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.