The Contribution of Institutional Resilience to Ecological Resilience in Kalimantan, Indonesia: A Cultural Perspective

Abstract

"The Dayak people of Borneo governed themselves for thousands of years before the Dutch colonial period and the consolidation of the Indonesian state. During World War II, a Dayak state, Majang Desa, was formed in 1942, and then joined the new Republic of Indonesia in 1945. The Dayak have developed sophisticated systems of sylviculture, agriculture, and land use adapted to the tropical forests and rivers in their environment. The New Order Indonesian neocolonial government has pressed an assault on Dayak territories by denying the legitimacy of Dayak self-governance, culture and agroecological systems, imposing appointed leaders at the local level, and putting oil palm and timber concessions onto their territories. This paper describes a case study of Ketapang, West Kalimantan, including a description of the traditional governance structure, the threats and crises that it has weathered, and the ways that Dayak NGOs have supported Dayak culture and institutional resilience."