TheJakartaPost
Please Update your browser
Your browser is out of date, and may not be compatible with our website. A list of the most popular web browsers can be found below.
Just click on the icons to get to the download page.
Popular Reads
Top Results
No results found. Please check your search term and try again
Can't find what you're looking for?
View all search results
Popular Reads
Top Results
No results found. Please check your search term and try again
Can't find what you're looking for?
View all search resultsBengkayang, West Kalimantan, to hold Nyobeng Sebujit ceremony
Residents of Bengkayang regency, West Kalimantan, are set to hold a unique tradition called Nyobeng Sebujit, which will run on June 15-17
Change text size
Gift Premium Articles
to Anyone
Share the best of The Jakarta Post with friends, family, or colleagues. As a subscriber, you can gift 3 to 5 articles each month that anyone can read—no subscription needed!
Residents of Bengkayang regency, West Kalimantan, have a unique tradition that involves the cleansing of human skulls. (Shutterstock/File)
R
esidents of Bengkayang regency, West Kalimantan, are set to hold a unique tradition called Nyobeng Sebujit, which will run on June 15-17.
Nyobeng is a ritual in which human skulls are cleansed in the Hlu Buey hamlet in Sebujit village. “Nyobeng” comes from the word Nibakng, meaning to show an expression of gratitude to God after the harvest season.
Read also: An insight into the Rongga tribe's ancient Mbasa Wini ritual
“Ngayau was a war tradition of taking the enemy’s head and bringing it home as proof of victory. However, the practice of headhunting has come to an end now,” said Bengkayang Tourism Department head Made Putra Negara.
The ritual starts with a welcoming ceremony during which the skulls are placed on bamboo stilts located beside Balug traditional houses. “Fighters” need to climb up the stilts while upside-down to show their strength.
Afterward, the skulls are placed inside a wooden box that will be kept in the Balug’s attic. The peak of Nyobeng is the bathing of skulls. (asw)
