Kalimantan rain forests are thought to have appeared 140 million years ago, putting it as one of the oldest rain forests in the world. Dayak as the indigenous people of Kalimantan have been living in the forests side by side in harmony with the nature. For Dayak, forests are part of their life. They believe in the power and holiness of forests. In protecting the forests, Dayak people introduce a local wisdom called "pukung pahewan". Pukung means region, and pahewan means holy/sacred. Pukung pahewan is an area in which trees considered to be sacred among Dayak are preserved.
Local elders give a mandate to a group of people to protect their customary forests so outsiders are kept away from entering the forests. Walking around and climbing gigantic trees in such dense forests are their daily tasks. A trespasser will be charged with customary law which varies from getting fined to a higher level, of which punishment will be applied as if one murders a Dayak chief or Demong. The customary law is applied in a bid to protect their forests, because forests for them is the Mother Nature.
© Afriadi Hikmal for Greenpeace
