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Featured
Destination of the Month
East
Kalimantan
Worth
a Visit
East
Kalimantan, being the major producer of
oil and timber, is the most industrially
advanced area in Indonesian Borneo. Considered
as the second largest province, East Kalimantan
is the home to the original inhabitants
of the island, called the Dayaks, although
they refer to themselves by their individual
tribe of origin , such as Iban , Punan
or Benuaq.
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The
Dayak traditionally live in communal longhouses
called lamin or umaq daru. These are built on
wooden piles, which can be up to three meters
high, as protection against wild animals and flooding.
The Punan, however, are nomadic hunter-gatherers
who only use the longhouse at the height of the
rainy season.
The
interior of the longhouse is typically divided
into separate family quarters accessed by a door
leading from a broad verandah down the front.
This verandah is the place where all community
activities take place, from weaving and festive
meals to meetings, to ceremonies. It is the place
where strong tribal bands are reinforced, bonds
that have kept Dayak life vibrant in the face
of rapidly advancing 20th century technology.
Evil spirits are deterred from causing harm by
the placement of a guardian statue, hampatong,
by the path leading into the longhouse.
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These
days, the longhouses are steadily disappearing,
and many that remain have been converted
into small meeting halls or stages for performing
arts, while the Dayaks are becoming increasingly
accustomed to living in individual homes
or much smaller community establishments.
The most common starting points for journeys
inland are Balikpapan and Samarinda, which
have regular flight services to Jakarta.
Traveling along the extensive Mahakam river
system, the main highway, which has carved
its meandering way deep into the interior
through jungles and flatlands, constantly
reshaping and nourishing the land, is a
fascinating adventure. |
Places
of Interest:
Samarinda
is the capital of East Kalimatan that
shows some signs of being the capital
of a prosperous province. New government
offices and public utilities are rising
everywhere and a number of modest but
comfortable hotels are available. The
hand-woven silk sarung Samarinda are well-known
in other parts of Indonesia.
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Balikpapan
is the center of oil industry and one of the two
gateways to East Kalimantan with a regular air
and sea connections to Jakarta and other major
points in Indonesia. Even the trip to Samarinda
begins in Balikpapan. Balikpapan has many beautiful
hotels including one of international standards
as well as recreation facilities.
Berau
and Marine Tourism on Derawan Island
Berau regency and its capital Tanjung Redep are
found halfway up the coast from Samarinda towards
the Malaysian border. It includes several small
islands, one of which is Derawan, which is about
three hours away from Tanjung Redep by boat. This
not being a particularly busy tourist area, accommodations
are fairly simple, but the beaches are great.
Derawan
island is home to many rare animals,
such as the green turtle , the scarlet turtle,
the star-fruit turtle and the sea cow; rare species
of the marine plants, coral reefs, iguanas, sea
birds and crabs. It is also a place for pearl-diving
and good for such water sports as scuba-diving,
fishing and swimming.
Tanjung
Redep was the meeting point of several
kingdom in days gone by. The remains of the Gunung
Tambur regalia can be seen in the palace, now
a museum reconstructed faithfully following the
lines of the old buildings destroyed by the Japanese
in World War II. The nearby palace of Sambaliung
is still intact, but most of the contents have
been sold off.
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Bontang
Located in Kutai regency up the coast
from Samarinda, Bontang is the gateway
to the 200,000-hectare Kutai National
Park, a rainforest of ancient hardwood
trees harboring a wide variety of animal
species. A guide is required and although
you can stay overnight at one of the several
guard posts, you must bring your own beddings.
Tanah
Merah Indah-Lempake
Tanah Merah Indah (Beautiful Red Earth)
is a recreational park with natural waterfalls
of about 16km from downtown Samarinda.
It can be reached by automobile or public
transportation.
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Tenggarong
is the capital of Kutai regency and once
the seat of the Kutai sultanate. The sultan’s
palace on the riverside is now a museum
where the royal paraphernalia are kept,
as well as an excellent collection of
antique Chinese ceramics inside and weatherworn
hampatong figures in the garden. The current
building was built in 1936 following a
design by a Dutch architect, the earlier
palace having burnt to the ground. Every
24th of September, the palace becomes
the center of dance and musical performances
to celebrate the founding of Tenggarong
town as well as traditional religious
rites, a dragon-boat race, and a community
water-fight. This is known as the Erau
Festival.
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Tanjung
Isuy is a settlement of Benuaq Dayaks
of the fringe of Lake Jempang up the Mahakan River.
A popular tourist destination, this is the easiest
site to reach to view a long house and a traditional
lifestyle. Travel is by river boat; the journey
is long but interesting, as one passes by floating
villages and through thick forests. Visitors are
welcomed at Tanjung Isuy in traditional Benuaq
style and star in the refurbished longhouse. If
lucky, one might be able to watch belian or medicine
man perform a curing rite over a patient to the
accompaniment of gongs and drums and dressed in
unusual costume – many of the Benuaq prefer
the old ways to modern treatment.
The
Benuaq weave cloth on simple looms from
wild orchid leaf-fibers called ulap doyo. This
cottage weaving industry has been receiving assistance
from the government and industries in East Kalimantan
over the past couple of decades to supply souvenirs
for tourists and as a source of income for the
local people.
Muara-Kersik
Luway
Melak is a village farther up the Mahakam in the
heart of Tanjung Dayak land. Nearby is the Kersik
Luway Orchid Forest already spoken of, where black
orchid grows.
Muara
Ancalong – Muara Wahau
Deep in the hinterlands up the Mahakam river are
Muara Ancalong and Muara Wahau, two outposts within
close reach of traditional Kenyah Dayak settlements
(longhouses). Kenyah is noted for an exotic form
of decoration based on the aso motif, which resembles
an amoeba with extensions growing and entangling
everywhere. With this they may decorate interiors
and exteriors of buildings, as well as beadworked
caps, baby carriers and embroidered textiles.
(Source:
www.Indonesia-tourism.com/east-kalimatan)
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