To most people, Mahasiswa Parahyangan Pencinta Alam (Mahitala) Unpar is associated with an organization where students who crave for adventure gather. This is reflected from well known Mahitala programs such as the seven summits expedition. Mahitala is not only about personal or group adventure. Mahitala also has activities with a direct impact on society and the environment.
Every year, Mahitala conducts the so called Wandering Season. It is a growing-up activity where every member of Mahitala conducts an expedition in accordance with their respective skills. The activities conducted between July and August cover mountaineering, climbing, caving, spelunking, diving, rafting and Traditional Society Observation.
Pengamatan Masyarakat Tradisional/Traditional Society Observation (PMT) is an observation activity directed toward tribes living in remote areas that still strongly cling to traditional culture and beliefs. This year’s PMT is held on Seram Island, The Moluccas, where the Mahitala Team stayed with the people of Nualu tribe for about two weeks.
PMT is not merely an activity to observe people from afar. The participants are expected to be involved directly and experience every fiber of the society, as experienced by the local populace. The result of this activity will later be published to the general public, and reported scientifically to interested parties. It’s not easy to prepare for PMT, because the participants need good knowledge of the people observed. Moreover, people in remote areas tend to stay away from strangers.
Mahitala does not only learn from the society and the environment. Mahitala’s members contribute directly in improving the society’s life. The simplest thing to do is sharing knowledge by teaching the local community. In addition, the Mahitala team also brought along some books and school supplies for children like they did a similar event in Bengkulu this year.
An interesting note from the series of Mahitala activities is the renewal of the climb route rope of the Carstensz Pyramid in Papua. This is unique because not all climbers have the ability to do it. The last renewal was made by Mahitala in 2014. The process is very tiring and quite dangerous, even more so with the difficult climbing conditions of the Carstenz. But, by renewing the climbing route rope, Mahitala has contributed in ensuring the safety of climbers who wish to conquer Indonesia’s highest peak.
Mahitala also conducts direct environmental conservation. Take for example the Mahitala’s diving team visit to the Seribu Islands. In addition to enjoying the undersea nature, they also contributed to the rejuvenating of the coral reefs that had been damaged by environmental change.
At the moment, our Mahitala friends are preparing for new recruits. In the near future, the Woman of Indonesia’s Seven Summits Expedition (Wissemu) will depart in an expedition to conquer the Vinson Massif, the Antarctic’s highest peak.
(Based on an interview with Maria Angela Handoyo, Mahitala Unpar)
