A Bubu and Happy Story from West Borneo

Ensaid Panjang Village - Sintang, West Borneo.

The sun was about to set and the rain began to fall when we were ready to take the last scene that day. The last and the most difficult scene because we had to do it along the river. We will document how Dayak Desah Tribe catch fish for food.

For the umpteenth time, my small group of 8 traveled to remote village of Indonesia whose residents still live traditionally and keep the value of culture inherited by their ancestors. This time, it was Dayak Desah Tribe, one of the few Dayak (indigenous of Borneo) who still owns their traditional house, Rumah Betang. Here, in Ensaid Panjang, still stands 120 meters long house for the whole tribes. 

We would like to present the story on how Dayak Desah still keep local wisdom for gathering food (fish from the river). They will transport by boat to a point in the river to gather fish. I volunteered to handle the underwater camera and take the picture from the water. And shortly after I plunged into the river, I regretted my decision to volunteer. This narrow river created torrent and it is deeper than I expected. Being in the water for more than an hour under drizzling rain, fighting the tide while recording all the moments was really tough. But I had been warned about these kind of challenge the first time the job was offered & I was counted in the team to face any obstacle possible, come hell or high water.

It is Bubu, a rattan cage that the tribe uses to trap fish. Everyday at 4 or 5 pm, they swap Bubu that has been successfully trapped fish with a new empty cage for ensnares other fish until the next day. And they will paddle their little wooden boat to the point where Bubu is located.

They provide us one room among those rooms in Rumah Betang.

Rumah Betang or Long House is shelter for the whole tribes. With the length of the house reaching more than 100 meters, it is the only house for the people in the village. If you ask how big is Ensaid Panjang as a village, it is as big as the Rumah Betang. Located in the middle of the woods, Rumah Betang Dayak Desah consists of about 25 rooms for about 25 families. Try to visit them once and experience the warmth of the living-together-community.

After a dirty and exhausting afternoon, I immediately took a bath and finished my dinner. After almost a year traveled all over Indonesia to document the life of traditional tribes, this was the first night I felt really tired. I remember laying down in the room with bundle of my sleeping bag as a pillow, and started to manage my breathing for relaxation. "Even a dream job, what I thought as the most interesting job, can be frustating.." the statement crossed my mind.

"Far, let's make something very entertaining for the house tonight!" this imperative sentence came from my producer while I was busy to muse. Your first tought might be about tuak, traditional Dayak alcoholic drinks for the best of night entertainment, but night was still young and kids were still around. Yes, kids in Rumah Betang seemed to really love guests, they could wait in front of the guest room for hours, asked us random questions from in front of the door, or were very happy to be photographed. And so it is, we make special tonight show for the lovely kids!

It must be boring to read my story doing a puppet show for the kids. But this had been the most brilliant idea that could be created in Rumah Betang that night. From the limited materials, we used our socks and decorated them with hair and expressions to tell some stories. What is the story? It is the funny story about catching fish with Bubu in the river near Ensaid Panjang village. I doubted this would be a funny and entertaining at first, but this was the picture that I got from the night.

Plus! My friend added a little trick performance that make the kids astonished!

And I owned one happy memory that will last for sure.

It's sometime funny yet mysterious how feelings can change in a blink of eyes. But no matter what you do, how hard your job is, or how interesting other people's lifes are, I think Walt Disney said it well that Happiness is a state of mind.

It's just according to the way you look at things. From my story, thank God, I was given a look at that making a puppet show for the kids is more recharging spirit & energy than just laying around and questioning Life.

Have a nice weekend!