Par Bay

Korrie Layun Rampan

If you walk in the northern direction along Nyuatan River's downstream, you may find it hard to locate Par Bay. The zone is difficult to find because it's not a village, not even a town. It's only an area boasting a legend.

People say a fierce battle occurred there in the time of ngayau (1), so that a monument was erected in memory of Panglima (2) Maliangsa Posa, whose ingenuity managed to drive off enemy forces. The warriors of Negeri Bulan Bersinar (3), wielding only a jembia (4), were capable of beating artillery troops under Panglima Kode Bekelataq.

He simply sent gusts of germs, which immediately caused enemy soldiers to itch all over. The skin irritation forced the army to abandon their weapons, enabling the diminutive commander to slaughter the mighty adversaries with the jembia he had forged himself at a cave mouth in the forest east of the bay.

The bay remains. It's unique because, while most of the bays along the river turned into lakes as the stream took a straighter course, the land-strip forming the Par Bay has stayed intact since the dawn of the legend many centuries ago.

The war memorial was originally made of a piece of ironwood the size of a man's embrace. But as time passed the large structure crumbled and was replaced by a smaller one. According to locals, the monument, about the size of an elephant's leg, was replaced over a dozen times through countless generations, the latest being in the form of an ironwood pillar with a concrete base.

Its builders are unknown but this relic has been popular for more than a century. Some believe that the Dutch constructed the post because vast gold deposits were found at the location. That is why they put up the special mark as a secret code.

Others debate that the column was not built by the Dutch. Weren't Dutchmen first cruising down the Nyuatan only around 1909, coinciding with the entry of a Catholic mission to the upstream area of Mahakam River?

If the monument had already been there for over a century, the concrete with the wooden pillar in the middle must have been constructed by adventurer Erskine Murray, a Belgian who went on an expedition to the peak of Mt. Murray on the Nyuatan's left, near Sembuan village.

At that time, according to history, the Murray expedition was hindered by Sepangan Raja troops under Senopati (5) Awang Long along the Mahakam downstream. Now if Murray did build it, what was it intention? Was there any indication of gold or diamond deposits, or was it merely a village signpost?

We have no idea. Nobody cares and the presence or absence of such potential is not important. The locals, especially villagers living along river plains, regard the post as something not to be disturbed.

Most people assume the concrete that resembles a drain cover is a magical object with retributive powers, and that nobody may question it.

Ah, that is too much about the column now hidden under a canopy of tall vegetation. If you wish to know where it is, just ask old-timer Juus, who lives in the marshy east. If he is no more, you can ask old lady Sudawendawen.

She will point to a tall tree the local community calls rinikng. In the honey season, the branches are a carpet of drooping black sacs, as hundreds of bees' nests hang from their graceful, big, firm boughs. The tree looks like it is covered by lumps of soot, where nests are in rows and blossoms offer up their nectar.

There are other interesting tales about Par Bay. It is said that besides the big war that once took place around the bay, the area is haunted, especially because of what happened to one farming family who tried to till the land.

For no apparent reason, the farm became barren and, more tragically, the farm owner's daughter fell pregnant even though she was a virgin. Some people speculated that the girl had been raped by spirits of soldiers killed on the site. A medical examination, however, showed her pregnancy was not due to sexual intercourse.

The physician in charge at Barong Tongkok health center explained the embryo in her womb was in fact her twin, hidden in her body since her birth. Local villagers continued to maintain that it was the spirit of Kode Bekelataq that caused the conception. Since then, no one has ever dared farm in the area, leaving it an eerie, deserted forest.

Now, if you leave Damai or Besiq village for Rinding by speedboat, you should be careful as you reach a rough shoreline with a strong current. Full vigilance is required because the Par Bay can sometimes cause boats to break apart and sink. It is rumored that the bay has claimed dozens of lives due to the victims' disregard of the warnings.

The bay with its sharp shoreline has a bend to the right, while the river twisting to the left faces a tree stem with branches drooping over the stream. Recklessness will lead the boat to get caught in tree twigs and leaves, which exude gum capable of fomenting black blisters on the skin.

Meanwhile, keeping too much to the right leads to a whirlpool. When the tide floods over half of the bank, the spinning current will suck the boat into the depths of the riverbed.

But what was the story that suddenly made Par Bay so interesting to news readers? Is it the terrible image of corpses of war fatalities? A girl raped by spirits of the dead? The scary sight of beehives hanging from tall trees? A motorboat entangled in the stalks of rattan now growing wild alongside the bay?

No, it is the latest news that a number of families near the area and their relatives from remote places claim ownership over the zone, arguing with each other about their rights to some of the most extensive plots because of the reported plan for land clearance to build a bridge there.

"But I feel scared," my friend Lumpanpapa said. "Won't the compensation be wasted if the spirits are enraged? For instance, if it's used up after such mishaps as injuries, broken legs, skin diseases or impotence."

"Money first," my other friend Lulukulu said, jokingly imitating the catch phrase of a TV commercial. "You can enjoy yourselves by going to the cafes in Ngeyan and Sekoloq Muliaq."

"Money is useless without doing some business," remarked Belekekeq, alluding to Kudikili, who was very fond of gambling. "What's the benefit if you're dead?"

All the jokes and talk about the bay continued until one day, when bulldozers rumbled onto the riverbank, followed by excavators. The machines started working furiously like burrowing boars, leveling off the ground.

Some villagers cursed the vehicles while others pushed them, trying to shove them into the stream. They condemned the use of such equipment and the flouting of local customs. Some of them brandished daggers and spears, showing off their blowpipes and poisoned darts.

The crowd grew even larger, some of them angered and eager to receive land compensation, and the others eager to occupy some of the vacated plots. A number of women and children gazed in awe at the strange apparatus capable of felling trees. It was like a recurrence of the past in which two opposing forces confronted each other.

The throng of locals clamored in the fervent atmosphere.

"Pay our land price now! Don't you dare evict us at will! Don't trample on our customs like the New Order regime did! Where's the project manager? Just pay up first!"

Some of the vehicles and their workers were already surrounded. Amid the yells and roars, warning shots were fired. Those who had been fuming turned pale, with others screaming, blaming protesters, and children starting to cry.

A man abruptly clambered onto one of the barricaded machines.

"Ladies and gentlemen," he spoke calmly, "as good citizens you should be aware of the limits to your rights and ownership. Who in fact is the owner of this area?"

He paused before adding: "The entire zone is communal land that has been given up to the government for road construction. There's no compensation for it! Before long, the village lying opposite will have a rubber mill and a palm oil factory for us all. A bridge and roads will be needed."

Keeping silent, the crowd recognized the man as the village head's own son, now serving as regent. Hadn't the locals supported him in this position? Why were they demanding compensation for the use of communal land rather than private property?

Nobody commented. The regent raised his hand as a gesture and foremen promptly instructed workers to proceed.

There was again the rumbling sound but it was not a war of the ngayau period. This time it was the sound of modern construction equipment operating on the land where a bridge will span Par Bay, hitherto considered a ghostly abode.

And then all of its mystery will be gone forever.

Translated by Aris Prawira Notes:

1) Practice of headhunters in ancient Kalimantan 2) Commander 3) An ancient country, literally meaning "Land of Shining Moon" 4) A traditional dagger of Kalimantan 5) Army commander