In North Sulawesi, Blossoming Flora and Beautiful People

Jakarta Globe, Benito Lopulalan, August 24, 2012

The opening parade for the Tomohon International Flower Festival.
(AFP Photo/Figman Sunandar)

Ayoung ballerina danced in the shade of a wooden replica of the Eiffel Tower.

Not in Paris, but in Tomohon, a mountainside town in North Sulawesi, where the little girl’s mother was born.

The girl, Michelle Tumorang, 12, had come to Sulawesi from Paris for the Tomohon International Flower Festival in early August, to represent France, the homeland of her father. Michelle danced in collaboration with some girls from the Nazareth orphanage in Tomohon. They performed in a flowery car decorated with French symbols and colors. Thirty-six countries participated in the festival.

Tomohon is situated in the heart of the Minahasa plateau. A fertile land with mineral-rich volcanic ash from several peaks, the area’s inhabitants have grown coffee since 1822.

More than a century ago, nature biologist Alfred Russel Wallace wrote in his famous “Malay Archipelago” about the Minahasa people: “They are of a light brown or yellow tint, often approaching the fairness of European; of a rather short stature. In some of the inland villages where they may be supposed to be of the purest race, both men and women are remarkably handsome.”

Many Indonesians share Wallace’s opinion about the Minahasa people’s beauty, even if they might take issue with claims they are the archipelago’s handsomest.

It is from the biologist that the Wallace line, which separates the eco-zones of Asia, draws its name. Flora and fauna to the west of the imaginary line are considered Asiatic, while there is a blend of Asian and Australian species to the east.

Approaching Tomohon from Manado in North Sulawesi in 1859, Wallace was impressed by the cleanliness of the villages he passed. The streets, he wrote, were “bordered by neat hedges often formed entirely of rose-trees, which are perpetually in blossom.”

More than a hundred years after Wallace traveled to Tomohon, the handsome Minahasans, especially the people from Tomohon, have retained their love of flowers.

“It is our habit to have a flower garden in the yard,” said Asry Lantomboba, a 24-year-old from Wolowan village in Tomohon. “Every time any of us go to other places and see beautiful plants or flowers that are not in our collection, we always find a way to bring it [the seed] home.”

In 2005, the Tomohon administration declared its intention to become “Kota Bunga,” or the City of Flowers. Not for romantic reasons, but to develop flower production to make money.

Many farmers now cultivate flowers alongside their usual vegetables.

“We have growing numbers of active flower farmer groups,” said Rita Mandagi, who helps coordinate farmers. “The groups help farmers to develop and market their products.”

Members of such collectives can get better prices for their flowers. In August, for example, the price for one piece was Rp 2,300 ($0.24) for members, but only Rp 1,300 for non-members.

With one quarter of a hectare, local farmer Robert Lembong, can produce 5,000 flowers in two months, earning him a profit of Rp 7 million.

Deputy Agriculture Minister Rusman Heriawan launched 21 flower varieties on the eve of the festival in Tomohon, which he said was a result of five years of hard work.

The minister said the national center of seed research and development can produce about one million seeds for the country’s needs.

Rusman has grand designs for Tomohon flower production. He envisions new varieties, seed and fresh flower production, and other products such as chrysanthemum tea or dried flowers.

Since 2009, Tomohon has chosen what flowers to produce based on the demands of the market, Rusman said.

“It is designed to enter the competitive market, so we have to listen to the flower market,” he said.

The Tourism and Creative Economy Ministry supported the festival. “Tomohon needs a better approach in promoting its destination and products,” the deputy minister said.

So if you come to Tomohon, you might pen something similar to what Wallace wrote about his breakfast there: “I had a good breakfast of coffee, eggs and fresh bread and butter which I took in the spacious verandah amid the odor of sweet-scented flowers.”