Tanjung Manis inspires artists from near, far

Tanjung Manis inspires artists from near, far

By Gotot Prakosa

JAKARTA (JP): If we look at the maps of Kalimantan from any
period, we will find that there are always new names and
locations of villages while the old villages somehow cease to
exist. This is due to the region's nomadic tribal culture. Every
time one of the Dayak tribes migrate to a new location, they
establish a new name for it. The village they once occupied is
left as it was, so that eventually it will become one with the
forest again.

It is often the case that the newly established villages are
not recorded on new maps. This may cause a problem for those who
wish to locate the village Tanjung Manis on the East Kalimantan
map. Ironically, the name of the village is well-known
internationally for those who are deeply interested in arts and
culture.

Tanjung Manis has inspired many composers, film directors, and
choreographers. The dancers and sampek (a traditional music
instrument) players from Tanjung Manis village are
internationally known and have performed abroad,for example in
Japan, France, Australia, and the United States.

Dancer and choreographer Sardono W. Kusumo, has been
frequently inspired by Tanjung Manis village in the creation of
his works. On some of his performances, Sardono referred to a
letter he received from Ngang Bilung, the village chief of
Tanjung Manis.

Ngang Bilung is the son of the Kenyah Dayak tribal chief from
Umak Tow in Apokayan in the Bulungan region, near the Indonesian-
Malaysian border with Sarawak. In his youth, Ngang Bilung
traveled to foreign countries and as far as Canada while working
in a log exporting company. He led a rather easy life, but not
the other Dayaks in his home village. They planned to migrate en
masse due to the harsh conditions they were suffering, such as
forest fires, infertile land, and insufficient supply of
necessities.

Led by Ngang Bilung, the Dayaks found a new area which is
considered to be strategic and fertile. They named the new
village Tanjung Manis, established in 1972.

The village is under the Muara Anclong district of the Kutai
region, East Kalimantan. To reach the village, it takes a 10-hour
trip from Tenggarong, using a speed boat, which may consume up to
1,500 liters of fuel. Or, to save money, it is possible to hire a
water-taxi, which takes two days and one night. This costs a mere
Rp 40,000.

Tanjung Manis has also affected choreographer Dedy Luthan, who
was first acquainted the village in 1976 during his college years
with the Jakarta Art Institute, IKJ.

"When the IKJ students first came in 1976, the village was
still in a basic stage, the houses for example were still
extremely simple and made from the bark of trees," Dedy said.

At the very same moment, Hartanto, now a lecturer at School of
Films and Television, IKJ, and his colleagues made a documentary
film on Tanjung Manis, when the people were constructing the
traditional longhouses. Then other names came to be inspired by
the village, such as ethnomusicologist Franki Raden, whose essay
on the Kenyah and Modang tribe, was awarded a prize from the
Jakarta Art Institute in 1978. Musician Otto Sidharta composed an
electro-acoustic song about forests and the music was later
performed in a music horticultural festival in the Netherlands,
1983. Seno Gumira Ajidarma made a lot of short films based upon
the everyday life in Tanjung Manis.

The Samarinda television station of TVRI has repeatedly made
films using the villagers and their culture as their background.
Two of their documentary films are competing in this year's
national festival of sinetron (TV films) in the non-fiction
category.

Sailani Idris, a choreographer who is currently a staff member
in the local administration office, often recommends Tanjung
Manis to scientific researchers or foreign authors.

There are a number of scientific writings which mention the
community of Tanjung Manis. There are also fictional stories
which include the culture of Kenyah Dayak tribe of Tanjung Manis,
such as Le secret de Sungai (Sungai's Secret) by French author,
Francoice Grund.

The book tells the story of a child of the Dayak tribe named
Sungai. His father works in a coal mine and his mother in the
paddy fields. The father's pay is barely enough to meet the
family's daily needs. One day, Sungai's only baby brother is
sick. Yet the nearest doctor available is quite far from the
village where they are. Because of the critical circumstances,
the father decides to sell their family-inherited traditional
cloth, which is the pride of the whole family line. Yet, when
they manage to sell the cloth to an antique dealer, they only
receive enough money to pay the doctor, the medication, and one
meal. After a few days the medicine runs out, and the baby's
health is not improving.

In the end, Sungai brings his baby brother to a witch doctor
named Tante Tanjung, who gives faith healing to the infant.
Through Tante Tanjung, a message is relayed to the readers. This
is that maintaining the solidarity of the Kenyah Dayak tribe is
of the utmost importance. This is reflected through life in the
same longhouse as their ancestors, but now this tradition has
long been left behind. People tend to live alone, slowly the
solidarity which once was strong between the people has crumbled.

The story is a campaign about life in an isolated tribe, whose
cultural inheritance has been taken away by modern civilization.

Joe Farges, a film director and producer from France (who is
also one of the producers of the film Telegram by Slamet
Raharjo), through his film company ARTCAM International, in
cooperation with PT Ekapraya Tata Cipta Film, created a movie
version of Le Secret de Sungai. Destruction of forests through
exploitation and forest fires are among the settings presented on
the journey to the city by the river, while traditional hunters
who represent the past are starving because they can not survive
without the forest.

In reality life in the Kenyah Dayak community is as tragic as
it is depicted in the movie. The once thick forest is now gone,
the trees cut by logging companies, and the land is exploited
aggressively for its coal and gold. Meanwhile the local people
are unable to grow crops anymore since the land is now utterly
infertile. Worst of all the locals are being blamed for causing
the forest fires by surrounding companies.

The story about Sungai becomes a metaphor for the tragic life
in the community of an isolated tribe in Kalimantan. Their
natural resources have been exploited by people from the cities,
while their culture and traditional belongings are traded for
money.

The film, which lasts minutes, has a mixed crew from France,
Canada, and Indonesia. Past the shooting stage,it is now being
edited in Canada. The film is projected for screening on world
television networks together with other films featuring ethnic
tribes from other parts of the world.

- The writer, a filmmaker, teaches at the School of Films and
Television, Jakarta Arts Institute.