On the island of Sulawesi, Indonesia, where the 2018 earthquake and subsequent tsunami killed thousands of people, the local Kaili language received attention for a term that was long used to describe liquefaction: being sucked into the mud. This documentary depicts a connection between the Kaili people and crocodiles. It is believed that both are born as twins to live separately on the land and in the water whilst be connected through the spirit. A “beware of crocodiles” signpost on the beach comes to take on a different meaning after viewing this work.

This work depicts the story of a man and a crocodile “born” as twins to a family of high nobility. The crocodile mingles with the everyday lives of the Kaili people and manifests itself in both tangible and intangible ways within history, colonial times and even the tsunami of 2018. From times past to the present, the relationship between crocodiles and humans lives on within indigenous culture. Testimonies from archaeologists, survivors of the tsunami, animation and an everyday landscape weave a story that traverses boundaries.

The documentary was shot in Palu, the capital of the province of Middle Sulawesi, Indonesia, and the surrounding areas, which were affected by the Sulawesi earthquake that occurred five years ago in September 2018.

The damage caused by the earthquake was not only due to the earthquake itself, but also to the tsunami that was generated when a seaside mountain collapsed into the sea, and large-scale liquefaction.　The search for those who were swept out to sea by the tsunami and those who were buried under the ground by the massive liquefaction was called off two weeks after the disaster. Of the 5,000 who died, over 650 bodies remain missing.

As with Japan, Indonesia is known to be prone to natural disasters such as earthquakes and volcanic eruptions. In particular, since the 2004 Sumatra earthquake and tsunami that killed more than 170,000 people, Indonesia has experienced a series of large-scale natural disasters, including the 2006 Central Java earthquake, the 2009 West Sumatra earthquake, and the 2010 Mount Merapi eruption. To minimize damage, disaster prevention efforts have been made across the whole country. Yet, since it is not realistic to apply civil engineering measures throughout the whole country, Indonesia, which stretches 5,000 kilometers from east to west, has been working to enhance its ability to cope with disasters on a regional basis, based on the concepts of “living with” and “making friends with disasters.” One of these efforts is to focus on “local knowledge” (kearifan lokal). This is an effort to rehabilitate and share with society that accumulated wisdom on nature and disasters in local communities that has been forgotten or neglected due to those processes of modernization and development.

It is in this context that this work focuses on the Kaili people and their folklore, who have lived in and around Palu for many years. The film introduces the three connections that they have long cherished: those connections between man and God, between men, and between man and nature, to explain the importance of listening to nature and observing animal behavior. In particular, the story revolves around the relationship with crocodiles, which the people of Kaili have are intimate with.

Crocodiles are referred to as animals that misbehave with people in insular Southeast Asia: between Malaysia and Indonesia. They hide near the water edge and attack or taunt people when they approach.

On the other hand, in the Kaili’s world, the crocodile is the master of the water world and is considered to have a twin relationship with humans who are masters of the land (earth) world. Even though they normally live apart from each other, they sense when the other is in danger and help each other out. In Indonesia, “earth and water” (tanah air) means “homeland.” It represents a worldview in which people and crocodiles care for each other and cooperate to bring peace to their homeland, which is a combination of both the world of water and earth.

But change is about to come to the relationship between humans and crocodiles. Crocodiles attack people who collect sand from rivers where they reside. And the descendants of Westerners who killed those that attacked people also became the target of the crocodiles. However, there are still those who consider them to be their brothers and relatives, such as the woman who survived the tsunami and was trapped under rubble surrounded by many dead bodies, yet was rescued by calling out to her “relative” crocodile, as described in the final scene.

The stories of tsunami victims interacting with animals before being rescued were also heard of in Aceh, an area hit by the 2004 Sumatra earthquake and tsunami. In Aceh, there were many accounts of snakes appearing to talk to isolated tsunami survivors and emotionally supporting them until they were rescued.

In both Aceh and Sulawesi, those who survived the tsunami often spent a lot of time with the bodies that were swept away with them and did not survive. It is not certain if the person they spoke to was really a snake or a crocodile, or if it was, in fact, a body that was nearby. What is certain is that on any given day, whether in Aceh or Sulawesi, many people were suddenly swept away by water or soil, some of whom died without their bodies ever being found by their families.

As such, the meaning of the Indonesian title of this work (Saya di sini, kau disana), which translates directly as “I am here, you are there,” seems to indicate not only the inseparable relationship between land-dwelling humans and water-dwelling crocodiles, but also the connection between a “Me” and “you” who were separated from each other in life because of the 2018 disaster.

This documentary also shows that the “here” where I am and the “there” where you are, are two separate worlds, but together they are one, and that they think of each other even if they do not speak directly to each other, can be said to reflect not only the relationship between nature and people, but also the feelings of the Kaili people, five years after the tsunami, who live with their feelings for “you” those who were separated from them without being able to say goodbye to them after the tsunami.

Today, we hear that sand harvesting is thriving in the Palu River, and crocodiles are appearing more frequently. There is a story that the descendants of Westerners who kill crocodiles are targeted by them, and that they avenge the offspring by possessing them and turning them into crocodiles. I would be very interested to hear how the producers perceive people being attacked or possessed by crocodiles.