IDENTITAS DAYAK KATAB KEBAHAN DI KABUPATEN MELAWI KALIMANTAN BARAT (Studi tentang Konstruksi Identitas Etno-Religio pada Masyarakat Dayak)

Abstract

There has been an existing understanding in West Borneo that the word Dayak is affiliated with Christianity and/or local beliefs. The existence of the Katab Kebahan Dayak identity which is ethnically rooted from the Kebahan Dayak and religiously affiliated with Islam is unique. And it is interesting not only for further elaboration about the exceptionality of the identity of the Islam Dayak but also for public to know more about social and political policies of local government related to local culture and social changes in the region with regards to the community. The Katab Kebahan Dayak identity indicates a social identification carrying a significant factor of Dayak cultures that is very important to consider in policy making process. Therefore, the study plays a significant role in the efforts of understanding identity issues with regards to ethnicity and religiosity which are significantly interrelated in the contexts of West Borneo society, especially in Melawi District. As an ethnographic and anthropological work, this project aims at discovering a comprehensive information and knowledge and finding better explanation of the local identity construction, especially on the aspects of ethnicity and religiosity. The focus of this works is the growing of cultural awareness of the people of Katab Kebahan Dayak on the issue of ethno-religious identity of being Muslim Dayak in the contexts of Dayak as (understood) non-Muslim. This project emphasizes ethnicity and religiosity as the two significant aspects on the construction of communal identities in West Borneo, especially for Malay and Dayak ethnic groups. This work is a field research project conducted in Melawi District area employing qualitative method. The data gathering is conducted through observation