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Cover photo:
Doh Ding, weaving a mat in Long Tuyoq
village, West Kutai.
The Heritage of Rural Technology
of East Kalimantans Dayaks
PT Kaltim Pasik Amoniak
Published by:
PT Kaltim Pasik Amoniak
Editors:
Karlina Supelli (Coordinator)Baby Ahnan
Karina Roosvita Indirasari
Roedy Haryo Widjono
English translation, editing and
design by:
Edelman
www.edelman.co.id
Second Printing, 2013
294 pages; 28 x 28 cm
Initiator
Darius Pasago Pasaribu
Supervisor
Bambang Adya Yatmaka
Darius Pasago Pasaribu
Djasli Djamarus
Zukri Saad
Writers
Zainal Arin Anis (Coordinator)
Asman Aziz
Nasrullah
Syaharuddin
Editors
Karlina Supelli (Coordinator)
Baby Ahnan
Karina Roosvita Indirasari
Roedy Haryo Widjono
Photo Editor
Rangga Purbaya
Researchers
Djasli Djamarus (Coordinator)
Arin Anis, MZ
Azman Azis
Nasrullah
Syaharudin Arafah
Photographers
Rangga Purbaya
Steve Pillar
Susi Abdurahman
Illustrators
Bambang Adya Yatmaka
Eddi B. Handono
Graphic Designers
Azis Karuniawan
Bambang Adya Yatmaka
Wiwit
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PT Kaltim Pasik Amoniak
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Table of Contents 06
Foreword from President Director 10
Message from Vice President Manufacturing 12
Message from Bontang Mayor 15
Message from East Dayak Traditional Board Supervisor 17
I. Tracking Dayak Peoples Residences 21
Surveying Dayak Technology 25
Disclosing Dayak Technology 29
Sequence of Report 40
II. Cultures And Local Wisdom from Long House Constructionto Backbone Technology
43
Housing Technology 45
Lamin or Long House 45
Amin Dadu Long Anai 58
Lamin Pepas Eheng 59
Pintuq and Benung Long Houses 61Shapes and Parts of Long Houses 62
Building A Long House 62
The Rainbow, A Full Moon and An Owl 74
A Lone House 75
From Lamin to Hall 80
Carving Conveying Message 90
Kitchen Technology 92
Stove Structure 92
Various Kitchen Utensils 93
Sharp Tool Technology 93
Water and Rice Container Technology 94
Food Processing Technology 95
Staple Food and Side Dishes 96
Daily Food Processing 97
Sugar Making Technology 98
Buraq-Making Techniques 99
Meat Preservation Techniques 100
Technique to Make Salt 101
Animal Breeding 102
Table of Contents
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Farming Technology105
Technology of Sharp Tools 114
Mandau 114
Kelabit 122
Hunting Tools 124
Poisonous Blowgun 125
Nyatap (Spear) 130
Fish-catching Tools 134
Serapang 134
Fish Trap 137Tuba 138
Sepu and Other Traps 139
From Tongko to Apit 140
Tools for Signaling 148
Various Transportation Means 150
Clothing and Accessories 158
Shirt 158
Loincloth 159
Beads 160Headwear 162
Tapung Puk 162
Seraung 162
Bluko Ne 163
Tattoo Enriched with a Thousand Meanings 164
The Backpack Basket 168
Types of Basket 168
Child Carrier 170
Instruments for Belian Ceremony 174
Witchcraft 178
Handling Persons With Mental Disorders 179
III. Potential Findings for Further Development 181
Eye Medicine 184
Stomach Ache Medicine 187
Fever Medicine 188
Malaria and Typhus Medicine 189
Tuberculosis and Asthma Medicine 190
Cough Medicine 191
Medicine for High Blood Pressure and Cholesterol 192
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Medicine for Burns and Bee Sting 193
Fitness and Impotency Elixir 194
Potion for Healthier Menstruation and Breast Milk 195
Medicine for Uric Acid 196
Medicine for Lower Back Pain and Fractured Bones 197
Medicine for Sprains 198
Potion to Remove Facial Dark Spots 199
Medicine to Relieve Pain, Burning Sensation and External Wounds 200
Medicine for Internal Abdominal Wounds 201
Medicine for Gastric Ulcer 202Medicine for Uterine Hemorrhage 203
Post-Natal Cleanser 204
Potion to Strengthen Pregnancy 205
Natural Contraception 206
Medicine for Vaginal Discharge 207
Food Seasonings 208
Meat Preservative 209
Fish Poison 210
Blowgun Poison 211Light Poison 212
Anti-Dandruf Shampoo 213
Hair Oil 214
Dead Body Odor Removal 215
Colorings 216
Ulap Doyo 218
Sung Baloq 223
Kisar as Rice Grinding Tool 224
IV. Screams Throughout Mahakam and Other Stories behind the Research 239
In Lung Anai 240
Bound for Sendawar 241
In Tanjung Isuy 242
Bound for Benung 244
From Tering to Tiong Ohang 245
Coal Barge 246
In Long Pahangai and Long Apari 247
Bibliography 252
Interview 252
Photo & Illustration Index 253
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Pelujuk, Lung AnaisTraditional Elder, West Kutai
(Rangga Purbaya)
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Foreword
Foreword from President Director
It is my great pleasure to publish this The Heritage of Rural
Technology of East Kalimantans Dayaks from Kaltim Pasik
Amoniak. As you are well aware, there is a wide range of ethnic
groups, cultures, languages in Indonesia, as, for instance,
various types of cultures of Dayak groups that have long found
entrenchment in the watershed of the Mahakam River in East
Kalimantan.
Unfortunately, globalization in economics, cultures and
languages is likely to be threatening these very precious and
rare properties due to development of natural resources and
market competition. If we leave as it is, those cultures of Dayak groups are in danger of
being extinct from the area. Therefore we decided as one of CSR programs that we are
keeping record of these extraordinary legacy technologies of Dayak cultures in a book and
put them on our stakeholders to preserve.
This Indonesian Heritage contains so many traditional cultures that have come into the
inheritance of Dayak groups in the Mahakam River - an ancient chest of culture, containing
countless types of foods, festivals, medicines and languages in their own cultures. The book
will take you through a re-introduction of the technology of Dayak cultures and if you are
unaware of these cultures, they must certainly surprise and interest you.
It is our most sincere hope, that this book would enhance efforts dedicated to the
conservation of nature, and preserve the technology of Dayak cultures which are likely to be
endangered.
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Foreword
Last but not least, to the many KPA staff that have supported the publication of this book
with dedicated efforts like collecting information and data by moving deeper into the basin,
as well as proofreading, image layouting etc., I offer you the most profound, heartfelt
gratitude for your contribution to the publication of the book.
Yours faithfully,
M. Kaneta
President Director of Kaltim Pasik Amoniak
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Today, Indonesians have been independent for 67 years. Within
this period, the Republic of Indonesia as a unitary state has
seen through various stages, different leaderships and regimes
in line with the challenges of different eras and the characters
of its leaders.
We can say that our time is a period embellished with numerous
social, political, economic, legal and cultural challenges fromboth within and outside the country. One of the challenges
from overseas takes the form of claims by our neighbor,
Malaysia, over Indonesian traditional cultures and products.
As a group of Indonesians working for PT Kaltim Pasik Amoniak (KPA), we know how rich
our nation is. Unfortunately, traditional technologies such as the ones of East Kalimantan
Dayak communities are not well inventoried and properly documented. Meanwhile, locals
who master such technologies are getting old and, at the same time, the modernization
drive has lured the young generation away from their heritage. Forest transformation intomono-culture plantations has deprived the so-called community technology of its natural
components or materials and, therefore, it has also caused the disappearance of skills in the
community technology.
We seem to have little interest in having our traditional medicine, textiles, food products
and, perhaps, technology that have been part of our culture since a thousand of years ago
patented; as we appear to be equally reluctant in developing sustainable mass products
with high economic values for our people. Meanwhile, many researchers from advanced
countries such as Japan, Canada and the US who have prolonged their stay in the interior
of East Kalimantan for doing researches have indicated an abundance of potential in nature
Message from Vice President Manufacturing
Foreword12
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and Dayak culture in East Kalimantan that can be developed into industrial products of high
demand.
