Creation, Concept of God and Death in Dayak Ngaju Culture
Contextualizing
the Gospel to the Culture of Dayak Ngaju People,
Central
Kalimantan, Indonesia
By:
Naomi
Fortuna
(Student of Discipleship Training Centre/DTC, Singapore)
- Introduction
The
first missionary came to Kalimantan island recorded at 1835. But
before that time, at 1718, Daniel Beekmann an England officer
reported that a padre from Pourtugese came to Kalimantan inland, but
before he accomplished his mission, he was murdered by local people1.
Tjilik
Riwut in his book “Maneser
Panatau Tatu Hiang” stated
that Dayakness people were so strong to hold their ancestor belief,
Kaharingan Religion before the missionaries come. Because of the
indefatigable efforts of the missionaries, the dayakness people know
the gospel and by the time the people are converted to Christian.
After Dayak community know the bible and the Christian Doctrines, the
Kalimantan Church gives an order which is called “Aturan
Ungkup”.
It is an order for Dayakness Christians do not involve to custom
ritual ceremony of their ancestors. If they want to be baptized in
Christ, they must leave their ancestor's religion with all the ritual
embedded in it. This order causes most of Christian dayakness people
disengage and lost the connection with their ancestral culture. That
is why that many young dayakness Christian now could not acknowledge
their own ancestral culture2.
In
this article, I try to contextualized the gospel to the culture of
Dayak Ngaju based on their concept of God, creation and death in the
Kaharingan religion, the ancestral religion of Dayak Ngaju people.
The first section I explore about the concept of God, creation and
death in Kaharingan religion. And the second section, I try to
explore about the concept of God and salvation in the Bible. And the
third section is the contextualizing of the gospel to the culture of
Dayak Ngaju.
- The Concept of Creation, God and Death in Dayak Ngaju Religion
A.
Brief Description about Dayak Ngaju People
Dayak
Ngaju is the people who live on the lower and middle of Rivers :
Kapuas, Kahayan, Katingan, Rungan, Manuhing, and Mentaya of Central
Kalimantan, Indonesia. Central Kalimantan has numerous rivers from
the catchment areas to the north in the Schwaner
Mountains,
flowing to the Java
Sea.
River-water
becomes main point in the life of Dayak Ngaju people. Most of them
live along the bank river (on their early development), and use water
supply from the river for life, transport, etc. The bank river of the
Kahayan regarded as the true tribal area of the Ngaju from where they
spread over other rivers.
The
name of Dayak, means "native", apply by the immigrant Malay
who settled at coast part of Borneo. The name "Ngaju" means
"unplander" to distinct themself from other tribes in
Central Tumbang" means that they live in the river's mouth
(Tumbang), "oloh Ot Danum" means that they live at the
headwaters, and settled in the part of Central Borneo. They name
themselves after the various rivers on which they live.
Kalimantan Island is divided into three countries : Indonesia, Malaysia and Brunei. Indonesia's part, Kalimantan, consists of more than two thirds of the island and is divided into four provinces: Kalimantan Barat (West), Kalimantan Selatan (South), Kalimantan Tengah (Central), and Kalimantan Timor (East).
Name of rivers in Central Kalimantan and their length in km.
Barito (900 km), Kapuas (600 km), Kahayan (600 km), Katingan (600 km), Mentaya (400 km), Seruyan (350 km).
B.
Dayak Ngaju Religion
Kaharingan
is the name of religion of Dayak Ngaju people in Central Kalimantan.
According to Dayak people, Kaharingan Religion has been existed
thousands years, from the beginning of the world, when Ranying
Hatalla Langit (the
name of their God) created the universe. It has been existed before
the coming of Hindu, Budha, Islam and Christian religions to their
territory. After the coming of other religions to Dayak people,
Kaharingan become known as the religion of dayak's ancestor, or
ancient religion.
Kaharingan
means
“life, exist by itself”.
The religion itself from time to time has been unified with Dayak people's life from their birth (process of giving name), marriage, and death, before other religions give their influence to the people's life. Dayak people have three relations which needs to be in harmony and balance. First, their faith to Ranying Hatalla. Second, the relation between man as community or individual. Third, their relation with the nature and universe3.
