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Grand
Flora
and Fauna diversity of Central Borneo
Central
Kalimantan Indonesian province on the island of
Kalimantan occupies a surface of 153,800 square kilometers. It is
mostly jungle (82 %), while swamps, rivers, lakes take approximately 2
% and agriculture land is about 3 %.
Palangkaraya is the capital of this province. It is located in the
regency of Pandehut, on the upper reaches of the Kahayan river.
Other regencies are Kotawaringin Barat (capital Pangkalanbun),
Kotawaringin Timur (Sampit), Kapuas (Kualakapuas), Barito Selatan
(Buntok) and Barito Utara (Muarateweh).
Topographically, Central Kalimantan consists of three areas:
The northern area is mountainous and reaches far into the hinterland,
it is difficult to reach. Transportation facilities are limited and
much of the terrain is rough. Many rapids are found here.
The central area is dense and fertile tropical forest. Almost
four-fifths of Central Kalimantan is made up of tropical forests,
producing valuable commodities such as rattan, resin and the best
woods.
Central Kalimantan is inhabited by two million people, or only eight
per square kilometer.
The indigenous inhabitants are the Dayaks, comprising the sub-tribes
Ngaju, Ot Danum, Ma'anyan Ot Siang, Lawangan, Katingan and others.
Ot Olong-olong and Penyawung people live in the upstream areas of the
Barito and Mahakam rivers. Their livelihood is hunting, moving from one
region to another. They have no fixed settlement.
Outside the Dayaks, settlers from other areas of Indonesia are also
found in the province.
Three big Dayak sub-tribes live in the hinterland of Central
Kalimantan. They are the Ngaju, Ot Danum and Ma'anyan.
The Ngaju initially inhabited the upstream areas of the rivers, then
migrated downstream. At that time, their culture mixed with those of
the others.
Like some other Dayaks in Kalimantan, especially the Ot Danum and the
Ma'anyan, the Ngaju till dry lands and move from one region to another.
They adhere to the old Kaharingan religion, which is a form of ancestor
worship, mixed with elements of animism and dynamism.
The Ngaju people speak a language that belongs to the Barito family of
languages.
The Ot Danum inhabit the upstream regions of the Kahayan, Barito,
Kapuas or Timbering Miri, in the upstream reaches of the Kahayan river.
They live in longhouses with sometimes as many as 50 rooms. They are
called "betang". Such houses are found near the headwaters of rivers in
the Kapuas and East Kotawaringin regencies. The Ot Danum number
approximately 6,000 people, which makes them the largest among the
three sub-tribes in Central Kalimantan.
The Ot Danum, like other Dayaks, are known for their skill in platting
rattan, palm leaves, and bamboo. The men are good hunters,
using simple tools. They hunt pigs, deer and
wild animals in the forests.
The Ma'anyan inhabit the areas east of the Barito river and its
tributaries such as the Telang, Karau, Dayu and Patai. The Ma'anyan
maintain contact with Banjar (Malay) people living in the upstream
regions of rivers in South Kalimantan. Along the Karau and Kayu rivers,
however, the Ma'anyan associate exclusively with other Dayaks, mainly
the Lawangan. The Lawangan people have been living in this region long
before the Ma'anyan arrived.
Sandung
Sandung, is a wooden building to keep the ashes of the family's dead,
after cremation.
Generally, the bigger sandung belong to members of the aristocracy,
such as the descendants of chieftains. The smaller sandung are called
kariring. They are found at Tuwung, in the upstream area of the Kahayan
River.
The roof of a sandung is ornamented with the enggang (hornbill) or
dragon motif. The enggang is a ruler's symbol. The dragon is a symbol
of the lower aristocracy, or of common people. Sandungs are found in
the upstream regions of the Kahayan river, at the villages of Tuwung,
Bukit Rawi (north of Palangkaraya) and Pohandut (near Palangkaraya).
A Patahu looks like a dwelling built on high pillars to avoid attack by
wild animals. Patahu houses are found at Bukit Rawi, on the Kahayan
river.
A Patahu, however is not occupied by people but by the ancestral souls
of the Dayaks. This structure is believed to protect the village, and
therefore filled with the offerings in the form of dishes, glasses and
some spherical stones.
It is considered a sacred place, and is found in almost every village
in the upstream areas of the Kahayan river. This house is the center of
village ceremonies.
The patahu ceremony is held once a year, and is led by the tribal
chief. Accompanied by music, the offerings are placed and the chicken
and pigs are killed as offerings. There is also rice. The patahu is
also used as a place to pray.
Statues
Little is left of the traditional art of statue sculpting in Central
Kalimantan.