In responding to this nding, KPA that operates in Bontang of East Kalimantan has
designed one of its Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) activities to make inventories of
technologies belonging to East Kalimantans Dayaks.
The activity has resulted in the publication of a book entitled The Heritage of Rural
Technology of East Kalimantans Dayaks. The book has put in writing various rural
technologies belonging to Dayak communities of East Kalimantan that has the potential
for development. Reading the book, we can nd basic information regarding raw materials,
traditional processes, the use of or the benet of the rural technologies developed by the
Dayak communities of East Kalimantan. We gathered the entire information from surveys,
interviews and library research and studies prior to presenting them in this book. We hope
that this book will serve as an access and initial reference for researches and scientists in
universities, research institutes and those interested in developing products in companies,
government ofcials and community members, and all those who are interested in it. We
welcome all further actions as follow-throughs to our work, such as efforts to process the
patents, increase the production scale, and boost the value added or sales value of all that
we have inventoried in this book.
Last but not least, we would like to express our gratitude to KPAs shareholders, i.e. MitsuiCo. Ltd. and Toyota Tusho, that have supported our CSR programs, and also Governor of
East Kalimantan, Dr. H. Awang Farouk Ishak M.Si., Bontang Mayor, Ir. H. Dharma M.Si., who
has supported our CSR programs, as well as the Head of East Kalimantans Dayak Customary
Council, Drs. Yurnalis Ngayoh, MM., who provided us with a recommendation letter to
support the data and information research in the interior of East Kalimantan, and to all team
members who have dedicated their time, energy and ideas starting from outlining, giving
ideas, survey planning, drafting, editing and in the printing of this book.
Specically for my close friend from batch 77 of ITB, Yayak (Kencrit), who has earned thetitle of Half-Divine Man during his stay in the interior of East Kalimantan; Djasli Djamarus,
Foreword 13
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who have coordinated the surveys, research and development of this book, and Karnila
Supeli, who provided ceaseless encouragement and wider perspectives, as well as nal
editing, I would like to extend them my utmost gratitude. I am grateful that our friendship
has gone beyond the extent of getting to know each other well, but it has also, hopefully, be
benecial to our society and our nation.
May God bless this work of ours and bless the Indonesian nation so that it becomes a big
nation that can set an example of how humanity can reach its progress in a harmonious way,
and that can benet other nations.
Darius Pasaribu
Vice President Manufacturing
Foreword14
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Praising God the Almighty, on behalf of the Government and
the people of Bontang I would like to extend my gratitude and
congratulations for the publication of The Heritage of Rural
Technology of East Kalimantans Dayaks as part of a CSR program
of PT Kaltim Pasik Amoniak (KPA). I would like to convey this
appreciation as the publication of this book has proved KPAs
concern and contribution to enhance the cultural values of people
in East Kalimantan, especially East Kalimantans Dayaks.
The City Administration of Bontang will continue with and expedite
developments taking place in the region, which sits on massive
amounts of untapped potential resources. For this reason, the City
Administration of Bontang is committed to continuously synergize with companies operating in
the city, one of which is KPA, to realize culturally and environmentally-healthy development by
prioritizing local wisdom.
As sons and daughters of the nation who were born and raised here, we shall be grateful for all
Gods gifts that are showered upon us on the lands and seas of the Republic of Indonesia, amidst
an abundance of various natural resources. We also take great pride in the autonomy granted to
local administrations by the Central Government. The autonomy represents trust that needs to
be responsibly carried out.
Among those gifts, the soil of East Kalimantan excels for its natural resources potential, i.e.
oil, natural gas, coal and various other mining resources. However, we must bear in mind that
in addition to non-renewable natural resources, we also have in our possession, remarkable
potential in renewable resources, i.e. potential of local customs and cultures.
The history of human being always leaves traces for the next generation. However, only a
generation that is determined to love and safeguard their civilization that can take inventory and
develop the customs and culture of their ancestors as historically-valued, exquisite heritage.
Message from Bontang Mayor
Foreword 15
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As a great nation, we must develop the spirit of willingness to build, protect and defend
our culture and protect its rightful ownership. The self-declared claim of our culture by a
neighboring country must be responded in a civilized way. Exploited anger is not a solution.
Instead, we need wisdom and concrete results, conceived from our determination to document
textual evidences for the world to see.
Challenges to our future are growing. The globalization trend should be countered with an
earnest attitude and professionalism within the international legal corridor. Responding to
the situation, I expect the role of academicians, researchers, politicians, bureaucrats and all
stakeholders to proactively process the patents of various customs, cultures and traditional
products, especially those possessed by the Dayak cultural communities of East Kalimantan.
The book The Heritage of Rural Technology of East Kalimantans Dayaks that introduces the
life, art and culture of East Kalimantan communities and their potential promises a great many
benets, such as information and promotion that can attract tourists and investors.
Additionally, the environmental preservation initiatives that are elaborated in this book can
enlighten us as human beings, immersing us further in the love of nature and all its inhabitants,
all of which we will pass on to the next generation to ensure their quality of life. All these are
in line with one of the six priority programs of Bontang city development, i.e. EnvironmentalPreservations.
May the steps taken by KPA become a locomotive to be followed by other companies in assuming
their roles to cultivate futuristic values that have grown well in our land.
To make such a dream come true, we need awareness, support and collaboration of all
stakeholders in the spirit of Bessai Berinta. With the publication of this book, may God
strengthen all of us so as to be able to realize a noble, advanced and prosperous Bontang city.
Therefore, this city can yield its best performance for East Kalimantan within the frame of the
unitary state of the Republic of Indonesia.
May Gods blessings will always be with us all.
Bontang, July 2012
Ir. H. Adi Darma, M.Si
Bontang City Mayor
Foreword16
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DEW
ANADATDA
YA
K
PROP
INSIKALIMANTAN
TIMUR
Message from East Dayak Traditional Board Supervisor
First of all, let us praise the God Almighty, that because of His
blessings, the publication of The Heritage of Rural Technology
of East Kalimantans Dayaks is brought to completion. This book
surely holds, in its pages, important values and meaning, in our
efforts to preserve a unique and distinctive culture that is the
nations pride. Every single culture deserves to be preserved,
for each of its exquisite colors and voices all contribute to the
diversity of our nation, keeping within their unique folds, countless
of priceless knowledge and an innite source of wisdom. However,the globalization era, and along with it, sophisticated technological
advances, may endanger the preservation of art, culture and
traditional values passed down to use by our ancestors.
Through this book, I would like to reach out and ignite the undying passion and the unwavering
spirit and dedication to life of Dayak people as well as the intellectual fervor in which the
scholars pursue science and knowledge and applaud their efforts to stay on course in
excavating traces of history, research, assessment and publications of the arts, culture, and
customs of the Dayaks. I encourage them to share with the world, their work of passion, and to
lend a hand to enriching the nations cultural development that is faithful to its roots, yet agile
enough to weather the dynamics of todays world.
I hope the Almighty God will always grant us His presence, His blessing and divine wisdom in
every step taken in our efforts to preserve and promote the wealth of Dayak cultural heritage, for
the welfare and prosperity of the Dayaks under the unitary state of the Republic of Indonesia.
DR. Yurnalis Ngayoh, MM
East Dayak Traditional Board Supervisor
Foreword 17
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The morning ambiance at Jembayangriverside, Lung Anai, West Kutai(Rangga Purbaya)
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Panyan, pembuat mandau dan alatpertanian dari Long Anai.
