{"id":3768,"date":"2025-07-03T01:45:33","date_gmt":"2025-07-02T18:45:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/anthropology.fisip.ui.ac.id\/uncategorized\/di-bawah-langit-ketapang-mengenal-kehidupan-masyarakat-dayak-simpakng-banua-sajatn-di-desa-paoh-concong\/"},"modified":"2026-04-08T12:20:18","modified_gmt":"2026-04-08T05:20:18","slug":"shadows-of-ketapang-exploring-the-heritage-and-life-of-the-dayak-simpakng-banua-sajatn","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/anthropology.fisip.ui.ac.id\/en\/activities\/shadows-of-ketapang-exploring-the-heritage-and-life-of-the-dayak-simpakng-banua-sajatn\/","title":{"rendered":"Shadows of Ketapang: Exploring the Heritage and Life of the Dayak Simpakng Banua Sajatn"},"content":{"rendered":"[vc_row type=”full_width_content” full_screen_row_position=”middle” column_margin=”default” column_direction=”default” column_direction_tablet=”default” column_direction_phone=”default” scene_position=”center” text_color=”dark” text_align=”left” row_border_radius=”none” row_border_radius_applies=”bg” overflow=”visible” overlay_strength=”0.3″ gradient_direction=”left_to_right” shape_divider_position=”bottom” bg_image_animation=”none” gradient_type=”default” shape_type=””][vc_column column_padding=”no-extra-padding” column_padding_tablet=”inherit” column_padding_phone=”inherit” column_padding_position=”all” top_margin=”-3%” top_margin_phone=”-30px” column_element_direction_desktop=”default” column_element_spacing=”default” desktop_text_alignment=”default” tablet_text_alignment=”default” phone_text_alignment=”default” background_color_opacity=”1″ background_hover_color_opacity=”1″ column_backdrop_filter=”none” column_shadow=”none” column_border_radius=”none” column_link_target=”_self” column_position=”default” gradient_direction=”left_to_right” overlay_strength=”0.3″ width=”1\/1″ tablet_width_inherit=”default” animation_type=”default” bg_image_animation=”none” border_type=”simple” column_border_width=”none” column_border_style=”solid” column_padding_type=”default” gradient_type=”default”][vc_gallery css=”” type=”flickity_static_height_style” images=”3771,3769,3772,3773,3774,3775,3776″ flickity_spacing=”5px” flickity_controls=”next_prev_arrows_overlaid” flickity_overflow=”hidden” flickity_wrap_around=”no-wrap” flickity_box_shadow=”none” image_loading=”default” onclick=”link_image”][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row type=”in_container” full_screen_row_position=”middle” column_margin=”default” column_direction=”default” column_direction_tablet=”default” column_direction_phone=”default” scene_position=”center” text_color=”dark” text_align=”left” row_border_radius=”none” row_border_radius_applies=”bg” overflow=”visible” overlay_strength=”0.3″ gradient_direction=”left_to_right” shape_divider_position=”bottom” bg_image_animation=”none”][vc_column column_padding=”no-extra-padding” column_padding_tablet=”inherit” column_padding_phone=”inherit” column_padding_position=”all” column_element_direction_desktop=”default” column_element_spacing=”default” desktop_text_alignment=”default” tablet_text_alignment=”default” phone_text_alignment=”default” background_color_opacity=”1″ background_hover_color_opacity=”1″ column_backdrop_filter=”none” column_shadow=”none” column_border_radius=”none” column_link_target=”_self” column_position=”default” gradient_direction=”left_to_right” overlay_strength=”0.3″ width=”1\/1″ tablet_width_inherit=”default” animation_type=”default” bg_image_animation=”none” border_type=”simple” column_border_width=”none” column_border_style=”solid”][vc_column_text css=”” text_direction=”default” el_class=”justify”]By: Hanifah Dhiya Kahla, Syabina Julianti, Fajri Ramadhani<\/em><\/p>\n

Simpang Hulu, Ketapang, West Kalimantan, Indonesia \u2014 For six full weeks, from April 18 to June 4, 2025, we had the opportunity to live among the Dayak Simpakng Banua Sajatn indigenous community in Paoh Concong Village to research the diversity of their biocultural bonds.<\/p>\n

Originally, the Dayak Simpakng resided in a place called Tamakng Rawakng. However, due to overpopulation and intensifying resource competition, they decided to migrate and open a new territory in Sajatn. Their time there was short-lived, as the policies of the Dutch colonial government disrupted their peace. Eventually, they moved to the area now known as Paoh Concong Village.<\/p>\n

The village’s name is inspired by a tragic tale of a young man who choked on a concong (river snail) under a paoh (wild mango) tree during a wedding ceremony. Long before Catholicism arrived in the 1950s and Protestantism in the 1970s, the Dayak Simpakng already held a belief system centered on Jubata\u2014the deity and ancestral spirit regarded as the creator and guardian of the universe.<\/p>\n

Today, Paoh Concong Village is divided into six hamlets: Lalang, Lotong, Baram, Serua, Selirang, and Kelipor. Their living space consists of various ecological zones: tamaakng (forests on the sites of old villages), jamih (fallow fields), bamu ranah (paddy fields), orchards, Tonah Colap, markets, Rima Magokng, and sacred sites.<\/p>\n

Participating in daily activities and listening to local stories opened our eyes to the rich biodiversity and cultural practices of Paoh Concong. In the jamih, often referred to as a “living kitchen,” we joined the community in picking vegetables and fruits for cooking, while watching an elder laboriously peel sugarcane for its juice. In the fields, rice grows as the primary food source. Meanwhile, the tamaakng provides fruit trees, weaving materials, timber for furniture, and game for hunting. The rivers serve as a lifeline where families catch fish using various traditional tools, including rods (pengail), nets (pukat), basket traps (nango), and even diving.<\/p>\n

Diverse medicinal plants grow near the settlements, utilized by traditional healers (dukun). While rubber was once the primary economic commodity, the community has largely shifted to oil palm since its introduction in 2011. Only small patches of rubber trees remain, as tapping is considered physically demanding and its yield is highly weather-dependent. Oil palm cultivation is often integrated into the traditional cycle by clearing and burning old rice fields to create natural fertilizer.<\/p>\n

Beyond subsistence land, the community actively protects vital areas such as Tonah Colap\u2014a critical water source where trees are strictly forbidden to be felled\u2014and the sacred site of Kelipor used for traditional rituals. These conservation efforts are rooted in the principle of balance between humans, nature, and Jubata, manifested in the annual ritual known as Nyapat Tautn. This ritual is more than a gesture of gratitude; it is an act of atonement and a plea for forgiveness from Jubata.<\/p>\n

However, this rich tapestry of biocultural life now faces severe challenges from outside corporations exploiting local lands. We heard a disheartening account from Mr. Jono, a resident of Kelipor, whose eight-hectare land\u2014intended for rice cultivation\u2014was unilaterally cleared by PT HTI Mayawana Persada for acacia plantations. He expressed deep disappointment and anger, having received neither compensation nor clarity from the company since the project began last year.<\/p>\n

Living with the Dayak Simpakng has shown us that environmental conservation and biocultural bonds can function in harmony. This concept is embodied through local knowledge, traditions, and spirituality that remain vibrant today. This experience made us realize that in a changing world, “customary tradition” (adat) is not static. Its strength lies in the ability to adapt without losing its core identity.<\/p>\n

We hope this story raises awareness about the vital importance of recognizing and protecting indigenous rights. Such recognition is not only a matter of justice but also an effort of empowerment, ensuring they remain the primary actors in the preservation of nature and culture.[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row]\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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