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10 reasons you should visit Krayan Highlands in the Heart of Borneo

Published on December 12, 2019

Travel

The Krayan Highlands in the Heart of Borneo is an enchanting place located at an altitude between 760 and 1200 meters.

Unlike the lowlands of Borneo which is known for its hot and humid climate, this place offers cool weather and chilly winds, especially at night.

Located in North Kalimantan, Indonesia, the highlands lie right along the border with Sarawak and Sabah of Malaysia.

Administrative-wise, the highlands are divided into five-sub-districts in the Nunukan District.

Long Bawan works as its centre with connecting flights from Indonesian towns of Nunukan, Tarakan and Malinau.

Visitors can also visit the highlands by road from Ba Kelalan, Sarawak.

The Heart of Borneo is an initiative of Brunei Darussalam, Indonesia and Malaysia to preserve and maintain the sustainability of Borneo’s last remaining rainforest.

Part of the conservation done for the initiative is to improve the conservation management in the area and documenting traditional ecological knowledge.

Here are 10 reasons why you should visit the Krayan Highlands in the Heart of Borneo:

1.For the biodiversity at the Heart of Borneo Highlands

10 reasons you should visit Krayan Highlands in the Heart of Borneo — A pitcher plant.

Most parts of the Krayan Highlands are covered by heath forest. The locals call it tana’ payeh.

There you can find unique flora and fauna including pitcher plants and various kinds of wild orchids.

2.Learn about the culture of Lundayeh people

The highlands are the homeland of several thousand Dayak community especially the Lundayeh. Besides them, there are also the Kelabit, Sa’ban and Penan people living there.

The best place to learn about Lundayeh culture is at Cultural Field School near Trang Baru village.

It is a space for cultural celebrations as well as where you can learn about traditional music and dances.

The school is initiated by Formadat (Forum of the Indigenous People of the Highlands of Borneo) in collaboration with WWF-Indonesia.

There you can also learn traditional wood carving and rattan weaving.

3.Visit ancient burial sites called “perupun”

Forget about the pyramids, “perupun” are ancient Lundayeh burial sites that can be found in the Krayan Highlands.

Villages including Pa Rupai, Terang Baru, Long Umung, Pa Raye, Long Layu, Long Api and Pa Kebuan all have perupun of their own.

These ancient graves were built by piling up dozens of huge stones on the burial ground.

However, nobody really knows how the olden communities of Krayan Highlands were able to do that.

4.Visit the mysterious crocodile mounds

Here is another mysterious archaeological site of the Krayan Highlands; the crocodile mounds.

The ancestors of Lundayeh people built them as a sign of bravery especially after returning from a successful headhunting trip.

These crocodile mounds can be found in places like Long Midang, Tang Payeh, Terang Baru and Long Layu.

Most of the heads of these crocodiles were built facing the river. This was to protect the community who built them from enemies coming from the river.

The unexplainable part of these mounds is that, there are no crocodiles in Krayan Highlands.

5.Watch how mountain salt is processed

Mountain salt is one of the most important sources of livelihood of the Krayan Highlands.

Salt production occurs all-year round but is more intensive when the locals are not working on their rice fields.

Most of production houses where this salt is processed are a humble building made from wooden planks with zinc roof.

There, the brine from salt springs are boiled for at least 24 hours before the crystallised salt is dried and packaged for marketing.

Make sure you buy some as souvenirs before you go home.

6.Enjoy the scenic view of paddy farms

The main source of income for the locals Krayan Highlands is paddy farming.

These paddy farms offer scenic view of the highlands regardless of the season. The local farmers start to prepare the rice seedlings in July and then they begin to plant. The harvesting period is usually starts late December until February.

While buffaloes are commonly found in the highlands, they are only used to trample the paddy field and eating the weeds.

The rice from Krayan Highlands has the certificate of Geographic Indication (GI), thanks to the unique characteristics of this rice.

Known as adan rice, it comes in red, white and black colours.

7.Take a look at rock art

Batu Narit is a form of rock art found in several places in the Krayan Highlands including Pa Rupai village.

The one in Pa Rupai have several motives including a snake and some geometrical shapes.

Nobody knows who exactly carved these rocks and the meanings behind these motives.

8.Take a sip of Krayan’s ‘Fountain of Youth’

Locally known as Air Bunga, the small stream named Ba’ Sarang is the Krayan version of Fountain of Youth.

Locals believe the water flows from the stream has anti-aging properties as well as healing powers.

The stream is located five-minute walk from the town hall of Tang Payeh village.

Even if you do not believed in the water’s miraculous power, a walk to the stream passing through paddy field is therapeutic enough.

9.Have a gastronomic adventure of Lundayeh food

The Lundayeh people have their own unique culinary food which are made from their own farms and jungle produce.

