Dayak studies now on the curriculum

Erma S. Rankik, Contributor, Pontianak

The State College for Islamic Studies in Pontianak, the capital of West Kalimantan, began offering Dayak studies this September.

With the inclusion of "Dayakology", students at the college now have the opportunity to study Dayak culture, the constraints placed on the Dayak community as it tries to free itself from isolation and the development problems facing the tribe.

Unlike other academic subjects, which are usually determined by the college, Dayak studies was introduced at the request of students.

"We want to deepen our knowledge of the Dayaks. Up until now, we have only been able to see the culture of the native inhabitants of Kalimantan," said Rohim, a student at the college.

John Bamba, the executive director of the Dayakology Institute, responded positively to the inclusion of Dayak studies at the college.

"This subject should be offered at all universities and colleges in Kalimantan.

"Universities should not ignore the presence of the Dayaks in Kalimantan," he said, adding that universities had generally been biased in their depictions of the Dayak community because they used textbooks written by non-Dayak authors.

Dulhadi, the chairman of the Department of Religion at the college, said it was important to offer Dayak studies at colleges and universities in West Kalimantan because the province was home to such a large number of Dayaks.

Dayakology has been offered at the State College for Islamic Studies since 1997 as an optional subject, Dulhadi said.

However, the college had difficulty finding lecturers. So, students recommended that lecturers be recruited from the Dayakology Institute, a nongovernmental organization (NGO) specializing in the revitalization of Dayak culture.

This was not a problem for the college, so long as the lecturers belonged to the Dayak ethnic group and were able to speak about the culture and customs of the community, Dulhadi said.

However, Dulhadi did say that there were fears that lecturers from an NGO would have no academic or theoretical grounding.

John Bamba said Dulhadi's fear was understandable, as Dayakology had never been offered at any university anywhere in the world.

"Who could be regarded as an expert on the Dayaks?.

"Ideally, lecturers of Dayak studies should consist of Dayak shamen and community leaders, as well as those from Dayak villages who are acquainted with Dayak rituals and culture, instead of NGO activists," he said.

Risno, a student at the college, said that lecturers who practiced and lived according to Dayak culture would help students comprehend the subject.

"This subject is expected to help us spread Islamic teachings in the Dayak community after we ourselves have been converted," he added.

"It is a bit difficult to understand Dayakology because it is very new to students and has never been offered at universities," Risno admitted. But he praised the way the lecturers approached the subject. "We can debate concepts, the value of justice, for example."

Reconciliation

Dulhadi sees the inclusion of this new subject in the college curriculum as an interesting development.

"Madurese students have persevered in pushing their proposal for the inclusion of Dayakology in the curriculum," he said. They consider examining the culture of every ethnic group in West Kalimantan very important, as regional ethnic conflicts often flare up.

And many students from West Kalimantan think that offering Dayak studies is one way to achieve reconciliation in the region.

"By studying Dayak culture, Madurese students are expected to understand the customs of the native West Kalimantan community and disseminate this knowledge to other Madurese people so they can adapt to the Dayaks," said Rohim, who is Madurese.

John Bamba is also of the view that including Dayak studies at universities in West Kalimantan will contribute to reconciliation between ethnic groups in the province.

"Having knowledge of different cultures makes us appreciate our differences," he said, adding that Dayakology would gradually eliminate the ethnic stereotypes, which are so prevalent in West Kalimantan.

"So far, we have had wrong perceptions of other ethnic groups. It is necessary to improve these perceptions to ensure peace in West Kalimantan," John Bamba stressed.