The religion itself from time to time has been unified with Dayak people's life from their birth (process of giving name), marriage, and death, before other religions give their influence to the people's life. Dayak people have three relations which needs to be in harmony and balance. First, their faith to Ranying Hatalla. Second, the relation between man as community or individual. Third, their relation with the nature and universe3.
C.
Source of Dayak Ngaju Conception of God
The
Source of Dayak Ngaju conception of God are from sacred
literatures
(sacred story in songs, story from priest-auh
oloh Balian), Religious
drawings
(made by priest ex: Batang Garing), Traditional
law,
and Traditional
Rituals (Tiwah
ritual/mortuary ritual, etc).
D.
The Concept of Creation, God, and Death in Kaharingan Religion
The
conception of God is the center where the whole of Dayak Ngaju
culture and religion determined by which their entire life and
thought must be interpreted. Their conception of God is to which
everything must be refer to4.
(a)
Hornbill (the sacred bird in Dayak religion)
(b) model of Dragon Ark
(The ark to deliver soul to heaven),
(c) a Rattan art of Batang Garing Tree (Tree of Life) in Dayak Ngaju
Culture
The
Story of Creation
Kaharingan,
Dayak
Ngaju religion, believe that there are two great power that create
the universe. The name of these two great power are Ranying
Mahatala Langit
dan Jata
Balawang Bulau.
The
universe itself is divided into two world : Upper World and Under
World. The Upper World controlled by god Ranying
Mahatala Langit,
and the Under World controlled by Jata
Balawang Bulau5.
The two gods is one in essence, because Jata is the shadow of Ranying
Mahatala Langit.
On
the creation story, Ranying
Mahatala Langit throws
away lawung
(a head bend) which
is made by gold and diamonds. The
lawung
grows become a tree, which is called batang
garing or
tree of life. The tree has leafs and fruits from all kind of gold,
diamonds, amethyst, and all of the precious stone. Jata
Balawang Bulau also
releases a Tingang
female
bird (hornbill) from the cage. The female hornbill goes to the tree
and eats the fruit of the tree. Ranying also throws his gold sword.
The sword transforms to be a Tingang
male bird, which is called tambarirang.
The male hornbill (tambarirang)
comes
to the tree of life and eats the fruits of tree. The two hornbills
strikes each other caused a sacred war.
The
holy war makes a devastating war which destroys the batang
garing.
The devastated pieces of batang
garing
make up life of other creation, which are male, female and two arks.
The arks made from golds and diamonds. The first ark, named
banama bulau
(golden ark) navigated by the first woman who is named Putir
Kahukup Bungking Garing. The
second ark, named banama
hintan
(diamond ark) navigated by the first man who is named Manyamei
Limut Garing Balua Unggom Tingang.
The
man and woman are in their own ark and wandering in the ocean, which
is the source of every flowing water. Finally, the man asks the
woman for married. The woman accepts the man's request, with one
condition that the man will give her a land and a house to build. The
request is fulfilled by the help of the two supreme power, Ranying
and Jata. After all, the man and the woman become husband and wife.
For them born the descendants of human : (1) Maharaja
Sangiang;
(2) Maharaja
Sangen;
and (3) Maharaja
Bunu.
- The two hornbill (tingang) and the sun: hornbill and sun symbolized the deity of Ranying Mahatala Langit, as the source of all the living. There was a sacred war between the two hornbills of Upperworld and Underworld.
- Spear : point out to upper world, symbolized Ranying Mahatala Langit
- The fruits of Batang Garing : three fruits symbolized the three major descendants of men. The fuits points to upper and under world, signifies that man always direct their view to this two worlds as a balance life
- The leaves and branches: the leaves has the form of the feathers of hornbill (symbol of upperworld), and the branches has the form of curve which symbolized underworld (Jata). The harmony and untiy of this two world
- A Jar (balanga) of holy water : symbolized under world (Jata)
- The island of Batang Garing is the island of men origin where the first men come to the earth. The island called Pulau Batu Nindan Tarung.
