Central Kalimantan Province Pages by hunwagner
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"Central K ..." a Central Kalimantan Province Travel Page by hunwagner
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hunwagner Nanga oho itimisi ifoloi - eko o dunia ilamo poli?


Real Name: Laszlo
Lives In: Budapest, HU
Member Since: Dec 25, 2001
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hunwagner's Travel Pages







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Central Kalimantan: Stronghold of Dayak Traditions



by hunwagner - last update: Mar 2, 2005

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Dayak funerary carvings



The province of Central Kalimantan is the least visited region of the entire island of Borneo.

Nevertheless, it is one of the most fascinating. Unlike in other parts of Kalimantan, many of the Dayak tribes here have successfully resisted Christianization and have managed to maintain their rich ritual life to this day. Richly carved mausoleums and funerary poles with statues can be seen near many Dayak villages here, and seeing the culture live is possible if you locate one of the many "tiwah" festivals associated with secondary funerals.



Unfortunately most visitors see nothing of the above, but focus their visit on the overrated Tanjung Puting National Park, Kalimantan's most famous nature reserve near the coastal town of Kumai. This park is made famous by the work of Birute Galdikas, and offers the chance to see and photograph tamed orangtans being fed.

Those more interested in seeing wild orangutans and exploring the rainforest along trails, will prefer the province's other national parks, notably Bukit Baka - Bukit Raya NP on the border with West Kalimantan.

Two new parks have also been declared in Central Kalimantan recently, though information on them is scarce and facilities lacking.

Those interested in Dayak culture should head for the interior. There are regular boats on many of Central Kalimatan's great rivers, and once upriver, you can still find longhouses and festivals.

The modern provincial capital, Palangkaraya, with its helpful tourist office and museum offering insights into the local culture is a logical gateway into the province.



Getting off the beaten track here will require time and a knowledge of Indonesian. But if you do, you won't regret it!







 

 The Asmat tribe resides in the tidal swamplands of West Papua's south coast. They are renowned amongst tribal art experts world wide as woodcarvers of the highest order. They were previously notorious as head-hunters and cannibals.


The Asmat Wowipit (wood carver) has a truly spiritual approach to carving and each piece made is imbued with the spirit energy of their ancestors. An Asmat carving can therefore be regarded as a bridge between the material and spirit worlds. The Asmat believe that their creator - FUMERAPITJS - carved their ancestors from trees and gave them the blessing of life, so from the very beginning the relationship of carver to wood is totally sacred.

Asmat territory is remote, not always easily accessible. A maze of rivers runs through the lowland swamp forests and the only way to travel is by motorised dug-out between the small villages that fringe the rivers. Accommodation is provided in traditional wooden longhouses.

Aside from local disputes the Asmat are now by and large a peaceful artistic people. They subsist on a diet of sago palm supplemented by fish, prawns and some fowl. They have a particularly strong relationship and regard for the human skull, hence the history of head-hunting, and particularly the skull of a revered ancestor. Skulls are used as pillows or hung as a pendant forming a potent contact point with the spirit world.

If you are of mystical, inquisitive nature, a visit to the Asmat and an experience of their lifestyle and beliefs will be very rewarding indeed. Signs and links to the spirit-world are everywhere. It should be stressed that the Asmat region is sometimes difficult and uncomfortable. There is a lot of mud and insects and any visitor should be prepared for that reality. However, if you have a real interest in probing and understanding Asmat culture then this would be the trip of a lifetime.

 

prambanan

 

borobudur