BIODIVERSITY FOR FUTURE GENERATIONS: Mapping the land, reconnecting generations

"Land, forests, and rivers, are the three most important elements of nature that make it possible for us to be "Dayak". Forming the basis of our biological as well as our spiritual life, determining the virtue and value of our people, these elements over thousands of years have nurtured the evolution of our identity, our culture and, our belief system. Without our land, forests and rivers, our culture would die, for our traditional ceremonies, rituals, and beliefs are all embedded in nature. The disintegration of our cultural life begins with the refusal to recognize the cultural functions of forests and rivers to the Dayak people, when forests are merely seen as "green gold" which should be exploited."

Yayasan Karya Sosial Pancur Kasih, is a Pontianak based NGO which has been assisting communities to develop tools needed to protect their lands, forests and rivers from outside encroachment, to ensure the survival of the Dayak peoples culture and nature. This is achieved through community empowerment programs, initialized through participatory mapping activities. Y.Judan IFN, a member of the Banjar-Karab community describes his experience in community mapping with assistance from Pancur Kasih.

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Bajontang Maro…..Baguris Tonah…

Sapat Karamobak Saropun, Sapat Tonah"

According to the 1995 census our village has a population of 500 people, consisting of 106 families. For generations of which we can trace back 400 years our village has owned a "kawasan adat". Traditionally we have inherited clearly demarcated land, forest gardens, and protected forests from our ancestors who measured their lands to determine boundaries with Bajontang Maro (a traditional measuring stick made from rattan). Boundaries are sketched (baguris tanah) and signs are put up. The sign for a village boundary is ussually a pontik (a human statue made from belian wood), which over the years becomes covered in moss (karamobak). Sometimes only one tuft of moss grows on the pontik's head - this is called karamobak saropun. While sapat means boundary and tonah means land. So sapat tonah means the boundaries of traditional areas.

Bajontang Maro, baguris tonah, sapat karamobak saropun, is an old age saying used by the Banjur-Karab village in traditional ceremonies carried out to announce a village boundary. Representatives from all neighboring villages are invited to this ceremony. A feast is prepared, consisting of a pig, a chicken, and a big jar of tuak (traditional wine) - blood from the pig is painted unto the pontik, and all neighboring villages vow not to break these boundaries.

Traditional laws consisting of a fine of 20 white porcelain plates are used to protect these boundaries, and even thought these laws were never written down, all Dayak communities, especially the Dayak Simpang have known and obeyed them for hundreds of years.

The above story illustrates that traditionally, the Dayak people did have a clear mapping system to demarcate the boundaries of their lands. However in 1994 Stephanus Djuweng from Pontianak informed us about the importance of documenting our maps in a way that could be understood by outsiders and decision makers. Through long discussions the community decided they needed "an accurate document to use legally and formally to show the boundaries of our "adat" lands, in which "adat" communities live". In January 1996 our community set up a mapping committee in Banjur - Karab. Each family contributed Rp6,000,- (aprox. US $ 3 at the time) to support the committees work. From 106 families we collected Rp 578,000,-. This meant that 93 % of the community supported the idea. However there were also some problems, as a small portion of our community was against mapping as it could interfere in HPH investment (timber concessionaires) in the area.

Once we had the funds to do the mapping, on January 16th we contacted Pancur Kasih to assist us and a team of mapping facilitators came to Banjur-Karab on the 7th of February. The next day we began the mapping workshop. We were introduced to three-dimensional maps, and the uses of contour, GPS, compass, and measuring tape. We discussed how our communities could use the maps, among others to protect our "adat" lands. Then we began gathering field data. We divided into four groups, each group was instructed to follow the "adat" boundaries in different directions, taking GPS points and data with the compass. In the forest we found big trees that had already been marked with red paint by a certain HPH, but as we knew this forest was within our "adat" boundary we changed these signs to say "Kawasan Adat Dusun Banjur-Karab" (Banjur-Karab "adat" village area). We used our data to develop our maps, maps that truly describe our land as we see it in our minds, in the memory of the Banjur-Karab community. These maps talk of our natural wealth, the distribution of trees, animals, and houses.

Many young people joined in the participatory mapping process, many still questioning the benefits these maps could bring to our community? Will we be able to protect our land? Will we be able to enhance our prosperity using these maps as our tools?*