Symbol
of Batang Garing (Tree of Life)6.
The
tree of life is dead and devastated to bring life for people and
universe.
The
Concept of Deities
The
story of Batang Garing (tree of life) tells us the the
philosophy of Dayak Ngaju people about life. Life is a result of
collision of two great power. From the collision of the two power
formed the universe and life. After creation, they have their own
distinctive power but the two power create balance and harmony in the
universe. If one of the power is removed, the balance harmony of the
cosmic will be disrupted7.
In
Kaharingan world view, the origin of men at the beginning is in one
nature with the deities (Upper World). The relation between men's
world and deities' world are never ending. Men can ask help for their
relatives in the deities world (Upper World). From this perspective
has been built an understanding of Dayak Worldview for deceased
people, they called buli,
which means going home (back to their origin).
In
the perspectif of Kaharingan etnoreligion, the concept of God can be
seen from the division of authority of the two deities. The power of
Upper World is ruled by Ranying
Mahatala Langit , represent
by Enggang bird (hornbill). The power of Under World is ruled by
Jata
Balawang Bulau, represent
by Tambun (dragon). This two power is two but in one essence. The
two power have other deities to control cosmic-order of the human
life. They are Raja
Pali, Raja Untung, Raja Sial, Raja Hantuen and Raja Peres. This
other deities has role as the representatives of the Upper World and
Under World to control order over the human life.
Raja
Pali (King of taboo) will
give punishment with thunder if someone break the custom law (taboo
law). Raja
Untung (King of fortune) gives
fortune, wealth and riches.
Raja Sial (King of badluck),
his tasks is to make misfortune, accident, cruelty, even death.
Raja Hantuen (King of ghost),
king of ghost which is source of disaster and everything that
disruptive to human, they drink human blood. And the last is Raja
Peres (King of Peres) which
is the king of disease and plague.
These
deities has the role of maintaining cosmos-order of the human life.
The deities gives fear to Dayak people worldview in doing something
wrong to deities, men and nature because of the punishment from the
deities (thunder, disease, plague, death, natural disaster, etc). In
dayak people worldview, the realities of these deities is real and
embedded to their life. They believe that if something bad happen in
their life, it has connection with the intervention from the deities.
That is the reason they live under the fear and respect to these
deities power which is dwell within the upper world and under world
and interfere the human world.
Life
After Death
In
Kaharingan religion, there is a ritual for a mortuary sacred
ceremony. The ritual called Tiwah. Tiwah is a sacred ceremony to
bring the deceased soul to the “prosperous land” or the village
of the souls. Tiwah is both death and life ritual8
. There are seven objectives of Tiwah9:
- Summon the soul from their temporary Upper World home and from the grave
- Bathe the soul
- Providing clothing for the souls
- Provision the soul with the food that never spoil
- Give the souls an opportunity to bid their kin farewell
- Escort the souls to the “Prosperous Village” (Lewu Tatau)
- Reunite the three souls
The
only way for a deceased person to begin their journey to the
Prosperous Village is to wait for others to open their tomb. At the
Tiwah ritual ceremony, the bones of deadly person bring out from
their old grave to a new place with a sacred ritual. The bones of the
deceased then place into a miniatur tomb house called “Sandung”
together with the precious treasures of the deceased person.
Sandung,
a place to preserve the bones of deceased person , whose
souls guard the village.
The
bones bring out from the old grave to "Sandung" (miniature tomb house) with a ritual ceremony called Tiwah
III.
The God of the Bible
A.
The story of Creation
The
central point of creation in the bible is that the sovereign God is
the creator of the heaven and the earth. God creates heaven and earth
by words. He is an ordered God, and He is the source and creator of
all the living by His creative works.
God
creates heaven and earth (Gen 1). On the first day He creates light
and separate light from the darkness. The second day, God creates
firmament and divides
the waters which were under the firmament from the waters which were
above the firmament. The third day, God separates water and land and
creates vegetation. The fourth day, God creates sun, moon and stars.