Their desserts and pastries are mostly made from rice flour, which is widely available.

One of their must-try dishes is biter, a type of rice porridge cooked with different vegetables such as cassava leaves and ginger flower.

Additionally, there are so many fruits to choose from and all of them are locally sourced.

10.Hike up the hill of legendary hero Yuvai Semaring

If trekking is your thing then you cannot miss a visit up the hill of Yuvai Semaring.

The hill stands about 1,100 meters offering hikers the beautiful view of Krayan Highlands settlements.

On the top of the hill, hikers can also explore the mountain ranges which border the highlands to Sarawak and Sabah.

It takes only less than an hour to climb. A trip to the Krayan Highlands is definitely incomplete without looking at the highlands from the top of Yuvai Semaring.

The legend of how salt springs were discovered in Krayan Highlands

Published on September 11, 2019

Culture

The legend of how salt springs were discovered in the Krayan Highlands according to the locals

Long time ago, the whole area of Krayan Highlands was a thick forest. Then came a man who saw that there were many pigeons (burung punai) in the area.

So the man took out his blowpipe and shot one of the birds. He quickly dressed the bird, plucking out its feathers. As he was looking for a water source to clean the bird, the man saw there was a spring nearby.

After washing the bird, he returned home, where he quickly roasted it.

Once the man tasted the bird, he was overwhelmed by its taste. He wondered what could have made the bird tast so delicious.

So the man returned to where he caught the bird, retracing his steps until he figured out that it must have been the water which made the bird tasty.

He dipped his finger into the spring and discovered that the water was actually salty. The man then told his fellow villagers about his find, and they started to cook their dishes using the saltwater from the spring.

At first, they just poured the saltwater into their dishes when they cooked.

Eventually, the villagers figured out how to process the saltwater into brine, and it has been practiced by the residents of Krayan Highlands for generations.

The legend of how salt springs were discovered in Krayan Highlands — A salt spring in Long Midang, Kalimantan.

The current salt springs of Krayan Highlands

Located in North Kalimantan, Indonesia, the Krayan Highlands at the Heart of Borneo have 33 known salt springs.

However, not all are fully operational these days. But how can these salt springs be found in the highlands of an altitude between 760 and 1,200 meters?

It is believed that the salt springs were formed by high salinity water flowing from deep in the soil strata where it was trapped million of years ago when the area was covered by seawater.

The local Lundayeh people call the mountain salt tucu’ and have traded it throughout the interior of Borneo.

Apart from salt springs, mineral licks or salts licks can also be found in the highlands. The locals them rupan where animals can go to lick essential mineral nutrients from it.

Read about how mountain salt is processed at Long Midang, Kalimantan here.

Air Bunga, the Fountain of Youth in the Krayan Highlands

Published on July 30, 2019

Travel

Air Bunga, the Fountain of Youth in the Krayan Highlands — The Fountain of Youth for Krayan Highlands is rather accessible.

Tales of the fountain of youth have been recounted across the world for centuries. Supposedly, it is a spring that restores the youth of anyone who drinks or bathes in its water.

Up on the valley of Krayan Highlands in North Kalimantan, Indonesia, there is a small stream which might be the local equivalent of the fountain of youth.

Located at an altitude between 760m and 1200m, the Krayan Highlands in the Heart of Borneo is an important site to maintain the sustainability of Borneo’s last remaining of rainforests.

The Dayak Lundayeh people there call it Air Bunga (or flower water in Indonesian language).

It is water that flows from a small stream named Ba’ Sarang near the village of Tang Paye.

Air Bunga, the healing water used for generations

Located about 5-minutes walk from the village hall, the water has been used for generations by Lundayeh people living in the Krayan Highlands.

Just like the Fountain of Youth, the locals believe the water has anti-aging properties as well as healing powers.

According to local guide Alex Ballang, the locals would collect the water and keep some for storage at home.

Those who live in the surrounding villages besides Tang Payeh, would also come and take some Air Bunga for various reasons.

“If you have itchiness on your body or even your eyes, you can take a bath using this water or go to the stream to take a dip,” Alex said.

The locals also use it to clean their wounds, believing it would prevent infections.

Besides using Air Bunga externally, the locals also consume it believing it would cure minor sicknesses such as stomachache.

Some even use the water for daily activities such as cooking.

Another reason why the locals believe that Air Bunga is a miraculous source of water, is that it never run dries even during drought season.

Conserving Air Bunga

Nobody really knows how Air Bunga was discovered. Regardless, this traditional knowledge has been passed down for so long that the current generation decided to conserve the miraculous stream.

They built a small concrete dam to collect the water and use two simple bamboo pipes for the water to flow.

To maintain the place, the villagers do not allow any clearing of the forest near the stream.

