Maintaining the last "Mother"

KOMPAS/DIONISIUS REYNALDO TRIWIBOWO

A forest durian tree used to be used in the monjatak (climbing) by the ancestors of Dayak Tomun, in Kubung Village, Delang, Lamandau Regency, Central Kalimantan, Sunday (07/08/2018). In this village, indigenous people carefully maintain their forests, where non-timber products they obtain can support their families and even send their children to college.

"Muji sengat" or Dayak Tomun prayer was beautifully sung by Juhar, 61, a resident of Kubung Village, Delang District, Lamandau Regency, Central Kalimantan, last July.

Pantak pinangm/bebuah amm emas

baih/madu am/cobo madu halum/cobo

halum/lau kombak’n madu/cobo

madu/kona intuk’n pinjak panam kano/

raja pulo/kombak mbaih.

(Areca nut also bears fruit of

gold, you are the gold owner so

it doesn’t matter to have

no honey, so fill our jar

with your honey)

In a fast tone and chanted without musical instruments, the prayer accompanied Titus, 54, to climb over 30 meters of a durian forest tree to harvest honey and fruit. "The song is to prevent the bees from stinging and to tell the tree guard spirits to allow the climber to be smooth when climbing," said Juhar.

In the Dayak Tomun language, this climbing tradition is called monjatak. They take what is given by nature in moderation. No exploitation, no damage, and no greed. This tradition of ancestral heritage has become a form of preserving the nature that guarantees their lives.

Kubung Village is 615 kilometers or 15 hour-drive from Palangkaraya, the capital of Central Kalimantan. Kompas had the opportunity to witness the monjatak event when residents held the Dayak Tomun Village Festival in the forest, which is about 5 kilometers from Kubung.

Titus inserted a number of bosi (ironwood stakes) on the stem of the tree as a ladder. In addition to being a foothold, bosi also functions as a bamboo binder measuring 5 meters long. Awat, 46, another climber, supplied the bamboo from below. The bamboo will later become a bridge for other climbers to take honey and fruits.

It only took half an hour for Titus to be at a height of 25 meters. Leaving the remaining 5 meters from the top, Titus went down. It was Juhar\'s turn to complete the monjatak work. He tied the bamboo on his body while walking along the bosi. Juhar headed for the top, installed the last bamboo, making it very close to the fruits and honey.

Kubung Village chief Edy Zacheus said, the monjatak work was not easy. Throughout his life, three people died after falling from trees. "Before climbing, everything must be prepared properly. The equipment, the right tree, how to climb, up to undergoing the ritual," said Edy.

KOMPAS/DIONISIUS REYNALDO TRIWIBOWO

Juhar, one of the climbing experts, is showing the monjatak (climbing) tradition from the ancestors of Dayak Tomun, in Kubung Village, Delang, Lamandau Regency, Central Kalimantan, Sunday (07/08/2018). In this village, indigenous people carefully maintain their forests, where non-timber products they obtain can support their families and even send their children to college.

Source of income

The results are worth the trouble. Great climber holds haj titles and are highly respected in the village. Even though they die, their names will be remembered. "They are entitled to the forest honey. The incomes from forest honey help the survival of the haj pilgrims," said Edy.

Mantir (an expert) of Kubung Village tradition, Tirbong, 41, is one of the pilgrims. In one harvest, he can get 10-15 bottles of 500 milliliters of honey sold at Rp 100,000 to Rp 200,000 per bottle. The higher the honey place, the more expensive the price will be because the quality of honey is better.

In addition to financing their daily needs, Tirbong sends his daughter, Lilin Ulandari, to attend the Palangkaraya State High School of Hinduism. His youngest child, Selin Kobi, 18, is still in high school in Kudangan, the capital of Delang District.

Tirbong will be the last haj in his family. He forbids children from following in his footsteps because they are too risky.

A Dayak cultural observer, Nila Riwut, in her book, Maneser Panatau Tatu Hiang, said, Dayak people uphold friendship with nature. They never clear the forest or process it without the permission of the forest guards.

Declaration of management areas

Dayak people faithfully maintain the harmony of nature. Of the eight sub-districts in Lamandau, only Delang and Batangkawa are not invaded by oil palm plantation companies. Kubung and Sekombulan villages in Delang declared a community management area of 23,000 hectares complete with their forest boundaries. In that place, residents look for honey and other non-timber forest products.

The spirit of guarding the forests in Kubung and Sekombulan spreads to another village in Delang. There are six villages that map the community management areas covering 32,500 hectares. The mapping was carried out in a participatory manner, accompanied by the Indonesian Forum for the Environment (Walhi) of Central Kalimantan. Residents do not want forests to disappear.

”Hutan indai kito (forest is our ‘mother’). We will maintain that,” said Edy.

Based on data from the Central Kalimantan Walhi, forest areas decline every year. If in 1990 it was still 11.05 million hectares, in 2014 there were only 7.8 million hectares due to being cleared for various interests.

Until 2018, there are 327 large plantations with a total coverage of 3.9 million hectares, including those which have been operational and still being developed. There are also 1,007 mining business permits and concession lands covering 3.6 million hectares. That fact threatens Kalimantan\'s tropical forest, which function as the world\'s lungs.

Strong determination to maintain the forests is imprinted on Edy\'s face, the remaining monjatak expert and other citizens of Kubung. They don\'t want the forests in Kubung to be destroyed. The forests are the mother of life that must be maintained. Without forests, human life will end.