Bubu, a traditional fish trap used by Dayak communities living along the Krayan River, with fish caught inside it and later taken out onto a boat. Documentation by the author.
By Masri Sareb Putra
In the upper river systems of Borneo, where rainforests lean over winding waters, an ancient fishing technology still works quietly beneath the current. Locals call it bubu kerawang, a traditional fish trap woven entirely from bamboo.
The structure is imposing yet elegant. A full-sized bubu kerawang can reach three meters in length, with a front diameter close to one meter. From its wide opening, the body narrows gradually toward the neck and belly, then tapers tightly toward the back.
Its design follows the logic of the river. Installed facing downstream, the trap waits for fish swimming upstream during seasonal migration. Once inside, the narrowing funnel prevents escape.
Large river fish such as pelian, baong, lais, and tapah are commonly caught this way. The method is selective, patient, and environmentally balanced.
Among Dayak communities, especially those living along the Krayan River, bubu kerawang is more than a tool. It is a form of ecological knowledge refined through generations of observation.
Each river produces a different bubu. Size and shape depend on current strength, water depth, and fish behavior. Craftsmanship follows nature, not standardization.
For travelers seeking authentic Borneo tour and travel experiences, encountering a bubu kerawang offers direct contact with living heritage. This is not a museum object, but a working technology shaped by the rainforest itself.
Pakel by the River, When an Object Becomes a Story
In Dayak culture, objects often carry stories, and sometimes stories carry migrations. One such story begins with a simple circular ring called a pakel.
A pakel is typically made from roots or rattan and serves as a basic component in constructing a bubu. It is practical, modest, and easily overlooked.
According to Lundayeh oral tradition, a legendary figure named Yupay Semaring once found a pakel lying on the riverbank. It likely came from a damaged bubu that had drifted downstream.
Yupay Semaring did not recognize it as fishing equipment. Instead, he believed it was a pakel kaki manusia, a traditional leg ring worn by Dayak men below the knee.
The size of the ring stunned him. If this was a leg ornament, then the person who wore it must have been enormous. The thought unsettled him deeply.
In his imagination, the owner of the pakel became a giant, powerful and possibly dangerous. Fear replaced curiosity, and anxiety began to govern his thoughts.
That moment by the river changed everything. Convinced that such a being lived nearby, Yupay Semaring decided to leave his homeland in search of safety.
For cultural travelers in Borneo, this legend reveals how material culture and storytelling intertwine. A simple object can reshape destiny when interpreted through belief.
A Long Journey from the Krayan Highlands to the Coast
Yupay Semaring’s departure marked the beginning of a long migration. He traveled along rivers, through gorges and valleys, and across mountain ranges.
The journey lasted months, then years. Along the way, he farmed to sustain himself, adapting to new environments while moving steadily away from imagined danger.
Eventually, he reached a coastal region far from his origin. There, he settled among local communities, married, and raised a family.
Oral tradition holds that his descendants became part of the early population of what is now Brunei Darussalam. The story does not end with settlement, but with legacy.
Legend recounts that Yupay Semaring fathered Awang Alat Betatar, later known as Sultan Muhammad, who ruled Brunei from 1363 to 1402.
Whether taken as belief or hypothesis, this genealogy has endured across generations. Its persistence suggests cultural memory rather than casual invention.
Physical traces strengthen the narrative. In Long Mutan, stories speak of a stone house that vanished and sank into the Krayan River.
In Long Bawan stands Mount Yupay Semaring, accompanied by a small cave believed to have been his dwelling. Stone artifacts in Long Pasia, Sarawak, echo similar traditions.
For Borneo tour and travel, these sites form a cultural corridor rarely explored. They invite visitors to experience history through landscape, not monuments.
This is travel that rewards patience, where meaning reveals itself slowly through stories told by rivers, elders, and stone.
From Tacit Knowledge to Cultural Tourism with Integrity
If history demands honesty and evidence, then the stories of bubu, pakel, and Yupay Semaring deserve careful study rather than dismissal.
At present, much of this knowledge exists as tacit knowledge. It is understood, practiced, and remembered, yet rarely documented academically.
Without prior research, comparison is impossible. Without documentation, novelty cannot be identified. This is why early studies are essential.
Like all scholarly fields, cultural history develops through dialectical processes. Each generation tests, refines, and sometimes challenges what came before.
The narrative presented here is not a final conclusion. It is an opening, inviting verification, critique, and expansion through evidence and interdisciplinary research.
For the Dayak Lundayeh community, this effort is about responsibility. It ensures that ancestral knowledge is preserved with dignity and accuracy.
For Borneo tour and travel, the implications are significant. Cultural landscapes like the Krayan Highlands offer experiences unavailable anywhere else in the world.
Visitors are not merely spectators. They become witnesses to a living archive where bamboo traps still function and legends remain meaningful.
In an era of mass tourism, Borneo offers something rare, authenticity rooted in restraint and respect.
The bubu kerawang does not dominate nature. It works with the river, following its rhythm.
Perhaps that is Borneo’s greatest lesson. Travel here is not consumption, but conversation with the past, flowing steadily like the rivers that shaped it.
