The Ingenious Way Sumatran Ancestors Established Coexistence Rules with Sumatran Tigers: Decoding The Palongang Paradox and Harimau Kampung Kita in Melayu Hulu, West Sumatra

Human-tiger coexistence is one of the most challenging conservation issues in Sumatra, where modern management often relies on segregation: either remove the tiger or segregate humans from tiger habitat (Nyhus et al., 2010; Carter et al., 2012). This Perspective presents a decades-long reconstruction of a vanished coexistence system, Musim Palongang, from Melayu Hulu, Pasaman, West Sumatra, where resident edge tigers (Panthera tigris sumatrae) seasonally sought refuge in human settlements. The system ceased to occur regularly after the 1980s due to severe tiger population decline and conversion of forest to smallholder plantations (Linkie et al., 2003; Luskin et al., 2017). The study is based on reflexive autoethnography (Ellis et al., 2011) and collaborative memory work: the author experienced three Palongang events during childhood (including being sharply reprimanded for entering the yard at ~8 PM unaware that Palongang had begun) and collected testimonies from ~15 elders in Sundata since adolescence (2009-2024 retrospective interviews). The central rule is a seasonal taboo: cooking fern pakis (Diplazium esculentum) and taro keladi (Colocasia esculenta) is prohibited only during Palongang. When asked, elders uniformly answer: "Akan melemahkan harimau kampung kita" [It will weaken our village tiger], and when asked about mechanism: "Itu pesan orang tua-tua kita" [That is the message from our ancestors]. We decode this as an ingenious safety communication technology. First, the medium of taboo (pantangan) is genius because taboo, unlike advice or written rules, is non-negotiable, non-testable, and non-rejectable in traditional societies (Colding & Folke, 2001; Berkes, 2018). Second, the purpose was intentionally hidden through a friendly, curiosity-cutting answer. An honest spatial answer - "because the pitonggo tiger hides in the fern thicket near the house" - would trigger two coexistence-destroying responses: the brave would chase the tiger, the fearful would abandon the settlement (Smith et al., 2020). Third, proof of genius is the outcome: thousands of years of coexistence until the late 20th century, versus decades of failure of modern segregation SOPs. The SOP creator demonstrates empirical knowledge of Sumatran tiger behavioral ecology - including two folk taxa (harimau pitonggo / harimau kampung kita vs harimau luar) and distinct refugia - and deep understanding of local cognitive culture. This indicates existence of empirical naturalist thinkers in ancient Sumatra. We argue this represents relational conservation (Chan et al., 2016) and traditional ecological knowledge (Berkes, 2018) that achieves coexistence, not segregation.