Additionally, they are looking forward to the area to becoming a tourist attraction site. The villagers strongly suggest those who visit the place for the first time to bathe or wash their faces there. With that, the visitors can experience first-hand the healing properties of Air Bunga.

It does not matter if the water of Ba’ Sarang is truly miraculous or not, Air Bunga is another reason why the Heart of Borneo initiative is an area like no places in the world.

This initiative of Brunei, Indonesia and Malaysia aims to improve management and governance of protected areas while documenting important biodiversity areas that are conserved by local communities.

While it is important to protect an forest area for its environmental value, it is equally important to conserve it for its cultural value just like this Krayan Highlands’ Fountain of Youth.

Perupun, the mysterious Lundayeh ancient burial tombs of Krayan Highlands

Published on April 30, 2019

Culture

Long time ago, the Egyptian pyramids were built as tombs for the country’s Pharaohs and their consorts.

Here in the central region of Borneo in the Krayan Highlands, the ancient Lundayeh community built perupun to bury their dead.

Both ancient burial tombs have one thing in common, nobody really knows how exactly they were built.

Perupun, the mysterious Lundayeh ancient burial tombs of Krayan Highlands — The journey to the ancient Lundayeh tomb in Pa Rupai requires a little bit of hiking.

Perupun in Pa Rupai village

According to an elder from Pa Rupai village near Long Midang Murad Baru, 73, perupun means ‘batu yang dikumpul’ or piled up stones.

It takes about 20 minutes’ hike from the main road to reach the only perupun in his village.

Nobody knows whom the tomb belongs to, but as Murad said, “This man must be a man of wealth and most probably some sort of a leader or a nobleman.”

He further explained, “Since he was without an heir, nobody was allowed to take his wealth, and he was buried together with all his belongings.

“In order to protect his wealth from tomb raiders, or his enemies from taking his head off his body, they piled up all of these stones on top of his grave.”

Murad said his grandparents used to tell him that many noblemen back then did not have any heirs. It was believed they were cursed to die without children to carry on their line by others jealous of their courage and wealth.

Over the years, the stone mound at Pa Rupai has been heavily damaged by thieves. Today, there is still evidence of a gaping hole where thieves tried to dig up the tomb.

Accroding to Murad, the perupun was damaged even before his time but he believed that whoever the thieves might be, they must be living a cursed life.

“Anybody who tries to steal from the perupun will experience misfortune until his death. Back then when I was a child, it was even forbidden for us to visit this tomb. But we became lenient over the years, and now everybody can visit these ancient tombs.”

Building a perupun

“Can you imagine how people in the olden days managed to collect all these more than 100 big stones to build this stone mound?” Murad asked.

They most probably carried these stones from the river about 10 meters away to build the tomb.

Judging by the hole left by the thieves, the perupun could be two meters deep and the stones piled up two meters up from the ground.

“Most probably they took up to two weeks to build it. According to my grandparents, the olden community would come together at this site, cooking here, eating here, while building it.”

Since nobody could inherit the nobleman’s wealth – including his livestock – the villagers would have slaughtered all his livestock and eaten them while building his tomb.

The perupun in Terang Baru village

In Terang Baru village, there are two perupun. Just like the perupun in Pa Rupai, nobody knows whom these tombs belong to. All they know is that they belonged to noble people because perupun are not built for commoners.

It helps that they found beads in one of the two perupun. According to Krayan native Ellias Yesaya, this particular perupun most probably belonged to a noblewoman.

Unfortunately, time and the natural elements have left both perupun in bad condition. The stones have either rolled away or collapsed and are covered in weeds.

A fence surrounds one of the perupun to prevent wandering buffalo from damaging it any further while the other perupun (the one believed to belong to a noblewoman) is located on private property.

Besides Pa Rupai and Terang Baru, perupun can also be found in Long Umung, Pa Raye, Long Layu, Long Api and Pa Kebuan. There are also jar burial sites in the Krayan Highlands which most likely belong to the commoners.

Ellias had two theories on how people in the olden days managed to build these ancient tombs.

“I think our ancestors were way taller and stronger than us. I remember in the 60s when I was still in school, they found bones in old burial grounds. Their bones were very long,” Ellias said.

Another way was that they used their strength in numbers and simply did ‘gotong-royong’ (communal work).

“The community could have come together and built this perupun,” he added.

Crocodile mounds, where the headhunting after-party took place in Krayan Highlands

Published on April 29, 2019

Culture

The Lundayeh people of Indonesia had the same reasons to build crocodile mounds or effigies like the Lun Bawang people in Sarawak; to celebrate successful headhunting trips.

Crocodile mounds, where the headhunting after-party took place in Krayan Highlands — Melud leading the way to one of the two sites of crocodile mounds in his village of Pa Rupai.

In the olden days, it was considered a great achievement for a man to take an enemy’s head.

