Central Kalimantan
The Capital City of Central Kalimantan Province is
“Palangkaraya”
Central Kalimantan
consists of one municipality (Palangka Raya) and five regencies, those are
Kapuas, South Barito, North Barito, East Kotawaringin and West Kotawaringin.
The total area is 153.800 kilometers2, most of the area (70%) is the
best forest in the world, and as “The
Heart of the World”. Consists the forest 126.436 Kilometers2,
the swamp 18.115 Kilometers2, the lakes and swampy 4.563 Kilometers2,
and the landscape 4.686 Kilometers2. And the climate is 300C
temperature maximum.
Central Kalimantan have small and big river stream, length and short
which emit a stream of from mountain area northside to the South, and have
estuary to Java Sea. River - the river are; River of Barito 900 Kilometers,
River of Katingan 650 Kilometers, River of Kapuas 600 Kilometers, River of
Kahayan 600 Kilometers, River of Mentaya 400 Kilometers, River of Seruyan 350
Kilometers, River of Lamandau 300 Kilometers, River Lie 250 Kilometers, River
Stork 200 Kilometers, River Moulding 179 Kilometers, River of Jelai 100
Kilometers.
The inland are
generally lived by Dayak Tribes such as Ngaju, Ot Danum, Kapuas, Ma’anyan,
Dusun, Lawangan and Klematan. Each tribe has a specific way of life and also
the culture. Most of the societies who live in town, beach and transmigration
area are Banjar, Madura, Bugis, Java, Bali and tribes from some other
countries. And according to the geography, Central Kalimantan is the one of
four provinces in Kalimantan, lies 1110 up to 1160 East
Longitude and 0045’ North Altitude unit 3030’ South
Altitude which bordered by : The Schwaner and Muller mountain range at the West
side and North side as natural border. East Kalimantan at the East side. And
South Kalimantan and Java Sea at the South side.
Central Kalimantan
a part from South Kalimantan since May 23, 1957. Laying of a cornerstone
Palangka Raya as capital of Central
Kalimantan on July 17, 1957 by Dr. Ir. Soekarno, first president of Indonesia
Republic. The religious of the people, most of them are Moslem (67%),
Kaharingan (15%), Protestan Christianity (14%) and Chatolic (2%).Moreover one
of the most interesting attraction is Tiwah Festival. Around the Dayak Tribes
based on Kaharingan faith, the Tiwah doing for complete buried his ancestor.
Dayak Ngaju are the biggest, who live in large all over the area. And Dayak
Ngaju’s dialect is a vehicle among them.
Dayaknese men in
Middle of Kalimantan wear Sangkarut, kind of vest in Ngaju dialect.Short pants
is a loincloth covered by square cloth (Ewah). On the head is perched Salutup
Hatue (headdress) combined with bird feather.The women's have Salutup Bawi
(kind of Salutup Hatue), vest, and woven skirt.The pattern of clothes dominated
by natural symbols particulary for women's costume.
Palangkaraya
Palangkaraya is the province capital
of Central Kalimantan and situated in the upstream region of the Kahayan river
In the local Dayak language, Palangkaraya means a holy container. Palangkaraya
can easily be reached from Jakarta, Banjarmasin, Samarinda, Balikpapan and
other points of the island by air. Nowadays, the town has become the center of
government, trade and education of the province. The Regional Museum of
Palangkaraya contains a collection of historical and cultural interest from all
over Central Kalimantan. The Nature Reserve of Tangkiling lies 34 kilometers
north of Palangkaraya. Small rivers flow through the reserve.
The most
salient feature of Dayak social organisation is the practice of Longhouse
domicile. This is a structure supported by hardwood posts that can be hundreds
of metres long, usually located along a terraced at the river bank. At one side
is a long communal platform, from which the individual households can be
reached. Longhouses have a door and apartment for every family living in the
longhouse. For example, a Longhouse of 200 doors is equivalent to a settlement
of 200 families. Headhunting was an important part of Dayak culture, there used
to be a tradition of retaliation for old headhunts, which kept the practise
alive. Reports describe Dayak War parties with captured enemy heads. At various
times, there have been massive coordinated raids in the interior, and
throughout coastal Borneo. Metal-working is elaborately used for making mandaus
( machetes ). The blade is made of a softer iron, to prevent breakage, with a
narrow strip of a harder iron wedged into a slot in the cutting edge for
sharpness. The headhunting necessitated being able to draw the parang quickly.
For this purpose, the mandau is fairly short, which also better serves the
purpose of trailcutting in dense forest. It is holstered with the cutting edge
facing upwards and at that side there is an upward protrusion on the handle, so
it can be drawn very quickly with the side of the hand without having to reach
over and grasp the handle first. The hand can then grasp the handle while it is
being drawn. The combination of these three factors (short, cutting edge up and
protrusion) makes for an extremely fast drawing-action. The ceremonial mandaus
used for dances are as beautifully adorned with feathers as the dresses are.
Under
Indonesia's transmigration programme, settlers from densely-populated Java and
Madura were encouraged to settle in the Kalimantan provinces, but their
presence was, and still is, resented by Dayaks, Banjars and local Malays . The
large scale transmigration projects initiated by the Dutch and continued by the
current national government, caused widespread breakdown in social and community
cohesion during the late 20th Century. The systemic and violent attacks on
Indonesian Madurese settlers, including mass executions of whole Madurese
transmigrant communities. Eventually, order was restored by the Indonesian
Military but this was late in application. The Indonesian government have
stopped the transmigration plan in 2001.
The objects of interests
are:
Dayak Tribe
Culturals, Dayak Religion, Sapundu, Rumah
Batu “Petahu”, Sandaran, Pantar, Ambatan, Sandung Dulang, Sandung Balanga, Mandau,
Arboretum, Garden Tourism Tangkiling Hill, The
Palangka Raya Municipality, Bukit
Tangkiling, The Culture Museum, Tahai
Lake, Tanjung Putting National
Park, Tanjung Puting National Park and Orangutans, Kereng Bangkirai
Lake, The Kapuas Regency, Batu Suli & Batu Tingkes, The Hamputung River, Cemara
Labat Beach, The Kapuas Hulu River, Betang – Buntoi, Betang
Tumbang Kurik, Betang Tumbang Malahoi, Sandang Bukit Rawi, Anyaman
Rottan, The South Barito Regency, The North Barito Regency, The
East Kotawaringin Regency, The West Kotawaringin Regency.
For complete information you
could have on the “Text Book Guiding To Indonesia” By F. I. Fatrick.
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