Hidden slaves of Sumba: Inside Indonesia's ancient caste system today

[00:00:01][music] >> They work from dawn to dusk without pay.

[00:00:11]They are passed on in marriage.

[00:00:13]Some are even beaten [music] and raped by their masters.

[00:00:17]Yet most are resigned to their fate.

[00:00:20]Canisius [music] Kenyali Hambarita is a 34-year-old slave known locally as an ata.

[00:00:26]For him, this lifetime of servitude is [music] an inescapable reality.

[00:00:43]Slavery has been [music] illegal in what is now Indonesia for more than 160 years.

[00:00:49]But it survives within the rigid caste system on [music] the island of Sumba.

[00:00:54]Canisius lives in a village that draws tourists looking for a hidden tropical paradise.

[00:01:00]He lives there with his master, 31-year-old [music] Umbu Ana Rara.

[00:01:05]Master and slave share a towering traditional thatched [music] house.

[00:01:10]They sleep on mats on the floor chewing betel nuts in the morning heat.

[00:01:15]Canisius is permitted to earn a little money driving [music] a motorcycle taxi.

[00:01:20]Despite his absolute lack of freedom, he accepts [music] his inherited position without resentment.

[00:01:47]His master, [music] Umbu Ana Rara, is part of the maramba, or noble class.

[00:01:53]He allows his ata some small modern freedoms while still maintaining absolute [music] authority over his life and choices.

[00:02:20]>> [music] >> Because they live under the same roof, Umbu insists their bond goes deeper than forced labor.

[00:02:31]>> [music] >> But other slaves tell a much darker story when their masters are out of earshot.

[00:02:40]One Arta from a nearby village recounted being beaten and covered in water as a child if he failed to finish his chores.

[00:02:48]He was forced to work in the fields right after school.

[00:02:51]>> [music] >> Today, he tells his own children he never wants them to suffer the same abuse.

[00:02:57]Eight out of 10 people in Sumba's population of 685,000 are Christian.

[00:03:03]However, an older belief system called Marapu has deep [music] roots here.

[00:03:09]It blends animism and ancestor worship.

[00:03:12]57-year-old Protestant pastor Marlin Lomi explains how this ancient religion strictly divides society. [music] >> [music] >> Legend says the Maramba nobles acquired their Artas when they first arrived in Sumba.

[00:03:40]The island [music] is isolated 2,000 km east of Jakarta.

[00:03:45]This geographical distance [music] has helped preserve these ancestral structures.

[00:03:50]Indonesia banned slavery under its 1945 constitution.

[00:03:55]Yet on Sumba, an estimated several thousand slaves remain trapped in bondage.

[00:04:01]The exact number is hard to verify.

[00:04:04]What is known is that Maramba masters have long underpinned their domination with physical violence.

[00:04:11]Pastor Lomi notes that this systemic abuse is deeply normalized, particularly when it comes to women.

[00:04:25]>> [music] [music] >> Rights activists say this abuse often goes unpunished because victims are terrified to testify.

[00:04:48]One 18-year-old slave finally went to the police in 2024.

[00:04:53]She reported being [music] raped by her master and his son since she was just 13.

[00:04:59]Two years later, the investigation remains stalled.

[00:05:02]The caste system is so deeply rooted that holding the noble class accountable is incredibly difficult.

[00:05:09]Gideon Mbiliyora is a former regent of East Sumba, and he actually owns two attas himself.

[00:05:17]Even as a member of the elite, he acknowledges the slow shift in perspective regarding these deeply ingrained traditions.

[00:05:35]Rights groups like Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch are urging the national government to enforce the constitutional ban on slavery.

[00:05:45]But officials argue for a more gradual approach.

[00:05:49]>> Indonesia >> [music] [music] >> Some nobles are already trying to improve the lot of the atas from the inside.

[00:06:17]54-year-old Norlina Ramboe Jola Kalunga is a maramba noblewoman and a pastor.

[00:06:24]She wants to see slaves emancipated starting with a shift in how the next [music] generation is raised.

[00:06:36]>> [music] >> Still, [music] she cannot officially free her own inherited slaves without going against strict local [music] custom.

[00:07:00]Other noble women have advocated for emancipation [music] and sent their atas to school.

[00:07:05]Some even allow them to leave.

[00:07:08]But without money or land, escaping is nearly impossible.

[00:07:13]Even those who try to break away often find [music] themselves shackled to their old masters.

[00:07:19]The man who was [music] beaten as a boy managed to send his children to university.

[00:07:24]He did this by selling his own livestock.

[00:07:27]Yet, he still farms on his master's land. [music] When his master calls, he must answer.

[00:07:34]Today, he dreams that his children will finally [music] be free from the maramba believing that education is their only true path to freedom.

[00:07:42]>> [music]