Padang Panjang, IO – The clanking of the hammer hitting the hard limestone can still be heard clearly when one passes through the foot of Bikik Tui in Tanah Hitam village, Padang Panjang. From a distance, one can see white smoke rising high between the towering buildings at the foot of the hill, a sign that several quicklime kilns are still operating.
This activity has been going on for years. Previously, the management of this mine was carried out traditionally by the local families to sustain their livelihood. Amazingly, the mine workers are women. Apart from taking care of the household, they also work as a limestone crusher and then put them into sacks. The men are in charge of putting the stones into the kiln and as workers who load the limestone from the kiln to trucks.
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Tui Hill is located between Rao-Rao and Tanah Hitam, West Sumatra. On this hill, there is a valley called the Tui Hill or Lembuti.
(IO/Muhammad Hidayat)