Sickness regularly struck a family in the Dayak Iban community of Sungai Utik in West Kalimantan. After speaking to the local shaman the community made ‘bedara’ an offering and pardoning ritual to divert the spirit path that ran beneath the family’s house that was making them sick.
Apai Gajah talks us through the different steps of the ritual as we watch the community come together for ‘bedara’. The family have had no health complaints since.
Indigenous communities have a close connection to the land including spiritual beliefs that often mean they don’t see nature as a resource to be commodified.
The indigenous people of Sungai Utik, a Dayak Iban community in West Kalimantan, Indonesia, have maintained a strong traditional connection to their forests despite continuous pressure from logging and palm oil companies intent on taking their land. Their forests remain intact and their traditional values are keeping their community together. If we want to keep […]
Reclaiming and strengthening indigenous culture is vital to maintaining ancestral connections to nature. This must be passed onto future generations by celebrating indigenous traditions. Embera youth are spearheading a cultural revival, after decades of assimilation, through traditional body painting and storytelling. Meanwhile sustainable community forestry initiatives are creating low impact income for communities that rely […]
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