Jakarta, Indonesia Sentinel — The Bukit Barisan mountain range on Sumatra Island is celebrated for its lush landscapes and rich biodiversity, but it is equally cloaked in mystery. Many locals believe the range is guarded by orang bunian, supernatural beings said to watch over the land.
Sumatra is home to dense tropical forests teeming with rare plants and wildlife. Yet behind its striking natural beauty lies a trove of enduring folklore.
In the island’s southwest, the Bukit Barisan spanning roughly 324,000 hectares is famed not only for its sweeping green vistas, but also for unexplained phenomena, both physical and supernatural.
One of its most enduring mysteries is the orang bunian, spirit-like beings said to resemble humans and to mislead those who wander into the forest without permission. Local stories recount hikers and hunters vanishing without a trace, never to return.
Though no scientific evidence has confirmed their existence, oral tradition describes the bunian as an invisible race that, in some accounts, can take the form of a tiger. The legend, passed down for generations, remains an inseparable part of the Bukit Barisan’s identity.
The orang bunian, a supernatural beings deeply rooted in Minangkabau and Malay folklore across Sumatra, Kalimantan, and peninsular Malaysia are widely believed by locals to exist. Said to inhabit unpopulated areas such as deep forests, remote riverbanks, and mountains, these elusive entities are central to many of the region’s enduring legends.
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Residents around the Bukit Barisan mountain range say the bunian have lived there for thousands of years. Some believe they resemble humans and dwell in desolate places, like abandoned houses long left uninhabited. Others describe them as invisible forest spirits that can mislead travelers, sometimes fatally.
Mysterious sounds reported deep within the Bukit Barisan are often attributed to the bunian, though skeptics argue they are likely the calls of unidentified wildlife.
While many people treat the bunian as real, others see them as myth. Some claim to have encountered these beings firsthand; others know them only through stories passed down over generations.
(Raidi/Agung)
