Tuna Bones Family

Last year eid al-fitr, I went to Muara Baru, It's a harbour on Northren Jakarta to experience the calm of Jakarta during the Holiday with a Nikon FM2. Everyone is at home celebrating a happy Eid al-fitr while I want to spend the a Fuji Superia and few B/W Lucky Film that I haven't shoot for so long. This is the story about, Not everyone is celebrating a holiday with smile...

Living in a Hut...

Regatta Apartment viewed from Muara Baru, Jakarta Utara. Regatta Apartment is categorized as a very luxury apartment in Indonesia.

There is a landfill in Muara Baru Harbour, just right across the regattas Apartment.

Over that landfill, lives a man who depend his life on tuna bones. His name is Asep.

Asep lives in a hut under that building. That building is just beside that landfill.

Asep's Hut.

Inside that little hut, there is his wife breasfeeding her little baby, and two sons.

Tuna Bones Family

Mr. Asep Family minus his oldest son.

Asep son's Foot with tuna bones.

Asep collect the bones from a tuna fish fillet factory near by, and then he dried them under the sun behind that landfill.

After the bones dried he collect them and sell it for 500 IDR / kg. (500IDR = +/- 5cents US$)

He said the bones was sell for the chicken food. And on that day he is confused how to transport his bones.

Since it's holiday and no transportation was available. And the main problem he had no money to rent a Bajaj.

His #3 son (front) and #2 son (back).

Stiching

Asep's son watch and learn his daddy stich the sack with a needle made from a tuna bone, Tuna bones is pin sharp.

He had to tie it very tight.

His son learned, and try to stich...

His son's finger is puncture by the bone, while he tried to stich the sack. Asep take over the stiching again.

He is laughing at his brother that hurt himself from stiching the sack. you can see the sharp bones are protruding from the sack.

 Maggots and Bad Smell...

Asep collect the bones bare handed, The bones are smell so bad from the decomposition, and the surounding landfill smell..

As the bones uncovered the maggots below are wiggling all over..

He also works bare foot, among the maggot and bones, he has a wound on his pinky, that pinky is swollen like ballon. He says it will take a long time to heal and it is very painfull, the only way he medicate it is using the sea water.

He picks to every single of it, till the last one, leave nothing only the maggots dying from the sun light.

 The Rain...

They almost finished collecting the bones.

Rain are approaching with heavy black cloud.This is not good ... if the bones are wet he cannot sell it, he had to dried them again if the bones are wet, while he is desperately to get money for the holiday.

While Asep struggling to cover the bones from the rain, his oldest son came from nowhere asking his father for money. his son says he need money for the holiday. Asep really upset, since his son doesn't undertand the situation.

While Asep cover up the bones his son, he said he has no money to give to his oldest son.

Mr. Asep with his tired and upset face, looking for rocks to cover up and secure the whole bones that he dried.

While asep oldest son gets no money, he return to the hut with his mother. The rain has white out the sea and shore..

 Mr. Asep still struggle the strong wind and rain, to cover up the bones....while I also sing out of there.