Saturday, March 8, 2008

Sapundu: Mortuary post on the Seranau and Cempaga River Basins




Abstrak

Sifat sosial manusia dalam lingkup kegiatan kematian secara umum adalah upaya mengingat orang yang meninggal. Salah satu cara adalah membuat tanda-tanda yang mencirikan atau mengingatkan ‘yang masih hidup’ akan si mati. Salah satu contoh nyata pembuatan tanda-tanda kematian dilakukan oleh masyarakat Ngaju di Kalimantan Tengah yang masih memiliki keyakinan Kaharingan yang kuat dengan upacara kematiannya, Tiwah. Pada masyarakat Ngaju di Daerah Aliran Sungai Seranau dan Cempaga, kegiatan kematian selalu diiringi dengan pendirian sapundu. Fungsi utama sapundu adalah tiang penambat binatang yang akan dikurbankan dalam Tiwah. Namun, ternyata sapundu memiliki makna sosial-religius yang lebih luas daripada fungsi teknisnya sebagai sekedar tiang tambat kurban. Terdapat beberapa jenis, fungsi dan makna sapundu yang dapat diidentifikasi berdasarkan sifat, orientasi dan lokasi penempatan sapundu. Tulisan ini akan membahas karakteristik sapundu pada Daerah Aliran Seranau dan Cempaga yang ditinjau dari aspek dimensi, pose, gender dan ornamen, serta orientasi.
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Published in Wasita et.al. 2007. Naditira Widya. Archaeological Bulletin. Banjarbaru: Centre for Archaeology, Banjarmasin. vol. 1 no. 2. ISSN 1410-0932. In press.

Saturday, September 29, 2007

Save the Heart of Kalimantan






















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by Bayu Dwi Mardana Kusuma. In The National Geographic Indonesia November 2006 Edition

Thursday, September 6, 2007

Tiwah: The Art of Death in Southern Kalimantan


Abstrak

Di Kalimantan Tengah terdapat masyarakat yang masih memelihara adat mengelola kematian, yang merupakan bagian tak terpisahkan dari kepercayaan Kaharingan, sampai sekarang di antaranya adalah kelompok etnis Dayak Ngaju (or Ngaju), yang terbagi lagi menjadi beberapa sub-kelompok kecil. Salah satu sub-kelompok kecil ini mendiami daerah Pendahara di Sungai Katingan. Praktek mengelola kematian menekankan gagasan tentang hubungan kehidupan di alam maya dan alam baka yang dapat mempengaruhi kesejahteraaan manusia yang masih hidup. Fokus pengelolaan kematian ini adalah penanganan jenazah dan upacara kematian Tiwah. Kegiatan pengelolaan kematian merupakan suatu karya manusia sebagai realisasi pemenuhan aspek spiritual kepada yang lebih berkuasa atas hidup manusia dan aspek sosial kepada sesama manusia dan lingkungan di sekitarnya. Dalam Antropologi Seni, karya manusia ditetapkan sebagai suatu karya seni berhubungan erat dengan persepsi dan interpretasi si pengamat karya. Lebih jauh lagi, persepsi semacam ini juga tergantung pada latar belakang budaya atau pengetahuan tentang suatu karya seni. Dengan demikian, jika pengelolaan kematian merupakan bagian dari siklus hidup masyarakat Ngaju sehari-hari, bagaimana upacara Tiwah dapat dinilai sebagai suatu karya seni? Artikel ini akan membahas kosmologi dan praktek Tiwah untuk dapat mengerti bentuk karya, representasi dari karya, dan social konteks karya tersebut.
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Published in: Wasita, et.al. 2007. Naditira Widya. Archaeological Bulletin. Banjarbaru: Centre for Archaoelogy, Banjarmasin. vol. 1 no. 1. ISSN: 1410-0932. In press

Monday, April 23, 2007

The Preference of choosing a site in Classic Indonesia: A Case Study in East and South Kalimantan



Abstract

The Province of East and South Kalimantan are two different regions, which each of them has its own geographical and geological characteristic. A number of archaeological remains that was discovered in both provinces indicate an interesting phenomenon in regard to their spatial feature. The site distribution reflects past human activities occurred in its ecological circle. Therefore, natural resources is considered to be one of the aspects determined in selecting prospective location to carry out one's activity. In the classical period of Indonesia, human established monuments, whether sacred or profane, according to the text of Vastusastra or Manasara. However, selection for prospective location still tend to depend on convenience and comfort to obtain natural resource, especially, water and also human resource for religious purposes.
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Published in: Sulistyanto et.al. (eds.). 2000. Naditira Widya. Archaeological Bulletin. Banjarbaru: Centre for Archaeology, Banjarmasin. No. 5: 21-25. ISSN 1410-0932.

Nation Integration a la Ngadatun and Marabia



Abstract

The Maanyan of Haringen in Central Kalimantan have been persistent on carrying out secondary treatment for their burial custom. This activity is believed to have been practiced since prehistoric. Presently, the majority of the Haringen community is Christian; however, the performance of the living tradition indicate a remarkable outlook of tolerance -a manifestation of their traditional value system, the Paju Sepuluh, which emphasizes on the completion of human life and its environmental conformity. This suggests a form of appreciation regarding the subsistence of new cultural values that motivate inter-cultural adjustments. The very existence of the secondary burial tradition is the concept of the Haringen community, which is used indirectly as means to prevent threats against present intense nation disintegration.
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Published in: Sulistyanto et.al. (eds.). Naditira Widya. Archaeological Bulletin. Banjarbaru: Centre for Archaeology, Banjarmasin. Special Edition No. 6, June 2001: 53-69. ISSN 1410-0932.

Public Oriented: Effective Publication Strategy at the Centre for Archaeology, Banjarmasin



Abstract

The dissemination of archaeological information is an activity of no less important compare to archaeological research, in view of the fact that freedom to obtain information is a right for every human to be able to expand one's personal and social environment. The gap existed between archaeological research policy and its implementation is seen indirectly on the orientation of archaeological information dissemination, which tends to emphasize on academic objective for the benefit of only intellectual circle.
Accordingly, based on the 2000-2004 policy of the Research Centre for Archaeology, Jakarta, and the adjustments on the paradigm development of archaeological research today, it is necessary to enhance publication effectiveness, whether quantitatively or qualitatively, toward public orientation. This effort is designed for the attainment of practical requirements in managing cultural resources based on public involvement to determine policies, morally or physically, for local cultural and tourism development. The implementation of this concept aims to provide a condition for archaeological outcome to be accessible for the public interested in archaeology.
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Published in: Sulistyanto et.al. (eds.). 2002. Naditira Widya. Archaeological Bulletin. Banjarbaru: Centre for Archaeology, Banjarmasin. No. 8, April 2002: 128-137. ISSN 1410-0932