A tiny village with patches of greatness

The Jakarta Post -- WEEKENDER   |  Thu, 01/29/2009 8:13 PM  |  Reporter's Notebook

Setulang village, up north in East Kalimantan, straddles the gray zone between the traditional and the modern. The subtribe of Dayak Kenyah Uma Lung still subsists on farming and hunting for boars and rattan in the forest. But their children are now studying in universities in big cities, and cell phones are already a necessity – even though one has to go to the hills to get reception.

The people are finding a middle way to maintain their way of life and gain more from their beautiful surroundings without destroying them. They are building an ecotourism attraction where tourists can sleep in the house on stilts, visit a blacksmith at work and learn how to weave bags and make bowls from local women. There are also guided tours to the Tana Olen forest, proudly guarded from loggers and the advances of palm oil plantations.

A river runs in front of the base camp by the forest, its water cool and clean. Those who dare to brave the small leeches (villagers show how to avoid them) can take walks up to the Kase Bezu, or the Big Tree, with its circumference of 9.3 meters. Guides will point out signs of local animals, along the way picking rattan and leaves that they use to make mats and roofs.

Their efforts are supported by the Malinau regency government, which has designated Setulang as the area’s tourism village. In early November, people from a different Dayak subtribe came down to Malinau, the regency capital, for a biennial festival celebrating its anniversary. Dances, war plays, blowpipe competitions, boat races and food fiestas were only some of the events held during the festive, carefree days.

+ Sonja Fransisca

To visit Setulang, contact:

Tana Olen management
Kole Adjang (+62 813 508 09344), Saleh (+62 852 4757 4809), Kahang (+62 852 473 85908)
Borneo Tropical Rainforest Foundation
on +62 21 3983 1302 or +62 542 8879606

A small dog swims to safety from a drifting boat. Villagers wash their clothes and bathe in the river, which sometimes floods the area.

Each family in Setulang village has a separate storage area for their rice and farming equipment. The buildings are grouped away from the housing compound to ensure they will be safe if there is a fire.

Except for a few old people, distended ears and tattooed arms are no longer favored by the Dayak Kenyah tribe.

Two men draw patterns on tree bark in preparation for a Dayak festival to celebrate the regency’s anniversary. Visitors can observe the everyday activities in the village, including weaving and iron-pounding at the blacksmith.

Kids go to school in the new buildings on the outskirts of the village. They play in the river or climb trees in their spare time.

A total of 18 passengers and a mountain of goods cram into a “taxi”, an open-sided van that tracks the hilly roads to Setulang, for a jovial ride to see the Dayak festival in Malinau, the regency capital.

Bright colors and curvy lines make this pattern the most famous among Dayak traditional clothes.

Setulang villagers take part in a play to depict wars among Dayak Kenyah subtribes, known in the past as headhunters.

A pig turns on a spit near a small hut. Festival-goers shared the meat and other types of traditional delicacies for lunch.

A traditional musician in a quartet whose music accompanied a war play and dances.

The river that passes in front of a base camp set up in the Tana Olen forest, maintained by Setulang villagers. They have begun ecotourism projects to preserve the woods that provide them with food, rattan and a way of life.

The Tana Olen forest is dense and green, with creeks flowing through it.

Kase Bezu, or the Big Tree, is about a 3.5-hour climb from the base camp. With a circumference of 9.3 meters, it is the biggest tree found so far in the 5,300 hectares of forest managed by the Setulang village.

Roots creeping up and twirling down are a piece of art only to be found in nature.

A centipeder crawls through the bright white toadstools in the forest.

The journey home from the forest, with pieces of rattan ready to be shaved and sliced to tie the roofs of Pak Bisin’s hut in the field.

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