Thursday, September 17, 2009

Diversity Of Traditional Dayak Culture at Borneo

Indonesia diversity of Culture reflect at Borneo Island. Intriguing history of Sultan Kingdoms and traditional Dayak Tribes, with a wealth of ecological and cultural treasures that survive deep within the rainforest jungle of Indonesia ’s largest island. With its legacy of Chinese, Malay, Hindu, Muslim, and Dutch influences, we discover a virtual mosaic of traditions flourishing in the bustling seaports and riverside cities of Borneo. Kalimantan ’s dense jungle and wide terrain of wetlands have traditionally kept the region isolated from all but the adventurous travelers, and along the upper reaches of the rivers, you can discover the rich Dayak Culture. The indigenous Dayak settlements along the Rivers of Kalimantan is an ideal way to experience the incredible culture, where village elders practice traditional medicine and mark their status with intricate body tattoos and remarkably heavy ear adornments, we will be warmly welcomed guests in their traditional longhouses. At Borneo you can enjoy a sightful experience of traditional culture and grand diversity of exotic flora and wildlife from black orchids to fresh water dolphins and orangutans, and venture ashore for captivating jungle explorations and unforgettable encounters in our village visits. Join us for a once-in-a-lifetime exploration of the Kalimantan Island!
Kalimantan Tour Operator in Indonesia, is able to serve your Golden Traveling Routes to the Deep Hinterland of Mystic Borneo / Kalimantan Island, as Jungle treks, Dayak indigenous Culture, Adventure trips in area's as the Apokayan, Kayan River, Mahakam River, Barito River, Rungan River, Kahayan River, Katingan River, Kapuas River, Mount Meratus, Kutai National Park, Kayan Mentarang Reserve, Tanjung Puting National Park, Camp Leakey, Orangutan tours, Tangkiling National Park, Gunung Palung National Park, Danau Semantrum National Park, Kersik Luwai Reserve, Diving at Derawan Islands, Longhouse Tours, Dayak Hunting Tours, Mahakam Dolphin Tours, Orangutan safari,Safari, Safari Tours, Safari Tour, Adventure Tour, Adventure Tours, Adventure expedition, Adventure Expeditions, Expedition Tours, Expedition tour, Expeditions tour, trip, trek, trekking, Adventure trek, Adventure trekking, Adventure trips, jungle trek, jungle treks, jungle trekking, jungle trekkings, jungle tour, jungle tours, jungle adventure tour, jungle adventure tours, rain forest trek, rainforest trekking, rain forest trekkings rain forest tour, rain forest tours, rain forest adventure tour, rain forest adventure tours, rain forest expeditions, rain forest adventure expedition tours, wild life adventure, wild life tour, wild life tours, wild life expedition, wild life expedition tours, bird tour, bird tours, wild life safari, wild life safari tour, wild life safari tours, safari trip, , travel to Kalimantan, travel to Borneo, wild life travel, adventure travel, expedition travel, traveler, traveling, touring, tourism, backpack tour, backpack tours, backpacker tour, backpacker tours, backpacker expedition, backpacker safari, backpacker traveler, backpacker traveling, of the beaten track tours, of the beaten track expeditions, of the beaten track travel, of the beaten track safari, of the beaten track expedition, Kalimantan of the beaten trek, of the beaten trek, of the beaten trek tours, of the beaten trek adventure, Kalimantan of the beaten track, itineraries, itinerary, tour program, tour programs, pax, travel compagnion, travel friend, cross the border of Malaysia to Indonesia, cross the Kalimantan Border, cross the Borneo border, Tawau to Nunukan, Tawau to Tarakan, cross the border tawau, cross the border Nunukan, cross the border Long Bawan, cross the Border Entikong, fly, flights, airlines, Hotel, Hotels, tour reservation, tour operator, Kalimantan tour operator, Borneo tour operator, eco tourism tour, eco toursim tours, eco tour, eco tours, ecotourism, tours to Sabah, Sarawak etc, etc. Hotel bookings, Taxi / Car rental service, Boat rental, Flight bookings and a lot more can be arranged.

The Dayak culture Tour Expeditions are a collection of exploratories and Indonesia dream destination journeys that reflect the particular passions and favorite places. We created the Borneo adventure tours for those who search a indigenous Dayak Culture in the deep dense jungle with it's exotic flora and fauna. Borneo travelers will have an unforgettable experience trip in Indonesia, however, it is designed for those who are adventurous in body and spirit.