(Rangga Purbaya)
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01. Tracking Dayak Peoples Residences
Our Greatest Teachersare Our Ancestors
(Revius Mering, Kenyah Dayak)
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As indigenous people, Dayak people call the (Kalimantan) island Bagawan Bawi
Lewu Telo (Cilik Riwut, 2003). In Dayak Ngadu language, bagawan means Queen,
bawi means woman, and lewu means village, while telo means three. So literally,
Bagawan Bawi Lewu Telo means Queen that rules in Three Big Villages. The
Kaharingan religion, especially among Ngaju Dayaks, they believe in the existence of
a goddess named Jata that lives deep in the river. So, the use of Bagawan Bawi Lewu
Telo may be interpreted as a sign of respect to Goddess Jata who lives in the depth
of the rivers in the three big villages.
We know the island as Kalimantan,
Indonesias largest island and the worlds
third largest after Greenland and New
Guinea. In local language, Kalimantan also
means an island with big rivers. Europeans
often refer to Kalimantan as Borneo.
We also know Kalimantan through artifacts
that lead us to the Hindu civilization
in Kutai, East Kalimantan; an ancient
civilization that rst introduced the idea
of a nation-state in the archipelago. In the
oldest Hindu tradition in Kalimantan, the
island is called Tanjung Negara. Powerful
kingdoms in the archipelago such as
Majapahit and Sriwijaya extended their
inuences to Kalimantan.
In the 16th century, when sultanates grew
in South and West Kalimantan shores
such as Banjarmasin, Pontianak, Sambas,
Pasir, Sukadana, Kutai, Sambaliung,
Gunung Tabur, Bulungan and West Berau,
European nations came and imposed
sovereignty over them. The rst Europeanto visit Kalimantan was Italian Ludovico
Kalimantan islandillustration
Tering port in West Kutai.(Rangga Purbaya)
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(1507), followed by Portuguese Laurenco
de Gomes (1518). There are suggestions
that the two coined the name Borneo, a
word that nds its root in Brune, Berunai,
Brunei, which in the beginning referred
to a village in Northern Kalimantan.
Kalimantans historical dynamics were
developed through interactions of itspeople with Chinese and Malays, and of
course with Europeans.
During the Dutch colonization, Kalimantan
was administratively divided into
WesterafdelingBorneo (West Borneo) and
Zuider- en OosterafdelingBorneo (South
and East Kalimantan). In Jan B. Aves record,
as quoted by Arman (1984), Dayak referredto Kalimantans indigenous people. They are
This stone is called Batoq Tepakit Lejo (LionsStone Jump). According to the legend of
Gunung Batoq Ayo, the stone was allegedlyused by Batoq Ayos lion pet to jump and cross
the Mahakam River.(Rangga Purbaya)
descendants of Yunnan immigrants from
South China.
In the beginning, European researchers
used the word Dayak with pejorative
meanings to refer to Borneos indigenous
people who at that time were considered
uncivilized yet. Such opinion stemmed fromtheir interpretation of civilization, which
referred to the European civilization only.
As a result, they named uncivilized those
whose cultures were different from theirs.
August Harderland (1859) offered different
understanding of the word Dayak.
Harderland, as quoted by Ukur (1971),
showed that indigenous people initiallynamed their tribes based on the location
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of their residential areas, which were
mostly along riverbanks. For example, Oloh(people) Kahayan and Oloh Barito referred
to communities dwelling around Kahayan
and Barito Rivers, while Tering people
referred to communities living around
Tering River.
Mikhail Coomans (1987) used the word Daya,
meaning hinterland or up-stream, to refer
to the indigenous people of Kalimantan.
Daya is the name of people living in the
upper stream. Coomans also suggested that
Daya was the name for all non-Muslims
living in the hinterland of Kalimantan, while
Haloqadalah for Muslims.
H.J. Mallinckrodt (1928) divided Dayaks
into six groups based on their similarities
and dissimilarities in their customary laws:
(1) Kenyah-Kayan-Bahau/Wahau, (2), Ot
Danum, (3), Iban, (4) Murut, (5) Klementan,
and (6) Punan.
After studying and quoting writings of
earlier experts, and pointing at their
differences in cultures, languages, and
geography, Michael Dove (1985) concluded
that there were three big groups of Dayak
communities: (1) the Northern Group
including Dusun and Murut, (2), Southern
Group including Ngaju, and the Central
Group, including Kenyak, Kayan, Kayang,
and Iban.
Djuweng, dkk. (1994) referred to Tjilik
Riwut who devided Dayak communities
in East Kalimantan into four big groups:
(1) Kenyah Bahai Dayak, which consists of
26 small tribal groups living in areas along
the around Mahakam river, (2) Benuaq
Dayak, Apu Kayan comprising 38 small
Left: Research team members interviewing Lama, traditionalelder of Benung village, West Kutai (Rangga Purbaya)
Right: Banyak demonstrating how to make animal traps(Rangga Purbaya)
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Research team members together with the traditional elder ofDamai village (Rangga Purbaya)
Team members on the way to Hulu Mahakam(Steve Pillar).
tribes living in the Upper Mahakam, (3)
Tonyooy/Tunjung Murut Dayak, includingIdaan Dayak in the Sandakan area and
Tidung Lenden Dayak in Tarakan area, and
(4) Bentian Dayak, Tidung Dayak living in
Malinau and Tidung Pale.
Surveying Dayak Technology
Dayaks are known to have rich tradition
and culture. They practice shifting farming
system, have one communal long house
called lamin (Kutai), lou (Benuaq), betang
(Ngaju, Manyaan), and umaq dadoq (Kenyah).
They also have various herbal medicines
believed to have the efcacy to heal various
diseases.
How do they open new land for farming,
build houses, and concoct herbal medicine
from plants around them? They acquire
their knowledge on various sciences and
technologies transferred verbally from one
generation to another, and did not bother to
document systematically in writing. Slowly
but surely, Dayaks traditional technologies
are replaced by modern technologies,
despite the fact that many of them remain
Grandma Oey, Ulap Doyo weaver from Tanjung Isuy,West Kutai (Rangga Purbaya)
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RP
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A boat pulling logs passing along
the bank of Mahakam river.(Rangga Purbaya)
applicable to this day. Dayaks also have
various local wisdoms that have proven tobe able to help them deal with problems
they are facing everyday.
Surveys on technologies owned by Dayaks
of East Kalimantan, especially in West
Kutai and Kutai Kartenagara, are done
with the hope that those technologies
could be preserved and inherited. The
surveys also aim to get to know variouspotentials in Dayak traditions that could be
developed for the greater benets of larger
communities.
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Rice granary belonging to LungAnai village, West Kutai
(Rangga Purbaya)
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Disclosing Dayak Technology
Surveys and documentation of Dayak
Technologies were done in two stages. The
rst phase was conducted from October
27 to November 8, 2010. At this stage, we
visited Long Anai Cultural village in Kutai
Kartanegara Regency, Kutai Museum in
Tenggarong, Kutai Regency, and Tunjung
as well as Benuaq tribes in Barong Tongkok
district, West Kutai Regency. We also
observed ulap doyo (weaving) in Tanjung
Isuy District, West Kutai Regency and visited
Sungai Bawang cultural village in Pampang,
Samarinda City, to collect information about
the technologies of Kenyah Dayaks living
there. We visited those areas using rented
cars, ridingces (a motorized boat known as
ketinting), and a ship.
In Long Anai, we collected information
from Kenyah Dayaks on their traditionalhandicraft technology, farming tools,
accessories, and sword-making (mandau-
making).
We also learned sword-making
technologies from Tunjung and Benuaq
Dayak communities in Barong Tongkok,
together with information on construction
of the long house or lamin, herbal mixtures,
and religious system.
Lung Anai village appears veryquite as majority of its residentsgo to work in the farm.(Rangga Purbaya)
In Tanjung Isuy, we observed the technics
of makingulap doyo, which is at the brink
of extinction due to raw material shortages.
The thread used for weavingulap doyo is
made ofdoyo plant (curculigo latifolia),
a small plant that grows in shady forests
and riverbanks. The conversion of forests
into productive areas and monoculture
plantations has destroyed the plants
habitats, causing the number ofdoyo plants
growing near residential areas to drop
sharply. To make things worse, doyo plants
growing in farmlands are considered asweeds that have to be removed.
