Ear length, the Dayak traditions of Special Interest

Discuss the art of tattoos, many tribes in the archipelago, which has a tradition as the Dayak tribe, the Mentawai, and Papua. However, the tradition of ear length, only the Dayak tribe in Kalimantan, which has a tradition of this unique and special. That is not all the Dayak tribe, but only a few specific sub tribe of Dayak.

Despite becoming one of the characteristics or the identity of a very prominent as a native Kalimantan, but this tradition now seemed increasingly abandoned. Even if that survive, only a small group of old generation Dayak aged above 60 years old.

In addition to the amount is very small, they are originally ear length deliberately cut the tip of the ear leaves them. Reasons that are often raised, is considered behind the era of fear or worry that their children feel ashamed.

According to anthropologist Mering Ngo, who also came from the Dayak tribe, if the tattoos traditional Dayak now developed into a modern art tattooing, ear long tradition of the sinking and had abandoned. No young people who now continue this tradition, even in rural Kalimantan, even, with a variety of reasons.

"Just my ears that made long-term. Seventh my child, no one made the long ears," said Pejung (82), residents Kayan Dayak tribe that long ears are made up to about 15 centimeters.

"I pity if my children later became embarrassed and materials catcall. Actually, ear length should start made since the baby," added Pejung.

According Mering Ngo, besides there is no successor to preserve the tradition of ear length, is also not all groups or sub tribe of Dayak in Kalimantan, have a long tradition of this ear. In West Kalimantan, for example, the tradition of ear length, among others, known only among the Dayak Iban, Kayan, Park, and Dayak Punan. This tradition is only valid in the most remote areas, such as in the Kapuas Hulu regency.

DEVELOPMENT ear length is not only done on women, but also on men. Making ear length is usually carried out since the baby. The objective, according to Mering Ngo, associated with the classification of social strata someone in the community.
In the Dayak Kayan, for example, the ear length of the show comes from the aristocratic circles.

While the ear length in the women showed him a while to distinguish titlist with a female slave be lost because of war or are not able to pay the debt.

With the other villages in the Mahakam River upstream. Also, long used as identification to show age. Once the baby is born, given the tip of the ear beads are quite heavy. Each year, the number of beads attached in one ear increases.

"Therefore, if you want to know someone's age, can be seen from the number of beads that stick in your ear. If the number 60, then he certainly 60 years since the installation beads can not be done carelessly, but once a year," said Jacobus Bayau Lung , II, Chairman of the consignment, the Dayak of Kalimantan.

The goal of making the ear length is not to show the status kebangsawanan, but had to practice patience. "Just imagine, how the severity of beads, which depends on the ear. But, as is used every day, patience and sense of suffering they become trained," said Lung Bayau.

Meanwhile, among the Dayak Kayan, so that leaves the ears a long, usually given ballast helix form circle-shaped metal ring-shaped top, or small size. With the ballast of this lobe will continue to lengthen a few centimeters.

Meanwhile, the Dayak Iban, is not given ballast so, but only left a hole visible as large as we make zero fuze with the tip of thumb with the tip of index finger.

In Hamlet River Utik has, Apan Village, Upper Subdistrict Embaloh, Kapuas Hulu regency, for example, found a Dayak Iban called Tuba.

Parents aged around 68 years prolong the ears around an 60-year time to wander in Sarawak and Brunei Darussalam. In addition there himself prolong ear also make tattoos in the neck, arm and thigh.

Teachers of Customary Law Univeritas Tanjungpura Dr John Cyprianus Thambun Anyang states, ear long tradition of the Dayak Iban almost the same as the Dayak Park, which does not provide ballast.

"On the Discovery Park, a long tradition of the ear is not associated with certain social strata. This tradition, especially for women only as keperempuanannya identity," said the specialist this customary law.

But, said Thambun, this tradition have abandoned the Dayak Park. "My mother just had to Muzaffarabad so come the time that ask ears cut ends of the leaves because they are afraid their children will be ashamed," he said.

According to Thambun, prolong the ear is only one tradition of decorating the body. The tradition of the Dayak tribe other is to make the tattoos and gold teeth install. However, the tradition of decorating the body of the third, the only tattoos that still survive despite the loss of meaning spiritualnya. Meanwhile, make the ear length and install a gold tooth is left.

"The tradition of installing a gold tooth for Discovery Park to show that already wander far, because the gold teeth that are good only in Sarawak and Brunei Darussalam," he said.

When to start this long tradition of left ear?

According Mering, this is not exactly known, but is estimated to be equal with the tradition of tattooing began when the influx of missionaries to remote areas in the Dayak villages in the days of Dutch colonial past.

This tradition is fireworks out of the confrontation between Indonesia and Malaysia in Kalimantan border areas. When the growing stigma in the community, they are leaved ear length and living in the house long, which inhabited some families, community groups, which is not modern. Not resistant to such views, some residents eventually cut the ear length.

This kind of stigma continues until now. Dayak younger generation does not want to create more fear because the ear is considered a long lag period and not modern.

Only a small part of the Dayak people who still adhere to a tradition of long-leaved ear, and it is very minimal amount.