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Sasak Behundang, Arai Beikan, Hutan Bejaluq
(There are shrimps under the leaves sunk on riverbeds, there are fish in the water, there are animals in the forests).
Ask the average man in the street if they can point out Borneo on the map and they may have trouble answering your question.
Ask them if they are concerned about problems such as global warming, destruction of the rain forests, poverty, religious and ethnic strife and they will probably know exactly what you are talking about! Unfortunately, Borneo is no stranger to these problems.
For centuries the indigenous Borneo Dayaks have lived in harmony with their tropical environment. Scientific studies attempting to understand the recent problems in Kalimantan are unanimous on this point.
The saying below the picture is from Dayak Jalai who lives in Ketapang District, West Kalimantan. It describes briefly their vision and dream about living in happiness and prosperity. It also represents the Dayak’s view in general. Living in harmony with nature as the basis for their living, the Dayak have developed a distinct management of natural resources.
"The most basic characteristic similar to all Dayak ethnic groups is that they are an oral community with an integral relationship with the land — a community that has a strong belief that the world and everything in it was created by the Almighty. They have strong solidarity and loyalty among themselves, and a strong sense of communalism." (2002, ‘Indonesia and Displacement’, Ford Foundation).
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