History of the Dayak People
Common interpretations in anthropology agree that nearly all the Dayaks tribes, are of a larger more common Austronesian migration from Asia, regarded to have settled in the South East Asian Archipelago some 3,000 years ago. The main Dayaks are the Bakumpai and Dayak Bukit of South Kalimantan, The Ngajus, and Baritos of Central Kalimantan, Benuaqs,Kayan and Kenyah of East Kalimantan, and the Ibans of West Kalimantan and Malay Borneo, Other populations are the nomadic Punan, which are live nowadays along the Border between Kalimantan and Sabah / Sarawak. Coastal populations in Borneo are largely Muslim in belief, however these groups (Ilanun, Melanau, Kutai) are generally considered to be Islamized Dayaks, native to Borneo, and governed by the relatively high cultural influences of the Javanese Majapahit Kingdoms and Islamic Malay Sultanates, periodically covering South East Asian history. Traditionally, Dayak agriculture was based on swidden rice cultivation. Agricultural Land in this sense was used and defined primarily in terms of hill rice farming, ladang (garden), and hutan (forest). Dayaks organised their labour in terms of traditionally based land holding groups which determined who owned rights to land and how it was to be used. The "green revolution" in the 1950s, spurred on the planting of new varieties of wetland rice amongst Dayak tribes. The main dependence on subsistence and mid-scale agriculture by the Dayak has made this group active in this industry. Nowadays, the Dayaks work in the mining industry, wood industry, and plantations of Borneo.

Religion
The Dayak indigenous religion is Kaharingan a form of animism which is categorized as a part of Hinduism in Indonesia. The practice of Kaharingan differs from group to group, and for example in some religious customary practices, when a noble (kamang) dies, it is believed that the spirit ascends to a mountain where the spirits of past ancestors of the tribe reside. On particular religious occasions, the spirit is believed to descend to partake in celebration, a mark of honour and respect to past ancestries and blessings for a prosperous future. Over the last two centuries, most Dayaks converted to Christianity which was introduced by European & American missionaries, and created a social bulwark against the spread of Islam. Relations, however in all religious groups are generally good. Despite the destruction of pagan religions in Europe by Christians, most of the people who try to conserve the Dayak's religion are missionaries

Society
The most salient feature of Dayak social organisation is the practice of Longhouse domicile. This is a structure supported by hardwood posts that can be hundreds of metres long, usually located along a terraced at the river bank. At one side is a long communal platform, from which the individual households can be reached. Longhouses have a door and apartment for every family living in the longhouse. For example, a Longhouse of 200 doors is equivalent to a settlement of 200 families. Headhunting was an important part of Dayak culture, there used to be a tradition of retaliation for old headhunts, which kept the practise alive. Reports describe Dayak War parties with captured enemy heads. At various times, there have been massive coordinated raids in the interior, and throughout coastal Borneo. Metal-working is elaborately used for making mandaus ( machetes ). The blade is made of a softer iron, to prevent breakage, with a narrow strip of a harder iron wedged into a slot in the cutting edge for sharpness. The headhunting necessitated being able to draw the parang quickly. For this purpose, the mandau is fairly short, which also better serves the purpose of trailcutting in dense forest. It is holstered with the cutting edge facing upwards and at that side there is an upward protrusion on the handle, so it can be drawn very quickly with the side of the hand without having to reach over and grasp the handle first. The hand can then grasp the handle while it is being drawn. The combination of these three factors (short, cutting edge up and protrusion) makes for an extremely fast drawing-action. The ceremonial mandaus used for dances are as beautifully adorned with feathers as the dresses are.

Politics
Under Indonesia's transmigration programme, settlers from densely-populated Java and Madura were encouraged to settle in the Kalimantan provinces, but their presence was, and still is, resented by Dayaks, Banjars and local Malays . The large scale transmigration projects initiated by the Dutch and continued by the current national government, caused widespread breakdown in social and community cohesion during the late 20th Century. The systemic and violent attacks on Indonesian Madurese settlers, including mass executions of whole Madurese transmigrant communities. Eventually, order was restored by the Indonesian Military but this was late in application. The Indonesian government have stopped the transmigration plan in 2001

No comments:

Post a Comment