3. Eagle •
If you see an eagle crossing left and right very often, it means you will have bad luck
• If you see the eagle coming straight toward you, it means you will
have good fortune •
If the eagle comes from behind you and leaves in the same direction you are heading, it means your good fortune will be gone
4. Adat ceremonies, performed when opening the forest through cutting trees and during rice harvesting.
These beliefs at least became a limitation for cutting trees or frequently opening more forest for communities. Communities’ beliefs might well be
described as a form of animism. If people conduct their lives in accordance with the adat that come from the spirits, they feel comfortable, and that they don’t
have too much to fear. Those ceremonies are intended to establish good relations with spirits and ensure their blessing.
4.2.1.2. Hunting
One cultural characteristic of the communities is hunting. Hunting was a traditional activity that almost all people were involved in. The Dayak people
were considered as good hunters. They hunted mammals, reptiles and birds for their daily living or for selling to other community members. Species mammals
they hunted were Pig Sus barbatus, Sambar Deer Curvus unicolor, Common Barking Deer Muntiacus muntjac, Masked Palm Civet Paguma larvata etc.
Their hunting implements included a lance Tombak, blowpipe Sumpit and air rifle Senapan angin. It was common for them to use dogs in hunting.
Some of their beliefs, described previously, also exist in hunting activities. The
Punan ethnic groups were prohibited by their beliefs to kill lizards Biawak, Varanus spp..
4.2.1.3. Collecting
Gaharu eaglewood and rattan were the most frequent goods collected by the communities. Gaharu is the resinous, fragrant heartwood formed due to
the presence of a fungus Cytosphaera mangifera in some species of Aquilaria. The communities consider Gaharu as a source of both timber and resin. Local
communities said that currently Gaharu trees are difficult to find. The men travel in groups 3 to 10 people to seek Gaharu. They stay
together at campsites, but sometimes they individually look for Gaharu in an area determined by the group. After three or four days in one region, they move
campsites and start exploring again. In some cases, when Gaharu is found they just mark the tree and then look for the rest of the group. Then, all together, they
cut the tree and extract the Gaharu from the fallen trunk. The product is divided among the group members. A belief related to Gaharu is if a collector sees a
deer running slowly, it means he will show you the place where you can find a Gaharu tree.
Rattan is an important group of plants of the Plamaceae. The most valued one is rattan sega’ Calamus caesius. The others are rattan bala’
Daemonorops histrix and rattan seringan Daemonorops sabut. Rattan was collected from the primary forests, however it also might be found in the
secondary forest. Rattan was used for making baskets and handicrafts. It was seldom to be sold as a raw material, especially after the export ban of
unprocessed rattan was issued in the year, 1988.
4.2.1.4. Timber Cutting
