Abstract
The mainstay of life before World War II in the coastal lowlands of tropical Asia was sago-washing and fishing. These activities can still be seen in a limited part of the east coast of Sumatra. Khairamandah is an old village dating back to the Sultanate which has survived on sago production. Despite its isolated location in the midst of a huge swamp forest, village life seems to have been stable, even affluent, thanks to the abundance of sago and forest products, for which usually market demand remained good. This sago village is, however, now undergoing rapid change due to the systematic expansion of coconut plantations.
Bekawan is a typical Melayu fishing village, located next to Khairamandah. The village stands on stilts erected in shallow water off a mangrove fringe. The site was formerly occupied by a group of orang laut, but in 1915 a Melayu merchant built a fishing camp there and soon it developed into a village. Fishing for shrimps, which were sold in Singapore, was the sole activity and is still done today. The arrival of Chinese-Indonesian fishermen with larger nets has almost completely forced the Melayu from their original place. They still live there, but now they work for the newcomers.
