The Fascinating Culture of “Dayak” and The Influence of Globalization

Indonesia is one of the South East Asian countries which have diverse of culture that is spread in more than 70 thousand of islands. The various and diverse ethnic groups have spread in each beautiful islands especially in its big islands. Kalimantan (Borneo) is one of the biggest islands in Indonesia which has 7 ethnic groups such as Melayu, Banjar, Kutai, Paser, Berau, Tidung, and especially Dayak. Dayak is the most well-known ethnic group from Kalimantan; even most of people in the world mentioned that Dayak is Indian race from Indonesia because they have unique and ancient culture. Dayak’s ethnic group can also be found in Malaysian Borneo (Sabah and Sarawak). Moreover Kenyah, Punan, Benuaq, and Bentian are the kinds of Dayak’s ethnic group. The term “Dayak” is usually used to distinguish from Malay people who usually live near the coast.

It cannot be denied that Dayak has unique and fascinating traditions. Tiwah and burial are the part of their custom ceremonials. Tiwah ceremony is a sacred custom ritual which is held to deliver human corpse’s bones into the sandung. Sandung is a specific small house made for human who have died. Usually the ritual is accompanied by music instrument such as gong; moreover it is accompanied by Dayak special dance. The other ritual is when one of Dayak’s ethnic was stated die, they chime gong for many times, and then it will be held a burial ceremony. At that time, Dayak people do nindrai, it means that they are coming by bringing their contributions such as rice, pig, chicken, money, and coconut to hold the ceremony.

Furthermore, Dayak has strong belief in supernatural which has been a special thing and has been being used to protect them from the wickedness of other ethnics. Hence, foreign people have stated them as a strange, ethnocentric, and cannibal ethnic group; in actually, Dayak is a peace community as long as they are not disturbed. Moreover, if other ethnic disturb them, they would not be reluctant to use their supernatural power by asking help to their ancient’s soul to hurt them. They have many supernatural powers; one of them is Manajah Antang. It means that they ask for their ancient’s soul to help them using Antang bird as the mediator. Almost all of Dayak’s culture is related with the supernatural beliefs. Mangkok merah( the red bowl) is one of the traditions which is used as communication media for each of Dayak communities and used as communication media to communicate with their ancient soul, however only their custom commander who has authority to communicate with the soul and their deities. The term mangkok merah comes from the red jaranang root which is dabbed on the base of bowl. This tradition is only held when other ethnics hurt their prestige, then their leader used these bowls to ask for their ancient soul’s help. Usually, the tradition is accompanied by “Tariu” dance (which means asking help to their ancient souls).

Tattoo art and long ears are the most leading culture identity of Dayak. How can their ears become longer? It can happen because they put in more than ten earrings to their ears, no wonder that their ear can become longer than usual. Beside long ears, one of Dayak’s traditions is making tattoo. The uniqueness of Dayak’s tattoo is they use the orange sharp stem to make colorful tattoos. It refers to how many places they have visited, then they add one tattoo on their body every have visited a place. However, because of the globalization and modernization, the tradition of lengthening ear and making tattoo are getting fade nowadays and almost become extinct.

Before well education has been coming into Dayak’s life, their main livelihoods were farming and go hunting. Because they have less humus of soil, they took long enough time to get harvest. However, they are good in go hunting to the forest and fishing, whether pigs, chicken, or birds are delicious food for them. Nowadays, because well education has been coming, then the term of going hunt has been changed become breed. Pigs and chicken are the most of their livestock. However nowadays, their young generations have been accepting good education until bachelor degree, and then they have better other jobs.  Laborer until employees of government instances are the most job their young generations have nowadays. It has changed the education and social of Dayak community better than before.

Besides, the government of East Kalimantan has built pampang village as a tourism place to reserve their culture which was legalized in June 1991. Moreover, Betang house is another Dayak’s custom house where they live collectively which has been a tourism place. It is a big house with the length until 30-150 meters and the width is about 10-30 meters, and have long poles about 3-5 meters. It is built for the realization of the principal of solidarity in Dayak’s social stratum.

By the time, globalization and modernization eras changed the character of Dayak community who were always holding solidarity principal. The individualism character of modern society has infected some of Dayak community until some of them didn’t want to live together in Betang house anymore. Dayak’s vernacular has been becoming minority, because most of mothers in Dayak prefer to teach their children with Indonesian or English. Kaharingan is a belief to the ancient soul as their God, previously the most embraced by Dayak people. Since other religions such as Muslim and Christian have been coming, they were getting leave kaharingan.

The globalization and modernization has faded the fascinating culture of Dayak slowly. However, it can’t be denied that some of cultures have to be left in order to better life. In other hands, some of cultures have to be maintained in order to not lose the identity of the culture. Thus, we must not judge Dayak as a strange ethnic after we knew about its fascinating culture and it is our obligate to support, appreciate, and perpetuate their culture in this globalization era.

Thanks for reading my writing... comments and critics are welcomed :-)

Central Tips You Have To Do in the College

Studying in a college is one the student’s phases to make a good future. Most of people choose their dream university as the place to continue study, moreover the exact major has to be chosen to expand or develop knowledge for the better future. However, wherever and whatever university you are studying, you have to consider some tips that would be useful for you in an attempt to be success to pass your study in the college.

