Are the Dayak on the way to extinction?
Are the Dayak on the way to extinction?
By Stepanus Djuweng
PONTIANAK, West Kalimantan (JP): The name Dayak identifies the various indigenous peoples on the island of Borneo, including the Indonesian part known as Kalimantan. They are divided into about 450 ethno-linguistic groups. Despite some differences, these group share physical features, architecture, language, an oral tradition, customs, social structure, weapons, agricultural technology and a similar outlook on life.
Their population is estimated at about four million and is spread over the four Indonesian provinces in Kalimantan, the Malaysian territories of Sabah and Serawak and Brunei Darussalam. In Sabah, the Dayak are known as Kadazandusun.
In the past, anthropologists described the Dayak as the "legendary natives of Borneo" who lived in longhouses and engaged in head-hunting. Today, they form a small minority, the losers in an era of swift change and modernization.
The original Dayak identity -- their cultural, economic, religious and political life -- has been preserved through their oral tradition. Experts agree that there are many basic affinities in the legends of the various Dayak groups.
Sadly, though, all the original elements of Dayak life as described in the legend have suffered significantly from external elements.
Modern religions
Christianity greatly affected the status of legends among the Dayak groups. The legends, which were recited during rituals, were dismissed as animistic. The Christian converts deem adherents to the traditional religion primitive and obsolete. Worth eliminating. The doctrine was spread through schools and sermons in the villages.
In Central Kalimantan, people call it the "obsolete yeast" or "emptying glass" policy. Anthropologist J.J. Kusni concludes in one of his books that the propagation of Christianity amounts to the conquering of the Dayak.
"The Christian proselytizers shouldering what they call 'la mission sacre' of civilizing the savage peoples see the Dayak culture as 'obsolete yeast', worth disposing. The 'obsolete yeast' concept tends to drain the Dayak of their culture and fill them out with new values," says Kusni.
The policy was exercised not only in Central Kalimantan, but also in East, West and South Kalimantan. Further, Christianity was considered as a savior and a symbol of modernization. The impact has been great. The Christians are uncomfortable attending funerals and weddings of pagans.
In a West Kalimantan village, used as a base by a Christian mission, posters are plastered all over the place to intimidate Dayaks from practicing their cultural traditions. A poster illustrates a path branching in two. The left is "the road to hell", with a picture of a ritual at the end of the road. The right is "the road to heaven", with a picture of modern life is seen at the end of the road.
Formal Education
Formal education is significant in breaking down the social, economic and cultural life of the Dayak.
No one disputes that formal education can provide pupils with a greater awareness and understanding of their own culture. However, the textbooks their children read feature legends from non-Dayak peoples. This is cultural domination by outsiders over the Dayak people.
Formal education has created a gap between the recipients and their cultural roots. Children learn about trains, horses, fertilizer and pesticides making them believe the Dayak culture is primitive, obsolete, old-fashioned and uncivilized.
This is considered helpful in the process to extinguish the Dayak culture. As a coincidence, trivialization occurs due to the long transition period from tradition to modernity. On one hand, the communities are influenced by novel things from outside cultures, but on the other hand, they do not understand the novel things. The inclusion of local content in the 1994 school curriculum, may help slowly fix the problem.
Lifestyle
Before the 1950s, the Dayak peoples lived in communal longhouses. Today, longhouses are rare in Kalimantan. Their disappearance in turn affects the process of preserving the social, economic, cultural and political values of the Dayak
Before, children were taught the basics, including the legends. Before going to bed, youngsters relaxed in the soah (open area) to listen to their parents tell stories.
The change from living in longhouses to single-family houses makes it impossible for the Dayak to continue the story telling tradition. There is simply not enough space in a single-family house for it.
The coming of radio and television has promoted a consumptive culture. This is the era of new colonialism by capitalism. Dayak youngsters migrate to Indonesian cities in great numbers, either to pursue their studies or make a living.
They are enthralled with the glamour and lifestyle of urban Indonesians. Some drop out of school, lacking skills and knowledge, to pursue this lifestyle. This is the short-cut attitude. In Pontianak, for example, dozens of Dayak girls end up working the bars, karaoke joints and hotels.
Capital-intensive economic system
Since the 1970s, the Dayak have been baffled by the existence of mining projects, logging by forest concessionaires, plantations and industrial timber estates. Socio-economic expert Mubyarto said the presence of the giant projects in Kalimantan changed the Dayak's source of wealth.
The rattan monopoly has impoverished the Dayak in East and Central Kalimantan. The gold mining in Ampalit (Central Kalimantan), coal mining in East Kalimantan and gold mining in Monterado (West Kalimantan) have caused the locals to suffer.
The same thing has happened to the Dayak Bentian, Dayak Pawan- Keriau and Empurung. They struggle against the plantations, which are partly financed with foreign loans.
They are forced to give their land to the investors. After the land transfer, all the plants, all the sacred places and cemeteries were demolished and replaced by palm oil trees. The former owner got two hectares of farmland, a quarter hectare for a six square meter house and a quarter hectare for a garden. They are forced to pay the investors for the privilege of living on their own land in installments.
The projects ruin the environment, as well as the social, cultural and political patterns. They have marginalized the sovereignty and dignity of the Dayak over the land and natural resources.
Law
The Agrarian Law No.5 of 1960 was, according to Prof. Budi Santoso, one of its drafters, aimed to change the state's domination over land, a left-over from the Dutch. The law supposedly protects the customary rights of tribal peoples. In reality, what happens on the ground conflicts with the spirit of the law.
The officials, declaring that all land not certified belongs to the state, effectively use the law to eliminate tribal land rights. The law, in fact, never mentions the phrase "state land". This policy is illustrated by the construction of the Trans- Kalimantan road, where the people's havea field was appropriated without compensation.
The Forestry Law No. 5 1967, acknowledges the existence of both private and state land. In the explanatory notes, it says state land includes adat (customary) land occupied by adat communities.
The law clearly marginalizes the Dayak's position and is used by logging and plantation companies. As the forests shrink, the government allocates some areas as reserves. In Mekaraya village, West Kalimantan, the boundary of the protected forest actually encompasses some of the villagers' fields.
When we asked why, the concerned official said it was because the protected forests had been cut by forest concessionaires.
Next is the Village Administration Law No. 5 1979, which has marginalized the Dayak's social organization and customs. Their social institutions have been replaced. The village heads are appointed and paid by the government.
The political practice changed from democratic to authoritarian. Chiefs, who formerly had no right to sell tribal land, suddenly held power and sold the land.
This is the social and cultural reality for the Dayak. Does it mean the Dayak are on the way to extinction?
The Dayak are faced with the threat of extinction on three levels: They are faced with people who dismiss their culture as primitive, the urban lifestyle they see on television tempts their leaders to undertake study tours to the cities, and they are coerced to transfer their land to investors.
The government, led by politicians, lawyers and the "educated" Dayaks must learn to respect and acknowledge the birthright of the Dayak.
They can by working on laws to protect the civil, political, social, economic and cultural rights of the Dayak.
Stepanus Djuweng is a Dayakologist based in Pontianak, West Kalimantan.
Domain of the Unseen, a Dayak culture exhibition, is underway at Bentara Budaya Jakarta, Jl. Palmerah Selatan, Central Jakarta, from, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., until April 30.