The Collapsing Dayaknese Totem: Palm Oil Plantation and the Waning of Religiosity in West Kalimantan
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.18502/kss.v3i5.2326Abstract
For the Dayak Desa people of Kampong Nek Gambang, tapang madu (Koompassia excelsa) is believed as their totem rather than just a bee tree. Being a totem, tapang madu underwent three cultural modifications: social, religious, and psychological. In religious function, tapang madu is considered as the main media for Desa’s initiation ritual, as well as having vital position in their myth of origin. In its social function, tapang madu is also a statement of clanship, serving as a family tree which records up to nine late generations of ancestors. Relating to its social function, the tapang produces honey which is invaluable to the Dayak Desa. In its psychological function, tapang madu is protected by a collapsing-taboo. Nevertheless, research shows that even though it is considered sacred, tapang madu totem has been massively demolished by external groups and even the people of Nek Gambang themselves. This ethnographic research is aimed to understand the reason for the fall of tapang madu totem both physically as well as symbolically.
Keywords: Collapsing, Dayak Desa, Honey, Palm Oil Tree, Tapang Madu, Totem
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