“Adaptation” is one of the tips that mainly you have to do. What I mean is the way you adapt in the new place which is a new experience for you. I can make sure that you will be shocked about the curriculum system in the college which is different with the curriculum system in the senior high school. The most central of this tip is you adapt in the way you learn. When you decide to study in a college, you have to be more active to study.  You have to state your mind that studying is not only in the class, whenever you have leisure time, use it to expand your knowledge whether going to library or join seminars.

“Enlarge your relation” is the precious tip. It is important for you as student to get as many as good friends especially they who are in different major or faculty, moreover it will much be better if you have some good friends from other universities. All you have to do is joining an organization to get many friends. If you do it, your experience will be improved. However, it would be useful for you when you have graduated, you will be easier to get a job. Besides, you will be easier to solve your problem with them and of course you must get happiness when you gather with your friends, don’t you? So, do not just keep yourself in the boarding house. Make sure that you have good friends who always make you be better, do not make friends with bad people as well.

“Make a good relation with your lecturers” is the crucial tip. Keep in mind that the first lecture’s view about you is the most important to build a good reputation. At the first time a lecturer comes to your class and teaches you, you have to show him/her your good attitude. Do not be late! And ask everything related with the object study which you haven’t understood. Always keep your sit near the lecturer then your lecturer will remember you. Do not be a lazy student and always submit the task before the deadline.

Those tips are based on myself experience. If you do the whole of those things I shared, InsyaAllah you will past your study smoothly. I hope this article will be useful for you. Thank you for reading my article.

The Analysis of ANGELA Film

Hello friends…,it has been long time no see ya....

This moment I would like to share to you my writing about a deep emotional film about Rhonda Gordon and her child who are Indian surrounded by American white ethnic. 

Do you know Angela film?...

Ah.. I can make sure that you haven’t known about this film :-P because you would never find this find this film in youtube, or other web video, you have to watch it by online at www.nfb.ca/playlist/anti-racism-film/.   

Actually I knew about this film was from my lecturer, Mr. Halili, who had given me a task to analyze his film for our mid semester examination. If you wonder about this film, let’s check this analyze out :-D

I. Introduction

ANGELA or For Angela is one of the films produced by National Board of Film Canada in 1993. The story is about racism which had been being done by American to Indian race. The interesting point in this film is about racism which we have already known that it is race discrimination and has made quarrel in each distinct race. “Racism is ubiquitous, it’s a global phenomenon”(McDougall, 2008).

II. Discussion

·         A Brief Summary of The Film

Film “For Angela” is a film based on a true story about the courage of Rhonda Gordon and her daughter Angela. They were Indian who live on a town in Canada. The story has begun when Rhonda was bringing her children to go to school. While waiting for the bus, they were sitting in a chair. At that time, three young boys came and starting to disturb Rhonda and Angela by making ridicule about Indian culture. One of them (Ian) was dancing Indian dance and laughing, Rhonda and Angela just silent to keep their offense. While coming in to the bus, the three young boys still disturbing Rhonda and Angela until they were arrived to the school. However, in her work, Rhonda experienced racist, until she had to do more lot of works than other workers. Arrived in her house, Rhonda was busy with her work while Angela wanted to be accompanied by her. After Rhonda had finished her work, she was surprised with hair was scattered around her toilet. Then, she realized that his child had cut off her hair because she didn’t want to be an Indian.

She could not handle her emotion, then she went to the school where Ian( a boy who made ridicule in the beginning of the story) had been studying. However, they finally could meet with Ian in the principal room. Rhonda was hugging Angela while interviewing Ian, and he asked for apologize.

·         Stereotype and Racism

It is over judging of beliefs and image about some groups of society because lack of information. If we take a look at the film of “For Angela”, there are some stereotypes from American to Indian. They (especially the three young boys in the film) have opinion that every Indian like to dance their freak dance and they thought that every Indian is poor, smells bad, and strange. In the beginning of the story, we can discover that Rhonda got difficulty to close the zipper of Angela’s jacket; it seems that the jacket was broken. It signs that Rhonda was belong to low-working class, if was not, she would have bought a new and better jacket for Angela.

            The racism to Indian race in this story was very strong and frontal. When Rhonda was bringing Angela to go to school, she asked the bus to stop, but the driver of the bus didn’t want to stop it, then they had to wait the next bus by sitting on a chair. Furthermore, because of American stereotype to Indian made the three young boys racist to Rhonda and Angela. Because the stereotype of Indian is poor, Ian throws a coin for Rhonda.

            The next racism in this film is when Rhonda and Angela came to a school when Ian had been studying; they got bad respond from almost all of people in the school. They watched cynically to Rhonda and Angela.

·         The Fact that Hair is Important for Indian

            This idea I caught when Rhonda was so sad seeing her daughter had cut her hair. From the film, we can catch that hair is very important for Indian. It signs their identity and they are very appreciating for hair that the God had given for them. And because of Angela cut her hair and didn’t want to be an Indian, made Rhonda could not keep her emotion and got Ian to apologize.

III. Conclusion

            Based on the analysis above, it can be conclude that Indian race in America is not treated well and tend to be exclude from the society. Although Indian is the origin inhabitant in America, but they are becoming minority in America continent and we don’t know till when the condition would be stated.    

IV. References

www.nfb.ca/playlist/anti-racism-film/

Reitz, Kein (2008). “National Human Rights depend on International action, Says U.N. Expert. www.lawvirginia.edo/html/news/2008. Accessed on 23th December 2015

Hopefully, this post would inspire and add your knowledge :-)

Comment and useful critics are welcomed for you to write below.. :-)