The Tampun Juah Site Sheds Light on the Past of the Dayak People and their Cultural Identity: Tampun Juah in Verse and Song by Thomas Tion (3)

Through the lyrics of Tampun Juah, Tion weaves historical truths into song. However, its meaning remains accessible only to those familiar with the Bidayuhik dialect.

"oooo Tampun Juah. Kampokng asal onya Dayak di Pulau Borneo... (Oooo Tampun Juah, the ancestral village of the Dayak people on the island of Borneo.)

Tampun Juah: The Ancestral Land of the Dayak People

Tampun Juah is revered as the "primordial land" by nearly all Dayak tribes in West Kalimantan and Sarawak. However, the Kanayatn people trace their origins to Mount Bawakng, while the Ketungau Tesaek claim Sukalanting in Labai Lawai as their ancestral home.

Read The Tampun Juah site sheds light on the past of the Dayak people and their cultural identity : The Dayak Did Not Come From Anywhere Else(1)

Tampun Juah is located in Lubuk Sabuk Village, Sekayam District, West Kalimantan, near the Mongkos border with Sarawak, Malaysia. In 2018, this site was officially designated as Customary Forest, covering 651 hectares.

For the Dayak people, Tampun Juah is not merely a historical site but a sacred symbol of their origins. Research by Alloy, Albertus, and Istiany (2008) highlights this area as home to 151 major Dayak clans, underscoring its historical importance.

Preserving the Legacy
Once known as Tembawang, Tampun Juah served as a vital ancestral settlement, particularly for the Iban people, whose longhouses were said to span 77 beams of resin wood. Today, however, this legacy faces threats from palm oil plantations and human activities, with the once 30-meter-wide Tampun Juah River now at risk of degradation.

Cultural expert and pastor Dionisius Meligun stresses that preserving Tampun Juah requires strong political will and tangible actions. As a historic testament to Dayak civilization, it remains a powerful reminder of the importance of safeguarding cultural heritage.

-- Masri Sareb Putra