The statues, representing human beings and animals, made of iron-wood,
are part of the Dayak system of belief. The statues are considered to
have magic powers, and are designed to ward off catastrophes. The
statues are placed in the house as guardians of the sandung.
Generally, features and expressions of statues of different regions
show little variety. They are made of iron-wood
and represent a leader in complete traditional attire. On both sides of
such as statues, guardian statues are usually placed.
The decorative statue is status symbol. They are made of the iron-wood
and are placed on the roof of the Sandung. The hornbill, or enggang, is
for chieftains, while the dragon is the symbol of the common people.
The family statue is the personification of the ancestors and members
of the family who died. They are also made iron-wood, and are placed
near the sandung. Such statues can be found at Bukit Rawi village, in
the upstream areas of the Kahayan River.
Betang The Dayak Longhouse
Betang is the name of the traditional Dayak longhouse in the hinterland
of Kalimantan. Such houses are built on pillars that are usually more
than two meters high, so a person can walk freely underneath it. A
betang has many rooms often as many as all of them connected, not
unlike a modern hotel, but simple.
Betangs are found in the hinterland, usually near big rivers. There are
old betangs in Buntui village, Kahayan Hilir district; Timbering
Malahui, Rungan district; Timbering Gagu, Mentaya Hulu, and in
Makunjang village, in the Lahei district.
Palangkaraya
Palangkaraya is the capital of the province of Central Kalimantan. This
town in the upstream regions of the Kahayan river was formerly known as
the village of Pahandut in the regency of Palangkaraya.
In the local Dayak language, palangka means container; and raya means
holy. Thus, palangkaraya means a holy container.
The town occupies an area of about 2,400 square kilometers and is
inhabited by 90,000 people. It comprises two districts, Pahandut
and Bukitbatu. Pahandut is being continuously developed. Nowadays, the
town has become the center of government, trade and education of the
province of Central Kalimantan.
As a province, (Palangkaraya) can easily be reached from Jakarta,
Banjamasin, Samarinda, Balikpapan and other points on the island.
The Regional Museum of Palangkaraya contains collections of historical
and cultural interest from all over Central Kalimantan. Samples of
Dayaks architecture in the form of miniature models of sandungs and
patahu.
There are also statues and various samples of the local crafts of
Central Kalimantan.
Tangkiling Nature Reserve
The nature reserve of Tangkiling lies approximately 34 kilometers north
of Palangkaraya. Small rivers flow through the reseThe Tangkiling
Tourism Park lies only five kilometers from the center of the reserve.
Here, one finds Batu Banama Tangkiling, which is associated with a
popular local legend. The Kereng Benkirai reserve is located in the
vicinity
Gohong Rawai
Gohong Rawai is known for its beautiful and challenging rapids.
Suitable for adventurers, white-water rafters and nature lovers.
Rungan
The gold mines of Teweh and Batu Api, Rungan district, are interesting
sites to be visited. In this region, gold mining is a major source of
livehood for the people, who pan for the metal in the old traditional
manner.
Gold deposits are found in many places in Central Kalimantan.
Bukit Rawi
In Bukit Rawi, north of Palangkaraya, in the upper reaches of the
Kahayan river, are a sandung and a sapunduk, wooden structures in which
the ashes of the dead are kept. Sapunduk is a statue which serves as
pillar. This pillar is also used to tie buffaloes during certain
ceremonie Kualakapuas one can find the remains of old settlement. The
place is also good for boating and recreation. Not far away is Pasir
Putih in Lupak.
Buntoi
The longhouse at Buntoi is more than 100 years old. The house is made
of iron-wooden of palm fiber. It is now used by the descendants of the
original occupants.
Buntoi is located in the Kahayan Hilir district, and can be reached
from Banjarmasin by motorboat via Pulang Pisang. It is also can be
reached from Palangkaraya via Pulang Pisang. The trip takes one day.
Pantar and Sandung statues are found in front of the longhouse.
Tumbang Malahui
The longhouse at Tumbang Malahui, in the Rungan district, was built in
1911 by Ongko Uwan, together with six of his relatives and son-in-law,
assisted by 400 workers. The house took a year to complete. The length
of the house is 30 meters. The walls are made of tree bark, and the
pillar is called bakas or sulung. Others are called penyambut, tengah
and bungsu. A sandang statue is found in front of the house.
The place can be reached from Palangkaraya overland up to
Tangkiling, then over the river to Timbering Jatuh, Rungan district.
Then continue to Timbering Malahui, which takes two hours. A trip from
Tangkiling to Timbering Jatuh, takes 10 hours by klotok boat. The same
trip takes three hours by speedboat.
