Elderly Dayak Woman Uses Oral Tradition to Advocate for Land Preservation

Martha Haran walks slowly. This September, the 70-year-old woman from the Dayak Kayan Mendalam community in Kapuas Hulu, West Kalimantan, is 70 years old. Despite her age, her spirit remains undimmed. Her voice is strong and clear as she narrates telimaa accompanied by the sape, a traditional Dayak plucked instrument. Ine Martha, as she is affectionately known, is a penelimaa, a narrator of Kayan oral literature. As a penelimaa, her duty is to advise the next generation to protect the ancestral lands. "To the children, so that they do not destroy what our ancestors have entrusted to us. Well, if we destroy it, there will be consequences as punishment for us," she said. However, whether this message is accepted or not depends on the listener. According to her, those who do not want to destroy will listen. It's different for those who want to destroy and prioritize themselves; they will remain defiant. She gives an example of the allure offered to village residents to sell their land to companies. "If companies enter, we who don't have cars can have them. We don't have motorcycles, we can have them." The money companies offer to buy residents' land can be spent. Even if those who sell receive seeds, fertilizer, and weed killer, it is not comparable to the ancestral land. "Land, if it is our ancestral right, we nurture it forever. We have it for generations. A car, if the motorcycle is several years old, it will be destroyed. Well, what else will you look for?" For her, it's better not to get seeds and be hungry than to trade land for temporary pleasure. However, this attitude is not always accepted by the community. "Sometimes they also hate me because I am a rebel." Ine Martha recites Telimaa accompanied by Sape played by a cultural activist. This article was originally published on Mongabay