W. Kalimantan to nominate
intangible cultural heritages
to UNESCO

The West Kalimantan administration is recording its rich cultural heritage in preparation for new nominations for the UNESCO World Cultural Heritage list.

Pontianak Cultural Values Conservation Agency (BPNBP) senior researcher Poltak Johansen said 323 intangible cultural heritage from West Kalimantan had been cataloged during 2009 to 2013.

The figure was likely to be higher because the local administration had continued to improve the inventory procedure every year so that more cultural heritage could be recorded, he added.

Poltak said the National Education and Culture Ministry had confirmed 70 intangible cultural heritages from across Indonesia.

“Four of [these] were from West Kalimantan,” he said in a discussion conducted by the BPNBP in Pontianak, on Tuesday.

The four cultural heritages are betang houses (traditional Dayak houses in Kalimantan); kledik (traditional Dayak musical instrument); the Sambas songket (a glittering, golden woven fabric); and bidai (rattan mats).

“It’s still a long way for us to get the intangible cultural heritages listed on Unesco’s list,” said BPNBP coordinator for cultural heritage inventory Sisva Maryadi. (ebf)