Releasing a Video Showcasing People Shipping Lontar Leaves to Bali from Sumba Island, a Remote Indonesian Island Left Behind by Development
NPO LIFE has released a YouTube video highlighting the lives of people on Sumba Island, Indonesia, who earn income by shipping lontar leaves for Balinese rituals. The video addresses the dilemma of overharvesting and the need for sustainable practices.
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- 📰 Published: April 9, 2026 at 01:19
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Earth NGO LIFE (Secretariat: Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo, Chairman: Keizo Yokoyama) works on poverty issues primarily in the agricultural sector on Sumba, a remote island left behind by national development in Indonesia. Lontar leaves are used in Balinese Hindu religious rituals. In our project area of Sumba, there are people who ship lontar leaves to Bali. We have made a YouTube video about the stories we heard from them. *The individuals featured this time are not those receiving support from our organization.
We also have a blog related to the people selling lontar leaves on our organization's website. Please take a look.
## YouTube Video Overview
The decorations called penjor, often seen on the streets and in temples of Bali, use lontar leaves. Lontar leaves are also shipped from our project site, Sumba Island. On Sumba Island, people dry the lontar picked from trees and have middlemen buy them for 10,000 rupiah (just under 100 yen) per leaf. Residents say it provides a fairly good income because of the large quantity. It seems their parents also sold lontar leaves, so they have likely been engaged in this work for generations. However, because they are shipped to Bali in such massive quantities, voices are heard saying that the lontar leaves on Sumba Island are decreasing. For the people of Bali, these leaves are necessary for their religion and culture. The people of Sumba Island also must continue selling them to earn cash. Measures are needed to allow them to continue their current livelihood while protecting the natural environment, such as planting lontar trees to increase their numbers.
## Scenes from the Video
Lontar leaves hung on bamboo poles to dry.
Freshly dried lontar leaves are still greenish.
We also have a blog related to the people selling lontar leaves on our organization's website. Please take a look.
## YouTube Video Overview
The decorations called penjor, often seen on the streets and in temples of Bali, use lontar leaves. Lontar leaves are also shipped from our project site, Sumba Island. On Sumba Island, people dry the lontar picked from trees and have middlemen buy them for 10,000 rupiah (just under 100 yen) per leaf. Residents say it provides a fairly good income because of the large quantity. It seems their parents also sold lontar leaves, so they have likely been engaged in this work for generations. However, because they are shipped to Bali in such massive quantities, voices are heard saying that the lontar leaves on Sumba Island are decreasing. For the people of Bali, these leaves are necessary for their religion and culture. The people of Sumba Island also must continue selling them to earn cash. Measures are needed to allow them to continue their current livelihood while protecting the natural environment, such as planting lontar trees to increase their numbers.
## Scenes from the Video
Lontar leaves hung on bamboo poles to dry.
Freshly dried lontar leaves are still greenish.