The second survey took place from March 5
to March 23, 2011. At this stage, we started
surveying from villages in Long Hubung
subdistrict such as Datah Bilang Hulu, Datah
Bilang Hilir, and Long Hubung, followed
by Long Bagun subdistrict in Ujoh Bilang
and Long Bagun villages; Long Pahangai
subdistrict: Lirung Asa village, Long Tuyog,
Long Isun, Long Pahangai, and Long Pakaq,
and villages in Long Apari subdistrict such
as Tiong Buu, Tiong Ohang, and Naha Buan.
We also visited Tering Seberang in Tering
subdistrict, and Lambing in Muara Lawa
subdistrict. The two villages are located
in the Mahakam hinterland in Kutai Barat
Regency. Our survey ended in Samarinda.
Data collection was done through direct
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observations, interviews, and library
research.
Datah Bilang Hulu and Datah Bilang Hilir
villages are residential areas of Kenyah
Umaq Bakung Dayaks that were inaugurated
in 1975 by Soeharto, then president of the
Republic of Indonesia. In the two villages,
we observed residential and housing
patterns and daily activities of local people,
both in the village and in farmland. We
interviewed Pigen (a blacksmith in Datah
Bilang Hilir), Palamu Alung (traditional
elder of Datah Bilang Hilir), Kulle (an ofcer
of Datah Bilang Hulu), Revius Mering (a
prominent local leader in Datah Bilang Hulu)
as well as Charles, a public Senior High
School teacher, Jhonson, a Kenyah Dayak
youth from Datah Bilang Hilir. Charles and
Jhonson acted as translators when we
interviewed some resource persons who
could only speak in the local language.
The interviewees narrated their story of
migration from Apo Kayan down to Datah
Bilang, describing techniques on how to
make alutpasa, a long boat used by Kemah
Umaq Bakung Dayak tribe for racing. Theyalso explained how to process sap collected
to trap birds, to construct a long house
called lamin, how to make the Dayaknese
sword (mandau), traditional medication
using herbs, and the farming system.
In Datah Bilang, there is a gotong royong1
organization called Pekua for activities
related to public interests. When wevisited the place, Pekua was still xing the
destroyed roof of a local lamin so we were
able to document how they made shingles,
food and water containers,seraung (caping
Dayak), and cooking activities.
We continued our journey to Long Hubung,
the residential area of Dayak Bahau Saq,
to meet Ding Hat, a well-respected former
traditional elder, and M. Jiu, an ofcer of
Long Hubung village, and Cisilia, a senior
village midwife. We obtained information
on how to concoct herbal mixtures and
techniques on how to make cane sugar
using a traditional miller called kerabatang.
We also observed long posts to be used for
making the long house, and various shapes
ofmandau typical of Bahau Saq Dayak.
1 Gotong royong is an Indonesian term referring toworking together to achieve desired results. A gotongroyong activity is done on voluntary base and thoseinvolved in such activity do not receive any fnancialcompensation.
A speedboat carrying research team members took a shortstop before entering Riam Panjang, Mahakam Hulu.
(Rangga Purbaya)
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Lung Anai village appears very quite asmajority of its residents go to work in the
farm. (Rangga Purbaya)
Kenheq waterfall at the brink of Riam Panjang,Upper Mahakam. (Rangga Purbaya)
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From Long Hubung we returned to Datah
Bilang to visit farms of Revius Mering and
Broto, located next to each other. While in
the farms, we did interviews to learn about
various paddy varieties consumed or made
into seeds, different models of huts for them
to sleep in on nights away from their village
and rice granary (lepubung) models. We also
joined an entourage of local people lookingfor plants whose sap could be used to trap
birds. Revius Mering also demonstrated the
process of making eye medicine from herbs
around his house.
We then proceeded to Long Bagun
subdistrict in the downstream area of
Mahakam River. In the lodging, we met
Leonardus Janum, a resident of Long Aparfrom Penihing Dayak or better known
as Aoheng Dayak. Leonardus gave us
information about Long Apari village and
several contacts that we could get in touch
with. In Long Bagun, we documented a long
house with Bahau Dayak motives.
Our next destination was Long Pahangai.
At the arrival port, we met Sugiarto,
Long Pahangai and Long Apari military
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commander, as well as Adrianus Liah
Belawing, a son of Bahau Busang Mahakam
traditional elder who we encountered in
Samarinda.
Before we began the survey, we visited the
Subdistrict Ofce to meet Tigang Himang,
the head of Long Pahangai Subdistrict.
Tigang gave us names of people we could
interview. He also allowed us a closer lookat herbal medicines, sword-making, lamin
construction, religious belief system of
Bahau Busang Dayak as well as the history
of Long Gelat community in Hulu Mahakam.
The following day, together with Liah,
Tigangs in-law, we interviewed Lawing,
former principal of Long Pahangai
Elementary School, Y. Ngau Ajaat, former
raider during the era ofDwikora2and
is a former traditional leader of Long
Pahangai Village. From them, we retrieved
more details about the long house, anjat
handicraft, which is made of rattan, sword,
traditional medication using herbs, sape
(traditional guitar of Dayak people), and
dangai (literally: life recycle ceremony)
tradition. We also documented two lamin
(long houses) belonging to Bahau BusangDayak communities, including the activities
of those living there.
2 Dwikora refers to a command issued by formerIndonesian president, Soekarno, to stop theestablishment of Malaysia. The Dwikora period was
marked with a confrontation against Malaysia.
Above, right: A oating inn at Datah Bilang.(Rangga Purbaya)
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we amassed massive helpings of information
on lamin-construction technology,
Kayo traditional rite, tattoo, Long Gelat
traditional attire, coloring substances, and
techniques in making rattan weavings.
From Long Tuyoq, we returned to Lirung
Asa to document how to turn iron into the
Dayak sword or mandau, winnow rice andvarious information on daily activities of
local people and tools they use everyday.
We then found our way into Long Isun
village and interviewed Lusang Aran,
traditional elder of Bahau Busang Long
Isun village, and Kuleh Liah, an elementary
school teacher. It was there that we became
more nely attuned to the intricate yet
Armed with the information from Y. Ngau
Ajaat, we left for Lirung Asa, a farmland area
belonging to Bahau Busang Dayak, usingces.
We met with Hang Beq in his hut. Hang Beq
is maker ofmandau sword and hudoq mask.
Our interview covered mandau-making
techniques, hudoq mask, rattan handicraft,
herbal medicines, and hunting techniques.
Meanwhile, our photographer capturedpictures of Hang Beqs kitchen.
On the following day, we proceeded to Long
Tuyoq residential areas of Dayak Bahau
Long Gelat community. In the Long Tuyoq
lamin (long house), we met with Blawing
Belareq, the traditional elder of Bahau
Busang Mahakam, and Doh Ding, a rattan-
weaving craftsman. Through an interview,
Above, left: M. Jiu, a leader of Long Hubung village
Second photo from the left: Kulle, a leader of Datah
Bilang Bawah village
Third photo from the left: Datah Bilang people
working together (gotong royong), while the elders
prepare lunch
(Rangga Purbaya)
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captivating processes of rattan weaving,
traditional medicines, lamin, sh-catching
tools, and so on.
Hiring a speedboat powered by a 400PK
engine, we went to Tiong Ohang in Long
Apari District. On the way there, we stopped
by Datah Suling and Long Lunuk while
bringing home Belawing. At Long Unuk, wemade documentation of traditional drink
made of sticky rice called Balo Tau Boraaq,
observed and took pictures of an old lamin
that still used rattan, instead of nails, to
hold the joints and statues of Bahau Busang
Dayak.
Our next stop was Long Pakaq, the village
of Kayan Dayak community. We interviewed
the Kayan traditional elder who had an old
mandau, which was often used as a war
weapon (headhunting). There were 90
visible marks ingrained on the mandaus
blade near its handle, signifying that it had
killed 90 people. We also interviewed an
elementary school teacher named Yakobus
and made documents of various plants
used as medicines by Kayan Dayaks in LongPakaq.
