"Lanting" Raft Houses: ‘Life’s Stage’ on the Kapuas
Remnants of Kalimantan’s traditional river culture can be found on the Kapuas River in West Kalimantan, where some people still live in floating homes called lanting. These raft houses are like a “life’s stage” for these river communities.
On the afternoon of Friday, June 28, the segment of the Kapuas River that flows through Suhaid district, Kapuas Hulu regency, was bustling with activity. Fishing boats set sail and rows of lanting docked on the banks bobbed up and down in the waves.
At one spot on the riverbank, Toni, 35, was smoking the fish he had just caught. Not long after, he carried the salai (smoked fish) into his lanting. "Please try this salai," he offered.
Toni lives with his wife and child on the 13-by-8-meter lanting. The floating house stands atop a raft built of six meranti and tengkawang (Shorea singkawang, dark red meranti) logs of 80-100 centimeters in diameter and about 13 meters long.
The raft house is anchored with a rope to a pole stuck in the bank, so that it will not be carried away on the river’s currents.
The wooden pillars that form the structural frame are erected on the raft. The walls of the house are made of zinc-coated boards that can provide shelter against strong winds and are resistant to weathering. The roof is also made of zinc sheets.
The lanting has a living room, one bedroom, a kitchen and a latrine. It has no bathroom, because its inhabitants bathe fully clothed in the river, off the edge of the raft house.
"I used to live on land at my in-laws\' house. In 2017, I decided to live [separately] with my child and wife by building a house on the banks of the Kapuas River, "said Toni.
Because he earns an irregular income as a fisherman, Toni was unable to buy land and build a house for his family. In building a lanting, Toni spent less money because he did not have to purchase land.
However, living in the lanting is not without its risks. When the water dries up during the dry season, the lanting tilts on the riverbed; when the river flows rapidly and might overflow, the lanting must be anchored securely so it will not be carried away on the strong currents.
"Young children must be kept from falling into the river. Sometimes, we have to build a rail. When there are strong winds, the house shakes, even though [the wind] is not as strong as a storm at sea," said Toni.
Hermanto, 31, has also lived on a lanting since 2010. He was not able to buy land, so he decided to build a lanting using his savings.
"This lanting was built with friends. It cost only about Rp 5 million to Rp 6 million (US$425) to build a lanting measuring 4 meters by 6 meters. If you build a house on land, you have to spend tens of millions just to buy the land," said Hermanto, who works odd jobs every day as a woodcutter, a construction worker and a fisherman. As a handyman he earns Rp 150,000 in daily wages.
Hermanto "borrowed" a spot on the bank in front of the local settlement to build his lanting. Borrowing was easier because it is free. He lives in the lanting with his wife and two children.
On the banks of the Kapuas in West Kalimantan’s Sintang district, many people still live in lanting. One of these is Marselina, 60, who lives in a raft house with her husband, Joseph, 67, and her children, who have lived in a lanting for nine years. Before she bought a lanting, Marselina owned a house in a remote area of Ambalau district.
However, because she was frequently ill, she often needed to go to a hospital in Sintang. Instead of going back and forth from her village to the city, she and her husband decided to move into a lanting and dock only a few meters from the hospital.
"We didn\'t have to buy a house or land. In addition, there is no need to subscribe to the utility service from the regional water company, because we can bathe and wash in the river. We only buy gallon [bottles of] water for drinking," she said.
Economic driver
Lanting not only helps the poor, but has also become a driver of economic growth. A number of people run their businesses from a lanting. Paulus Ajan, 65, built a lanting as visitors’ accommodations on the Kapuas River in Sintang city. He has run his 24-by-9-meter lanting lodge for 10 years.
"Village teachers who have business in the city can have cheap lodgings. They can immediately find the inn as soon as their boat arrives. People who bring relatives to the hospital can easily find a place to stay. The hospital is close to the [floating] inn," said Paulus.
There are also others who run a floating restaurant using the lanting. People can enjoy dishes made from freshly caught river fish while enjoying a view of the Kapuas.
Anthropology lecturer Donatianus of the University of Tanjungpura’s social and political sciences department in Pontianak said that the lanting are commonly found on the rivers of Kalimantan.
Living in the small raft houses was practical, because they were near a water source. The people who lived in lanting had formed a support community to help each other out. "During the dry season, the lanting usually list. When the water level is normal, they must be restored to their original position, and [the people] do this together," he said.
There are not as many lanting today as there were when the river was the main mode of transportation in Kalimantan. As the land transportation improved, the lanting were gradually abandoned.
Unlike in the past, when most of the houses in river settlements faced the river, most houses today are built to face the road, with their backs to the river.
As the price of lumber increases and the river culture disappears, it is not impossible that the lanting will also fade in time. The lanting, however, is a cultural heritage that should be preserved and holds potential for promoting as a tourist attraction.