Dayak, Madurese relations still tense<\/p>\n
MENJALIN, West Kalimantan (JP): \"Dayaks are just like bees.
\nDisturb one of them and the whole nest will react,\" explains one
\nChinese-Indonesian in Sei Pinyuh, some 50 kilometers north of the
\nprovincial capital, Pontianak.<\/p>\n
This indigenous Kalimantan tribe makes up some 41 percent, or
\n1.6 million people, out of the province's population of four
\nmillion. Other ethnic groups include Malays (39 percent),
\nChinese-Indonesians (14 percent) and Madurese (2 percent), along
\nwith a sprinkling of Bugis and Arab-Indonesians.<\/p>\n
Here, in hilly Menjalin subdistrict -- some 25 kilometers
\nnorth of Sei Pinyuh -- live the Dayak's largest sub-ethnic
\ncommunity, the Kanayatn, of nearly 15,000. Much like most Dayaks,
\nthis community is known to maintain a strict practice of
\ntraditional customs.<\/p>\n
West Kalimantan has been known as an area of relative
\nharmonious relations among its ethnic communities despite tension
\nwith Madurese migrants who first came here in the 1960s.<\/p>\n
Here, Chinese-Indonesians are not perceived only as being rich
\ntraders, for they are found in all levels of society. In fact,
\nsome reports indicated that poor Chinese-Indonesians participated
\nin recent incidents of looting.<\/p>\n
But the government's failure to address problems, such as the
\nallocation of Dayak lands for transmigration programs and
\nplantations, has perpetuated resentment here toward migrants,
\nparticularly the Madurese.<\/p>\n
H. Nazarius, 56, an elder in Raba village, is Menjalin's
\ntimangung, or subdistrict head, the highest rank in Dayak
\ntraditional society.<\/p>\n
He said his tribespeople were \"quite hurt\" by recent lootings
\nof rice in some parts of the province.<\/p>\n
Dayaks are demanding that migrants understand them better.<\/p>\n
\"Because Dayaks are indigenous to Kalimantan, it's their home.
\nThey feel they are obliged to take care of their home.\"<\/p>\n
An elderly Kanayatn, Rachmat Sahudin, borrowed a West Sumatran
\nadage to describe the need for outsiders to respect the customs
\nof the place one resides in: \"Wherever the earth you walk upon,
\nthere the sky must you uphold.\"<\/p>\n
Dayaks, he said, have moved to the hinterland from near the
\nsea and river \"just to give way for migrants to settle\". The word
\nDayak, which comprises many sub-ethnic groups, means uphill or
\nupstream.<\/p>\n
A Madurese elder in Siantan, H.M. Sulaiman, pointed to
\nharmonious relations between the groups. \"Some of us have even
\nmarried Dayaks,\" he said.<\/p>\n
There is still \"isolation\" between the two, says sociologist
\nAB Tangdililing of Tanjungpura University.<\/p>\n
Differences in customs and religion -- Dayaks are mostly
\nChristian, while Madurese are Moslem -- have created
\ncommunication gaps and perpetuated a mutual isolation, he said.<\/p>\n
For instance, Nazarius said when a Dayak is killed, the non-
\nDayak suspects usually just fled instead of facing up to the
\ntraditional punishment of having to pay compensation in 48 hours
\nto the victim and take part in a ritual to be \"cured\" of the
\ndevil.<\/p>\n
Failure to face the crime of killing a Dayak, he said, could
\nlead to a widening of ill feeling between ethnicities.<\/p>\n
A social helper working closely with the community also
\nadmitted to feeling resentment against Madurese migrants.<\/p>\n
\"It's only those above (informal and formal leaders) who are
\nat peace, but below it's still brewing,\" the worker from Flores
\nisland warned.<\/p>\n
The source, requesting anonymity, also warned of a larger
\nclash between the two groups than in 1997. (aan)<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/dayak-madurese-relations-still-tense-1447893297",
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