From Long Pakaq, our next leg of the
journey took us to Tiong Buu and Tiong
Ohang in Long Apari subdistrict, which
were inhabited by Aoheng/Penihing Dayaks.
Long Apari District is East Kalimantans
farthest district near the Serawak border.
We conducted an extensive interview with
Right: Lamin Pintuq, Sendawar, Kutai Barat
Second photo from the right: The inner condition of Pepas Eheng
lamin, Sendawar, West Kutai
(Rangga Purbaya)
Leonardus Janun (hunter), Devung Anyang
(wife of the late Irang Napap, a respected
traditional elder of Penihing), A. Kaya (a
trader) and Fransiscus Jiu, a teacher of Long
Apari Public Senior High School, to collect
information on mandau-making techniques,
telavang (shield), traditional medicines,
and Aohen Dayak shirt, including coloring
substances and their preservatives.
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RP
Bottom: A woman of Kenyah Dayak tribe weaving anjat, Lung Anai, West Kutai
(Rangga Purbaya)
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Left: Belawing Belareq, Bahau traditional elderMiddle: Dong Ding, mat and cap weaver from Long Tuyog
Bottom: Children playingin the porch of lamin dadu, Lung Anai.(Rangga Purbaya)
Our next destination is Naha Buan village
to interview Pahang a prominent leader
of Naha Buan village observe Naha
Buan lamin, and document the processof assembling the traditional blowgun by
Lasan.
After visiting Naha Buan village, we held
an evaluation meeting and concurred
that we already had enough information,
and decided to go to Tering Seberang in
Tering subdistrict through Long Bagun. We
dropped by Temula village, Barong Tongkoksubdistrict to observe the activities of
Benuaq Dayak blacksmith and directly
witness how mandau is made. There, we
also had the opportunity to observe alut(a
boat made from ulin or meranti wood).
We then took an overland trip going to
Lambing. Upon arriving in Lambing, the
day began to lose its light, yet we were still
able to observe and take pictures of two
70-yeard old lamin inhabited by Benuaq
Dayak community: Lamin Tolan Atas and
Tolan Bawah. The lamins wall is made of
tree bark, its oor is rattan and bamboo,
and is supported by ulin posts 15 meters
above the ground. All joints are held
together with rattan. Lighting in the lamin
still uses kerosene lamps called pelita.
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From Lambing village, we went overland
back to Samarinda. We interviewed Lukas
Kupang, commander of Kalimantan Dayak
Culture Defense (KPAD) and Roedy Haryo
Widjono, Dayak culture observer who
married a Benuaq Dayak girl from Benung
village, Damai subdistrict in West Kutai
Regency. Based on the interview, we learnedabout the Dayaks living in the northern part
of East Kalimantan province (Lun Dayeh,
Punan, Murut, Berusu, Agabaq Dayaks, and
so on), about salt production by Lun Dayeh
Dayaks in the Krayan mountain, mandau-
and blowgun-making, and philosophical
values embedded in Dayak technology.
Lastly, we visited Citra Niaga market in
Samarinda to document various Dayak tools
and accessories sold there.
As additional information, almost in all the
villages we visited, we saw many Dayak
women and men with long ears. For Dayak
women, the long-ear tradition is part
of local wisdom related to make-up and
beauty.
For Dayak women, the long-ear
tradition is part of local wisdom related
to make-up and beauty
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Dayak Kenyah children playing in
the afternoon, Lung Anai(Rangga Purbaya)
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Sequence of Report
In part four, which is the closing, we offersome overview that may serve as a small
mirror for various problems confronting
the Dayaks, especially in the areas we
visited. This lamentation is not meant
for nding or even creating a scapegoat
in the problems but for seeking agreeable
solutions.
To facilitate readers looking for furtherinformation, we equip this book with
sources of information supporting our
research and writing, both in the list of
bibliography and detailed information about
the interviewees.
The main ndings of our surveys areclassied into four parts based on
categorical proximity. Part one, Tracking
Dayak Peoples Residences, offers overviews
of locations we visited in East Kalimantan
and our research method.
Part two, Culture and Local Wisdom,
explains technologies Dayak communities
use daily, particularly in house construction,farming, transportation, and various tools
they use for different activities. Part two
also talks about food processing techniques
they use, as well as their famous technology
called teknologi punggung, aside from attire
and cultural rites.
Part three deals with Findings of Potentials
for Development. This part in particular
talks about various plants usually used by
Dayak communities in East Kalimantan to
deal with various diseases. Aside from that,
we also explain doyo-weaving techniques
and several tools typical of Dayak
communities.
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Children in PepasEheng lamin,Sendawar,West Kutai(Rangga Purbaya)
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from Long House Construction
to Backbone Technology
02. Culture s And Local Wisdom
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Umaq dadu, Long Anai.(Rangga Purbaya)
Technology, in a narrow sense, is result of
human effort to deal with nature around
them. A technology developing in a
community cannot be separated from itsviews toward nature and fellow humans.
In a broad sense, technology is not merely
a tool to achieve an end, but also a place
where various activities take place. Each
technology offers dreams and hopes, as well
as human efforts to materialize them.
For most Dayaks, their technology and
science systems are closely related to
their subsistent farming. We could better
familiarize ourselves with the technology
of Dayak people through physical work
inherent in their daily lives. This part of
the book explains various technologies of
Dayak people in East Kalimantan that reect
their cultural richness and local wisdoms,
starting with their lamin (long) house,
farming system, various daily tools, food
processing, ritual equipment, sound signs,
transportation, to the birth of the famous
ulap dolo.
Each technology offers dreams and
hopes, as well as human efforts tomaterialize them.
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Housing Technology
The typical material culture of Dayak tribes
is manifested in their lamin or betang,or long house. Lamin is found almost
throughout Kalimantan. The Dayaks consist
of hundreds of sub-tribes. According to
Charles Hoses analyses as referred to
by Maulani (2000), lamin was a cultural
heritage of Kahayan Dayaks who migrated
less than 1,000 years ago from Irawadi
highland in Burma. Evidences of Kahayan
Dayaks existence could be found at least
in four big rivers in Kalimantan two in
Central Kalimantan, one in East Kalimantan,
and another one in North Kalimantan,
Serawak that are named Kahayan.
Lamin or Long House
Just like other cultural heritages, the
number of long houses (lamin or betang) in
Kalimantan continues to decrease and is
now near extinction. One of the few betang
houses still standing is the Sungolo Betang
House of the Tamambaloh Apalin Dayak
community in West Kalimantan. Inhabited
by 500 people (around 130 families),
Betang Sungolo, which is 268 meters long
and has 53 rooms (from previously 63),
Datah Bilang Dayaks working to-gether to renovate a lamin.(Rangga Purbaya)
is the longest long house still standing
in Kalimantan (Wisetyo, 2007). In East
Kalimantan, there are several long houses
called lamin. Several of those long houses,
especially those in West Kutai, are still
very strong and still have occupants,
although they have undergone several
renovation works. Meanwhile, in Central
Kalimantan, long houses are rarely found
as they have split into individual houses
that accommodate nuclear family members
(Maulani, 200).
Based on their residential types, Dayak
communities in West Kutai are divided
into two: those who live on land and those
who live along rivers. Long houses or
lamin built on dry land can be reached
with land transportation, such as Pepas
Eheng, Engkuni, Pintuq/Benung, Tolan,
Mancong, and Tanjung Isuy. Meanwhile,
long houses built by Dayak communitiesliving along rivers are Amin Aya Uma Belua
in Long Pahangai Hulu, Amin Aya Uma
Baleh in Long Pahangai Hilir, Datah Bilang
Hilir Long House, and Datah Bilang Hulu
Long House, can be reached through river
transportation only.
