A Full Life in the Longhouse

KOMPAS/EMANUEL EDI SAPUTRA

A resident of a long house weaves rattan into various products on Monday (6/8/2018).

Generations of the Dayak Iban community in Sungai Utik village live in a longhouse. The house is the core of their culture: it is a space to preserve kinship, enshrine traditions and foster a love of nature.

It was all quiet in Sungai Utik village on Monday (6/8/2018) afternoon. Several women, aged between 50 and 80 years old, were making various rattan handicrafts in the ruai, the space in the longhouse between the terrace and family rooms.

Children were playing around in the space, which measures 214 meters by six meters and looks very much like an indoor field. Sometimes they ran on the terrace, chasing the dogs that their parents often bring when hunting or working in the field.

Later in the afternoon, the longhouse got more crowded as more and more people arrived back from the fields with their harvest yields and tools. Near the house, there is a river with crystal clear and refreshingly cool water. It is where the people take their bath on their way home from the fields. Children also often splash around in the river. Some fish and others relax on boats.

Sungai Utik village is located on Kapuas Hulu regency, around 600 kilometers from West Kalimantan capital Pontianak. A Dayak longhouse, also called a rumah betang, measuring 214 meters long, sits in the village. It is partially made from the sturdy kayu ulin, or Bornean ironwood.

The longhouse in Sungai Utik was built in 1973. It stands on stilts two meters above the ground. The structure comprises several parts. The front-most part, measuring 214 meters by 6 meters, is called the tanjok. It is where the locals store and sun-dry their harvest yield. After the tanjok, there is the terrace with wooden chairs where the locals relax after arriving back home from the fields. Various rattan handicrafts hang on the wall.

Inside the house, there is the ruai, the living room, which also measures 214 meters by 6 meters. Apart from the ruai, the longhouse also has rooms with beds, kitchens and bathrooms. There are a total of 46 rooms, each of which houses between one and four families.

At night, people in the longhouse visit one another’s rooms. They sit in circles and drink fermented palm water. Fish and vegetables are served and people talk about many subjects, including their field activities.

Apai Janggut, 88, is the head of the Sungai Utik longhouse, known as the tuai rumah. “The tuai rumah determines everything, including the farming season, harvesting season, customary laws and various important meetings in the longhouse. The tuai rumah is an inherited position,” Apai Janggut said.

Through his leadership, the tuai rumah has a significant role in preserving traditions and local forests. The Sungai Utik customary land covers an area of 9,452 hectares, of which 6,780 hectares is primary forest. “The primary forest must not be disturbed. We protect and preserve it,” Apai Janggut continued.

If locals wish to cut down a tree, they have to plant two trees and pay a fine, which will go into the village coffers and be used for village activities.

“Locals plant the rattan that they use for handicrafts. They harvest rattan from their own gardens. It is not taken from the primary forest,” Apai Janggut explained.

KOMPAS/EMANUEL EDI SAPUTRA

A resident of the Sungai Utik long house dries lays out crops to dry on Monday (6/8/2018).

Solidarity

Stefanus Masiun, head of the West Kalimantan branch of the Indigenous Peoples Alliance of the Archipelago (AMAN), said the Dayak Iban community was historically known for their persistence in protecting their customs and culture. This is why many still live in longhouses today. For the community, the longhouses symbolize a life of solidarity.

“The longhouse is the heart of the people’s culture. One example is the thanksgiving ceremony held after harvesting in the longhouse. It is impossible to hold the ceremony in a single house as it involves inviting many people,” Stefanus said.

Longhouses help locals maintain solidarity, bonds of kinship and peace. Many believe this is the reason behind the longevity of longhouse residents.

This sense of solidarity is reflected in the long time it takes to build one longhouse — sometimes up to five years. Apart from solidarity, good leadership by the tuai rumah is also necessary. This is also because many ceremonies are involved in building a longhouse.

The strong tradition is also reflected in decision-making processes. In meetings, decisions are made only with the full agreement of all residents. When even one resident disagrees with something, solutions will be sought to obtain a unanimous agreement. Despite living in a longhouse, the community is not reclusive. Socially, the community extends a warm welcome to all outsiders. All those who come to the longhouse will be greeted warmly as if they are part of the community.

Local wisdom

The villagers inherited local wisdom in natural resource management. The Sungai Utik people have land use and zoning regulations. They have separate locations for farming, fishing and nature conservation. The primary forest is prohibited for use.

The Sungai Utik community has faced various challenges, including outsiders wanting to grab their land. In the 1980s, a forest concession holder company almost got the right to use their land. However, the community successfully prevented this.

The Dayak Iban community prioritizes a full life over money. They protect the balance of nature as it is closely linked to a full cultural life. If their customs are weak, their forests will be destroyed – and vice versa.

Kapuas Hulu has several Dayak sub-ethnicities other than Dayak Iban that live in longhouses, including Dayak Taman and Dayak Kantuk. However, longhouses are most preserved in Kapuas Hulu.