1.2.1.2 Mudung Darat
For comparison purposes, a second community, farther in distance from Jambi City with less exposure to urbanization and other ethnic groups, was chosen for research. Again, it was chosen based on observation
and enquiries made of local people and authorities. Located seven kilometers away from Mudung Laut on a small, little-traveled rural road, Mudung Darat was the second community of study. As of June 2001, it had
a population of 1,407, and is almost completely ethnically homogenous. It is in Mara Sebo Subdistrict, Muaro Jambi District and consists of five RTs see appendix F for a map of Mudung Darat, and appendix G
for Mudung Darat pictures. Mudung Darat is mainly an agricultural community, with most people owning or working in rice fields or raising vegetables or livestock. According to people in Seberang, the people of
Mudung Darat seldom associate or mix with others.
Another noteworthy item is that there is a historic connection between Mudung Laut and Mudung Darat.
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Based on local legend as recorded by a Mudung Darat resident in “Kisah Buyut Sriwalan Membangun Desa: Mudung Darat” Siswoyo 1999, the Javanese prince who came to Jambi after not
receiving a fair share of land in Java was first granted permission by the Sultan of Jambi to reside in Mudung Laut. However, he and his growing number of family and followers became anxious to have their
own land and moved north to settle in a place they named Mudung Darat
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Siswoyo 1999. Long ago the primary means of travel between the two communities was by small boats in rivers and ditches during the
rainy season. The two communities chosen here coincide with the two areas singled out for study by a team of
scholars working for Indonesia’s national language planning center, Pusat Pembinaan dan Pengembangan Bahasa, who produced a published report Struktur Bahasa Melayu Jambi Husin, et al. 1985. They
researched the language spoken in Seberang Kotamadya Jambi and in areas of Muaro Jambi District, because they, too, were told that these areas were the most representative of Jambi Malay culture and
language.
1.3 Description of the language situation
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