Before entering the Datah Bilang area, we
observed houses on rafts called lanting in
local language in Mahakam River. Besides
serving as a dwelling place, lanting also
functions as kiosks selling a wide variety
of goods such as fuel, food, lodging, and
even as ports where Dayak people wait
for river transportation going upstream
or downstream. While in Datah Bilang, we
also spent several nights in lanting.
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In other words, houses built by the Dayaks
along Mahakam river are classied into
two: raft houses and stilt houses (rumah
panggung). The stilt house, simply referred
to as lamin or balai, and ordinary houses
are located along the riverbank, while raft
houses oat along riverbanks.
Raft or oating houses use bengkirai logs
with a diameter of 60 centimeters and four
to ve meters long. The logs are arranged
horizontally. The number of logs used
depends on the owners nancial ability.
After being arranged, the logs are tied with
rattan in such a way that the surface is at.
After arranging and tying the logs, they
then place wood panels on top neatly and
Shops on a raft found in a great number along Mahakan river.(Rangga Purbaya)
rm them up by nailing them to the logs.
The wood panels serve as the raft oor.
They then erect posts on the panels to
build a house. The houses walls are madeof wood panels and its roof of ulin wood
shingles. To prevent oscillating or being
drawn by current, the raft house is then
tied to ulin wood posts planted rmly on
the riverbank.
Compared to stilt houses, raft houses are
very simple from the architecture point of
view, with sparse ornaments. Raft houses
usually last for 20 years but the raw
materials such as logs with diameters and
length mentioned above are now difcult
to nd.
The construction of stilt houses uses
several long columns to support the house
as we witnessed in the research area.
In Datah Bilang Hilir and Datah Bilang
Hulu, there are two long houses owned by
Kenyah Dayak Community. Named Amin
Biu Lepoq, the long house in Datah Bilang
Hulu was built in 1976. It is 20-meter in
length and 60-meter in width. Lamins
roof is made of ulin wood (Eusideroxylon
zwageri) shingles, while wall from wood
panels and oor from ulin wood panels.
The long house in Datah Bilang Hilir, on
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Left: The view inside a Long Anai lamin.Right: Datah Bilang residents piling up roong shingles..
(Rangga Purbaya)
the other hand, is called Amin Data Bilang
Hilir and was built in 1975. It is 16 meters
long and 50 meters wide, with roong
made of ulin wood shingles, walls from
wood panels, and oor ulin wood panels.
The lamin stands rm on mid-height ulin
wood columns not far from the Mahakam
riverbank.
Lamin, amin, or long house is part of the
Dayak identity. Lamin may be considered
as a symbol that consistenty promotes
values of togetherness and brotherhood
based on conviction of solidarity, mutual
help, and harmony (Sedyawati dkk., 1995).
Philosophical values on life priorities are
lived out in the lamin everyday.
Manifestations of those values were clearly
recorded in the working together, which
is locally known as gotong-royong, in
xing the roof of Datah Bilang Hilir long
house. All male residents of Datah Bilang
Hilir, regardless of their ages and faith or
religion, and ethnic groups Buginese,
Banjarnese, Javanese, and Dayaknese allparticipated in the activity. That activity
also demonstrated fair distribution of job:
young people were involved in tough jobs
such as making shingles from very hard
ulin logs under the scorching sun in the
yard just outside the long house. Elderly
people, on the other hand, worked inside
the long house, in fact in the long houses
kitchen. Some of them weaved banana
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as well as its values still use lamin as
reference. So, just like lamin, function
rooms or balai, also now serve as one of
Dayak identities and must be present at
every Dayak villages.
The Kenyah Umaq Bakung Dayaks own the
Datah Bilang Hulu and Datah Bilang Hilir
long houses. In the lamins front, there isan ulin wood belawing with a diameter of
50 centimeters. On the belawing, the date
when it was made is written: 24-4-1996.
The long house that serves as balai or
function house has six main columns, each
with a diameter of 60 centimeters, which
are carved with Kenyah Dayak motifs. In
the verandah, there is a stage about a half
meter high. In the front side just under the
leaves to wrap rice and hold meat broth
and drink, while others whittled bamboo,
and others cooked rice, meat, and boiled
water. This work-together activity did not
involve women since they have their work
in their respective families, such as drying
unhusked rice under the sun, making
rattan handicraft, cooking, and so on.
Built by the Dayak Kenyah community,
the long houses in Datah Bilang Hilir and
Datah Bilang Hulu were not meant to be
communal residence but as places for
community meetings and socio-cultural
activities. From our current perspective,
lamin is now identical with a function hall
as its structure, construction method,
SP
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Amin Biu Lepoq, Datah Bilang Hulu.(Rangga Purbaya)
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stage, there is a relief describing gradual
migration of local people from Tege village
in Apokayan. They began to leave Tege
village in 1861 and 1930 and arrived atDatah Bilang village in 1975.
Just like in Datah Bilang Hilir and Datah
Bilang Hulu, the long house we visited in
Long Isun, Long Nunuk, Long Pakaq, Long
Pahangi and Long Apari also function as
places for socio-cultural activities only
and as symbols of identity for local Dayak
communities. In Long Isun lamin, the
verandah where people use to gather is
equipped with a drum, boat, mortar, and
various tools and equipment for traditional
rites such as hudoq, ngayau, mamat, dangai,
and so on. The carvings on the poles and
inner and outer walls carry typical Dayak
motifs. There are also statues of hornbill
and belawing birds.
Unlike in Datah Bilang, where long housesare already used for community activities,
long houses in Long Hubung are still
under construction. Residents of Long
Hubung generally belong to the Bahau
Dayak community. Sixteen ulin poles are
now standing 10 meters high. The poles
were planted one and a half meters deep
to serve as foundation. The distance from
one pole to another is around four meters. A scenery at Datah Suling village, Mahakam Hulu.(Rangga Purbaya)
To keep the poles erect, the logs are tied to
one another using bamboo bars and rattan.
The long house is to stretch eight meterswide and 24 meters long. In the middle of
the planned long house, there is a pole of
the same height but of bigger diameter,
around 50 centimeters. In the front side,
there are two poles of ulin wood, 30 cm in
diameter. At the edge of the planned lamin,
there are piles of construction materials,
including logs of ulin wood, ulin shinglesand shingles of other woods. We were
tipped that the same lamin would be used
as the governments District Ofce.
Built by the Dayak Kenyah community, the long houses in Datah Bilang
Hilir and Datah Bilang Hulu were not meant to be communal residencebut as places for community meetings and socio-cultural activities.
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Lamin Long Tuyoq (Rangga Purbaya)
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The Bahau Long Gelat Dayak community
owns the Long Tuloq long house.
Currently, three families inhabit the lamin.
The house has a unique feature comparedto other long houses. The lamins kitchen
is located inside the main room and is
used during traditional rituals only. The
house also has two stories: the rst story
for activities of local people, especially
for meetings. The rst and second story
is connected with a staircase made from
carved ulin wood. On the second oor,
there are three doors leading to the room
of the three families, descendants of Bahau
Long Gelat Dayak royal families. The
royal descendants are called hipuy, while
ordinary people are called panyin.
On the second oor Belawing Belareq, head
of Bahau Long Gelat Dayak tribe in Long
Tuyoq, who also serves as traditional elder
of the Long Pahangai District, greeted us.
The second oor is also used as a meetingplace for hipuy. As a meeting place, the
oor in front of the rooms is elevated by
around 50 centimeters from the seats of
hipuy. In the event of a meeting with the
panyin, the hipuy usually hold an internal
meeting rst in the second oor before
they go down to the rst oor to meet
ordinary people. Usually, the common
people work as craftsmen weaving rattans
into anjat (Dayak traditional bag) and
gravitate around farm work.
The long house appears very old but stillwell maintained. In front of the lamin,
there is a yard of the football court size
and a belawing statue carved out of ulin
log. Just outside the court, there are
several poles of ulin logs that appear
to be very old. The eld, along with the
poles, is the place where local people hold
the kayau ceremony. In the past, kayau
ceremony was a ritual designed to show off
the heads of the enemies they have killed
to villagers. Not far from the eld is the
Mahakam river.
