{MINE}RAL

In a concerted effort to bring a client to the base of the Kawa Ijen Volcano on the Java Island, the ex-miner digs his heels in a thin layer of humid earth so as not to worry his comfortably seated client of the descent.

As the sounds of heavy breathing approaches, the man seated on a cart awkwardly avoids eye contact with me. I couldn’t help but think of an illustration of the 1950’s “Tintin in Congo” comic book. The story of an “adventurer” that would be carried around in a palanquin by locals.

The tourist had payed 100 000 Indonesian Rupiah to be brought down the volcano on a hand made cart with an added braking system which would occasionally help to slow the cart sliding down the trail.

For the men that dared and still dare to work in the crater of Kawa Ijen, accommodating tourists visiting the volcano has become more lucrative than mining the sulphur deposits.

Some miners stick to the harsh conditions of the crater to avoid spending much of their days waiting for the odd tourist with leg pain or a superiority complex. For them, the day starts with an hour drive to the base of the volcano, followed by about another hour’s hike up the volcano, then a 20 minute climb down the crater. Before reaching the crater, the smoke released by the volcano becomes increasingly unbearable, every step closer felling a little more like being covered in teargas.

The sulphur is found at the base of the “chimneys” where it builds up, and it dries out. These sulphur blocks are collected and shattered into smaller pieces to fit in a carrying pole. The baskets are then carried all the way up the crater and down the volcano to be sold on.

One of these miners, Supeno, a father of three, works at the volcano six days a week. Most of the sulphur he collects is sold for manufacturing; but to earn a better wage, Supeno also sells sculpted pieces of sulphur to tourists visiting the volcano. On his one day off, he lugs a heavy wooden chariot into a forest a few kilometres from his home, up a mountain, where he chops tree branches for hours. Once piled up in the overloaded wooden chariot, and in an effort to control it, Supeno stiffens up his legs to slow down as he slides through muddy paths down the mountain and back home to feed his sheep. Once home, the miner cleans himself up and assists his wife in the family owned shop, selling fuel as well as staple foods to local villagers.