Kalimantan
This article is about the region of Indonesia. For the C. S. Godshalk novel, see Kalimantaan''.
Kalimantan is the
Indonesian part of the
island of
Borneo. It occupies the central and southern regions of the island.
Kalimantan is divided into four
provinces:
*
Central Kalimantan (Kalimantan Tengah), south of Kalimantan, with capital
Palangkaraya*
East Kalimantan (Kalimantan Timur), northeast of Kalimantan, with capital
Samarinda*
South Kalimantan (Kalimantan Selatan), southeast of Kalimantan, with capital
Banjarmasin*
West Kalimantan (Kalimantan Barat), west of Kalimantan, with capital
PontianakThe indigenous populations of Kalimantan are divided into
Dayaks,
Malays (particularly in
West Kalimantan and along coastal lines), and
Banjarese-Malay (in
South Kalimantan). There are also many migrants from other parts of the region such as
Buginese,
Javanese,
Madurese, and
Chinese who are concentrated in
West Kalimantan.
There was a war in the region between the indigenous
Dayaks, who follow
Kaharingan Hinduism, and
Madurese immigrants, who were moved here as part of a government
transmigration program that operated, in various forms, from
1905 until
2001. The Dayak fighters are known for their ferocious tactics, such as the beheading and mutilation of their victims.
In the past,
Dayaks who converted to
Islam were considered Malay or
Banjar. They then moved from their ancestral homeland into the country, mainly near rivers. One of the groups is called "Senganan", and they live along the
Kapuas river in
Sanggau,
West Kalimantan. Recently, however, there is an increasing pride among Muslims of Dayak descendants to consider themselves
Dayak again.
The
Dayaks whose religion is mainly
Islam, and who retained their Dayak identity, are
Bakumpai who can be found in
South Kalimantan and along the
Mahakam river,
East Kalimantan, as well as
Lamandau in
Central Kalimantan.East Kalimantan, as well as Lamandau in Central Kalimantan.
The
Indonesian Confrontation was a border conflict over the disputed island of Borneo, between British-backed
Malaysia and Indonesia in
1962-
1966.
*
WWF Heart of Borneo conservation initiative - Information about the Heart of Borneo - 220,000 km² of upland montane tropical rainforest, where endangered species such as the orang-utan, rhinoceros and pygmy elephant cling for survival.