The houses of Bahau Busang Long Gelat
Dayak are located not far from left and
right of Long Tulog long house. In other
words, the Long Tulog long house is
located in the middle of the village and
becomes the center of socio-culturalactivities of local people.
We can say that the long house in Datah
Dawai is older than the Long Tuyoq lamin.
This is due to the fact that people still used
rattan, not nails, to tie and hold the lamins
walls and roof. The house is standing
on ulin wood poles of around 4 meters
high and diameters of 30 centimeters.
The lamins kitchen is located inside the main room and is used
during traditional rituals only. The house also has two stories: therst story for activities of local people, especially for meetings.
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The houses oor is made of thick wood
panels, each tied with rattan. The house is
inhabited by only one woman aged more
than 65 years. Although the house is stillstanding tall, the long houses durability is
slowly worn out due to age.
Meanwhile, Tolan Bawah and Tolan Atas
long houses in Lambing, Muara Lawa
District, are owned by Benuaq Dayak
tribe. Our resource person, Y. Nyangkum,
says the two long houses already existed
during the colonial time, around 1920s.
The Tolan Bawah long house, which is
younger than Tolan Atas lamin, is no longer
inhabited. In front of the lamin, there is a
wooden belontakng statue signifying that
a traditional rite called kwangkai (seeing
off the soul) was once held there. The
condition of Tolan Bawah lamin is rather
worrisome. Its shingle roof is now leaking,
its wall, which is made of tree barks, are
also worn out and torn, while its rattanand bamboo ooring is also on its way of
becoming dilapidated.
The kitchens of both Tolan Bawah and
Tolan Atas long houses are not separated
from the lamins main room; they are
lower than the oor of the main room.
Meanwhile, the bath, laundry, and toilet
room is separated from the long house.
Underneath the long house, there is a
chickenrun and piles of wood. Tolan
Bawah lamin has three rooms, which, as
mentioned above, are no longer inhabitedas the former occupants have all passed
away, while their surviving family members
chose to build their own house in front
of the long house. Tolan Atas lamin, on
the other hand, is still inhabited by two
families. The walls of Tolan Atas long house
is made from tree bark, while its oor is a
mixture of rattan and bamboo. The houses
poles are tied with rattan. The house has
12 main poles and four windows. People
who stay in the Tolan Atas long house use
oil lamps to illuminate the house in the
evening. Tolan Atas long house, to a certain
extent, reects past long houses.
The physical appearances of Tolan Bawah
and Tolan Atas long houses are very
similar to long houses in Pepas Eheng,
though their sizes are relatively smaller.The sizes of Tohan Bawah and Tohan Atas
long houses are more or less the same
as those of the long houses in Benuang.
Pieces of mattress spotted folded during
daytime indicate that the inhabitants also
use the lamins main room for sleeping.
In the evening, they spread the mats to
sleep on.
Statues in front oflPepas Eheng lamin. (Steve Pillar)
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The front side of the long house is facing
east, where there is a belontakng and big
eld and un-asphalted road stretching
over one kilometer towards the main
road. The back side, facing west, water
is owing for bathing. Underneath, there
are animals such as dogs, pigs, chickens,
cows, and cats. Coconut trees, papaya,
star-fruit tree, areca palm, orange, and
mango trees grow around the long house.
The well-maintained grass is used to drymats or mosquito nets. On the right side
of the lamin, which is a little bit slanting,
there are cemeteries of relatives of the
inhabitants.
When we visited the Tolan Atas long house,
two women staying in the house were
still weaving rattan into mats, although
the night had began to fall and envelopedus with darkness. Perhaps, this is one the
characteristics of people working with
their intuition, uniting their hands with
their hearts, as darkness did little to deter
the women from continuing with their
work, while their husbands were working
as farmers.
The Busang Dayak long house in Long
Pahangi is named Amin Aya Long Pahangai.
The house, which is also called Amin
Adat Uma Ulu and Hilir, is more or less
40 meters long and 15 meters wide. The
two lamins or amins have 10 poles, four
of which are 50 centimeters in diameter
and two main poles are 60 centimeters in
Doh Ding, weaving a mat, Long Tuyoq.(Rangga Purbaya)
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diameter. The six poles are decorated with
incisions ofasolejo motive, a tiger legend
and a human face named nangbrang.
The house oor and land surface is
connected with stairs three meters in
height made of ulin wood. The stair
is covered with wood panels to prevent
people and animals from entering the
house easily. In the past, the stair was
pulled upward in the evening to prevent
enemies and animals from entering thelong house. The lamins oor is made
from bengkirai wood panels as thick as 10
centimeters and 60 centimeters wide. The
long house has two rooms occupied by
two families.
The two houses have spacious verandas
for consultation meetings. In the
verandah, there are two tuwung (drum)
made of bengkirai tree bark for rituals,and one sung (mortar) in the shape of a
boat with four holes for pounding rice. On
the upper pole were hung equipment for
rituals such as the statue of enggang bird
and kaliwet (a cat-sized animal, one of
those protected animals)
Residents of Tiong Ohang village in Long
Apari District belong to the Aoheng/Penihing Dayak sub-tribe. They have
a long house called Amin Aya Bangun,
which was built in 1980. The house is 40
meters long and 15 meters wide, four
meters above the ground. The lamins
roof is made from shingles of ulin wood,
while its walls are of wood panels, and its
Above left: Rattan peel beingshaped and smoothened, Long
Isun.(Rangga Purbaya)
Above right: A big tamborine atUmaq Dadu, Lung Anai.
(Steve Pillar)
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floor is made of wood panels. This long
house is exclusively used for traditional
rites and meetings.
The long house in Naha Buan village in Long
Apari District, named Baang Adat Huvung
Nyoaang Noha Boan, is smaller in size
compared to the Tiong Ohan long house. Its
length is only 20 meters and is 15 meters wide.
The long house has 10 poles of ulin wood and
is only one meter above the land surface.
In the lamins verandah, there is a tuwung(drum), suan (alu), and losung (lesung). The
tuwung is reversed to its support, so with the
losung (rice pounder) at a corner. A staff, Lasa,
explains that the reversed positions of the
equipment means mourning over the dead of
a community member who believes in their
ancestors religious belief.
The long house in Tiong Buu is located
across Tiong Ohang village and Naha
Buhan and is separated by the MahakamRiver. The size of Tiong Buu lamin is
almost the same as that of the Naha Buan
long house.
Dayak Kayan owns the long house in Long
Paka. Its length and width are the same
as those of the Naha Buan and Tiong Buu
long houses. Inside the long house, there
is a drum and lesung (rice pounder). Thelong house also functions as a meeting
place and place for traditional rituals. The
traditional elder head of the Kayan Dayak
tribe lives behind the long house.
Above left: Lesung, Noha Buan.(Rangga Purbaya)
Above right: A tamborine at Lamin BaangAdat Huvung Nyoang Noha Buan.(Rangga Purbaya)
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Totem, Lamin Tiong Buu.
(Rangga Purbaya)
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Amin Dadu Long Anai
A small long house built in Long Anai in 2007 is called Amin Dadu. Amin could be translated
as a dwelling place (room) of a family unit in an umaq dadoq (lamin long house). Amin
Dadu stands facing the jananbio (village road) and is situated next to a church. When we
visited the house, Amid Dadu was inhabited by two families that had just arrived from Apo
Kayan area. Kenyah community members in Long Anai, out of their great respect for the
spirit of brotherhood, togetherness, allowed the two families to stay in Amin Dadu. Their
consideration was simple: the two families had just arrived and were not yet able to build
their own houses.
(Rangga Purbaya)
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Lamin Pepas Eheng
The long house in Pepas Eheng is 70.4 meters long and 30 meters wide, supported by 33
main poles. The color of the building is now fading, suggesting that the long house is already
old. Inside the long house, there are seven rooms accommodating 33 families. Animals such
as pigs, chickens, cats, and dogs are roaming around freely underneath. The long house is
located exactly next to a big road. Behind the long house lie the forest and the scattering
of bushes. Across the main road, there are typical cemeteries of Benuaq Dayak. Most of the
inhabitants of the long house work as rattan craftsmen for traditional bags called anjat.