Upon returning home, they would raise a pole (called ulung) on an earthen mound shaped like a crocodile.

In Krayan Highlands of North Kalimantan province today, these crocodile mounds can be found in places like Long Midang, Tang Payeh, Trang Baru and Long Layu.

Each mound is maintained by the communities who live near the area. However over the years, the shape of the crocodile on these mounds are difficult to distinguish. This is due to several factors such as soil erosion as well as trampling by animals such as buffalo.

Crocodile mounds as a symbol of bravery

According to Melud Baru, 73, from Pa Rupai village of Long Midang, the Lundayeh tribe picked the crocodile as a symbol of bravery.

“According to our ancestors long time ago when we still had lamin panjang (longhouse), they made this as a symbol of bravery. They picked a crocodile because it thrives both on land and in the river,” he said.

“My grandfather told us the crocodile was an unbeatable animal. Its scales are impenetrable, it has strong jaws and teeth to bite its opponent, its tail can be used to strike its enemies.”

No other animal could ever beat the crocodile before so their ancestors picked the crocodile as their symbol of bravery.

They are specific ways to build these crocodile mounds. Most of their heads face the river,to protect the community who built them from enemies coming for them from the river.

A headhunting after-party on the crocodile mounds

The crocodile mounds were where the celebrations took place after the headhunters came back from a successful headhunting trip.

Melud said, “Back then during our ancestors time, if there was a conflict among them, they wouldn’t talk it out like they do nowadays. The young people just gathered and went headhunting to ‘solve’ the conflicts – less talk that way.

“For headhunters who just came back from the trip, they would ‘slash’ the body of the crocodile mound using their parang just to say, ‘We are home!’ Then, they would drink and celebrate.”

The celebrations at these mounds lasted for weeks, sometimes even months.

On top of these mounds, they would erect the ulung for them to hang the heads that they claimed from their enemies.

Before the celebration, they would prepare jars of rice wine or burak. The amount of jars prepared ranged from 10 and above depending on the amount of heads they achieved. Thus, the more heads, the more rice wine they prepared.

“The weird thing is that there are no crocodiles here in Krayan, so our ancestors may have never even seen a crocodile. But they managed to build a crocodile mound. Maybe some of them had travelled far enough to have seen a crocodile,” Melud said.

Having a taste of adan rice from the Krayan Highlands

Published on April 22, 2019

Travel

Fresh air, unpolluted environment, clear water from the mountain streams, cool temperatures; perhaps these were the combined factors that contributed to adan rice of Krayan Highlands being so delicious.

Famous for its fine and small grain with a unique texture, adan rice is in high demand not only in Indonesia but also in the Malaysian market.

Located at an altitude between 760 and 1,200 meters, the highlands are not well connected by road with the rest of the Indonesian lowlands in Kalimantan. In addition to that, river transportation is impossible due to high rapids. So, the main centre of Krayan, Long Bawan is only accessible by flight from Nunukan or Tarakan, North Kalimantan.

However, Long Bawan is connected by gravel road to Ba Kelalan in the Malaysian state of Sarawak.

Due to this, most farmers sell their adan rice to the Malaysian market after reserving some for personal consumption.

Having a taste of adan rice from the Krayan Highlands — A view of Krayan paddy fields from our plane.

Paddy farming in Krayan Highlands

The farmers in Krayan cultivate paddy according to traditional and organic practices. Every family farms between one to five hectares of rice fields.

Adan rice in particular takes about five to six months to mature. Hence, only one crop is planted every year.

According to local guide Alex Ballang, some of the locals tried to plant the rice twice a year but the attempts were never successful.

“We are not sure why the attempts failed. Maybe because of the weather or temperature, so now we only plant them in one cycle a year.”

The locals start to prepare the rice seedlings in July and the planting begins. Then, they start to harvest the rice in late December until February.

Everything is organic when it comes to maintaining the paddy fields. The farmers use traditional irrigation techniques like bamboo pipes and canals to channel the clear water from the mountains surrounding the fields to their farms.

On top of that, although buffaloes can be seen almost everywhere in Krayan Highlands, they are not used for plowing; they let the buffaloes loose in the fields to trample the soil and eat the weeds.

Plus, what can be more organic than buffaloes’ dung to fertilise the rice fields?

The nutritional value of adan rice

In 2012, the Indonesian government awarded the adan rice from Krayan highlands the certificate of Geographic Indication (GI). This was to acknowledge the unique characteristics of this rice.

Adan rice comes in a number of colour varieties – white, red and black.

The black adan rice in particular was included in the Slow Food Art of Taste products by Slow Food Foundation. Created by Slow Food International and Slow Food Italy, it is the operational body to protect food biodiversity.

According to the foundation, the black variety of the rice is rich in minerals such as iron, calcium and phosphorus.

