Guarding the Sungai Ute

On 24 September, Apai Janggut went to New York, United States, to accept the prestigious Equatorial Prize award from the UNDP. Apai represented the Dayak Iban community, which was deemed successful in protecting the ecosystem in Sungai Ute hamlet, Kapuas Hulu, West Kalimantan.

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Apai Janggut

This award was given to communities that had reduced poverty by implementing sustainable use of biodiversity or the environment. These local efforts are believed to have contributed to the global collaborative effort to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Long before he received the Equatorial Prize representing his tribe, Apai was widely known among indigenous peoples, including those in foreign countries. He and his tribe serve as an example as a traditional community that is able to protect the "existing paradise" in Sungai Ute hamlet, where Apai Janggut and the Dayak Iban indigenous people live. The "existing paradise" is in the form of an ideal, harmonious and balanced life-order system.

Born Bandi Anak Regai, Apai has gained all the "knowledge" to become a Dayak Iban. "The customary house on Sungai Ute must not be left vacant. The main thing is the house must be inhabited," Apai said in Jakarta ahead of the Equatorial Prize award on Monday (16/9/2019) in Jakarta.

Sungai Ute hamlet is now often called Sungai Utik. The hamlet is included in the area of Batu Lintang village, Embaloh district, Kapuas Hulu regency, West Kalimantan.

Apai said, for the Dayak Iban, the house should not be left vacant and become cold. If the house is empty, it means there is no activity to light a fire, so the house gets cold. "If it gets cold, we will get ill fortune," Apai said.

The limit is three days. If a house is left vacant for more than three days, the inhabitants are subject to customary sanctions, namely with fines in the form of money, chickens and machetes. Chicken is used to ward off any ill fortune. Chicken blood is used to give a signal to all residents. If there is ill fortune, meaning someone died during that period, the fine will be in the form of money that can reach Rp 30 million.

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Apai Janggut

The new penalty in the form of money was only introduced after the community’s ancient jars and old gongs from their ancestors had been damaged. The richer a person is, the more jars he or she will possess because he or she can buy from others. "Now these items are already scarce because there are already many that are damaged," Apai said.

At present, the reason for the Dayak Iban people leaving the betang (customary) house is because they work in Malaysia. Keeping the house fully occupied is a crucial issue now because in some Dayak tribes, the empty betang house means eliminating the tradition of building collective agreements with all citizens.

"We always decide on everything related to the activities of indigenous peoples in the betang house. We all got together to make an agreement on a betang house."

When tradition is lost, the existence of the customary communities come under threat of extinction. The continuity of traditions and customs has become one of the conditions for a state recognition of the presence of an indigenous community. Apai explained, "We always decide on everything related to the activities of indigenous peoples in the betang house. We all got together to make an agreement on a betang house."

Stop conflict

Apai’s grandfather was the chief of a tribe Temenggung Judan and controlled seven villages in the Sungai Ute region called the Ketemenggungan Sungai Ute area. The word ute means white in the Mbalo language. At that time, the situation was still chaotic because there were many wars between tribes. The Dayak Iban is a tribe highly skilled in warfare, given its tradition of ngayau (beheading).

Originally, the grandfather who came from Lanjak asked an area what is now Sungai Ute region from Dayak Tamambaloh tribe through a samagat (nobleman) in Ulak Pao, Maling Malungsa, the ruler of the Sungai Ute. The Dayak Tamambaloh tribe then moved to the coast of Embaloh and surrendered the Sungai Ute. The entire community in Kapuas Hulu has more than 30 tribes.

"The gift came with a condition, that is, there must be no more murders. They asked [us] to keep the village good, ‘while you are here, you have what is in this forest. Keep the ones here, don\'t sell them’,"Apai said, repeating Maling\'s message.

We are Iban people. If we have a will, we never step back. The philosophy is agek idup agek ngelaban.

"We have been a century old. It’s been 130 years since our first arrival from Lanjak down to Sungai Ute. There were always wars between tribes. We are the ones who started peace. In the past people were still barbaric. They could not become our friend, "Apai said firmly.

"We are Iban people. If we have a will, we never step back. The philosophy is agek idup agek ngelaban [as long as we are alive, we will keep the fight]," Apai said.

Rejecting concession rights

It is this philosophy that serves as the basis of their rejection of business players applying for forest concessions (HPH) and fight against all illegal logging activities. During the 1980s to the end of the 1990s, the Sungai Ute area was faced with the threat of forest destruction due to illegal logging and the entry of HPHs.

Apai said, "Forest concession [permits] were placed on the chair [by certain officials] without first telling us. [After obtaining the permit] the outsiders put the message "This Is Our Territory" [on several locations]. We put other messages that read "If you’re ready to be held responsible, your may open it. If not, don\'t".

Such statements have become prevalent among environmentalists. According to Apai, if the businessman could replant all the trees and the whole forest exactly as before, his tribe would allow it.

There were attempts to divide locals. There\'s money and there’re packages of instant noodles being sent. However, residents of Sungai Ute stayed. Entrepreneurs come and go.

"Let us be poor, but we have a customary area in the form of good forest," Apai said.

KOMPAS/EMANUEL EDI SAPUTRA

Apai Janggut

All the solidity is based on the agreement made at the betang house. They divide the forest area clearly and there are strict rules in the form of customary sanctions for those who violate them. In the 10,000 hectares land, around 6,000 hectares will be protected forest and 3,500 hectares are for farming. The protected area is divided into several functions, namely as a sacred forest where there are ancestral tombs and forest reserves are for the future.

They still perform various rituals in their life cycle. For example, when they go to the farming area, they are not allowed to bring sacred items because it will rain. The sacred object can be stone or wood. The philosophy underlying the life of the Dayak Iban tribe in Sungai Ute is that land is mother, forest is father and water is blood.

When the threat of investment in extractive business is likely to continue, from within the Sungai Ute community, Apai Janggut has built customary schools.

"Even small children already know which forests can be encroached upon, what is sacred and so on. They already know," said Apai, who often showed witty expressions in the midst of his seriousness and his determination to protect the forest and its people.

Read more : Preserving Serpong’s Heritage

The philosophy of the Dayak Iban community is also simple, "We don\'t want less, we don\'t want more. If ours is lessened, we would fight. If we want more, also [would] fight. We want everything to be peaceful. "

The struggle of the Dayak Iban tribe is not over yet. They are waiting for Sungai Ute forest to be declared a customary forest, which until now is still unclear.

Bandi Anak Regai

Born: Kapuas Hulu regency, West Kalimantan

Education: Tradition of Dayak Iban tribe

Award: Equatorial Prize from UNDP, representing the Dayak Iban tribe