Around the long house are various handicraft materials, includingmandau, luring potential
buyers almost every week.
(Rangga Purbaya)
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The Heritage of Rural Technology of East Kalimantans Dayaks
(Rangga Purbaya)
Bathroom
Bathroom
Bedroom
OpenB d
Kitchen
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Pintuq and Benung Long
Houses
Tradition head of Benuaq, Petrus Lama,
stays in the Pintuq long house in Benung
village. The house has 12 main poles and
four windows. Unlike the Pepas Eheng long
house, the Pintuq long house has only three
rooms. Its walls are made of wood panels
arranged downward. In exact reection of the
Tolan Atas long house, inhabitants of Pintuq
long house also sleep in the main room. A
smattering of mattressses were spotted
folded during daytime.
The long house faces east, towards the main
road, while its backside facing west, towards
the bathroom. Shadowed by the house
looming over their heads are animals and pets
such as dogs, cats, pigs, chickens, and cows.
There six water tanks in front of the long
house, each of which can hold around 200
liters of water.
Around the long house there are coconut
trees, papaya, star fruit trees, areca trees,
orange, and mango. The grass around the
long house is well maintained that it resmbles
a park, with long benches under shady trees.
The grassy eld also serves as a place wherepeople rest their mats and mosquito nets
under the sun. Inhabitants of Pintuq Benung
long house work as farmers and rubber
farmers. Every week, vehicles collecting saps
drop by the long house to buy saps.
Not far from the Pintuq long house, another
long house, Benung, stands rmly. The house
has six doors and is inhabited by extended
family members of Mr. Banyak, the customary
secretary of Benung community. The Benung
long house is located at a crossroad leading
to Engkuni and Mencimai. On the front
side, facing the long houses stair, there is a
A lamins interiorlayout in Benung
belontakng, while on the left size of the long
houses front is seen a tempelaq. The long
house, which appears to be well maintained
with decayed woods replaced, is also
equipped with a parabolic antenna.
Bedroom
GuestRoom
FamilyRoom
Bedroom
Kitchen
Porch
Porch
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Upper below: Lamin structure
at Long Lunuk, using rattan for
binding.
Lower right: Some elders of
Benung village received our team
in their home.
Lower left: Datah Bilang Hilir
residents cooking in a lamin.
(Rangga Purbaya)
performed the traditional rite kwangkai
as an offering to their ancestors. The
numerous water buffalo horns in front of
the rooms mean the family or inhabitants
have conducted the ritual many times.
Those who place water buffalo heads or
horns usually belong to the royal family
or hipuy (Bahau Dayak), paren (Kenyah
Dayak), mantiq (Benuaq Dayak), or a
wealthy family residing in the long house.
The kitchen area is divided into threesections: the dining room, cooking
space, and bathroom. The kitchen is
also elongated along the long house but
is smaller in size as it is intended to be
for cooking and bathing and laundry
purposes only. Such is the brief overview
of long houses found in West Kutai,
including Long Tuyoq, Pepas Eheng,
Datah Dawai, and so on.
Building A Long House
Before building a long house, the Dayaks
rst decide on the location where the long
house would be constructed. The most
ideal position is an east-facing long house,toward the rising sun. In other words, the
long house must stretch over a piece of
plain and dry land that allows the front
side to face east and backside face west.
This position allows the whole house to
sun exposure throughout the day.
When building a long house, the Dayaks
closely follow beliefs they inherited from
Shapes and Parts of Long
Houses
As its name suggests, a long house i s
built elongated along the main road or in
the upstream-downstream direction for
Dayak people living around the upstream
of Mahakam river. A long house is divided
into two parts: the lamin itself and the
kitchen that is separated from the long
house. Lamin itself is divided into Open
Space and Closed Space.
An open space defies the use of
partitions, only house poles. The open
space may also be called a public space as
lamin inhabitants gather there for various
activities, including weaving, meetings,
greeting guests, conducting traditional
rites for healing (belian) or rituals for
the dead, as well as weddings. Various
equipment for cultural activities and art
performances are hanged in Open Space.
Closed Space which serves as a private
room functions as a room where each
family congregate. Closed spaces are
also elongated as if to honor the shape
of the long house. Inside the closed
space, inhabitants place their respectivebeds and personal belongings. Also
inside the room, the head of the family,
children and wife conduct various family
activities. Up in the ceiling of the closed
space, the family stores various personal
belongings such as porcelain, spears,
and mandau. On lamin poles in front of
their rooms are hung the head of a water
buffalo signifying that the occupants had
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their ancestors. Either when they are
about to start construction or when the
construction is already well underway,
they always observe the moons position. If
the moon is half-covered meaning not it
is not a full moon construction may not
be continued. And if they force themselves
to continue building, they believe re
would burn down the long house.
They may not cut down trees for the long
house at random timing. The Kenyah
Dayak fell trees for a long house at the
beginning of the full moon. By following
this conviction, they believe they would
get woods that are slow to decay and have
better resistance to termite activities.
When nding a location to build the long
house, they also observe areas hit by oods
to determine the height of poles supporting
the house. With correct estimates, the
houses oor would be impervious to
overowing water in the event of oods.
The proposed lamin location should be
big enough to accommodate at least 20
families, or around 12 meters. No regulation
on width. The poles or supporting pillars
should be planted into the ground up to one
and a half meters down to ensure that the
long house would stand rm.
Kulle of the Datang Bilang Hulu believes
that instead of building private houses,
which tend to occupy more space,
residential areas built on Dayak values
may save us more money. This opinion
is in line with philosophical values of
solidarity, harmony, and mutual help
dearly held by the Dayaks. Kulle adds that
the Dayaks also have a belief that a long
house or just any other house should
not be completely made of ulin wood
but must be mixed with other woods
such as meranti and others. And if this
conviction is violated, they believe that
the inhabitants would never feel peaceful
and there will always be conflicts among
family members.
Left: A scene inside Pepas Eheng lamin; center: Lamin pole structure under construction, Long Hubung; right: Detail of lamin pole
carving, Long Hubung. (Rangga Purbaya)
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Below left:
Doh Ding, peeling an areca nut,
Long Tuyoq.
Below right:
Ding Hat, making mandau sheath,
Long Tuyoq.
(Rangga Purbaya)
Left: A scene at Long Tuyoq village.
(Rangga Purbaya)
Illustration: Yayak Yatmaka
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The Dayaks also subscribe to the principle
of meticulous time calculation to start
building a long house. No matter howsmall the planned lamin is, the same
calculation still applies. They would wait
for the ninth night the moon is up in the
sky, even if it means they need to assign a
specific person to do the counting. They
have little use for calendar dates since for
them, calendars are mere creations of the
humankind, while the moon is God-given.
The moon calculation is made based on
parallelism of the moons position with
certain parts of the human body. One-
night moon, for example, is when the
moon is right above our head, two-night
moon is when it is parallel with human
eyes, three-night moon with human ear,
four-night moon with the mouth, five-
night moon when it is parallel with the
human shoulder, six-night moon under
the elbow, seven-night moon in human
palm, eight-night moon levels at the
human elbow, and nine-night moon in the
heart. The meaning of the last calculation
is that everything should gravitate toward
the heart.
After determining the nine-night moon,
the long house begins construction based
on the mutual-help work principle, with
a strong and deep awareness of living
together under the same roof. The first
step is erecting the poles. Since the poles
are extremely large and tall, The Dayaks
employ an effective technology: pulling
small-size woods are placed along the
area where the poles would be pulled so
the big tree trunk could slide withoutIllustration: Yayak Yatmaka
Moon 2Moon 3
Moon 5
Moon 8
Moon 4
Moon 9
Moon 6
Moon 7
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