Additionally, it has high protein content and relatively low fat and carbohydrate content compared to the white variety.

Cooking adan rice

The Lundayeh people of Krayan have different ways to cook their rice.

Luba Laya is their soft rice wrapped in isip leaves. The Kelabit of Malaysia also have a similar dish. It has a soft, almost porridge-like texture. As for other Indonesian dishes, luba laya is most almost like the softer version of lontong.

Speaking of porridge, the locals have their own known as biter. Almost like risotto, but without the parmesan cheese, it is cooked with different kinds of wild vegetables such as cassava leaves and ginger flowers.

Among the three varieties of adan rice, the crème de la crème of them is none other the black variety.

Traditionally, black adan rice is cooked together with other rice particular the white ones. Now, more and more people love to eat the black variety on its own.

When it cooks, the black adan rice gives out a sweet aroma distinctively different from other rice.

Even when you taste the black adan rice, you will notice that it is slightly sweeter than the others. It is flavourful enough that you can eat the rice on its own.

The Lun Bawang legend of a giant man named Temueng

Published on September 7, 2020

Culture

Long time ago, there was a giant man named Temueng and his friend named Pengiran who first lived at Kemaloh in Kalimantan, Indonesia.

The Lun Bawang legend of a giant man named Temueng

According to legends, these people were believed to be the ancestors of Lun Bawang people.

Benedict Sandin in his paper The Bisayah and Indigenous Peoples of Limbang, Sandin recorded the life journey of this Lun Bawang legendary hero.

“Temueng and Pengiran were much ashamed that they could not defeat in battle chief enemy named Yada. Therefore Temueng moved from Kemaloh to Punang Trusan, and Pengiran also moved and settled at Illot, now in Indonesian Borneo,” Sandin wrote.

The life of Temueng

Legend has it that owing to the extraordinary size of the body, Temueng could easily eat one whole pig per meal. He was also rumoured to be a very strong man.

Meanwhile, Abdul Karim Abdul Rahman in his paper History of the founding of Brunei Kingdom Based on Oral Tradition (2016) pointed out that Temueng was Upai Semaring’s son.

He is another giant who is a Lundayeh legend from the Krayan Highlands, Kalimantan.

When he lived in the Ulu Trusan, he carved a number of rocks and the posts of his house were all made of rocks which are still intact at that location to this day.

According to Sandin, while at Punang Trusan, Temueng lived at the present day Semado Nesab village.

His house there was surrounded by wide and deep drains for protection against invasion by his enemies.

While Temueng was living at Long Lopeng, hundreds of Kayan came to attack him. Also known as Luping, Long Lopeng is a settlement in the Lawas division.

When the enemy came, he was reportedly at ease smoking his pipe.

But when they came, he knocked each one of them on the head with his pipe and killed them all.

A giant bigger than Temueng?

Another story circles around Temueng; one day Temueng went out hunting animals in the forest.

He found a huge coil of rattan which could be used in a fish trap.

Thinking that the coiled rattan cane was a leg ornament, he put his leg into it.

But the coil was bigger than Temueng’s leg, and this frightened him. Temueng immediately thought there was a giant bigger than him living in the area.

While Temueng was not afraid of those who were smaller than him, he was afraid of people bigger than him.

Terrified, he fled from Long Lopeng and down the Trusan river to live at the foot of a mountain near Long Merarap. It is believed that is where he stayed until he died.

The Lun Bawang people after the death of Temueng

It is unsure how Temueng died but the Lun Bawang people still remember him even many years on after his death.

In memory of his settlements on the upper Trusan river, the Lun Bawang people from Kemaloh moved to the lands between the headwaters of Trusan and Limbang rivers.

They moved there in small groups, each group gradually followed by others.

Expanding their territory, they moved down the Trusan till they were attacked by the Kayans.

According to Sandin, the Lun Bawang successfully repulsed the Kayans, driving them away.

To this day, the Lun Bawang still settle in various areas of Lawas and Limbang regions.

Cultural similarities between Naga people of India and Myanmar regions, and the people of Borneo

Published on March 6, 2020

Culture

The Naga people are tribes who live in northeastern India and northwestern Myanmar. They make the majority of the population in the Indian state of Nagaland and Naga Self-Administered zone of Myanmar.

The Naga people are known for their strong warrior tradition. In the olden days, the Naga people practiced headhunting, as they took the heads of their enemies in the belief that they would also take their power.

Meanwhile, thousands of miles from India and Myanmar, the indigenous people of Borneo also had a culture of headhunting. But what do these two indigenous groups share besides cutting off the heads of their enemies?

Former Sarawak Museum curator Edward Banks explored this question in a paper published in The Sarawak Museum Journal in August 1983.

According to Banks, there were many other things the Naga and Borneo peoples did the same way because they lived under the same conditions, not because they are related.