The fifth day, God creates living creatures in the water and birds.
The sixth day, God creates animals and man. The seventh day, God
rests from His creation work.
God
creates man and woman from his own Image (Gen 1:26-28). This means
that man and woman gives by God attributes for rational, moral,
social, creative and spiritual capacity. Man is created from the dust
of the ground. God breathes into his nostrils the breath of life; and
the man becomes a living soul. God takes one of man's ribs and makes
a woman from the rib, and brings her to the man.
B.
God of the Salvation
After the fall, the condition
of men is under the dominion of sin and death, guilty before God, and
under the grip of Satan10.
God calls men to His amazing salvation plan in Christ. The response
needed from men is conviction of sin, repentance from sin, and faith
in Jesus Christ11.
Salvation is the whole process that results from the finished work of
Jesus Christ as He died in space and time upon the cross12.
Salvation results sanctification of the people of God and
glorification when Christ returns.
IV.
Contextualization The Gospel
A.
Initial Point of Contact
| Initial Point of Contact can be developed to The Kaharingan Concept |
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B.
Constructive and Corrective Engagement to the Gospel
| The Kaharingan Concept | Transformation concept by the Gospel |
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Conclusion
We
can find some point of contacts with the Kaharingan religion and the
gospel from the story of creation, their concept of God and death.
This point of contacts need to be develop more in order to
contextualized with the message of the gospel. At least from the
perspective of creation, concept of God and Death, we can find
“identificational”
approach to proclaim the gospel to enter the worldview of Dayak Ngaju
People through this points of contact.
There
is a need of contextualizing in Dayak Ngaju culture. The decision of
the church about “Aturan Ungkup” makes the Christian people lost
of relation with their ancestor's culture. Before too late to
preserve our cultural inheritance, we need to find a way to preserve
the culture and in the same time build a biblical contextual approach
of the culture.
Bibliography:
- Hans Scharer. Ngaju Religion: The conception of God among a south Borneo People. Netherland Institute for International Cultural Relations. 1963
- Taya Paembonan. Batang Garing. Jakarta: PT Dunia Pustaka Jaya..1993.
- Anne Louise Schiller. Dynamics of Death: Ritual, Identity, and Religious Change among the Kalimantan Ngaju. Faculty of the Graduate School of Cornell University, August 1987.
- Sinclair B. Fergusson, Know Your Christian Life. Downers Grove: InterVarsity Press, 1981.
- Chris Wright, Salvation belong to Our God, Nottingham:Inter-varsity Press, 2008. p145-185
- Francis Schaeffer, Death in The City, Chicago. Inter-varsity Fellowship, 1972. p 74
1http://www.nila-riwut.com/id/dayaknese-people-from-time-to-time/dayaknese-people-from-time-to-time-1
2ibid
3
http://www.nila-riwut.com/id/dayaknese-people-from-time-to-time/dayaknese-people-from-time-to-time-1
4Hans
Scharer. Ngaju
Religion: The conception of God among a south Borneo People.
Netherland Institute for International Cultural Relations. 1963
5Hans
Scharer. Ngaju
Religion: The conception of God among a south Borneo People.
Netherland Institute for International Cultural Relations. 1963
6Taya
Paembonan. Batang Garing. Jakarta: PT Dunia Pustaka
Jaya:1993. P 123-125. (Summary)
7ibid
8Anne
Louise Schiller. Dynamics of Death: Ritual, Identity, and
Religious Change among the Kalimantan Ngaju. Faculty of the
Graduate School of Cornell University, August 1987. p 81-82
9ibid
10Sinclair
B. Fergusson, Know Your Christian Life. Downers Grove:
InterVarsity Press, 1981. p 9-15.
11ibid
12Francis
Schaeffer, Death in The City, Chicago. Inter-varsity
Fellowship, 1972. p 74
13Chris
Wright, Salvation belong to Our God, Nottingham:Inter-varsity
Press, 2008. p145-185
14I
Howard Marshall. The Work of Christ. The Paternoster Press.
1969
