history. We have been here since the continents were one."
"Sejatinya bukan kami yang akan menghilang, tapi kalianlah yang akan terhapus dari lembaran sejarah. Kami sudah ada sejak benua masih bersama."
Continue your feast of pillage. Build your walls higher. Accumulate wealth until your treasure vaults sit in every corner of the earth. But know this: when the earth truly cracks, when gold cannot turn into water, and greed cannot replace the air, then it is already too late. You will face extinction with nowhere left to hide. In truth, it is not we who will disappear; it is you who will be erased from the pages of history. We have been here since the continents were one, and we shall remain silent witnesses when you vanish, consumed by the greed you have nurtured.
Lanjutkan pesta penjarahan. Bangun tembok-tembok yang lebih tinggi. Kumpulkan kekayaan hingga gudang harta kalian ada di setiap sudut bumi. Namun satu hal: saat bumi benar-benar retak, saat emas tidak bisa menjadi air, dan keserakahan tidak bisa menggantikan udara, maka semua sudah terlambat. Kalian akan menghadapi kemusnahan tanpa bisa berlindung lagi. Sejatinya bukan kami yang akan menghilang, tapi kalianlah yang akan terhapus dari lembar sejarah. Kami sudah ada sejak benua masih bersama, dan kami akan tetap menjadi saksi bisu saat kalian musnah ditelan keserakahan yang kalian pelihara.