Cultural similarities between Naga people of India and Myanmar regions, and the people of Borneo — The Naga people made an appearance during Rainforest World Music Festival in 2019 at Sarawak Cultural Village.

Here are some of the comparisons between the Naga people and the ethnic groups in Borneo according to Banks:

1.Clothing

The Naga people, like the tribes in Borneo, wore loin cloth in the olden days. In Assam, they called it lengta.

2.Slash and burn method of farming

“Both sides plant rice by first cutting down the jungle, burning it off and then planting hill rice in the clearings,” Banks wrote.

To celebrate bountiful harvest, both cultures also have festivals at the end of harvest season.

3.Rice Wine

Most societies that rely on rice as a staple food tend to use its surplus to brew rice wine.

Here in Sarawak, we are known for our tuak and burak. The Naga people also have their own version of rice wine.

Banks stated, “The brews seem to be very much the same, boiled rice fermented with the dust from the winnowing of the husked rice. The taste seems to be much the same and so does the result, not very intoxicating at the time you merely feel rather ill the next day.”

4. Knife and sword

Naga knives, known as “dao”, were made so that the hilt angled upwards from the blade to prevent the back of the hand being skinned against the tree trunk or log which was being cut.

The “dao” mostly resembles the Bidayuh people’s war sword called pandat as well as the parang latok or latok from Kalimantan.

5. How a woman was buried

Banks in his paper pointed out, “One of the oddest things common to Kayans and to Nagas was the hanging up of the departed lady’s sun hat beneath her tomb. I do not know anyone else does this and it is an extraordinary custom to crop up thousands of miles apart.”

6.Bachelor’s house or head house

A baruk (also known as pangah/baluh/balu/pangarah) is an important architectural feature in a traditional Bidayuh village.

It works as a meeting hall, shelter and where they used to keep the heads of their enemies.

Similarly, the Naga people have a bachelor’s house where they had meeting, welcomed strangers and kept the heads.

In the olden days, women were not allowed to enter this house.

7.Jar burials

Jar burials were common in many cultures throughout Southeast Asia. However, the manner of how a jar burial was conducted might differ.

According to Banks, the Kelabits used to cut a ridge in the jungle, dig a trench, put in the jar containing the bones of the deceased and erect an upright stone pillar with a large flat stone at its base.

“These menhirs are just the same as those used by some of the Nagas, the likeness is astonishing,” he stated.

8.The naming of a son

Banks also claimed there was a similarity in the ceremony for naming a son between the Naga people and the Kayans.

He stated, “A 100 foot jointed bamboo pole was placed in the ground and supported by a forked stick about one third of the way up so that the rest of the pole bent over in a graceful arc with the tip almost touching the ground. The pole was covered with bamboo leaves, gourds and flat pieces of bamboo were tied on near the tip and the whole thing clapped away merrily when the wind blew. You can see a picture of one in Hose’s book. In pre-war days, there were lots of these lovely things up and down the banks of the Baram river.”

How were heads celebrated after headhunting trips in Sarawak?

Published on September 12, 2019

Culture

While most Sarawakians know the practice of headhunting was part of our history, most of us are not informed about how the heads were received after being taken.

The common understanding is that headhunters were received with a heroic welcome and a great feast after a successful headhunting trip.

But how were the heads received by the villagers? What did the celebrations look like or who performed the ritual?

Here at KajoMag, we look at different accounts recorded in the 19th century on how old Sarawak communities received heads which were taken by their warriors:

How were heads celebrated after headhunting trips in Sarawak? — Sarawak: Sea Dayaks with weapons and head-dresses. Credits: Creative commons.

1.Hugh Low in Sarawak, its inhabitants and productions (1848).

Low had no love for the headhunting ceremony, although he described that the Dayak viewed this ceremony with sentiments of satisfaction and delight.

“The fleet, returning from a successful cruise, on approaching the village, announce to its inhabitants their fortunes by a horrid yell, which is soon imitated and prolonged by the men, women and children, who have stayed home.

“The head is brought on shore with much ceremony, wrapped up in the curiously folded and plated leaves of the nipah palm, and frequently emitting the disgusting odour peculiar to decaying mortality.

“This, the Dyaks have frequently told me, is particularly grateful to their senses, and surpasses the odorous durian, their favourite fruit.”

Low added that the head was treated with the greatest consideration, lavishing it with all the terms of endearment.

After that, they offered sireh leaves and betel nut to the head while placing a cigar between its lips, “to propitiate the spirit by kindness, and to procure its good wishes for the tribe, of whom it is now supposed to have become a member.”

Then the ceremony continued with dancing, drinking and plenty of gong music.

