From 'Kaharingan' to 'Kwangkai'

From 'Kaharingan' to 'Kwangkai'

JAKARTA (JP): For the Dayak Bahau tribespeople living in Long Iram district, Kutai, East Kalimantan, death signifies the passing of one's soul to the spirit world. Before embarking on this journey, the dead must be purified and "taken to dinner" -- a rite that signifies both a bidding of farewell and preparation for the dead to enter the "other" world. The soul must be free from ghosts and other unwanted spirits, and must be liberated from a longing for those left behind.

The ritual takes place in several stages, the first being madu pete, where the body is bathed during a ceremony led by a dayung. Those who know the deceased attend the ceremony and often take part in discussions about what belongings will accompany the deceased during their journey. The deceased is usually laid out for up to two weeks in his or her home and treated as if still alive.

The second stage is makan berawaq, or giving the dead their dinner. The food is usually prepared and placed on a carved tray, covered with a tedung hiting, which is a locally occurring leaf, and put by the left-hand side of the deceased's head. The family members usually surround the deceased, encouraging them to eat.

The dayung's task is to awaken the dead with his shrill call (known as niro), which is also performed by family members. Four times a night this rite is carried out. Afterward, the body will be brought to its final resting place, called a bila, which is a thatched-roof hut made of ulin (hard wood) and carved with pictures of dogs, tigers and dragons.

The ritual, however, is far from over. Next is the muqaak tok, an exorcism carried out in the night with all the lights in the hut switched off and the windows and doors closed. No human sound is to be made. The dayung recites his mantra, stomping his feet while carrying a statue and a stick representing the deceased. The ceremony is over when the dayung finishes his mantra and throws the stick and the statue in the river.

Finally, there is the hadui taknaq, a ceremony to mark the passing of the spirit of the deceased to the world of spirits on the peak of Mount Lumut. This ceremony usually takes place 40 days after death.

The Dayak Tanjung tribe, neighbors of the Dayak Bahau, have a similar ritual which consists of the following rites: toho, kenyau and kwangkai. The Dayak Banuaq tribe have the param api, kenyau and kwangkai rites.

The kwangkai is usually led by a spiritual leader called a wara over seven days, though it can last for weeks. One particular part of the ritual consists of the picking up of the remains of the deceased from a coffin (lungun) and carrying them to their resting place. A dance called the ngerangkau accompanies the ceremony.

A unique feature of the rite is the sacrifice of a cow, a symbol of the passing of one life into the next.

Korie Layun Rampan wrote in 1996 how one kwangkai ceremony in Mantar village, Damai district, Kutai regency, included the consumption of 2.5 tons of rice and the slaughter of two cows, 42 pigs and 96 chickens.

Times have changed and the ceremonies today usually are much simpler affairs.

But death is not the only event the Dayaks mark with ceremonies. They have rituals for all stages of life, from birth to death. They even have a ceremony that marks humans' relation with nature. The essence of this particular rite is to ask for divine protection and express gratitude for their ancestors.

The most frightening tradition of the Dayaks is mengayau, or human decapitation. The Dayak Kenyah believe mengayau strengthens their powers and protects their village from evil spirits. Thankfully, this tradition is now fading away.

Before Christianity, Catholicism and Islam entered East Kalimantan, the Dayak tribes adhered to a belief they called Kaharingan. They believed life was run and controlled by the spirits of their ancestors. They believed those spirits often were reincarnated as creatures such as deer, snakes, hornbills and other animals.

Ceremonies marking the life stages of the Dayaks are numerous because there are many tribal subgroups. There are an estimated 90,000 Dayaks in this province.

The population of East Kalimantan is roughly divided into two major groups: the Malays and the Dayaks, who historians say are the natives of the land. Dayak actually means hinterland people.

Among the Dayak groups in the province are the Dayak Apo Kayan, the Dayak Punan, the Dayak Tanjung and the Dayak Banuaq.

Where did they come from? Kaharingan tells the Dayaks that their ancestors came from the seventh heaven to earth in the form of hornbills. They landed in three different places: in Tantan Puruk Pamautan in the upper stream of Kahayan River; in Tantan Liang Mangan Puruk Kaminting around Mount Raya; and in Datah Tangkasiang in the upper stream of Malahui River in West Kalimantan. Finally, they also landed in Puruk Kambang Tanah Siang in the upper stream of Barito River. (P. Sumedi)