Help Communities in Borneo Protect their Heritage

* information taken from the Project Proposal on Community Biocultural Heritage Centre: in support of sustainable livelihoods in Kg. Buayan, Crocker Range, Sabah (prepared by Agnes Lee Agama)

The construction of a new building in Buayan village is now underway. While physical work began only last month, the concept of this building, what will soon be the Community Biocultural Heritage Centre, has been long in the making.

In 2004, the community of Ulu Papar started working with a group of partners in a project to document key ethnobiological resources important for their livelihoods and how these resources are used, managed and protected. Since then, through several projects and a series of activities – fieldwork, workshops, community exchanges, training courses, expeditions and travelling roadshows – community researchers have been trained to work with their community to map key resource areas and mark them on 3D models, conduct livelihoods assessments, record oral histories, collect botanical specimens of useful plants, and produce a series of participatory videos that share the concerns of their community. These collaborative initiatives, which carried on for 8 years, have been critical in promoting the role of the community in the conservation and management of Ulu Papar. The community thus launched a process to establish Ulu Papar as a Biocultural Heritage Site for Sabah, advocating for the long-term protection of the Ulu Papar landscape and the indigenous people who live there.

The Community Biocultural Heritage Centre, its first stage targeted for completion by the end of this month, will enable the community to establish Buayan as a hub for community-based conservation and environmental education for the people of Ulu Papar as well as for visiting groups such as students, field researchers, and tourists. Its design stemmed from the concept developed through earlier consultations with the community. Arkitrek, a local social enterprise focused on sustainable design, leads the project through its design and construction stages. The community has participated in different stages of its implementation since then, through initial gatherings with representatives from Arkitrek to discuss plans, roles and responsibilities, and the approval of the building design. Community members have also participated in the preparation of woven bamboo panels that will be used as building components, and the collection of natural resources that serve as raw materials for the building.

We wish to thank GlobalGiving donors who have contributed to the ‘Help Communities in Borneo Protect Their Heritage’ campaign facilitated by the Global Diversity Foundation, as funds have provided the means for community members to expend their expertise and time towards the project. This ties in with current efforts to revive and promote traditional handicraft among the Ulu Papar community as a potential alternative livelihood, and to record and showcase oral histories of the community.

Links:

• Collaborative projects in Ulu Papar (Source: GDF website)
• Photo album on 'what if' workshop (Source: Arkitrek FB page)
• Blog post on bamboo weaving workshop (Source: Arkitrek blog)

As reported by Patricia John and Jenny Sanem, edited by Marina Aman Sham.

With the intention to revive traditional handicraft making in the Buayan-Kionop area, Patricia John and Jenny Sanem included it in their plan to interview experienced members of their community. In June, they conducted interviews with En. Sabatin Logunsing from Tiku – Buayan village and Puan Binjani Gorumpang from Buayan, with the key objective to collate a list of the types of traditional handicraft that are made using natural resources found in the area. As expressed by Patricia and Jenny, conducting interviews was a suitable method to use because it allowed them to interact freely with the interviewees, without any interruptions. Through the interviews, they learned about the various types of handicraft of the Buayan-Kionop area. Unfortunately, as they found out, not all of these crafts are still being used in their community.

En. Sabatin and Puan Binjani were very helpful and agreed to become trainers to teach the younger generation as well as any adults who may be interested in learning how to make the traditional handicraft found in Buayan. The interviews proved to be fruitful. Not only were Patricia and Jenny able to list down the types of handicrafts made, they also included the ‘ingredients’ (raw materials) used to make each one.

En. Sabatin Logunsing and Puan Binjani Gorumpang described 17 traditional products each, all made from resources found in the forests. These products consisted of equipment used in homes on a daily basis, fishing equipment, hunting equipment, musical instruments and traditional games. After a quick comparison, it was discovered that the total number of items listed was 27.

Two more community members have been identified as trainers – En. Joiwit Sabandok dan En. Peter Lasa. Once all interviews have been completed, plans will move ahead to conduct the training workshop.