2.Henry Keppel’s A Visit to the Indian Archipelago in HMS Meander (1853) on the Melanau community

Sir Keppel became the commanding officer of HMS Meander in November 1847. During that time, he was deployed in operations against pirates along the coast of Borneo.

He came across the Melanau communities of Sarawak and recorded what he observed.

“Although the Millanows do not preserve the heads of their enemies, a young warrior will occasionally bear home such a trophy with the same sort of pleasure a young fox-hunter takes home his first brush.

“On this occasion, a juvenile aspirant to love and glory, who had accompanied the expedition and wished to display a prize he had won, was met on landing by the women, who had already spied the relic from their elevated platform on the bank.

“They descended to meet it with a stick in each hand, and began to play on the unfortunate head, as if it had been a tom-tom. After this performance, each in turn rushed into the river, as if to cleanse herself from the pollution.

“Although these gentle creatures did not strike with any violence, it was as much as the young hero could do to prevent his trophy from being pummelled into a jelly.”

3.Henry Keppel on the people in Lundu

Keppel also witnessed the ceremony of receiving a head in Lundu.

He stated, “In one house there was a grand fete, in which the women danced with the men. There were four men, two of them bearing human skulls, and two the fresh head of pigs; the women bore wax-lights, or yellow rice on brass dishes. They danced in line, moving backwards and forwards, and carrying the heads and dishes. They danced in line, moving backwards and forwards, and carrying the heads and dishes in both hands; the graceful part was the manner in which they half-turned the body to the right and left, looking over their shoulders and holding the heads in the opposition direction, as if they were in momentary expedition of someone coming up behind to snatch the nasty relic from them. At times the women knelt down in group, with the men leaning over them.”

4.Spenser St. John on the Land Dayak’s head feast in Life in the Forest of the Far East

St. John described the head feast for the Land Dayak was a great day for the young bachelor.

“The head house and village are decorated with green boughs and the heads to be feasted are brought out from their very airy position being hung from one of the beams. An offering of food is made to the heads, and their spirits, being thus appeased, cease to entertain malice against, or to seek to inflict injury upon, those who have got possession of the skull which formerly adorned the now forsaken body,” he wrote.

Then the young men cut a coconut shell to make a cup and dyed it in red and black colours. They decorated the cup to look like a bird and poured alcohol into it.

St. John recorded, “The cup is filled with arrack, and the possessor performs a short wild dance with it in his hands, and then with a yell leaps before some chosen companion, and presents it to him to drink. Thus the ‘loving cup’ is passed around among them, and it need not be said that the result is in many cases partial, through seldom excessive, intoxication.”

The aftermath of the Indonesian-Malaysian confrontation at Long Bawan

Published on August 13, 2019

Culture

Located at North Kalimantan, Indonesia, Long Bawan is a small town with a small airport which has become the only gateway via air to Krayan Highlands.

Looking back on its history, it was one of the combat operations sites between British Commonwealth forces and Indonesian armies during the Indonesian-Malaysian confrontation.

The confrontation which started in early 1963 was caused by Indonesia’s opposition to the creation of Malaysia.

By December 1964, there was a build-up of Indonesian forces on the Kalimantan border. This caused the British government to commit significant forces from the UK-based Army Strategic Command and Australia and New Zealand to Borneo in 1965-66.

On the Indonesian side, the fight was led by Indonesian Army special forces (Resimen Para Komando Angkatan Darat or RPKAD).

Additionally, they recruited the North Kalimantan National Army or Tentera Nasional Kalimantan Utara (TNKU).

During the confrontation, hundreds of Indonesian civilians had been loosely trained as part of TNKU.

Most of them were unemployed urban youth scrounged from cities in Kalimantan and Sulawesi.

Since the battles mostly happened at the Indonesian-Malaysian border in Kalimantan, some of them were posted in Long Bawan (Indonesia).

The aftermath of the Indonesian-Malaysian confrontation at Long Bawan — A view of Long Bawan paddy field. Perhaps this was where parachuters landed in 1968.

TNKU members who were left at Long Bawan

Although the confrontation had been officially declared over in August 1966, the mission was technically not over for Indonesian forces.

There were TNKU members abandoned and left behind at their border camps including in Long Bawan.

To make matter worse, the Indonesian government reportedly did not bother to disarm the army-volunteers, leaving them with weapons such as heavy machine guns and mortars.

Kenneth J. Conboy wrote in Kopasses: Inside Indonesia’s Special Forces that the ready supply of weapons and unemployed volunteers became a volatile combination.

Conboy wrote, “By late 1967, Jakarta had received reports that the former TNKU partisans were stealing food and raping women in the Long Bawan vicinity. Colonel Mung, the former RPKAD commander now serving as head of the military region, reported that the outgunned local government was screaming for help.”

Jakarta was reportedly in a fix when the government heard this news. In response, they sent out two groups from RPKAD which was led by Captain Alex Setiabudi and Captain Kentot Harseno.