Black Orchids
A Black Orchid park is found near the two villages Muaratuhup and
Muaralaung, Tumbanglahung district.PurukcahuStone-caves are found at
Liang Pandan, not far from Purukcahu.
Pangkalanbun
Pangkalabun in the
western part of Central Kalimantan.
Nowadays, Pangkalanbun is a busy little town, and
an important transit point for both land and river traffic through the
area. People traveling from West to East Kalimantan, or vice versa,
always stop over in Pangkalanbun. Also people bound for Java or other
islands, always travel via Pangkalanbun.
In this town, the old Palace of Pangkalanbun, now 200 years old, can
still been seen, it is made of ulin-wood (iron-wood), in the style of
Banjar. It is the only Banjar royal legacy found in Central Kalimantan.
Oars, jewelry, music instruments, weapons, the royal standard, costumes
and other items more than a hundred years old are kept in the old
place. There is also an old 17th century Dutch cannon.
Tanjung Puting National
Park
The Tanjung Puting National Park is very well known. It is a nature and
wildlife reserve for lowland and swamp forests, inhabited by orang
utans, owa-owa, bekantan and other primates.
Various bird species exists in the area of Sungaibuluh. Danau Burung
(Bird Lake) is found here - a haven for many thousands of birds.
The southern part of Tanjung puting is a coastal area facing the Java
Sea. To the north in the Kumai river, with very beautiful scenery.
Pesut, fresh-water dolphins, and Duyung Dugong-dugong live in the water
near the mouth of the river. Groups of rare turtles are found along the
coast.
Tanjungkubu makes a good camping ground in the area of the wildlife
reserve.
Kotawaringin Barat
Hunters can engage in their favourite pastime at the Sarayan River
hunting. The site borders on the hunting park of Kotawaringin Barat.
Around Lake Sembuluh, in the Sembuluh district near the small town of
Telagapulang, is an orchid park with beautiful and rare orchids. In
addition, there are the Sepan Biha salt-water springs, which is
frequented by deer. Similar springs exist at Sepan Sepui.
The Orchid Park of Pembuangan Hulu, in the Hanau and Tumbangmanjul
districts, is a natural forest in which a number of rare and beautiful
orchid species grow.
The Bukit Raya Nature Reserve is in the upstream region of the Lamandau
river on the Bukit Raya mountain (1,200meters). Kudangan and Mangkalan
villages are near this reserve, which borders on the province of West
Kalimantan.
Tiwah
Death, the Dayaks belief, is considered a migration from the world of
the living to the hereafter. Basically, the death ritual is to honor
the soul simultaneously as a means to lead the soul of the dead towards
the hereafter. Therefore, for the Dayaks of Central Kalimantan
especially the Ngaju, the death ritual, called Tiwah is considered of
the utmost importance.
The Ngaju believe that the soul Liaw of the deceased person keeps
lingering in the family's surroundings. Only after the ritual known as
tiwah has been held is the soul free to travel to the hereafter, called
Lewu Liaw or lewu tata.
The death ritual consits of two parts. First, the ceremony which is
held immediately after a person's death. Second, the tiwah, which is to
lead the soul to the other world and concludes the death ritual.
Generally, this ceremony is held a year after the person's death.
Commonly it is held after the harvest season when there are not much
work to do and food stocks are available. However, since a lot of money
is involved, most people usually wait until enough has been saved, or
else organize the event collectively. The ceremony may last for week or
a month, depending on the wealth of the family.
The bones are collected and wrapped in a kakandin (red cloth, placed
into a garantung gong), then stored in the Sandung, the special storage
house. All the while, the gongs and drums are sounded and there is
chanting.
The Upo or ceremony leader, speaks a formula, which is repeated by the
basirs of panumba that is, the members of the group perfoming the
ritual. The drums are again beaten, in the rhythm that changes with the
mood of the narration.
First, the soul is awakened. Then, it is invited to put on proper
clothes and offered various delicacies. It is also given a new name.
Finally, the soul is led to the belay entay (waiting house), which is
found on pasahan raung hill (the coffin).
After that, the Salumpuk liaw haring kaharingan are summoned from place
named Balu Indu Rangkang. There are two souls representing the physical
and the spiritual. The souls merge and travel to a place called Banama
Nyaho. From there, the trip continues to Lewu Tata Panungkup.
During the tiwah ceremony people sing and dance with the remains of the
dead during the night. All the people participate, men and women, old
and young.
The ceremony reaches its most dramatic stop during the slaughter of a
buffalo as a sacrifice.
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