Welcome to assignment on the BBC World Service. Rays of sunlight

sunlight seep through the layers of leaves and vines down onto West Papua and Elder,

Wiro Tumbung, as he sings and dances the story of his land

before mankind came along. His bare feet decorated with bells stomp on the dry leaves, while he shakes his majestic

headdress made from bird of paradise feathers, a species only found here in the

rainforests on the island of Papua.

West Papua is home to Asia's largest remaining rainforests.

They're sacred and essential to the indigenous tribes who've lived here for centuries.

This is our supermarket,

this is our supermarket, says another elder,

Petrus Kingo, Petras Kinggo.

Here food is free, we don't have to pay like in the shops in the city, he says smiling.

But six years ago, Petras got enticed into deals that changed his tribe's fate forever.

He negotiated with a Korean palm oil company called Corindo and persuaded his tribe and ten other clans to accept just eight dollars a hectare for their land.

They said you will get a bonus.

They said as a coordinator, my children's school fees would be paid.

They said I would get a house with clean water and a generator.

They said the company would even cover my children's higher education.

It was all verbal promises, nothing in writing.

More than a decade ago, Indonesia opened up this largely untouch region, allowing palm oil companies to come in.

The country is the world's biggest exporter of farm oil, present in everything from chocolates to

cosmetics and cleaning products.

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