Both captains had previously served at Long Bawan.

The two groups assembled at Cijantung during the first week of January 1968. Since there were no suitable runways, the units would be making a combat jump into paddies a half-hour trek east of Long Bawan.

“Although they would be parachuting with their weapons- including two rocket launchers – they were correctly concerned about opposition they might face. The ex-volunteers, after all, were better armed and knew the lay of the land after living there for almost four years,” Conboy wrote.

RPKAD came bearing gifts

Then Captain Kentot had an idea. Instead of going in with full force, they decided to go with gifts like food, writing pads and clothes.

His idea was adopted in and operation code-named Operation Linud X (“Airborne X”). On Jan 10, 1968, the groups made their jumps after light into Long Bawan.

The military units had expected to face difficulties from the former TNKU volunteers. However, it was the terrains of Krayan Highlands that gave them a hard time. Several of the commandos landed, drifting far from their marks, mostly in paddy fields and swamp.

Meanwhile, Captain Kentot landed in mud up to his armpits and nearly drowned. One of the pallets carrying a rocket launcher was even lost during the jump.

Nonetheless, the commandos managed to regroup at Long Bawan village where its chief greeted them like old friends.

After finding out their mission, the chief tasked some of his villagers to collect all weapons from nearby cache sites.

Surprisingly, the abandoned TNKU members were extremely tame. They took the gifts kindly and offered up their weapons without any resistance.

Four months later, all of the commandos were packing to leave. Due to some difficulties with their transport, they were forced to hike to the nearest river landing. According to Conboy, they were back on Java by June after a speedboat shuttle toward the coast.

“For once, what had the potential for being another festering security challenge had been resolved without firing a shot,” Conboy recorded.

The physical remnants of the Indonesian-Malaysian confrontation at Long Bawan

While confrontation now only remained in memories for the Krayan Highlands elders (which they refer to as ‘konfrontasi’), there are some physical remnants left behind at Long Bawan.

This small town was also the crash site of an Indonesian plane during Indonesian-Malaysian confrontation.

On Sept 26, 1965 during the confrontation, a C-130 plane was shot down near Long Bawan.

Ironically, the plane was shot down by Indonesian anti-craft fire, as it was mistaken for a Commonwealth aircraft.

It was carrying an RPKAD platoon from Java on orders to “neutralise” a gun position on the border ridge.

After the aircraft was hit, the RPKAD members parachuted out before it caught fire and crashed.

The wreckage of the plane is still at Long Bawan to this day.

Meanwhile, the locals also found the rocket launcher that was lost when Captain Kentot and his units parachuted in 1968.

It is now on display at Krayan’s Kepolisian Sektor or Polsek (Police District office).

Suggestions

krayan

Here are 10 reasons why you should visit the Krayan Highlands in the Heart of Borneo:

1.For the biodiversity at the Heart of Borneo Highlands

2.Learn about the culture of Lundayeh people

3.Visit ancient burial sites called “perupun”

4.Visit the mysterious crocodile mounds

5.Watch how mountain salt is processed

6.Enjoy the scenic view of paddy farms

7.Take a look at rock art

8.Take a sip of Krayan’s ‘Fountain of Youth’

9.Have a gastronomic adventure of Lundayeh food

10.Hike up the hill of legendary hero Yuvai Semaring

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The legend of how salt springs were discovered in the Krayan Highlands according to the locals

The current salt springs of Krayan Highlands

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Air Bunga, the healing water used for generations

Conserving Air Bunga

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Perupun in Pa Rupai village

Building a perupun

The perupun in Terang Baru village

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Crocodile mounds as a symbol of bravery

A headhunting after-party on the crocodile mounds

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Paddy farming in Krayan Highlands

The nutritional value of adan rice

Cooking adan rice

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The life of Temueng

A giant bigger than Temueng?

The Lun Bawang people after the death of Temueng

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Here are some of the comparisons between the Naga people and the ethnic groups in Borneo according to Banks:

1.Clothing

2.Slash and burn method of farming

3.Rice Wine

4. Knife and sword

5. How a woman was buried

6.Bachelor’s house or head house

7.Jar burials

8.The naming of a son

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Here at KajoMag, we look at different accounts recorded in the 19th century on how old Sarawak communities received heads which were taken by their warriors:

1.Hugh Low in Sarawak, its inhabitants and productions (1848).

2.Henry Keppel’s A Visit to the Indian Archipelago in HMS Meander (1853) on the Melanau community

3.Henry Keppel on the people in Lundu

4.Spenser St. John on the Land Dayak’s head feast in Life in the Forest of the Far East

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TNKU members who were left at Long Bawan

RPKAD came bearing gifts

The physical remnants of the Indonesian-Malaysian confrontation at Long Bawan

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