Events on and off field are heating up at the National Games in East Kalimantan. Participants could learn from the Dayaks, whose descendants are said to have arrived in Borneo as early as 3,000 years back, about the need to maintain unity in diversity.
An hour's drive from Palaran, one of the main Games venues, we arrived at Pampang, home to Dayak Kenyah, whose traditions and customs have become tourist lures. The Dayaks are made up different tribes: Bakumpai, Ngajus, Baritos, Benuaqs, Kayan, Kenyah and many more.
A group of children had just performed a dance called Pemung Tawai, which means "one heart, one thought and one goal". That was followed by a dance called "Enggang Terbang" (Flying Enggang), by a group of women. Enggang (a type of bird) is one of three animals serving as mascots for the Games; the other two being the pesut (Irrawaddy dolphin) and orangutan.
The dance was held on a roofed wooden stage, which functions as a place for community gatherings. Spectators were seated on rows of benches.
In the first row of benches were Dayak elders seated in their traditional attire. The ceremony, which used to be held in the deepest terrain of Kalimantan but has now relocated since 1985 in an area reachable from the city for tourism reasons, is held every Sunday between 2 and 3 p.m.
Located three kilometers from the main road, and under the green carpeted hills, the village looks secluded and peaceful, although the green bushes mask the signs of heavy logging.
The seclusion is a different world from the hectic euphoria of the Games arena, particularly the motorsport track I visited on my way to the village.
The track, located on the slope of a hill just behind the Palaran sports complex, is the venue for the underbone motorcycle competition, with around 100 riders looking to become the Indonesian Valentino Rossi, Casey Stoner or Dani Pedrosa.
The day I was there, the spectators came in huge numbers, making it difficult to drive to the venue. They were obviously undeterred by the searing heat.
We had to abandon the car and get to the venue on foot. As hot as the weather was, it was just as heated at some of the sporting venues for the Games.
The women's basketball final between Jakarta and host East Kalimantan was marked by a brawl between fans and players. The soccer match between West Papua and Jakarta in Group E led to two-year ban from national soccer and a fine of Rp 10 million for two Papua players.
During the badminton semifinals, Jakarta supporters and East Java fans mocked each other, but luckily violence was averted.
The Flying Enggang dance featured a number of female dancers holding colorful clothes.
"The Enggang is a symbol of leadership while the colorful clothes signify diversity. Although we are made up of different tribes, we are one," said a Dayak elder.
