Help Communities in Borneo Protect their Heritage

Ulu Papar communities’ continued enthusiasm in engaging with partners was apparent through their active participation in planning for and being involved in the DISSOLVA Borneo Project 2014; a visit by a group comprising predominantly Japanese undergraduates, joined by Malaysian students and supervised by leaders from their respective institutions. Apart from regular daily interactions, the Dusun communities from Buayan and Kalanggaan shared their traditional knowledge by involving their visitors in hunting activities, giving theatrical performances in their local language, and teaching the art of bamboo weaving. Through collaborative efforts, the toilet and septic tank for the Biocultural Heritage Centre was successfully constructed during the visit, a project led by social enterprise, Arkitrek. 

Community researchers from Ulu Papar have built on their experiences in a variety of ways. Some have to gone on to pursue other priorities, leaving their homefront for gainful employment. A select few, however, maintain their aspirations as environmental and cultural champions in the local sphere. One step they and other community members took recently was the inauguration of a youth committee in Buayan village, followed by initial discussions to outline specific aims relating to preserving their biocultural heritage. One of the committee members, Raymond, trained over the years in various participatory research methods including community filmmaking and participatory mapping, notes that his employment at the local district office allows him to utilise his in-depth knowledge about Ulu Papar to contribute towards upholding the traditional values that define the people of Ulu Papar.

(Photos courtesy of Arkitrek)

Links:

• Blog post by Filzah from Arkitrek
• Blog post by Tom from Arkitrek
• Video of Tom's lecture on experience in Buayan

The strong living biocultural heritage of Ulu Papar, and the welcoming and self-reflective character of the communities continues to build and strengthen connections, so that visitors tend to keep returning. Early last month, Shinobu from Gakushuin University once again headed into the depths of the Crocker Range, joined by local counterparts, including representatives from the local university, Universiti Malaysia Sabah, and from Arkitrek, the social enterprise fundamental in the design and construction of the community-action centre in Buayan. Raymond, who hails from Buayan, acted as community liaison and guide during the visit.

The purpose? To finalise plans for the DISSOLVA 2014 Borneo Project, a Gakushuin International Culture and Community Exchange Programme that brought 16 Japanese students to Sabah from 7^th – 24^th August 2014. Why are we excited about this? As with their two earlier visits, this year’s schedule included a good mix of activities. The Japanese students trekked deep into the dense tropical rainforest of Borneo to live with, learn about, and try to integrate with local Dusun communities in two villages in the Crocker Range. There, they assisted with the completion of the Bio-cultural Heritage Centre in Buayan, a hub for future outreach, self-advocacy and learning activities.

It is interesting to learn of similarities between cultures in two countries set more than three thousand miles apart. As Shinobu noted, forwarding photos from her July trip to Buayan, “Flat baskets made of bamboo are also common in Japan”. She added then that her student group hoped to make these baskets while in Kalangaan Village, and use them in their planned daily activities. “They also planned to use these baskets for the dance they prepared to show before their departure from Kota Kinabalu,” she added.

We thank Shinobu for sharing her story, and for Gakushuin University’s ongoing interaction with and support for the Ulu Papar community. 

Additional note: 

VOTE NOW! The photo of a Dusun child from Bundu Tuhan, taken by GDF photographer, Inanc Tekguc, made it through to GlobalGiving's Photo Contest this year! This opens up a new way you can support this project; the project with the photo that receives the most votes by noon EDT on August 29 will be awarded a $1,000 bonus. Vote now (it takes less than 1 minute)! Click here, enter your e-mail address, and verify your vote! If you’d like to learn about the story behind this phoo, click here. Thank you!

Photo descriptions

Shinobu, second from right, with the others on the trip in front of the 4WD that ferried them to Buayan. The group took an 8-hour trek on the way out. 

With the main structure and internal walls of the Bio-cultural Heritage Centre put in place last year, this year’s aim set out was to add finishing touches, construct a toilet and introduce the design of a septic tank/phytoremediation system.