The second burial or cleaning of the ancestor bones for ceremonial reburial is called the tiwah, in the language of Kahayan Dayaks. In Dayak mythology, embedded in their kaharingan religion, this enables departed family members to reach the
highest place in heaven. It is also a right of passage for the
survivors to show their worthiness and financial ability to plan and carry out the
tiwah ritual, which will in turn
bless them with greater harvests and wealth. In Tewang Rangas, background planning over 3 months
has gone into preparing every detail for the giant send off ritual pesta tiwah over the final 3 days. As is often the case, this is a mass tiwah, where many families send off their ancestors together. For this, they share the costs and received generous support from local government. The Katingan region still has many adherents of the ancient Dayak religion and tiwah will often take place in August.
The colour of the banners, the placement of
ritual objects and of the totem poles, all made during the lead up, the constant throbbing of gongs, which
animals are sacrificed and the way meat is shared and the heads are suspended
from the totems, is prescribed. Any variation is shunned. The ceremony is
orchestrated by kaharingan or local
religion basir who are rare and
highly sought after these days. The basir prays to Ranying Hatalla Langit, the Kaharingan God, in the old Dayak language.
The hornbill symbol is placed above all as
a reminder of how the soul is transported to the next life in lewu tatau, the bejeweled village. The
sacrificial animals accompany the souls on their journey and symbolic weapons
give them the means to overcome seven challenges on the way.
Carved, personalized totem poles, quirky and brilliantly adorned, are made for each soul, and are offered baram and other favourite foods and drinks during their last meal.
Imagine holding a pesta tiwah and inviting not only your own village, but all the
villages nearby, the local council members and their families, Dayak adat leaders and elders as well as
opening your doors to strangers and curious tourists who happen to turn up. All
are warmly welcomed inside the community, fed and given lodging. But visitors
have to pass a test, well, many tests, many related to determining that they
have come with good intentions, not to disrupt the ritual.
Spirits are taken seriously. Wearing sack
cloth and sababuka, or frightening
masks, painted a few days before, and staying anonymous throughout, two bukung prowl the village scaring the
kids and disruptive spirits. The good spirits are welcomed and housed in
structure of bamboo poles decorated with batiks and the spiritual yellow
banners in the centre of the festivities.
The music keeps all at a pitch of
excitement, as families farewell and keen over their ancestors, whose cleaned
bones are placed in newly carved and decorated coffins before the final
transfer to the sandung, or family
bone house.
These days resonate with with parades, sacrifice rituals, vast
cooking areas, sharing of food, drinking the rice wine or baram, chewing betelnut, gossip and gambling. The Kaharingan tiwah is still very much alive in this
area.
I have used the more commonly
known language of the Dayak ngaju tribe
or the peoples living near Palangkaraya. This tiwah was held in the Katingan region, where the language and
customs differ. There are in fact some 40 different Dayak tribes, with their
own languages and customs in Kalimantan, Indonesian Borneo.
Tiwah are held at irregular intervals. WOW Borneo can help you attend one.
www.wowborneo.com info@wowborneo.com
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