Indigenous People and Nature
THE IMPORTANCE OF PROTECTING KALIMANTAN’S FOREST In the midst of the hustle and bustle of ecological problems, the recognition of the role of indigenous peoples and their awareness of their practice in caring for nature is increasingly recognized by the world. However, appreciation for their presence will have more meaning if it is drawn according […]
Protecting Dayak medicinal knowledge in the midst of modernization
Written by Siddarth Badri (Independent Researcher) According to the communities in the villages of Kereng Bangkirai and Sabaru, the forest is a sacred place, governed by the Adat (or cultural) law system; a set of spiritual norms to regulate human activity in the natural world. Humans are viewed as lesser beings compared to the creatures […]
Using Dayak knowledge to understand the traditional uses of plants on Borneo
Written by Siddharth Badri (Independent Researcher) It has been exactly a month since I arrived in Indonesia to start my yearlong ethnobotanical research (the study of plants and their practical uses through the traditional knowledge of local culture and people) on the Dayak community living in Kereng Bangkirai near the Sebangau National Park. I feel […]
Discovery of a 1940s Central Kalimantan map and the history that lies inside
Written by Desi Natalia (BNF Communications Officer) Recently, Dr Mark Harrison (BNF Co-director) came across an old map of Central Kalimantan (Indonesian Borneo) printed on silk from the 1940s. There are many village names on the map that remain the same today, but some of the villages are spelt differently. For instance, ‘Poeroektjaoe’ is now […]
